Video Diary Of A Sustainable Local Farm!

Stone Ridge, NY - The start of bloom time 2007 marks the beginning of an adventure for Stone Ridge Orchard: This year, the farm is going for the Big O, as in certified USDA organic. Rather than just making the transition, the farm invites the general public to join them in this journey. With available streaming video, an active blog and regional outreach, Stone Ridge Orchard is inviting consumers to witness the real journey and process of transitioning to organic farming. The farm is certifying fifteen acres USDA organic through NOFA-NY, LLC. (NortheastOrganic Farming Association) This comes as the farm's first charge towards Beyond Organic, or, the path of permanent local, ecological agriculture that extends well beyond farming recipes.

Stone Ridge Orchard's experience with ecological growing methods
Three years ago, farmer Mike Biltonen got the notion that he was going to start transitioning some of his crops from progressive Integrated Pest Management to certified USDA organic. (Integrated Pest Management is an ecological and environmentally sensitive approach to pest, in which produce is only sprayed as a last intervention.) There is currently no regulated method in the market with which to differentiate IPM produce from other conventional produce.

Beyond the Organic Label
The public, it seems, demands certified organic food. Be it produce, meat or dairy, the American consumer is mad for the label. But do they understand what they are clamoring for? Stone Ridge Orchard is peeling away the layers of jargon, hype, and granting transparency in an otherwise private market. By joining Mike Biltonen, consumers will learn how being organic isn't just about not spraying pesticides on crops. It's not about a label, and marketing hype. It's about many larger issues, some logistical, some ethical and some economic. Stone Ridge Orchard's goal is to create a dialogue with concerned consumers about knowing the true origins of their food, and what it really takes to grow delicious and ecologically-grown produce.

What the public needs to know about Organic Farming
By joining Stone Ridge Orchard in this campaign to demystify organic farming, Mike Biltonen will answer these pertinent issues that encircle the coveted label.
� How farm land is certified organic
� What the certification process costs and entails
� What is the difference of production cost and yield, and how this translates to shoppers
� The difference between local organic food and global organic food
� Besides the spraying, what are other methods that differentiate organic farming from conventional farming?
� What is the next step Beyond Organic?

To start this discussion, and discover the answers behind many of these issues, please contact Stone Ridge Orchard. Stay tuned for forthcoming video podcasts, and visit our blog: www.organicschmorganic.blogspot.com