Sustainable Agriculture in the Walla
Walla River Valley Basin
by Laura Nussbaum (’01)
and Amity Priore (’01)
Trends
The production, sale, and consumption of organic foods has become an increasingly popular trend within the United States. This report investigates the production and sales of organic foods within the Walla Walla Valley. Specifically, it seeks to examine the certification programs within Washington and Oregon (local certification), the California program (considered the standard for organic certification) and the developing National Certification program (which will potentially affect all organic farmers and producers). This report aims to evaluate the use, benefits and hindrances of the certification programs. Organic farms in the valley were assessed to see what crops farmers produce, methods they use, whether or not they are certified, and if so, by which programs, the markets in which their food is sold, and their views on the production of organic crops. Finally, the report will review markets themselves-the farmer’s markets, local supermarkets, CSA programs, restaurants and other areas that may support organic agriculture programs.
The National Center for Public
Policy reported in a June 2000 survey that 68-69% of Americans believe that
organic labels mean that products are “safer and better for the environment”
and a poll conducted by Norvatis, a genetic engineering company, found that 54%
of consumers would like to see organic become the main form of food production.
The
organic market is growing for a number of reasons:
· Environmental
benefits: organic programs are often
intended to minimize impact on immediate and surrounding lands. They may increase soil fertility, pose less
threat to nearby water resources, and may reduce the presence of chemical
residues in land, water and air resources.
· Organic
markets also tend to be more localized, contributing to decreased energy use,
decreased transport needs, less packaging.
In addition, organic markets bolster local economies and increase food
security.
· Consumers
have also been concerned over the consumption of toxic residues, antibiotic
drug residues (found in animal products), genetically engineered foods, and
products which may carry the E-coli bacteria.
Washington Certification
While forty-four organic
certification agencies exist in the United States, the Washington State
Department of Agriculture (WSDA) Organic Food Program is one of 10 state
government certification programs. The
other thirty-four certification programs are run by private agencies, as is the
case in both California and Oregon.
When the WSDA Organic Food Program was founded in 1988, 63 certified
organic farms existed. As of 1999, the
number of certified farms has increased to 446, along with 94 processors and 98
handlers. Washington State statistics
show that the organic food industry is growing at a rate of 20-30% per year.
In general, organic refers to food
that is both grown and processed without the use of synthetic chemicals. All farmers who sell organic crops must be
certified if they sell more than $5000 worth of organic product per year. WSDA statutes demand that for land to be certified
for growing organic crops, it must first maintain a 3-year period without
the use of synthetic chemicals. In
the case of transitional organic certification, this requirement is at least
one year. Furthermore, under the WSDA
standards a buffer zone of at least twenty-five feet must be maintained from
the nearest source of prohibited materials.
A complete list of both approved and prohibited materials for organic
crop production can be found on the WSDA Organic Food Program home page (http://agr.wa.gov/FoodAnimal/Organic/default.htm). All certified growers must use untreated seeds
unless they can prove that they are not commercially available. However, all transplants must be grown organically
from seed through harvest.
In Washington, organic certification
is required annually in which growers submit information that pertains to the
following:
- history of the production site
- production practices
- records of all sales of organic
and transition to organic food products
- records of all materials applied to the plants
and/or soil where the crop is being
produced
- receipts of all materials used on
the farm
- proof of surrounding land use
- the application of a cover crop or
green manure
- a map identifying the location of
the site
- crops and acreage in production
Once
all the information is received, the farm is inspected by an Organic Field
Inspector who reviews the production methods and sends a report to the Olympia
office. The certification process is
long and can take up to 90-120 days for the application to be processed. The certification process is not free. Fees are based on organic sales and can
range anywhere from $165 to $2000 per year.
*Information
obtained from the Washington State Department of Agriculture Organic Homepage (http://agr.wa.gov/FoodAnimal/Organic/default.htm)
California Certification
Unlike Washington, California relies
on private agencies for the organic certification process. The main certification agency in California
is called California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF). CCOF was founded in 1973 and became a
pioneer in the organic certification business, helping to establish the
guidelines and requirements followed by certification agencies nationwide. CCOF was instrumental in the development of
the 1990 California Organic Foods Act, which was modeled after their standards.
The Certification process in
California is very similar to Washington’s requiring a 3 year period without
the use of synthetic chemicals as well as a large amount of paperwork and
record keeping to be submitted in order to be approved for certification. One of the notable differences in the
organic policy between Washington and California is the lack of a required
buffer zone. According to CCOF
standards, a buffer zone only needs to be implemented as it is “appropriate and
practical in each situation.” The fee
for organic certification under CCOF is $200.
*Information
obtained from the CCOF Website (http://www.ccof.org/)
Oregon Certification
Oregon Tilth Certified Organic is a
private certifying agency in Oregon (there is no state certifying agency). This agency provides services for Oregon and
out of state Growers and Livestock Producers, although fees and some procedures
will vary between state and out of state certification and between first time
certification and re-certifications.
Fees vary with projected gross sales.
The certification process appears to require similar standards of
certification as compared with programs in California and Washington.
*For
information on Oregon Tilth Certification:
National Certifying
Standards
Currently,
the USDA is developing a National Organic Program. A set of guidelines was proposed in 1997 by the agency, and was
subjected to public criticism for improvement.
A final set of standards will be issued later this year after public
commentary is considered. The National
Standard will require that all producers of organic products be certified
through the National Organic Program if they wish to market their products as
organic. This will provide more
consistency in the standards of organic farming nationwide. This program does not require farmers to be
certified and attempts to resolve potential inconsistencies within the range of
requirements currently set forth by different state agencies.
State and private agencies will be
accredited to certify producers according to the National Standards, and fees
will be appropriated by the certifying agency, and will not go to the
USDA. Producers must submit
applications including descriptions of practices, monitoring systems, record
keeping systems, list of substances in production, and other information deemed
by the certifying agency to evaluate compliance. Requirements regulate: land use, soil fertility and management,
seed planting and selection, crop rotation, crop pest weed management
practices, wild crop harvesting, livestock origin, livestock feed, livestock
health care practices and living conditions, organic handling requirements,
facility pest management, contact/commingling with prohibited substances. Farms must have a 3-year period without the
use of prohibited substances before they can be considered organic.
*For
information on the National Organic Program:
http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop/index.htm
Compost
Compost is an integral part of
Organic farming and is essential to maintaining maximum plant health. Compost is important because it provides
diversity, structure, nutrients, and helps maintain proper soil chemistry. Three main composting methods exist: thermal, worm and static composting
Thermal
Composting: “involves heat produced by bacteria and fungi
that kills weed seeds and kills, or reduces as far as reasonably possible,
human and plant disease-causing organisms. The metabolic products produced are food for disease-suppressive
and plant-growth-promoting organisms” (http://Soilfoodweb.com/).
Worm
Composting: (vermin-composting) “involves
the use of earthworms, usually red worms or litter worms, which consume the
bacteria, fungi, protozoa, nematodes and microarthropods growing on the organic
matter. The worms mix the organic
matter (i.e. turn the material as if they were little plows) and enhance the
growth of bacteria, fungi, protozoa, nematodes and microarthropods.
The same disease-suppressive, nutrient-retaining and nutrient cycling
benefits result in the end product, just as in thermal compost”
(http://Soilfoodweb.com/).
Static
Composting: “is used when the material
to be recycled requires anaerobic decomposition to be broken down (such as
steel belted radials) or contains materials that are such excellent bacterial
food resources that they will become anaerobic without constant turning. The same thermal requirements must be met as
with thermal composting, but the pile is not turned until the last two weeks
of the process. Thus, static compost
will be anaerobic during much of the early months of the composting process
and except for the last two weeks, the pile must be much larger to prevent
anaerobic odors from escaping” (http://Soilfoodweb.com/).
For
more information on compost, the uses, benefits, and methods, explore the
SoilFood website -- http://Soilfoodweb.com/
Seeds
Currently, a debate exists over the
manipulation and use of seeds by farmers.
To meet organic certification standards seeds must be untreated unless
no untreated seeds of that type are available (documentation must be shown that
a proper search was given towards obtaining seeds of that type). To learn more about available organic seeds,
check out these seed providers’ web sites:
Ideal Organics Farm
Greg Schnorr
Greg owns a six-acre farm off
Wallula Road which he runs with the help of Sarah Grant. He purchased the farm in 1998 from Bob Biles
who had been farming it organically since the 1970’s. The farm is certified through Washington State Certification
Process. Greg’s crops are grown from
organic seeds bought from companies in Maine, Port Townsend (WA), and
Ellensburg (WA), specifically Johnny’s seed company, Abundant Life Foundation,
and Irish Eyes. He does not save seeds
from crops, but only uses seeds which fit the organic standard.
To fertilize crops, as well as to
suppress weeds, he uses varying combinations of fish, fertilizer, compost and
mulches. Greg is working on producing
his own fertilizer, but has not yet created one. He uses compost to keep crop areas “clean” as in the suppression
of weeds. For this purpose, the farm
has received the leaves provided by the city of Walla Walla. Steve Martin, from Dayton provided the
compost machine to break the leaves down into usable material. Sarah also brings some compost left over
from the vineyards at which she works.
To water crops, Greg uses drip
tape. Drip tape is made of plastic,
which farmers typically rip up and throw away with each new season, creating a
lot of waste. Therefore, some
sustainable farmers are attempting to devise an alternative way of watering
crops with the benefit of efficient water conservation.
Currently, the farm produces
potatoes (Yukon Gold, Red, and Purple), pumpkins, eserol (salad green), curly
endive, redeeshio (culinary item), beets, carrots, Indian popping corn, gourds,
tomatoes, and lovage. The items
produced are sold to a number of different markets. On the local scale, some produce is sold at the local farmer’s
market and through the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) service which
Sarah has set up. Also, Greg works at
the Whitehouse Crawford Restaurant in Walla Walla to which he sells much of his
produce. On non-local markets, they
have sold to markets in Spokane and to the Pike Place organic market in Seattle. They also produce some flowers to sell
cut. These flowers can be sold locally,
at the same marked-up price of non-locally produced pesticide crops, producing
close to a one hundred percent profit.
Greg envisions converting most of
the farm into a vineyard to create a low maintenance mono-crop, instead of the
high maintenance multi-crop system he now maintains.
Bob Biles
Wallula Road
Bob Biles started his organic farm
in the early 1970’s. Inspired by the
energy crisis during the Carter era, Bob, like many others, was looking for a
different way of living. He found the
change he was looking for in organic, or “alternative farming” as he likes to
call it, and became a pioneer in the organic movement in Eastern
Washington. Bob was the first certified
organic farmer east of the Cascades and was very influential in the development
of the Washington State Certification program.
Initially his farm consisted of 10 acres, but in 1998 he sold off six
acres to Greg Schnorr. Bob engaged in
commercial farming for a number of years selling various products such as
onions and apples. Six years ago, he
gave up commercial farming, along with his certification largely due to
frustration with the bureaucracy of the certification process and the lack of
demand for organic produce in Walla Walla.
Bob still grows food and flowers organically but on a much smaller scale
selling at such places as the local farmers market, floral shops, Bon Appetit,
Catering Services and to friends and co-workers. He also plans to set up a road side stand in front of his home
some time in the next few years. For
sale, Bob grows 25 different varieties of flowers from Asters to Zinnias,
potatoes, garlic, onions, tomatoes, and apples. For home use he also produces broccoli, cauliflower, mint,
carrots, basil, pepper, shallots, raspberries, and kale. In addition, he also makes potting soil and
transplant mediums. In his farming
techniques, Bob relies heavily on the use of compost and mulch to improve the
health and quality of the soil. He uses
both large worm and rotating bin compost systems and he gets composting
material from a variety of local sources, For instance, he uses leaves from
Whitman College, food scraps from Bon Appetit, and grass clippings. The only synthetic chemical used by Bob is
Round-up to keep the weeds down along the garden paths.
Dab ‘O Gold Farm
John & Delores
Beyersdorf
115 Detour Road
For the Beyersdorfs, growing
sustainably has long been a part of their lifestyle. Delores was raised in Alaska where she claims, “you couldn’t get
anything to grow,” so when she moved to Washington that is all she wanted to
do. The first experiments with organic
gardening began with the home garden in West Seattle. When the Beyersdorfs relocated to the countryside, their operation
expanded into a full-scale farm. They
moved to various locations within the Moses Lake Basin and eventually to Walla
Walla. The size of their farms
significantly increased in size with every move, all the while employing very
sustainable farming techniques, being some of the first farmers to be certified
organically in Washington. The
Beyersdorfs have lived in Walla Walla for the past four years and currently own
about 110 acres which they use to grow both asparagus and Walla Walla Sweet
Onions commercially. About 10 acres of
their land, mostly along the Walla Walla River is set aside for wildlife such
as quail, wild turkeys, Blue Herons, and other animals. The Beyersdorf land is currently certified
under the Food Alliance Program based out of Portland, but they plan to have at
least twenty-five acres of their onion crop certified under the Washington
State certification program in 2001. It
is difficult to organically certify asparagus because herbicides are needed to
suppress the weeds, but Delores thinks affordable alternatives will soon be
available. The Asparagus crop mostly
goes into canned products of Jolly Green Giant, but particularly good harvests
may also reach the frozen food section.
Of the Walla Walla Sweet Onions, a large amount is sold to stores and
markets such as Albertson’s in Walla Walla, Charles Produce in Seattle, Pupos
in Spokane, and Food Front in Portland.
The Beyersdorfs also sell a good deal of onions in a roadside stand
located on their property. In addition,
to grocery stores, local restaurants such as White House Crawford and the
Homestead also buy from the Beyersdorfs.
Overall, during the last growing season the Beyersdorfs produced 315,000
lbs of onions and 18,000 lbs of asparagus.
In maintaining the integrity and the
richness of their soil the Beyersdorfs use nutrient foliar to support their
plants. As Delores says, “We have never
used a pesticide or a fungicide on our farm.
When the plant is healthy, those things are not needed.” The process of monitoring soil requires the
testing of nutrient levels within the plants, checking for imbalances which can
then be corrected by adding the needed nutrient. Furthermore, the Beyersdorfs have taken a very technological
stance to sustainable farming. For
instance, they use a biological soil enhancement application called Micro 5000
distributed by Tainio Technology & Technique. These microbes help to resist diseases, frost, and mildew while
enhancing soil and plant quality and are approved under both Washington and
Idaho certification acts. Furthermore,
like all organic farmers, the Beyersdorfs recognize the importance of
composting, using a combination of straw, manure from their animals, grass
clippings, leaves collected from the city of College Place, and wood chips gathered
by the Walla Walla city tree trimmers as the basis of their compost
composition. In addition to growing
commercially, the Beyersdorfs grow a variety of other crops such as potatoes,
carrots, and beans for their own consumption and raise goats from which to
produce their own dairy products.
For
more information on the Food Alliance, look at:
http://www.thefoodalliance.org
For
more information on microbes contact
Gratitude Farm
Mark Jones
Mark Jones runs a large-scale farm
operation in the Walla Walla Valley.
Mark moved here from the San Francisco Bay area in 1997, and has been
working on his land ever since. Having
always been interested in farming, he took a Sustainable Agriculture class at
UC Davis, but most of his farming knowledge is self-learned through books. He runs his farm on the belief that organic
foods produce a better product, are safer for workers, and are healthier for consumers. He has twenty acres of certified organic
land, 45 acres of transitional land, and 50 acres which he farms
conventionally. This is his first year
being fully certified under Washington State standards. Eventually, he would like to make the farm completely
organic. Previously, the land was
farmed conventionally, producing sweet onions and wheat.
Mark employs three full-time
employees, though he also hires temporary labor during harvest periods. His techniques for farming include the use
of compost from Columbia Valley cow excrement, a fish emulsion, and biological
farming (re-introducing essential microbes into the soil to allow soil
chemistry to work). For irrigation he
uses wheel lines, hard lines and drip lines.
The wheel and drip lines have impact heads. Drip lines have been the most expensive, must be torn up every
year, and impede cultivation. However,
he feels that they are the most efficient and most effective. He has thought about cultivating over
plastic, which will keep weeds out of crops and ease cultivation. However, it is not a particularly cheap
option. He buys his seeds from Johnny’s
Seeds in Maine and from local growers, except for his onion seeds which he
produces himself.
All his crops are produced for
sale. He has 20 acres of conventional
Walla Walla Sweet Onions, and 6 acres of Certified Onions. He produces winter squash which is also
certified organic. He produces spinach
and cucumbers which are conventionally farmed.
Finally, he also has a market garden which is certified organic and
produce is sold to the White House Crawford Restaurant in Walla Walla and
Weinhard’s Café in Dayton. Little of
the other produce stays in the local market; his products are primarily shipped
to Seattle and Portland where more lucrative markets for organic products
exist.
Jones believes that there is no easy
crop and notes that profitability really varies. He did not feel that the certifications process is particularly
difficult, and that the state agency is fairly easy to work with. He feels that large-scale organic production
could be variably successful, but that the marketing end is the difficult
area. There are few local markets in
the valley, and the distance between consumer and producer is a negative
factor.
Farmer’s
Market: The farmer’s market provides
a local venue where farmers can sell their products without a middleperson
taking the majority of the profit. To
participate in the Walla Walla market, produce must be grown or collected by
the vendor and he/she must pay a fee to sell at the market. The market runs Saturdays and Thursdays
between May 20 and October 21. It is
located at 4th and West Main in Walla Walla.
CSA
Program: Sarah Grant has begun a community supported
agriculture program, whereby people put down money ($40/month) up front to
support the farmer. Each week of the
month subscribers receive $10 of food products from the farmer. This reduces the stakes for the farmer in
producing crops and spreads the burden of possible problems to the consumer, as
well. In the valley, Grant’s program
currently has 20 subscribers and the number of people interested is growing.
Supermarkets:
Albertson’s
450 N. Wilbur
The selection of organic produce
varies according to demand and the decisions the produce manager makes at each
individual store. In reality,
Albertson’s can get any type of organic produce into their store but they are
only going to market what they can sell.
Right now, demand in Walla Walla is not very high. In fact, according to the produce manager,
demand is barely high enough to bring in any organic produce at all. However, on a national level, Albertson’s
does require each store to retain a certain amount of organic products. Currently, the Walla Walla Albertson’s
carries organically grown Green and Red Leaf Romaine lettuce, green onions,
yellow onions, acorn and butternut squash (grown locally), potatoes, oranges,
grapes, bananas, Asian pears, and Bartlett apples (grown locally). The price for organic produce is typically 2
to 3 times more expensive than traditionally grown foods.
Restaurants: Much of the produce of Ideal Organics goes to a local
restaurant, The Whitehouse Crawford. At
present, they take whatever produce Greg Schnorr can supply. However, in the future, he will plant
according to their needs. Restaurants
constitute a steady demand for seasonal organic products.
Flowers: Flower sales are highly beneficial to the organic
market. They are easy and cheap to
produce, and can bring almost 100% profit.
Because shipped, flowers treated with large quantities of pesticides
command higher prices. Organic flower
producers can utilize the high markup by charging the same price, without the
added costs to the farmer, and receive larger economic benefits.
Issues
confronting Sustainable Farmers in the Walla Walla Valley
The
following options about sustainable agriculture are derived from a combination
of interviews conducted with the farmers and producers mentioned within this
website.
Local Markets
In
producing with the philosophy of reducing impact, some farmers have preferred
to produce for local markets to reduce energy use, in transport and packaging
of products. However, within the Walla
Walla Valley, demand for organic products is not as high as in cities,
according to Bob Biles. He feels that
many students from the colleges, specifically the Whitman community, are
concerned with the availability of organic foods, but that other local
residents are not as interested. Hence,
the farmer faces the problem of whether or not to transport crops to distant
locations where a greater demand for organic products exists. Another factor that affects consumer demand
for organic products is the high cost of living in Walla Walla. Because housing is so expensive, most people
cannot afford to pay the price differential for organic products. The availability of cheap local produce is
simply too hard to compete with. In
addition, local grocery stores are a difficult market, as they tend to want a
good value (low prices) to meet consumer demand. This often includes providing specific products year round, which
local producers are unable to accommodate.
Andy’s Market in College Place, WA does obtain most of its produce from
local farmers, although many of the farmers are certified organic.
Bureaucracy
Many
of the farmers we talked with spoke of how difficult and time consuming the
process of organic certification is. To
become certified, a producer must submit an incredible amount of information
and records detailing every action undertaken on the farm. By simply using one prohibited chemical in
any stage of production, certification can be jeopardized for that year. The strictness of and the amount of
paperwork required by Washington’s Organic Food Program makes it difficult to
comply with, especially for small farmer’s who often have other jobs and
limited time. Furthermore, the approval
process takes a long time, anywhere from 90-120 days for the WSDA to issue
Organic Food Producer Certificates.
Organic certification is a very timely process and in some cases the
bureaucracy has discouraged farmers from obtaining certification, but this is
not true for all farmers.
Lack of Government
Incentives
Although more and more people are
calling for a shift in agricultural practices from the traditional chemical
laden agriculture to more natural and organic agriculture, the government does
not seem to be backing these demands.
While government certification agencies have been established in some
states, as in Washington, the bulk of these certification programs are
private. The fact that a farmer must
pay to become certified organic while a farmer who uses dangerous and polluting
chemical pesticides pays nothing is problematic. Why is the process of organic certification so costly when
organic farming is actually healthier for both humans and the environment? Why isn’t the government promoting organic
farming and providing tax incentives to both help current organic farmers and
entice other traditional farmers to make the transition?
Local Agricultural
Production
Why aren’t the majority of farmers
growing sustainably in the Walla Walla area?
Some feel that farmers are too rooted in tradition. The majority of the current farmers are
university educated and large-scale chemical agriculture is what is taught at
the university level. Until university
curriculum changes, farmers will continue to use chemicals and not think about
the side affects. Many feel that for
farmers in Walla Walla to alter their habits, they will have to be forced to
change, and it is doubtful that government agencies are going to initiate this
change.
For
information on sustainable agriculture technology: