We know many of you are following our journey toward organic certification so here is a little update.

We have chosen not to certify our goats for organic at this time. The farm land and our poultry enterprise are being certified but not the goats. We made this choice based on a single criteria…pasture. We do pasture our goats. However, there are strict requirements in the National Organic Plan (NOP) related to the exact percentage of dry matter each goat gets from pasture vs regular hay (even if it’s organic hay). Since we raise heritage breeds we manage our herds at a very exacting level. For example, some goats (bucks, for example) are sometimes rotated through paddocks rather than pastured for parts of the season to avoid breakouts. As another example, we supplement hay in the pasture if we feel the pasture may not be sufficiently nutrient dense (e.g. the current drought). Such practices make it impossible for an organic inspector to prove each goats’ exact percentage of dry matter from pasture vs other sources.

We will still be certifying the farm and our poultry operation. We will continue to care for the goats using the best of organic practices as they make sense for the welfare of the animal.

We expect to be able to add the organic label to our eggs within a couple of months and with no increase in price to our customers! Next year we plan to certify our market garden and possibly our apiary.