Locals to visit Eco-Farm conference in force
BY ROGER SIDEMAN
Steven Pedersen will offer observations of his on-farm research at the Redman House Farm. Dick Peixoto is looking to network with buyers representing heavies Wal-Mart and Costco. Tom and Constance Broz of Live Earth Farm will share their successes as part of the emerging "agritourism" economy. These Pajaro Valley farmers will be a part of one the country’s largest gatherings of food system revolutionaries this week at the 26th Annual Ecological Farming Conference in Pacific Grove.
The conference is organized in Watsonville by Eco-Farm, a nonprofit group that promotes food production through crop rotation and natural fertilizers, using no pesticides.The conference, which runs Jan. 25 to 28, will feature more than 50 workshops on cutting-edge practices for farmers, home gardeners and activists interested in sustainable agriculture. More than 1,000 people from around the world are expected to converge at the Asilomar Conference Grounds. The workshops will demonstrate natural approaches to pest management in organic strawberry farms, among many other classes. Researchers will show how mustard plants, when used as a cover crop, can be mowed, then tarped over, creating a natural mustard gas to sterilize soil as an alternative to the pesticide methyl bromide.
No certified organic farmer is permitted to use synthetic chemicals. That’s partly what makes organics so attractive to buyers and is what powers the ever-popular Eco-Farm conference. Organic food remains a niche market within the $500 billion food industry. But the sector’s growing appeal to consumers has fueled a 20 percent annual growth rate in recent years, making it attractive to food giants looking for gains in a slow-moving business.
Farmer Peixoto, who grows organic vegetables on 600 acres, said the demand for organic produce is apparent when he talks to produce buyers for mega-retailer Wal-Mart’s grocery aisles."Ten years ago they laughed at me," he said. "They called organic a ‘California flash-in-the-pan.’"This week, Peixoto will make a trip with a couple of his salesman to network with buyers from companies like Wal-Mart and Costco.As organic food enters the mainstream, the conference is seen as a catapult into the consciousness of Americans, reflecting a growing awareness of the social, cultural and environmental dimensions of every item in the market basket. Food is no longer solely about its nutrient cargo. It is about the place food comes from, about what growing, harvesting and eating it are like, and about what else is nourished in the process.Although the number of certified organic growers is very small — about 3 percent of farms in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties — in the last eight years, the total acreage in the region has more than tripled to 15,106, according to Applied Survey Research of Watsonville. The bottom line is clear: Organic sales have exploded from $13.4 million in 1998 to $125 million in 2004.The Ecological Farming Conference costs $250 for the entire event or $125 per day. More information can be found at www.eco-farm.org or by calling 763-2111.
Steven Pedersen will offer observations of his on-farm research at the Redman House Farm. Dick Peixoto is looking to network with buyers representing heavies Wal-Mart and Costco. Tom and Constance Broz of Live Earth Farm will share their successes as part of the emerging "agritourism" economy. These Pajaro Valley farmers will be a part of one the country’s largest gatherings of food system revolutionaries this week at the 26th Annual Ecological Farming Conference in Pacific Grove.
The conference is organized in Watsonville by Eco-Farm, a nonprofit group that promotes food production through crop rotation and natural fertilizers, using no pesticides.The conference, which runs Jan. 25 to 28, will feature more than 50 workshops on cutting-edge practices for farmers, home gardeners and activists interested in sustainable agriculture. More than 1,000 people from around the world are expected to converge at the Asilomar Conference Grounds. The workshops will demonstrate natural approaches to pest management in organic strawberry farms, among many other classes. Researchers will show how mustard plants, when used as a cover crop, can be mowed, then tarped over, creating a natural mustard gas to sterilize soil as an alternative to the pesticide methyl bromide.
No certified organic farmer is permitted to use synthetic chemicals. That’s partly what makes organics so attractive to buyers and is what powers the ever-popular Eco-Farm conference. Organic food remains a niche market within the $500 billion food industry. But the sector’s growing appeal to consumers has fueled a 20 percent annual growth rate in recent years, making it attractive to food giants looking for gains in a slow-moving business.
Farmer Peixoto, who grows organic vegetables on 600 acres, said the demand for organic produce is apparent when he talks to produce buyers for mega-retailer Wal-Mart’s grocery aisles."Ten years ago they laughed at me," he said. "They called organic a ‘California flash-in-the-pan.’"This week, Peixoto will make a trip with a couple of his salesman to network with buyers from companies like Wal-Mart and Costco.As organic food enters the mainstream, the conference is seen as a catapult into the consciousness of Americans, reflecting a growing awareness of the social, cultural and environmental dimensions of every item in the market basket. Food is no longer solely about its nutrient cargo. It is about the place food comes from, about what growing, harvesting and eating it are like, and about what else is nourished in the process.Although the number of certified organic growers is very small — about 3 percent of farms in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties — in the last eight years, the total acreage in the region has more than tripled to 15,106, according to Applied Survey Research of Watsonville. The bottom line is clear: Organic sales have exploded from $13.4 million in 1998 to $125 million in 2004.The Ecological Farming Conference costs $250 for the entire event or $125 per day. More information can be found at www.eco-farm.org or by calling 763-2111.
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