Given the goal that we would all like to
produce bountiful harvests without the use of toxic chemistry how do we
do it on a commercial scale?
Organic producers have adopted the time honored practices of pre-toxic
agriculture and incorporated cutting edge technology emerging from recent
biological research and development.
We now understand that the natural fertility system
which has powered the earth's plant production for millions of years is
fundamentally a web of recycling systems. There are as many as six billion
micro-organisms in a handful of soil. They consume the waste of every kind
and every size of flora and fauna and release invaluable balanced mineral
nutrition to the crop growing in it.
The cornerstone of our fertility program
at T&D Willey Farms is the abundant use of aerobically composted dairy
manure and carefully composted urban greenwaste. So, we may actually be
using your lawn clippings and yard prunings to produce the quality vegetables
on your table. Compost empowers soil microbes, and combined with careful
additions of minerals, such as limestone, a fertility which boosts resistance
of the crop to both disease and insect attack is formed.
The use of crop rotation and the cultivation of a very
diverse farmscape including many varieties of plants in different stages
of growth encourages a complex community of beneficial insects holding
pests at bay. Non-toxic soaps, oils and some biological pesticides are
used in cases when the system may become temporarily unbalanced or weather
stressed.
Organic production is a very proactive system
of health maintenance. We strive to remain on the cutting edge of organic
production technology. Rather than splicing genes, we strive to cooperate
with the great diversity nature provides to deliver you the safest and
highest quality produce in the market place. Use of the term "organic" is now defined and regulated by the US Department of Agriculture. Compliance with these standards of production on T & D Willey Farms is inspected and approved by the USDA-accredited California Certified Organic Farmers, one of the longest standing private certification agencies in the nation.
Let's Keep People on the Land
Small farms are criticized as inefficient;
lacking sufficient scale to adopt expensive mechanized technology to reduce
unit cost of production. We believe that caring people's eyes and hands
are the paramount tools of quality production. We marvel that twenty families
besides our own are supported year-round by the production of our 75 acres.
Please take pride that your purchase of our produce at fair prices sustains
a community of people who appreciate the opportunity to serve you and the
land.
