Om spring15 web 2 by Pennsylvania Certified Organic

Pennsylvania Certified Organic Quarterly Newsletter Spring 2015

Pigs on Pasture page 2 Farming the Forest page 5 FarmFest 2015 page 10

Organically Speaking The celebration of spring! Spring is such an inspiring time. As I reflect on the past year and gear up for the new certification and growing season there is much to celebrate. 2014 truly was a banner year for PCO. We received more than double the number of new applications (145) over the previous year, resulting in a 14 percent increase in certified organic members. This high growth rate has continued through the first two months of 2015 with a 70 percent increase in new applications over the same time last year. We already issued 16 new certifications in the first two months of this year, up from only five in the same period last year! See Certification Update, page 18. Organic food production is clearly a strong trend in our region. Above: Penny Zuck, Leslie Zuck and Joni (Zuck) Arrington. Penny recently joined the National Organic Program staff after a nearly 14-year career with PCO. Joni also worked for PCO as its first bookkeeper and certification reviewer in 1998-1999.

Organic folks working in Harrisburg Perhaps in support of that trend, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf appointed Russell Redding as Secretary of Agriculture. Secretary Redding most recently served as President of Delaware Valley College, whose campus gardens are certified by PCO. In turn, Secretary Redding named Hannah Smith-Brubaker of PCOcertified Village Acres as a Deputy Secretary of Agriculture. We have already noticed much more open communication on organic topics and PCO will actively engage with the new administration to support and promote organic food production in the Commonwealth.

Hannah Smith-Brubaker stands beside Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding as he announces her appointment as Deputy Secretary of Agriculture during the PASA conference in February.

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Hablar organicamente1 If that’s not enough to celebrate, PCO completed its National Organic Program audit with no “findings,” or non-compliances. Perhaps due to our exemplary status, PCO was selected to host a delegation of Mexican organic officials to demonstrate US certification, inspection and accreditation processes as part of ongoing equivalency discussions between the USDA and Mexican organic programs. End of an era Throughout PCO’s entire history I have had the incredible opportunity to work side-by-side with my sister, Penny. On PCO’s first day of existence, February 4, 1997, Penny volunteered to work at our debut PASA conference exhibit and assisted a steady flow (a crowd, really) of farmers interested in organic certification. Penny continued to volunteer by coordinating our certification and standards committees in the early days when PCO’s

Penny Zuck

certification program was managed by volunteers. Little did she know when she was hired as PCO’s second full-time employee in 2001 that her career would be strictly organic for more than a decade. I am personally grateful for Penny’s many years of devotion to PCO’s mission and I wish her well as she continues on her organic journey to work for the National Organic Program in Washington, DC. See you in August Save the date of August 7, 2015, for PCO’s Annual Meeting and Member Day at the 4th Annual Pennsylvania Organic FarmFest in Centre Hall, PA. This year’s meeting promises to be an annual meeting like no other! Guest speaker Russell Redding, Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture, will present awards to our outstanding members. We have moved and expanded our annual meeting to provide more time and opportunities for members to engage in discussions about organic issues. We invite you to bring your questions, ideas, suggestions and opinions to contribute to the conversation. You may also bring your family and friends to experience the Organic FarmFest, which will be happening at the same location along with our annual meeting. There will be fantastic educational activities for all ages and interests. See page 10 for information on how you or your business can participate.

“Organically speaking” in Spanish

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Organic Matters Spring 2015

features

stories

columns 1 3 Dear Aggy

2 Pigs on Pasture

5 Farming the Forest

Conversations with Tom Frantzen & Rodale’s Coach Smallwood

Growing native, medicinal plants in a sustainable & profitable way

1 4 Produce Perspectives 1 7 President’s Message 18 Organic Updates Certification Legislative Materials Standards & Policy New Faces 23 Recipe Corner

6 Growing PA’s Organic Farms Farmers, advocates introduce new all-organic winter conference

8 FARMDATA An Internet-based records management system for produce farms

24 New Members 25 Organic Marketplace 26 Employment Opportunities

12 PCO Welcomes 2015 Board Members Organic ag experts join advisory board

10 FarmFest 2015

31 Calendar 32 PCO Order Form

Special deals for sponsors & vendors

Cover: A spring lamb. Photo: Sabine Carey

OFFICERS

ADVISORY BOARD

INTERIM PRESIDENT/VICE PRESIDENT

Chris Firestone DCNR, Bureau of Forestry

Debra Deis Seedway, LLC TREASURER

Adam Seitz Certification Specialist

STAFF Leslie Zuck Executive Director

EDUCATION & OUTREACH TEAM ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM

Clifford Hawbaker Hamilton Heights Dairy Farm & Emerald Valley Farm

Diana Underwood Director of Operations Elizabeth Leah Staff Accountant

Nicole Lawrence McNeil Membership & Development Specialist

Lia Sandoval Administrative Assistant

April Fix Public Relations Coordinator

Mail: 106 School Street, Suite 201 Spring Mills, PA 16875

Tony Marzolino Marz Farm

Phone: 814-422-0251

SECRETARY

Fax: 814-422-0255

Julie Hurst Blue Rooster Farm

Brian Magaro Independent Organic Inspector

MANAGING BOARD CHAIR

Mathew Moore Ag Choice Farm Credit

Kyla Smith Certification Director

facebook.com/PAorganic

Melissa Piper-Nelson Writing Resources/Farm News Service

Reva Baylets Program Assistant

twitter.com/PAorganic

Cadie Pruss Ewe Win Farm

David Johnson Provident Farms

Email: pco@paorganic.org Web: paorganic.org

OUR MISSION: To ensure the integrity of organic products and provide education, inspection, and certification services that meet the needs of our members. PCO provides services to operations based in Pennsylvania, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia.

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Lee Rinehart Director of Education and Outreach

CERTIFICATION TEAM

Bryan Luce Reliance Capital Partners

Ken Rice Organic Unlimited Charlie White Penn State University

INSPECTIONS TEAM

Liz Amos Inspections Manager Amanda Birk Staff Inspector

Heather Donald Certification Specialist Sandie Elder Program Assistant

POLICY TEAM

Johanna Mirenda Policy Director Sabine Carey Materials Specialist

Stephen Hobaugh Certification Specialist Marissa Pyle Compliance Manager/ Certification Specialist

QUALITY TEAM

Matthew Bogdan Quality Systems & IT Manager

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Pigs on Pasture: Conversations with Tom Frantzen and Rodale’s Coach Smallwood Should a pig be allowed to express its pig-ness? Lee Rinehart, Director of Education and Outreach

As innovative organic farmers, PCO members understand the importance of diversity in an organic system. Diversity is key to an agricultural system that we can confidently call sustainable, and last December I had the opportunity to take part in the Growing PA Organic Farms Conference to learn from Tom Frantzen about organic pastured pork as a farm diversification opportunity that is slowly gaining traction in Pennsylvania. Frantzen is a certified-organic farmer, noted speaker, and organic advocate from New Hampton, Iowa, where he operates Frantzen Family Farm, a 335-acre farrowto-finish pork-on-pasture operation. An active member of Practical Farmers of Iowa and featured in SARE’s Profitable Pork publication, Frantzen is a Holistic Management practitioner and has been certified organic since 1995. Tom Frantzen’s 8 steps to profitable pastured pig production So maybe you’ve decided to add pigs to your operation. Frantzen offers a few thoughts to keep in mind when you are planning that can greatly help you achieve your goals, especially if you have no prior experience with pastured pigs. 1) Choose your pastures well. Ensure they are well drained with perennial buffers. Choose a pasture mix of diverse legumes, forbs, and grasses. 2) Manage appropriate stocking rates. This means 15 wean-to-finish pigs per acre or 4 sows per acre on annual forages, and 15 to 30 wean-to-finish pigs and 6 sows per acre for perennial pastures. 3) Rotate pastures and manage for regrowth, cover, parasite load, and

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The Frantzen Family Farm raises about a thousand hogs and sixty Angus cows on 335 organic acres in northeastern Iowa. Tom Frantzen is pictured here with his son James in their sow pasture. Photo: c2015 David Nevala for Organic Valley.

nutrient distribution. Pigs will make a moonscape if you let them, so rotate! 4) Provide space for wallowing, shade, and enough water for animal demand. 5) Calculate your pasture in cost of production. Pasture is not free, so consider rent, soil improvement, reseeding, and fencing. 6) As animals get bigger, they can utilize more roughage in their diet. This is a function of the size of their stomachs and their need for energy. For pigs 40 to 150 pounds keep roughage to less than 5% of diet. For 150 to 240 pounders keep it to 30% of the diet, and for 200 pound pigs keep roughage to no more than 50% of the diet. 7) Always provide appropriate lysine, vitamin, and mineral supplementation... particularly calcium, phosphorus, salt, and trace minerals.

8) Remember, for profitable production a pig’s energy needs cannot be met with grass alone. Corn and soybeans are best for providing concentrated nutrients. Some thoughts on facilities and marketing… Frantzen uses deep-bedded facilities that provide comfort, sanitation, odor reduction, and efficient manure handling. Once a year he transfers the material to a compost pack, then applies on cornfields. The bedding pack is used in hoop houses with straw and corncobs, and maybe egg shells, with a concrete floor underneath or perhaps a limestone base. A 30’ x 72’ facility can house 110 finishing pigs, and deep-bedded facilities can also be integrated with individual feeding of gestating sows. According to Temple Grandin, a livestock behavior consultant and professor at Colorado State University, reducing stress

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during animal handling will improve productivity. Frantzen has adopted the principles that Grandin suggests for his loading chutes and has found that they greatly facilitate ease of handling and lowered stress in the pigs. Some of Grandin’s recommendations include: 1) Solid sides on chutes will reduce agitation and excitement. 2) Noise should be kept to a minimum because animals have sensitive hearing. 3) Pigs are herd animals and isolation of a single individual should be avoided. 4) An animal’s previous experience with handling will affect its reaction to handling in the future. 5) Animals which have had frequent gentle contact with people will be less stressed during handling. 6) Feed rewards will facilitate training. A well-thought-out handling and loading system is a must for a pig producer of any scale. It need not be expensive, just follow some of the design ideas that Grandin suggests and you can eliminate stress and the physiological changes that can occur during stressful handling. Lastly, Frantzen notes that carcasses are complicated and direct marketing is timeconsuming. For small producers direct marketing is often the best outlet and you shouldn’t short change your efforts by not paying attention to the end product. “Meat is perishable,” says Frantzen, “and frozen is much easier to manage than fresh.” Regarding fresh and frozen meats, there is some misinformation that results in uncertainty among consumers. This is a dichotomy that Frantzen interestingly calls the “fresh vs. frozen land of confusion.” Frozen meat is a really good option, as fresh meat looses nutrients as it gets older. But because frozen meat decays more slowly, it can have more nutrition than fresh if it is frozen quickly and efficiently. These are some good talking points for a direct marketer selling smallscale niche locker pork. A Niche Opportunity The demand for organic and pastured pork has grown recently, as evidenced by recent media buzz. For instance, in a January 2014 a New York Times article

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tured hog operations generally have. Certainly one feature is lower feed costs (if the pasture is well managed and diverse). You can also expect weight gain and feed efficiency similar to confined operations. Lower costs for capital improvements however can be offset A happy hog at Frantzen Family Farm. Permanent pastures, by higher labor costs. rotating strip pastures and cropland offer Frantzen a plethora of Pastured hogs, like options for feeding pigs, including having them “hog down” — grassfed ruminants, can or self-harvest — crops. Photo: c2015 David Nevala for Organic Valley. have reduced animal describes some of the factors, as under- health problems, especially respiratory disstood by chefs and grocers, that are driv- eases and greater leg soundness, but there ing the enthusiasm for pastured pork, can be a greater potential for parasite notably consumers’ awareness and con- problems. Top these off with an increascern about the conditions under which ing demand for organic, humanely raised, pastured pork and the possibility of a livestock are raised and evidence that some consumers are more willing to pay profitable pastured hog operation higher prices for meat produced on pas- becomes more tangible. Livestock are a natural part of a farm ture. operation. “Humans evolved for 7,000 To address this demand and provide years with the cow,” notes Frantzen. Conresearch opportunities and outreach to sider the rumen that takes fibrous carboorganic farmers, the PCO-certified hydrates from forages that are not Rodale Institute, which operates the olddigestible by humans and turns them into est organic research and education farm in milk, meat, and hide. In the same way, the country, has begun an organic paspigs lived off waste and surplus from the tured pork operation in Kutztown, PA. farm and completed the circle of sustainCoach Mark Smallwood, Executive ability while generating nutritious prodDirector of the Rodale Institute and PCO ucts. Then came the concentration of board member, describes the institute’s agriculture and processing. Soybeans robust organic pork operation as “setting the standard for best practices in raising meant we could take pig nutrition from hogs” in a January 15, 2015, blog post. the diversified farm to the grain-based Through the project they have learned processing industry, breaking the bonds that organic hogs are difficult to source, that substantiated farm viability. In a pastured hog operation, nutrition the demand for organic pork exceeds curneed not be a reliance on the industrial rent supply, and underutilized, marginal model. But you still need to pay particular land can be an optimum foundation for attention to the nutritional requirements starting a profitable organic hog herd. for pigs at all growth stages to prevent Rodale raises its hogs on pasture with deficiencies. Frantzen tells the story of an shelter and open access to the outdoors, organic vegetable operation that incorpofocusing on heritage breeds adapted to rated 20 feeder pigs on vegetable waste pasture. According to Coach, the tech(sounds like a good idea, right?) that led to niques and practices “can be scaled up for disasters, not necessarily because they farmers who wish to have a large-scale were making their own feed, but because operation, but also scaled down for farm- the farmers overlooked salt and Ca/P in ers who wish to have just a few animals.” the diet. “If you are going to have a niche So you want to pasture some pigs… The GrassWorks Grazing Guide (2010) lists some characteristics that pas-

hog operation you’ve got to pay attention,” says Frantzen. “Feeds and feeding are complicated so follow good advice and continued on page 4

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Pigs on Pasture continued from page 3

check your sources of information.” Pigs will eat to meet their nutritional needs, so feed energy-dense feeds, with proteins balanced for lysine… don’t feed just crude protein. Denser diets are cheaper and produce more product (by improving dressing percent) in a shorter period of time, producing ultra-lean pork. And pigs can get a lot of vitamins and minerals and some energy and protein from the pasture, but pigs are not ruminants and it is important to remember that the absorption of essential nutrients takes place in the small intestine. For monogastric animals like pigs, roughages are digested in the cecum, which comes after the small intestine. Curious and investigative, pigs will pick out energy dense diet of grains, seeds, roots, tubers, and insects, but productive pigs cannot rely solely on pasture for meeting all their nutritional needs. Integrating pigs into an organic operation can add diversity and bolster the bottom line, if done thoughtfully and with

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Franzten utilizes deep-straw bedding facilities that provide warmth and exercise for the animals and produces a pack of solid waste that is easy to handle and spread on crop fields.

care. And I believe there is no better way to raise pigs and produce high quality pork than on pasture. Fresh forages, adequate supplementation, room to wallow and “be a pig,” and access to sunlight and air are the solution to the industrial food system, which, as Joel Salatin notes, never asks the question: ‘Should a pig be allowed to express its pig-ness?’”

For further reading For more detailed information on integrating pigs into your operation I recommend a look at the 101-page Iowa State University publication Niche Pork Production (2007). It can be accessed online at ipic.iastate.edu/publications/IPICNPP.pd f. Paper copies are available from the PCO office by request.

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Farming the Forest? How PCO’s “Forest Grown” program and Eric Burkhart are teaming up to champion growing native, medicinal plants in a profitable and sustainable way. Nicole Lawrence McNeil, PCO Membership & Development Specialist

In the second-to-last lecture of a packed conference week, Eric Burkhart, Plant Science Program Director at Penn State’s Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center, and PCO’s own Adam Seitz, PCO Certification Specialist, captivated PASA-goers attention. Their topic? Growing native forest plants in a profitable and sustainable way through PCO’s Forest Grown program. Discussing the “deep market for native medicinal plants,” Burkhart’s passion to change the status quo for the plants and their growers was clear. Many such plants are currently at risk due to the over-harvest of wild populations. Further, those that are grown commercially are often produced artificially under shade-cloth in vast monocultural and chemical intensive swaths. These production systems are not always profitable, and produce a final product with diluted quality that could even be tainted by the unnatural production practices. However, Burkhart explained that there is an alternative; it is possible to manage medicinal plants in their native forest habitat to benefit the plant, producers, and consumers alike. The PCO Forest Grown Program Burkhart and Seitz explained, seeks to utilize nature as the model. Plants like ginseng, goldenseal, and wild ramps have adapted to life in our East Coast forests, and Burkhart contends that we should continue doing things the way nature intended. In a market filled with consumers who are beginning to question where their supposedly natural medicine is coming from, the Forest Grown Program seeks to provide a consistent and viable standard for these naturally managed products. The new Forest Grown initiative is a

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direct response to the high demand and low supply of naturally grown, certified organic medicinal plants. It aims to rectify this imbalance, while simultaneously revitalizing native plant populations. Herbal companies like Mountain Rose Herbs are already lined up to purchase the high quality plants verified under the Forest Grown program. Funding to offset the verification costs for Forest Farmers has even been provided by groups like United Plant Savers. Burkhart and PCO hope the program will serve as a new model for growers and sellers of native medicinal plants, complete with a third-party verification system run by PCO. Research supporting the viability of farming the forest becomes more

available every day as forest farmers successfully conserve medicinal plants by cultivating them in their natural forest environment. If you are interested in learning more about the PCO Forest Grown Program, supporting this initiative, or even becoming a verified grower yourself, you can contact Adam Seitz at PCO. For more information: adam@paorganic.org 814-422-0251 106 School Street, Suite 201 Spring Mills, PA 16875

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Growing Pennsylvania’s Organic Farms Farmers, advocates introduce new all-organic winter conference Lee Rinehart, Director of Education and Outreach

The implements have been put away, the fields sleep in cover crops, and the seed catalogs come out. So begins a season of reflection, planning, and holidays… a typical northeast winter that, in our area, allows time for farmers to get together and learn, visit, share, and re-energize. Agricultural folk have many opportunities to learn and engage during the winter months with the various meetings and workshops that dot the calendar, from small producer meetings in fire halls to PASA’s Farming for the Future Conference. There’s something for everyone with the number of activities that are available each year. But in 2014, we have seen the advent of something new… a two-day gathering of the best minds to facilitate indepth discussion specifically, and only, on certified organic production at the first annual Growing Pennsylvania’s Organic Farms Conference. Held December 9–10, 2014, at the Sheraton Hershey-Harrisburg, the allorganic event was the idea of Darlene Livingston, Executive Director of Pennsylvania Farm Link. Darlene brought together a group of visionary leaders including Gwendolyn Crews of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Jared Grissinger of Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Jim Travis of PCO-certified Travis Organics, Lee Rinehart of PCO, Jeff Moyer, Maria Pop, and Coach Mark Smallwood of the Rodale Institute, and Peter Miller of CROPP/Organic Valley. The group put together an event dedicated to providing in-depth and advanced knowledge of production practices to benefit the organic community and take our industry to the next step. The conference sessions provided comprehensive discussions on organic farming

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issues led by speakers from universities with accomplished organic research programs, successful certified organic farmers, and farm industry representatives dedicated to organic production. Among the topics covered were animal health, dairy, pastured livestock, fruits, vegetables, soil health, pest control, and transition- PCO members Jim Travis, Terra Brownback, and Mike Brownback, ing to certified pictured with PCO Executive Director Leslie Zuck, gave presentations at the first annual Growing PA’s Organic Farms Conference. organic production. Leslie Zuck, Executive Director of to Organic Production. PCO, engaged the audience in a delightAs always, Troy Bishopp, the “Grass fully picturesque keynote address entitled Whisperer,” provided an energetic and “Farming from the Heart, ” followed by inspiring look at developing functional an in-depth discussion on Realizing the Grazing Plans for Beef & Stocker ProducBenefits of Soil Microbiology by Rodale tion, and Successful Organic Vegetable ProInstitute’s Chief Scientist Dr. Kris duction & CSA’s was the topic of Nichols. Hubert Karreman, VMD, also of PCO-certified Mike & Terra Brownback the Rodale Institute presented options for of Spiral Path Farm. Jeff Moyer, Farm Organic Animal Health Management, and Director at the Rodale Institute, offered Dr. Jim Travis, of Travis Organics offered insight on Conquering Weeds on the guidelines for Growing Organic Peaches. Organic Farm, and shared successful Tom Frantzen of Frantzen Family methods from more than 30 years of Farm in Iowa led participants in a discus- organic research conducted at the Instision on Organic Swine Production, and tute’s farm in Kutztown. Keith Waldron of Cornell University The sessions at this all-organic conferoffered insight on Organic Fly Control that ence set the tone for what the planners Works. Dr. Jim Travis continued his con- had intended, to offer advanced knowltributions to the conference by presenting edge from expert practitioners to help timely information on Growing Organic Pennsylvania farmers take organic to the Apples, and Risk Management options was next level. Please join us next December delivered by Gene Gantz, a Crop Insur- for the second annual Growing PA’s ance Specialist with USDA. Organic Farms Conference; more inforThe conference continued with a dis- mation on the dates and location will be cussion of Organic Grain & Field Crop forthcoming later this year! Production by Thor Oeshner of Oeshner Farms. Next, PCO staff and certified farmers offered a forum for Transitioning

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Are you an organic grain farmer interested in using cover crop mixtures? Are you interested in collaborating with a team of Penn State researchers on cover crop research on your organic grain farm? We are planning to conduct research on the effect of farm characteristics (soil organic matter, soil fertility, years in organic management) on the performance of a five species cover crop mixture of cereal rye, canola, peas, crimson clover, and red clover. We are looking for farmer/collaborators who will plant cover crops after harvesting small grains in the summer and terminate them in the following spring before planting crops. We will provide cover crop seed and compensation to offset the cost of land and equipment use. We are targeting up to 10 farms across the mid-Atlantic. You would plant and manage the cover crops and we would collect and synthesize data and provide a report that describes how mixtures affect weeds and nitrogen inputs to future cash crops at your farm and across all farms in the study. If you are interested or need more information, you can contact us at: Jim LaChance, by phone (814) 863-4258, or by email jcl269@psu.edu. Or, visit http://agsci.psu.edu/organic/researchand-extension/cover-crop-cocktails Please note that this work is contingent on success in funding of a proposal to the USDA in March 2015. Cover crops would be planted in summer 2016 or 2017 if funding is secured.

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FARMDATA: An Internet-based smartphone-compatible records management system for produce farms Matt Steiman, Dickinson College Farm Assistant Manager All produce farms can benefit from better record keeping — good records can improve farm efficiency and profitability. Organic growers need to be especially diligent with recording crop production information in order to meet certification standards. Digital records are highly useful, since they can be easily copied, searched, and analyzed at the touch of a button. Unfortunately, digitizing farm records at the end of a growing season can be painstaking — and dealing with lost records or incompletely logged information makes the task even more difficult. A five year partnership between the Dickinson College Farm and the Dickinson College Department of Mathematics and Computer Science has resulted in an exciting, effective solution: FARMDATA. FARMDATA is a smartphone enabled Internet-based record keeping system designed and field tested by produce farmers. Focus areas include field and greenhouse plantings, harvest, pack, inventory, distribution, e-invoicing, labor tracking, fertilizers, compost, cover crops, tillage, irrigation, scouting, spraying, and seed orders. The goal of FARMDATA is to replace clipboards and paper records across the produce farm, from the field to the packing house and beyond. More importantly, FARMDATA is designed to save growers valuable time both during the busy growing season and in the winter when planning for the coming year. FARMDATA improves record keeping by using “smart” data entry forms that minimize user errors, perform calculations automatically, and store useful crop production information. Growers and their staff can rapidly input valuable production data from the field when and where the recordable activity takes place, avoid-

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ing the need to make paper notes to be digitized at a later time. Multiple users can make live updates to the database simultaneously, and growers can search their production records from the field, desktop, or any Internet connected device. Each growers’ database is password protected and only accessible by registered users that the grower can delete or add at any time. During new account setup, growers can choose to include or edit pre-loaded crop, seeding and spray material information. Farmers can also reconfigure FARMDATA “on the fly” to hide features that they aren’t currently using, and to show previously hidden features as needed. For organic growers, FARMDATA contains many features designed to facilitate easy annual inspections and reporting. Our project team partnered with PCO to optimize FARMDATA to meet the needs of certifiers – these special features include easily viewed comprehensive field records, compost accumulation and management logs, and plantings linked to seed orders for verification of organic seed use. Lee Rinehart, PCO’s Director of Education and Outreach, estimates that FARMDATA will cut annual farm inspection time and headache down by at least one third. Users can run reports on stored data from the field or desktop at any time. Reports are designed to be sorted by date range, by crop, by field, or by other specific info, and can be easily downloaded to Microsoft Excel for further analysis. Many reports include summary information such as total yield, yield per row foot, total labor, and more. FARMDATA also graphs harvest and sales figures. For the more complicated data entry forms, FARMDATA saves the user time by performing many of the necessary calculations. For example, on the “Tractor Spray” input form, the user chooses fields, number of beds sprayed, and selects from

a list of spray materials and specific spray rates. FARMDATA then does the calculations and displays recommended amounts of spray materials and water to use for this instance. In practice, our field testing team has found that these input forms save valuable time by negating the need to perform calculations or look up field sizes and spray rates in the farm office. Once the data are entered, growers (and certifiers) can query the records for total spray materials used per season or per crop, as well as comparing them with recorded insect or disease scouting information. FARMDATA has been field tested at the Dickinson College Farm (DCF) for the past two growing seasons, and was beta tested in 2014 by three other Pennsylvania organic farms. Some pages are very thoroughly used and debugged, while others are admittedly works in progress. Favorite pages at DCF include planting, harvest, digital harvest list, compost, scouting, sprays, cover crop seeding, seed order, and sales / invoicing. Best results occurred when data entry was delegated to multiple members of the farm crew. We have found significant time savings in

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using FARMDATA to capture these records, and have made management decisions in our crop plan based on lessons learned from the data we collected. Thanks to public funding from the USDA’s Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program (NE-SARE), FARMDATA is available for free downloads to your farm website. We invite interested users to take a guest tour of the working DCF site at: farmdata.dickinson.edu/guest.php — to see the most interesting data, set report dates to 2014. A free training video will be available soon. To install FARMDATA, you need to download the free software and add it to your existing farm website or to a new, dedicated website — which will likely require some help from your web master or another contact who is handy with web development. The download page: sourceforge.net/projects/farmdata/ has a discussion forum, bug tracking and a wiki with a user’s manual (including installation and configuration instructions). FARMDATA is an open source project — the download site has the full source code for the system, and we invite

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A harvest report on the desktop version of FARMDATA.

growers to work with a programmer to customize and extend FARMDATA to meet their own needs, and to contribute improvements back to the community. Discussions with a farm web services firm for commercial hosting of FARMDATA are in progress — the software will always be free, but having a host that provides

tech support will simplify things for new farmer users. For more information or to be added to a FARMDATA contact list, please email Matt Steiman at steimanm@dickinson.edu or Tim Wahls at wahlst@dickinson.edu.

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PA Organic FarmFest 2015 offers special deals for sponsors and vendors Looking for an opportunity to engage your customers or members? Consider partnering with Pennsylvania Certified Organic and be a part of the 4th Annual Pennsylvania Organic FarmFest. Held on August 7 from 9:30am–10:30pm and August 8 from 9:00am–8:00pm at the Centre County Grange Fairgrounds in Centre Hall, PA, FarmFest is a fun, community-building event that fosters knowledge of organic agriculture and sustainable living through educational opportunities, local foods, lively entertainment and interactive family activities. And best of all, it is free to the public.

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

VENDOR/EXHIBITOR OPPORTUNITIES

EVERY sponsor receives a base package of:

Food Court Vendors Tempt hungry festival goes with your made to eat on-site food items at a 10’x20’ space at the outdoor Organic Food Court. Food Court Space: $100 deposit, plus 10% of sales

• An indoor 10’x10’ exhibit space • Recognition in PCO’s weekly e-news • Listing with link on the FarmFest website • Access to the hospitality tent Sun Sponsor ($1,500) — base package, plus your company’s brand associated with a major FarmFest area. Contact us for current availability, including Exhibit Hall, Food Court, Keynote Speakers, Media Package and more. Includes 1/4 page Organic Matters ad and a PCO Business Membership. Soil Sponsor ($1,000) — base package, plus your company’s brand associated with an event/area/band of your choice. Contact us for current availability, including bands, Landscaping Plants, Art Show, Natural Health Symposium and more. Includes 1/4 page Organic Matters ad and a PCO Business Membership. Water Sponsor ($500–$999) — base package, plus festival banner sponsored in your name and 1/8 page Organic Matters ad. Seed Sponsor ($250) — includes base package.

Sponsor FarmFest and get your company name on one of the famous Vamos Lion Pedicabs!

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Craft & Farm Vendors Farmers: market your business, sell your farm products and advertise your CSA and farmers market hours. Artists: display, sell and demonstrate your artisan crafts. Reserve your space at the Homemade & Homegrown Market! Outdoor Market Space: $40 Indoor Market Space: $50 Commercial Vendors Sell your wares and get your name in front of your target audience with a 10’x10’ booth in our Exhibit Hall or outdoors. Outdoor Commercial Space: $75 Indoor Commercial Space: $100 Non-Profit Organizations Get the word out about your organization, reach out to potential members, increase your mailing list and sell your organizational merchandise at a 10’x10’ booth. Non-profit Exhibitor Space: 25% discount on commercial vendor spaces

Visit farmfest.paorganic.org or email farmfest@paorganic.org to sign up today!

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Other options include a contribution to the Silent Auction. Increase your company or organization’s visibility when you donate items or services to the Silent Auction, coordinated by our partners at the PA Farmers Union. If you are interested in this opportunity contact Lee at farmfest@paorganic.org or 814-470-9734. FarmFest also welcomes “in-kind” contributions of advertising, organic foods, festival equipment, expertise, etc. in exchange for equal value of sponsorship. And we couldn’t make FarmFest happen without our volunteers. Contact Lee at farmfest@paorganic.org to join this year’s crew! Whether you’d like to lend your expertise in merchandising, grounds decorations, or directing parking, there are many ways to be involved and make a difference. Throughout the event festival goers, vendors, musicians, and sponsors can peruse the Homemade & Homegrown Mar-

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ket, featuring an organic food court and craft artisans. Or take in the Kids’ Activities with hands-on demonstrations and fun activities including a farm animal petting zoo, art projects, children’s parade, haystack jumping, a kids’ concert, and more. Free educational workshops are slated for farmers, gardeners, and community members featuring expert presenters. Run, walk, or cheer the crowd at the 5K Run & 1-mile Fun Run/Walk, where participants start their Saturday with a run on our Grange Fairgrounds 5K or 1mile course. And of course there’s live music, where festival goers can cele-

brate and dance at three live music stages including the Kids’ Stage, the Homegrown & Homemade Market stage, and the Main Stage. Whether you’re a farmer, food vendor, commercial business, or an organization looking to partner in a fantastic public relations experience, visit our website at farmfest.paorganic.org or contact Lee at 814-470-9734 or farmfest@paorganic.org for more info on these opportunities! We hope to see you at FarmFest!

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PCO Welcomes New 2015 Board Members Organic livestock, crop production and farmer training experts join PCO Advisory Board Jeff Mattocks The Fertrell Company Bainbridge, PA Jeff has over 20 years’ experience working with the organic and sustainable farming community. He is actively involved in diet formulation for all types of livestock and poultry for organic and sustainable farmers. Jeff also assists and educates farmers with better management practices increasing animal health, productivity and return income from poultry and livestock. The education includes local farmer meetings, speaking at conferences, hosting field days and conducting field trials on controversial feeding methods. Over the past few years Jeff has replicated soy vs. no soy broiler feeding field trials to compare isoflavone levels and growth differences. Field trials have also been conducted on pasture-raised swine. He is always striving to learn and understand more about how to keep poultry and livestock healthy, productive and profitable.

Dave Hartman Penn State Extension Bloomsburg, PA Dave was born and raised on a farm in Montour County near where he currently resides. He received a Bachelors Degree in

Animal Production and Masters of Agriculture in Grazing/Pasture Science from Penn State in 1985 and 1994, respectively. Dave began working for Penn State Extension in 1985 with a fixed term appointment in Cumberland County. Following that he accepted a position in general agriculture at the Columbia County office of Penn State Extension, where he is still based. His work has included various aspects of field crops, livestock, and 4-H programming. Dave owns a small farm and is currently developing a grass-finished beef enterprise. He and his wife Lisa have two daughters who are both students at Penn State.

Jeff Moyer Rodale Institute, PCO-Certified Kutztown, PA Jeff Moyer is an expert in organic crop production systems including weed management, cover crops, crop rotations, equipment modification and use, and facilities design. He has helped countless farmers make the transition from conventional, chemical-based farming to organic or sustainable methods. Jeff has brought a farmer’s perspective and approach to issues in organic agriculture. He is a past chair of the National Organic Standards Board, which assists the USDA Secretary of Agriculture in developing standards for materials to be used in organic production as well as advising on

Returning board members include include Chris Firestone of DCNR Bureau of Forestry; Cliff Hawbaker of Hamilton Heights Dairy Farm & Emerald Valley Farm; David Johnson of Provident Farms; Bryan Luce of Reliance Capital Partners; Brian Magaro, Independent Organic Inspector; Tony Marzolino of Marz Farm; Mat Moore of AgChoice Farm Credit; Cadie Pruss of Ewe Win Farm; Ken Rice of Organic Unlimited; and Charlie White of Penn State University. Advisory board members serve a 3-year term, with a limit of 2 consecutive terms. Our policies require that no more than half the board members can be PCO-certified (or related in a way that violates the conflict of interest provision in the NOP regulations). 12

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other aspects of implementing the National Organic Program. He is also a member of the Leonardo Academy’s committee on sustainability, board member of Organic Farming Research Foundation, and a founding board member of Pennsylvania Certified Organic.

Coach Mark Smallwood Rodale Institute, PCO-Certified Kutztown, PA As Executive Director of Rodale Institute, Coach has focused his efforts on training a new generation of organic farmers. In partnership with Delaware Valley College, the Institute hosts a one-year organic farming certification program designed for military veterans. In addition, Coach began the Agriculture Supported Communities (ASC) program at Rodale Institute, which brings fresh, high-quality organic food to underserved communities and provides an intensive training program for new or established farmers. Coach has expanded research efforts at Rodale Institute to explore the connection between soil, food and health. He brought heritage livestock back to Rodale Institute’s 333-acre farm, created a Honeybee Conservancy to train and steward backyard bee keepers, and launched “Your 2 Cents,” a national campaign to support and promote new organic farmers.

That allows us to have a maximum of 7 certified producers on the board, plus a minimum of 8 others who are independent. For the non-certified seats, we can invite organic producers who are certified by another agency, someone from Penn State Ag Extension or NRCS, another non-profit ag organization, consumer or environmental group, a college, ag supply company, consumer, veterinarian, inspector, etc. Nominations can also be made by PCO members and PCO advisory board members via mail, email, and phone. PCO will solicit nominations in the fall of each year but you can submit a nomination anytime by contacting Diana Underwood, Director of Operations, at Diana@paorganic.org or 814.422.0251. www.paorganic.org

Dear Aggy

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Avian Flu and Organic Poultry Dear Aggy, I just heard about Avian Flu being tracked out west. I have a small flock of laying hens, and my brother has a broiler house. We always let our chickens out during the day, but are worried about exposing them to avian flu. What can we do to protect our birds while staying in compliance with the organic requirements? — Poultry Producer Dear Poultry Producer, The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has confirmed several findings of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in the Pacific flyway since mid-December. The Pacific flyway is a major migratory bird route that includes California, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. These are the only states in which HPAI has been confirmed by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). There is no public health concern at this time. Avian influenza (AI), or “bird flu,” is a virus that infects domestic poultry, such as chickens, turkeys, quail, and geese, and wild birds such as shorebirds and waterfowl. HPAI spreads quickly by direct, birdto-bird contact. The disease can also spread indirectly, for example, when birds come in contact with contaminated surfaces or materials. Poultry producers, whether large-scale commercial scale, or backyard flock owners, should be familiar with biosecurity measures and implement them in their operation. Here are some examples:

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• Keep your distance — Isolate your birds from visitors and other birds. • Keep it clean — Prevent germs from spreading by cleaning shoes, tools and equipment. • Don’t haul disease home — Also clean vehicles and cages. • Don’t borrow disease from your neighbor — Avoid sharing poultry equipment with neighbors. • Know the warning signs of infectious bird diseases — Watch for early signs to prevent the spread of disease Report sick birds — Don’t wait. If your birds are sick or dying, call your local cooperative extension office, your veterinarian, or the State Veterinarian or State animal/poultry diagnostic laboratory. Or call USDA toll free at 1-866-536-7593, and they’ll put you in touch with a local contact who can help you. If Federal or State animal health authorities determine that more prescriptive actions are required, organic producers could be required to adhere to those actions. The organic regulations provide for emergency confinement measures under paragraph 205.239(b) of the Livestock Living Conditions section. This section

provides for the temporary confinement of organic livestock because of conditions under which the health, safety, or wellbeing of the animals could be jeopardized. The National Organic Program (NOP) also published a Policy Memorandum addressing producers concerns specifically regarding the confinement of organic poultry flocks due to potential outbreaks of avian flu and the impacts such confinement would have on organic certification of those flocks. If it is determined that temporary confinement of birds is needed to protect the health, safety, and welfare of organic flocks, then producers and certifiers may work together to determine an appropriate method and duration of confinement of organic poultry flocks without a loss of organic certification. The method of temporary confinement used must be approved by the certifying agent and should provide the necessary protection to the birds while meeting the remaining requirements of the NOP standards. Continuous total confinement of any animal indoors is prohibited. More information can be found at: • healthybirds.aphis.usda.gov • usda.gov/birdflu • USDA’s Veterinary Services 1-866-536-7593

Got a question for Aggy? • Mail to PCO: 106 School Street, Suite 201 Spring Mills, PA 16875 • Email to: pco@paorganic.org • Fax to: 814-422-0255

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Produce Perspectives

Successful Organic Sweet Corn without Worms Three expert growers share their secrets Tianna DuPont, Penn State Extension Sustainable Agriculture Educator

Not long ago we would have said that you could not grow organic sweet corn with no worms. No more! Three expert growers shared their systems at winter meetings this year. I am convinced. You CAN grow high quality organic sweet corn. Jim Crawford owns New Morning Farm producing forty acres of certified organic vegetables on one-hundred twenty acres in Hustontown, PA. They start their sweet corn early in order to produce 16-17 weeks of continuous sweet corn per year. Jean-Paul Courtens grows vegetables, herbs and grass fed pork, lamb and beef for over 1000 shareholders in Kinderhook NY. John Gill’s twelve-hundred acre family farm recently became part of the Hudson Valley Farm Hub, a regional center for farmer training, agricultural research and demonstration of innovative farm technologies. John continues as the farm’s manager. Variety Selection: The First Key to Success At New Morning Farm Jim uses super sweets with SH2 genetics and disease resistance (of three genotypes of sweet corn, popular types are sugary (SU), sugar enhanced (SE) and supersweet or shrunken (SH2)). Modern SH2 varieties maintain high quality. With good postharvest handling, after five days in storage the quality is higher than other varieties New Morning has tried, even when those varieties have been in storage much less time. This means they can harvest at peak maturity and quality and hold corn in storage for a day or two instead of rushing to harvest the day before market.

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Early sweet corn sprouting at New Morning Farm. Transplanting early sweet corn instead of direct seeding adds eight weeks to their season, which allows them to transplant five to seven plantings. Photo: New Morning Farm.

Fertility Sweet corn is a heavy feeder. To grow organic sweet corn you will likely need to start a year ahead. Plant a leguminous cover crop to grow your nitrogen. At New Morning Farm sweet corn ideally follows either peas and oats or vetch and rye. Peas and oats are a good cover crop for early corn. They are easier to kill and work into the ground early without an excessive number of tillage passes. For later corn successions they follow vetch which provides more nitrogen than peas. Generally they also apply about five tons of poultry manure per acre but this will vary depending on their soil test results. “It takes two years to grow successful sweet corn,” explains Jean-Paul Courtens, Roxbury Farm. Their farm had a history of high phosphorus from manure applications before they bought it. In order to

provide nitrogen without over applying phosphorus Jean-Paul grows a year of cover crop before sweet corn. He plants red clover with an oat nurse crop. After combining or mowing off the oats he has a beautiful clover cover crop which fixes nitrogen to provide to next year’s sweet corn. “The rotation builds up sufficient nitrogen to successfully grow the sweet corn crop,” Jean-Paul explains. John Gill prefers winter killed cover crops to build soils before sweet corn, which prevents barley yellow dwarf in the sweet corn. With over-wintering cover crops there is a ‘green bridge’ which allows insects to move the virus from the cover crop to the sweet corn. Transplanting or Direct Seed? The first time I heard of a grower transplanting sweet corn I thought he was

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crazy too. But the season extension and insect management benefits might make you change your mind. “A lot of problems with organic sweet corn happen before it reaches six inches,” Jean-Paul Courtens at Roxbury Farm reminds us. Without a fungicide seed treatment organic sweet seed can rot in cool spring ground, leaving a patchy stand. By growing his sweet corn from transplants Jean Paul avoids seed corn maggot and seed rots. To make sweet corn transplant production a bit more efficient he uses a flat filler to quickly fill 128 winstrip trays which they seed 2 seeds per cell either with a sliding plate seeder or by hand. Unfortunately, new shrunken seed varieties are not uniform enough for the plate seeder and require hand seeding. This process is intensive, and takes about 6 hours to hand seed 50 trays that will plant a half-acre. On the other hand, Roxbury’s Lanta carousel seeder saves some time on transplanting (1.5 hrs for three people to transplant a half acre) compared to a water wheel transplanter. At New Morning Farm Jim adds eight weeks to their season by transplanting early sweet corn, which allows them to transplant five to seven plantings. His field manager Pearl explains that they grow sweet corn transplants one seed per cell in 200 cell trays. Corn transplants grow quickly and you have to get them in

the ground before they get too large (1418 days). If they get to be 21 days old they are too root bound and won’t transplant successfully. She also chooses varieties with three different days to maturity in order to help meet the early window. For example she starts with the seventy-one day variety 2171 from Johnny’s Selected Seeds. Her later seedings are Xtra Tender 378A and 282A. Standard Supersweets have a shrunken (SH2) gene. This gene raises the levels of complex sugars and extends their flavor by slowing the conversion to simple sugars and finally to starch. Moisture is also retained longer in this type and their shelf life is remarkably long. The kernel texture of this type is noticeably crunchier and firmer than the other genetic types. You can also get beautiful stands from direct seeding. John Gill at the Hudson Farm Hub seeds directly into well prepared fields. After mowing the cover crop and waiting a few days he discs to cut the cover crop up. After a few more days he discs again. Then he uses a roller harrow or perfecta harrow to create a seedbed. John seeds on rows spaced 30 inches apart. The first few plantings he plants a little deep, about 1” so that if there is a frost the growing point is protected and the crop will emerge. Precision seeding is important. “Get off the tractor and get your adjustments right on the edge of the

Advertise in Organic Matters Organic Matters is the quarterly newsletter of Pennsylvania Certified Organic, a non-profit organization serving growers, processors and handlers of organic products. Issues contain articles on the latest news and research in the organic industry, often highlighting our certified members. Approximately 1,000 copies of each publication are distributed directly to members and those requesting information about organic agriculture, and made available to the public at conferences, exhibits and educational programs in the Mid Atlantic region. Contact the PCO office for details: 814-422-0251.

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field to make sure you are getting good closing,” John warns. Weed control For good organic weed control in sweet corn manage your fertility, and get the timing right. “If you are not getting good canopy your fertility is likely not enough,” Jean-Paul reminds us. The right cultivation equipment is also critical. At New Morning Farm the “tine weeder is the star.” At the white thread stage, before the weeds have even emerged Jim’s field manager Pearl makes the first pass. At this point the corn has developed at least an inch of root but often not yet emerged. The rake-like tines of the weeder flick the tiny weeds onto the surface where they will desiccate. One or two more passes with the tines is required, ideally making three total passes. Later cultivations are done with belly mounted sweeps. “Make sure you get that first pass before the weeds are even up,” Pearl reminds us. Roxbury also uses an in-row cultivator. The finger weeder has steel cone wheels rotated by ground driven spikes which push ‘fingers’ just below the soil surface reaching into the row. The fingers can safely uproot small weeds while not disturbing corn which has strong stems and roots. Later passes are with a set of sweeps on a lilliston cultivator which hills the continued on page 16

Interested in Volunteering at PCO? PCO relies on its outstanding volunteers to help with organic outreach and education. Volunteers have assisted by participating in one of PCO’s committees: Finance, Standards, staffing an exhibit, FarmFest; and much more. Support Pennsylvania Certified Organic by volunteering to contribute to our organization’s mission; email: pco@paorganic.org or call 814-422-0251 for more information.

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Organic Sweet Corn continued from page 15

corn a bit and covers even the one inch weeds that escaped the first cultivation. John Gill uses a heavy duty tine weeder called an Einbock set to cultivate only the top ¼.” Benefits to the Einbock are it is easy to adjust and the tines can be aggressive. The timing is critical. John’s first pass is usually 4 to 5 days after planting. A week later he will tine weed again. Later cultivation is done with sweeps on an I&J cultivator. Control those Worms! Seed corn maggot, corn borer, and corn earworm are the main insect pests in sweetcorn. Roxbury Farm and New Morning Farm escape seed corn maggot by transplanting their crops. To control corn borer and corn earworm they rely on beneficial insects, timely scouting, and organic sprays when necessary. At New Morning Farm Jennifer Glenister is the IPM manager. She has lures and traps on site to monitor both

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corn borer and corn earworm. They also make sure to keep an eye on alerts from Penn State’s Pest Watch system, pestwatch.psu.edu. For corn borer they release a beneficial wasp once a week (from IPM Labs). Right before tasseling a thorough scouting of the center whorl will show what pressure there is. It is almost always necessary to make one spray of Dipel* or Entrust with the boom sprayer at about row tassel, and another application in a few days if the pressure is high. Because the pressure from corn earworm varies from year to year they make sure to monitor with ‘Heliothis’ traps (from Great Lakes IPM). If the number of moths caught is above the threshold they apply a small amount of oil with BT** or Entrust right into the silks as they start to dry down with a special tool called the “Zealater.” The timing is critical. If it is made too early the oil can affect proper pollination. Too late and the worm will have burrowed down into the ear. This is a time consuming task, but they don’t have to do it for every succession. It costs about six people hours, or about eighty dollars,

to do a 0.4 acre patch but since that patch is high quality, certified organic sweet corn worth approximately $3,000 they feel it is worth the investment. In the Hudson Valley Roxbury Farm employs a similar strategy. For European corn borer the beneficial wasp Trichograma ostriniae does the trick. But they scout as well. Because the wasp attacks the eggs and not the worms, they look for pinholes to see if they need to also use a spray of spinosad (such as Entrust) when the plants are at 50% and 100% whorl. JeanPaul uses a hollowcone spray nozzle at 45 GPA and 120 psi to make sure he gets good coverage. John Gill’s operation is a bit larger and so he also takes into account the economics when he decides whether to use the Trichogramma wasp or whether he sprays. * There are several different versions of Dipel; some are allowed and some are prohibited. Be sure to use allowed materials by looking them up in the current PCO Materials List or by contacting your certification specialist. ** Be sure to use non-GMO BT.

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President’s Message

Giving Praise When Praise Is Due Andrew Batdorf, PCO Advisory Board President

Why is it so easy for us (me) to find fault in things that people do, but to be slow to give praise for a job well done. Well I want to take this opportunity to give a big Thank you from the PCO Board of Directors to the PCO staff for a job well done coming through the National Organic Program (NOP) mid term accreditation audit with no noncompliances! That is quite an accomplishment. This is a great example of the time and the attention to detail that the staff at PCO put into their work. Thanks!!!! With spring here, there is change in the air. I would like to see the grass again.

The thing I look forward to most is that first day when you turn the cows out on pasture. If you haven’t heard, my family and I are moving to south central Missouri in early April. We are looking for greener pastures. The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. My wife and I would like to be able to help our children get started in farming. Missouri has a longer grazing season, cheaper real estate, and cheaper taxes. There are several Amish families from Pennsylvania moving out to Missouri also. They will be starting a church district in the Grove Springs area of South Central Missouri, not very far from were we will be located. I believe there is a very big untapped opportunity for organic dairy

farms in this area and will be involved in helping to start this. So with much regret I have decided it would be in the best interest of the PCO Board that I resign from the PCO Board and as President. PCO has a very dedicated Board and staff. I’ve enjoyed getting to know all of you. The staff at PCO lives and breathes Organic 24/7. I will miss you. I want to thank the PCO Board for everything you have done for me and to further the Organic industry through PCO. I have made friendships that will last a lifetime. I feel blessed to have gotten to know you, especially the Executive Committee. Thanks for everything. Andrew Batdorf

Secretary Redding to Keynote PCO Annual Member Meeting at 2015 PA Organic FarmFest August 7, 2015 • 9:30am–1:30pm Centre County Grange Fairgrounds Centre Hall, PA The Annual meeting starts at 9:30am and concludes with PCO awards and a keynote presented by PA’s Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding. Educational programs begin at 1:30pm. Members can take advantage of all FarmFest activities including kids and family activities, local food, The Wool Village, demonstrations, exhibits, a farmers market, and more! If you or your organization is interested in exhibiting and/or sponsoring

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our Annual Meeting or contributing products for our goodie bags, please contact Nicole for more information at 814-422-0251 or nicole@paorganic.org. The Pennsylvania Organic FarmFest is a free family-oriented event focused on organic farming, good food, and sustainable living through a wide variety of educational events, local foods, lively entertainment, and interactive family activities.

Russell Redding, PA Secretary of Agriculture, to keynote PCO Annual Member Meeting.

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Organic Updates Dairy operations continue to represent the type of operation we certify the most of, coming in at 30 percent. However, PCO saw the most growth in the percentage of handling, crop and poultry operations we certified in 2014 compared to 2013. The Certification Team continues to play an integral role in one of the organization’s strategic goals, which is to increase market share in our region by 10 percent over the next 3 years. We are off to a great start in 2015 as we are seeing a steady flow of new applications and have already certified quite a few new applicants!

Certification Update PCO Continues to Grow Kyla Smith, Certification Program Director 2014 Year in Review PCO certified 665 main operations and 193 contracted operations, for a total of 858 in 2014, which is a 14% increase over 2013. This increase is due to a significant increase in the number of applications received and new certifications issued in 2014 as well as a decrease in the number of non-renewals/surrenders.

Certification Comparison 900

n 2012 n 2013 n 2014

Certification by Category — 2014

750 665 566 580

Crops 34%

283 142 72 65

ti Is ons su ed

ew N

on N

pp A

193

66 60 44

Pa fo In

154 169

123

lic Re atio ce ns iv ed

ck Se s nt

Livestock 48%

102

-r e Su new rr al en s/ de M rs ai n O pe ra Ce tio Co rt ns nt ifi ra ed ct ed O pe ra Ce tio rt ns ifi ed In sp Co ec m tio pl ns et ed

180 135

ifi

Handling 18%

784

Who Needs to Be Certified PCO revised its policy on certification requirements for contracted operations in response to an instruction document1 published last year by the National Organic Program (NOP). This new policy means that PCO can no longer allow a certified operation to have an uncertified operation (contracted operation that does not hold its own certificate) included or covered under its organic certification. PCO will work with our certified operations to ensure all operations are in compliance with this new policy by November 30, 2015. Some examples that will not be allowed:

Some examples that will be allowed:

• Renting land at a neighbor’s farm, with the neighbor managing the land including harvesting hay and the PCO-certified operation purchasing the harvested hay from the uncertified operation.

• Renting land at a neighbor’s farm, with the neighbor managing the land including harvesting hay and the PCO-certified operation receiving the harvested hay as part of a written rental agreement or lease.

• Contracting with an uncertified operation to process your apple cider at the uncertified operation’s premises.

• Renting a cider press from an uncertified operation and processing the apple cider yourself at the uncertified operation’s premises. The rental of the facility must be documented by a lease/rental agreement.

• Contracting with an uncertified operation to grow organic layers for you on its farm.

• Renting the land and facilities at an uncertified operation and employing the operator to grow organic layers for you on his or her farm. The rental of the land and facilities must be documented by a lease/rental agreement.

• Contracting with your uncertified organic neighbor to grow seedlings for you at the neighbor’s farm.

• Renting the greenhouse at your uncertified neighbor’s farm and employing the neighbor to grow seedlings for you at the neighboring farm. The rental of the greenhouse must be documented by a lease/rental agreement.

All of the allowed situations listed above, must be fully described in the PCO certified operator’s OSP. All rented/leased land and facilities must be available for inspection. If you have any of the above situations, or a similar situation, please contact your certification specialist immediately to discuss your unique situation and how this could impact your certification. 1

NOP 4009: Who Needs to Be Certified

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Organic Updates Legislative Update

Materials Update

USDA’s Organic Producer Survey is Under Way

Material Review Status Changes

Johanna Mirenda, Policy Director Survey forms for the 2014 Organic Producer Survey were recently distributed to approximately 17,000 organic producers nationwide, including certified operations, transitioning operations, and exempt operations. The Organic Producer Survey serves as a census of all organic operations, as directed under the 2014 Farm Bill. The agriculture industry and all levels of government use the information to prepare a wide variety of organic agriculture-related programs, economic models, legislative initiatives, and market analysis and feasibility studies. For example, the USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) uses the data to evaluate and establish crop insurance programs for organic producers. In addition to gathering important organic crop production information, the survey asks whether organic producers have suffered economic losses due to unintended presence of genetically modified organisms. If you received a survey, please respond! Your operation is a valuable part of the agricultural industry and should be counted! If you need more information or need help completing the form, contact 888-424-7828 or visit agcensus.usda.gov. Content adapted from USDA Census of Ag publications.

Johanna Mirenda, Policy Director Please note the following status changes for materials reviewed by PCO for use by certified operators.

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PROHIBITED — Operators must immediately discontinue use of these products unless otherwise indicated. • BioSentry BioPhene Disinfectant (Neogen Corp.) prohibited as livestock drinking water line cleaner and equipment cleaner • Natur’l Oil (Stoller Enterprises) prohibited as crop production aid and pest control for crops and livestock • Protex AFP (American Farm Products) prohibited as livestock medical treatment • Stand Up (American Farm Products) prohibited as livestock medical treatment

Biodegradable Biobased Mulch Films The National Organic Program (NOP) recently added biodegradable biobased mulch film to the National List of Allowed Substances for use as weed control. However, there are not currently any brand name mulch film products that are approved for use. Most if not possibly all of the currently marcontinued on page 20

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Organic Updates

Materials Update continued from page 19

keted biobased mulch films contain some petrochemical feedstocks, and the feedstocks are typically less than 50% biobased, which does not meet the NOP requirements. It is unlikely that any biodegradable biobased mulch film products will be approved for use this year. See the Standards Update below for a more detailed explanation.

Attention Manufacturers! Manufacturers that would like to advertise products as approved for use in organic production are encouraged to register products with the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) (www.omri.org, 1-541-343-7600). Suppliers of livestock and processing products can use the PCO Discount Code APP410346 to receive both a free OMRI Application Kit and a 15% discount off their first product application fee. (Crop materials are not eligible for this program.)

Standards & Policy Update Johanna Mirenda, Policy Director

Clarification of Biodegradable Biobased Mulch Film Requirements The NOP published a policy memo to clarify how certifying agents and material evaluation programs should review the

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biobased requirement for brand name mulch film products. The memo instructs reviewers to verify that all polymer feedstocks are biobased. Biobased materials include all plant and animal mass derived from carbon dioxide recently fixed via photosynthesis, per definition of a renewable resource. Biobased feedstocks are composed of biological products or renewable agricultural or forestry materials. Biodegradable mulch film that contains non-biobased synthetic polymer feedstocks, such as petrochemical resins, does not comply with the USDA organic regulations. So far, it appears that this requirement might preclude any brand name mulch film products from being approved for use. Most if not all currently marketed biobased mulch films contain some petrochemical feedstocks and would not be allowed.

Instruction for Enforcement of the Organic Regulations The NOP published an instruction for certifiers regarding enforcement policies, including an updated penalty matrix. The document provides instructions for certifiers when taking enforcement action against certified operations that violate the USDA organic regulations. Its purpose is to promote consistent enforcement when evidence confirms that a noncompliance has occurred. Full versions of the documents referenced here are available electronically on the NOP website (ams.usda.gov/nop) or in hard copy by contacting the PCO office.

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Organic Updates New Faces

etable experience he also managed a flock of layer chickens and helped raise goat kids. Stephen enjoys various physical and homesteading activities including biking, rock climbing, soccer, baking bread, carpentry, and food preservation. Beluga is his small, grey cat.

A Fond Farewell… Penny Zuck

PCO welcomes new staff Stephen Hobaugh, Certification Specialist; Nicole Lawrence McNeil, Membership & Development Specialist; and Matthew Bogdan, Quality Systems & IT Manager.

Matthew Bogdan Quality Systems & IT Manager Matt joined the PCO team as the Quality Systems and IT Manager in January of 2015. Born and raised in State College, Matt always had an appreciation for agriculture, but his first hands on experience did not come until he became a crop scout intern during one summer in college. Prior to relocating to Centre Hall, PA, Matt lived in Southern California for nearly a decade working in regulatory compliance roles in both the financial and electric utility industries. Matt has his Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from Indiana University in Bloomington, IN and his Master’s Degree in Public Policy from the University of Southern California. In his spare time he enjoys running, skiing, hiking, and reading.

Nicole Lawrence McNeil Membership and Development Specialist Nicole Lawrence McNeil joined the PCO team in January 2015 as a Membership and Development Specialist. After obtaining an undergraduate degree from Ithaca College and a Master of Arts from Penn State University, Nicole worked with non-profits across the country, specializing in marketing, communications, and brand development. She is passionate about organic products and food and is excited to (finally) align her love of all things organic with her day-job! When not helping PCO spread the word about its amazing programs, Nicole enjoys cross-country skiing, being near the ocean, discovering new foods, and most especially, spending time with her husband, Casey, and puppy, Oephilia.

Penny Zuck is now serving as an Accreditation Manager for the USDA National Organic Program. Penny was PCO’s second fulltime employee way back in 2001. She has created and held nearly every job at PCO including Office Manager, Certification Director, Ad ministrative Director, Training Coordinator, Processing Certification Specialist and Inspector. She will now be putting that enormous amount of experience to good use with NOP’s Sound and Sensible program.

Joshua Brock Joshua Brock is now working for AccuWeather as a Macintosh Technician. Joshua served as PCO’s Technology Coordinator for more than four years, and played an integral part in the behind the scenes operations, including but not limited to the certification database, website, online meetings, and phone systems. Joshua is excited to expand on his Mac skill-set, as well as work with Tom Carey, of Full Circle Farms, who he’s always considered a Mac-mentor and fellow Farmer. PCO extends a hearty thank you to Penny and Joshua for their consistent hard work and dedication. Best wishes on new endeavors!

New PCO Staff Babies!

Stephen Hobaugh Certification Specialist Stephen, who is from Kutztown, PA, joined the Certification Team in January 2015. He studied Labor Studies and Employment Relations at the Pennsylvania State University. Following the completion of his undergraduate degree Stephen worked for Jade Family Farm and Quiet Creek CSA, both Certified Organic vegetable farms in Pennsylvania. In addition to his veg-

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Welcome to the world Blake Caroline Leah, Juniper Ora Ryan-Seitz, Leddi Belle Lopez, born on August 2, 2014, November 8, 2014, and January 11, 2015 respectively. Congratulations to Elizabeth Leah, Adam Seitz, Lia Sandoval and families!

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RECIPE CORNER Debra Deis, PCO Advisory Board Vice President

Arnabit Growing up in eastern Pennsylvania, near Allentown, we had excellent Syrian restaurants and I “grew up” trying to recreate my favorite foods from these restaurants. One of the “small plates” usually served as an appetizer in Syrian and Lebanese restaurants is fried cauliflower with a tahini dressing. Since cauliflower doesn’t really absorb oil it is also on the healthy side, easy to make, and tastes amazing. Ingredients 1 small head cauliflower 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped salt 1 Tbs olive oil, optional ¼ cup tahini 1 lemon water parsley Shallow oil for frying I use equal parts olive oil and avocado oil

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Directions n Cut the cauliflower into bite-sized chunks. Usually that means cutting a floret into four pieces, lengthwise. Make sure it is totally dry. n I use a mortar and pestle for the tahini sauce, but you can also use a blender. A blender is no faster but harder to clean! Smash the garlic with some salt until it is a paste. You may need to add a spoonful of olive oil or a little of the oil that comes to the top of the tahini jar. Using a fork and a spatula, stir in the tahini, and, when

smooth, add the juice of one lemon. It will likely look curdled. But then slowly stir in cool water until it has a nice dipable texture. The color lightens when you add the water. Taste to make sure the lemon juice and salt are balanced. Top with some chopped parsley. n Heat about ½” of oil in a cast iron pan and fry the cauliflower, turning frequently, until lightly browned. Salt lightly and serve, using the sauce as a dip. Serves 4 to 6.

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PCO Welcomes 1st Quarter New Members! Jeffrey Sadler Meadow View Farm Thompsontown, PA

NEW CERTIFIED MEMBERS Root 162 Farm & Processing Sprakers, NY Dr. Harvey’s Atlantic Highlands, NJ

John and Martha Nolt Kreamer, PA Just Skin Food Cape May, NJ

Eli Fisher E & F Organic Sprakers, NY

Lancaster Fine Foods Lancaster, PA Levi Byler Byler Farm Romulus, NY

Enos L. Miller Clyde, NY Everette Shank Bridgewater, VA

National Freight Industries Harrisburg, PA

Fresh Roasted Coffee LLC/ Positively Tea LLC Selinsgrove, PA

Nelson’s Creamery, LLC Royersford, PA

Gerald Detwiler Little Falls, NY

Netherland Bulb Company Easton, PA

Home Food Services dba Agostino Foods Bristol, PA

Norm & Lucinda Nolt Fairview Gardens Lititz, PA

J&B Herb & Plant Farms Roxboro, NC

Oakshire Naturals, LP Avondale, PA

Jacob Lapp Allenwood, PA

Protein-A Bakery Turtle Creek, PA

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Penn State ROSE Group University Park, PA

Justine Denison Schaghticoke, NY

Red Mill Farms LLC Moosic, PA

Luke Shirk Dundee, NY

Samuel K. Esh Rebersburg, PA

Quarry Hill Farm Harleysville, PA

Steel Cup Coffee Roasters, LLC Murrysville, PA

Virginia Briggs Vail, CO

Wayne Mast Walhonding, OH

Wayne Herring Serenity Lane Farm Schuylkill Haven, PA

NEW TRANSITIONING MEMBERS

NEW BUSINESS MEMBERS

Brian Bricker Ephrata, PA

Genesys Specialty Group Morrison, IL

David K. Suckow Potsdam, NY

White Wave Foods Broomfield, CO

Dennis Nolt Mountain Dew Organic Supply Pine Grove, PA

NEW ADVOCATE MEMBERS

John Sensenig Watsontown, PA

Emelie Swackhammer Macungie, PA

Joseph Conklin Conklin Farms Newville, PA

Donald E. Stoner Landisville, PA

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Organic Marketplace

FOR SALE CROPS Century Grass Farms 1st and 2nd cutting balage and 1st cut dry hay for sale. Reasonable pricing. Trucking available. Contact Steve. 4125809692/ centurygrassfarms@gmail.com. Washington County. Certified Organic Hay. Are you planning for your 2015 hay needs? Order your 2nd/3rd cutting now… • Small square bales: 1st cutting $3.50 per bale or $185 ton; 2nd/3rd cutting $4.50 bale or $235 ton • Large square bales (3’µ3’µ7’): 1st cutting $72.50 bale or $185 ton; 2nd/3rd cutting $90 bale or $235 ton All square bale hay is stored in doors. Forage tests will be available for all products. We ship throughout the country and have multiple delivery quantities available or pickup at the farm. Free samples. Located in NY Southern Tier between Binghamton and Ithaca, Tioga County. Contact Tony Marzolino: 607-657-8534 farm, 315-378-5180 cell, or tmarzolino@yahoo.com. www. marzfarm.com. Marz Farm, 3624 Wilson Creek Rd., Berkshire, NY 13736

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Organic Mixed Hay for Sale. 6 to 8 years old. Approx. 1500 Small Bales @ $2.00 each. You haul. 814-754-8271. Lambert Mtn. Acres. Somerset County. Organic alfalfa/grass round bale balage, 4’µ4’, pre-cut, some very good quality. Forage tested. near Milton, Pa. 570-412-3094. Montour Co.

REAL ESTATE Historic 1847 brick home in rural Juniata Co. sits on 14 PA Certified Organic acres! Features wood floors, 4 bedrooms, 6 fireplaces, front & rear stairways, open foyer. Some TLC still needed — potential for lg family or a B&B! $249,900. MLS#10253973 http://3857rt35s.c21.com Ask for Kristen 717.994.6627 Juniata Co. farmette — 21.5 PA Certified Organic acres. Home needs brought back to life but is a classic. Outbuildings include 72x46 barn. $229,900. MLS#10254025 http://3876route35s.c21.com Ask for Kristen 717.994.6627 FARM FOR SALE — 69 acre certified organic grass fed beef farm. Owners are looking for someone to pick up the soul of this farm and improve on it as only a younger person/s can do. Lots of potential here. Included is a 23.5 KW Solar system, a full line of farm machinery, and a closed herd (for 20

years) of 55 beef cattle that have been acclimated, bred, and thrive on this farm. Third party certifications on this farm are PCO, AWA and AGA. A five bedroom brick/frame house, barn and out buildings are situated on this Central Pennsylvania Conservancy preserved farm. Owner financing as well as mentoring can be negotiated, so that this farm can continue to provide nourishing food to a growing group of loyal customers. Owners make hay on some 80 acres of certified organic hay fields nearby for winter forage. Contact: jstoltz@pa.net or 717-536-3618 Perry County.

SERVICES For Hire — Agricultural trucking services by Jim Weiss Trucking. Flatbed, lowboy and van trailer services. Custom hauling or regular deliveries. Equipment or any ag commodities. Reasonable rates, great service, and always on time. 30+ years experience in the ag industry. Call anytime 607-725-1760. TO ADVERTISE Contact the PCO Office for information on advertising in the Marketplace. Call 814422-0251 or email pco@paorganic.org

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Employment Opportunities

Come join the PCO Team! Want to work with people committed to ensuring the integrity of organic products? For a full description of duties and qualifications, visit www.paorganic.org/jobs. n Certification Specialist PCO announces a job opening for Certification Specialist. The ideal candidate will have education and / or experience in the following areas: familiarity with regulatory compliance and organic certification, knowledge of organic standards and food science/processing. We are looking for a well-organized and selfmotivated person to join our team-oriented environment in Spring Mills, Pennsylvania. Remote consideration will be given to applicants with previous certification experience. This is a full-time, exempt position. Salary range: $38,000 to $48,000, depending on experience. Benefits: health, dental, vision, disability and life insurance; Simple IRA, generous holiday, vacation and paid time off. n Information Technology Specialist PCO announces a job opening for an Information Technology (IT) Specialist. The ideal candidate will have education, training and/or experience in the following areas: technology support for office staff and end users, knowledge of Mac workstations and Apple iOS, and familiarity with FileMaker and WordPress. We are looking for a well-organized and self-motivated person to join our team-oriented environment in Spring Mills, Pennsylvania. This is a full-time, exempt position. Salary range: $40,000 to $48,000, depending on experience. Benefits: health, dental, vision, disability and life insurance; Simple IRA, generous holiday, vacation and paid time off. PCO is a growing non-profit organization that works with organic farmers and food producers in the Mid-Atlantic region. PCO provides organic certification services to more than 600 operations and employs 20 office staff and 15 field inspectors. Our staff is dedicated to our mission of ensuring the integrity of organic products in the marketplace. Positions will remain open until filled. To apply, please send resume and cover letter to Lia@paorganic.org How to apply for Certification and IT Specialist jobs: Please submit a resume and cover letter to (electronic submissions preferred): Lia Sandoval • lia@paorganic.org • 814-422-0251 n Interested in volunteering? PCO relies on its outstanding volunteers to help with organic outreach and education. Volunteers have assisted PCO by participating in one of the following areas: PCO Committees, staffing an exhibit, FarmFest; and much more. Support Pennsylvania Certified Organic by volunteering to contribute to our organization’s mission; email: pco@paorganic.org, call 814-4220251, or visit paorganic.org for more information.

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n Pennsylvania Organic FarmFest Coordinator Pennsylvania Certified Organic (PCO) is seeking a FarmFest Coordinator to serve on our Education and Outreach Team. The part time contracted position will be responsible for planning and management, with support from the PCO staff, of the Pennsylvania Organic FarmFest, held annually on the first weekend of August at the Grange Fairgrounds in Centre Hall PA. This year’s event is scheduled for Aug 7–8, 2015. PCO is a private non-profit organization that works to ensure the integrity of organic products and provide education, inspection, and certification services that meet the needs of our members. The successful contractor will possess strong organizational and time management skills with demonstrated work experience in event and volunteer management. We seek a highly competent individual with proficiency in soliciting/securing sponsors, vendors, and exhibitors and the use of databases, computer networks, volunteerism, and social media. To apply for this paid position, please access the request for proposal form by visiting paorganic.org/jobs." as second to last sentence of Pennsylvania Organic FarmFest Coordinator listing. Please refer to our website at www.farmfest.paorganic.org when completing this proposal. n FarmFest Administrative Coordinator Intern Pennsylvania Certified Organic (PCO) is seeking a part-time non-paid FarmFest Administrative Coordinator Intern who will be responsible for duties associated with successfully running a Summer festival attended by over 3500 people. The intern will perform all duties listed below with support from the PCO staff, to facilitate this year’s FarmFest, held August 7–8 at the Grange Fairgrounds in Centre Hall PA.

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Employment Opportunities Responsibilities • Recruit, coordinate, schedule, and manage volunteers • Obtain sponsor, vendor, and exhibitor commitments • Manage annual FarmFest timeline and tasks • Work collaboratively with partner organizations to plan various FarmFest areas including but not limited to: Family Arena, Wool Village, 5K, and Silent Auction • Update and maintain FarmFest website and social media outlets • Report progress to PCO FarmFest Manager weekly

• Plan and conduct pre-event activities (attend parades, farmers markets, festivals to publicize FarmFest and plan volunteer work parties) • Event set-up, schedule, and cleanup coordination • Report progress to PCO FarmFest Manager weekly These non-paid internships can be taken for credit over the course of the Spring 2015 and Summer 2015 semesters. Full internship descriptions available at paorganic.org/jobs. To apply, please send a cover letter and resume to farmfest@ paorganic.org.

n FarmFest Event Coordinator Intern Pennsylvania Certified Organic (PCO) is seeking a part-time, non-paid, FarmFest Event Coordinator Intern who will be responsible for duties associated with successfully running a Summer festival attended by over 3500 people. Responsibilities • Work closely with FarmFest Manager to accomplish annual FarmFest timeline and tasks • Work collaboratively with partner organizations and volunteers to execute various FarmFest areas including but not limited to: Family Arena, Wool Village, 5K, and Silent Auction • Develop site maps and layout, vendor/exhibitor/sponsor assignments, staff/volunteer scheduling, venue and grounds, etc.

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Box 361, 119 Hamilton Place Penn Yan, NY 14527 315-531-1038 Certified Organic Feed, Seed & Livestock Products from Northeast organic farmers for Northeast organic farmers â?&#x2013; www.lakevieworganicgrain.com

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Calendar

Heritage Pastured Pigs Kutztown, PA rodaleinstitute.org 610-683-1500

Rodale Institute rodaleinstitute.org 610-683-1500 Reg. deadline: June 15 $50 registration FREE for PCO Transitioning Members!

n MAY 30

n JUNE 28

May n MAY 2

Spring Walk in the Organic Orchard Oyler’s Organic Farm and Market Biglerville, PA 717-677-8411

June n JUNE 6 Farming with Beneficial Insects Kutztown, PA rodaleinstitute.org 610-683-1500 n JUNE 18

PCO Adopt-a-Highway Centre Hall, PA paorganic.org/events 814-422-0251 n JUNE 24

Pastured Swine & Dairy Nutrition

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PASA’s Bike Fresh — Allegheny County Allison Park, PA pasafarming.org 814-349-9856

Organic FarmFest & PCO Annual Meeting August 7 & 8 Grange Fairgrounds Centre Hall, PA See page 17 for more details on Annual Meeting and page 10 for more details on FarmFest.

How to Improve Soil with Grazing Field Day with Ian Mitchell-Innes, World-Renowned Mob Grazing Expert

Registe r Now!

June 30, 9:00am–4:00pm • John Mulenberg Farm 662 Puseyville Road • Kirkwood PA 17536

To register:

Field day topics include:

$75 per person, $60 for each additional person from same household

• Increasing milk production with grazing techniques

To preregister: Mail check payable to Lancaster County Graziers to 1142 Gap Road Kinzers, PA 17535.

• Maximizing the amount of energy consumed by the animal through vegetative growth management

Include name, address, phone number, and number attending. Preregistrations due June 20. Registrations after June 20 are $100. ?s: text, call or email 717-278-1070, romans@springwoodfarm.com

• Managing soil surface and stocking density toward sustained grass growth • Understanding and managing soil life • Realizing fungal/ bacterial relationships

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Non-Profit Org US POSTAGE PAID CENTRE HALL, PA PERMIT NO. 33

106 School Street, Suite 201 Spring Mills, PA 16875