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Wisconsin Organic Advisory Council Visits Standard Process Inc.(R) Farm
PALMYRA, Wis.-(Business Wire)-August 26, 2008 - Standard Process Inc.® recently hosted the Wisconsin Organic Advisory Council’s (WOAC) first field tour. WOAC brings together a diverse, forward-thinking group of organic farmers, businesses, consumers and government agency representatives to provide leadership and vision for the future of Wisconsin’s organic agriculture. The group advises the Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) and other agencies on issues that will further the organic industry in the state.
The Organic Advisory Council was established in 2006 to help grow Wisconsin’s organic agriculture sector. Wisconsin ranks second in the nation for number of organic farms and processors, having increased over 90% in the last five years. The Council works with a team of state and federal agency representatives to guide this growth and provide education, technical assistance, and other resources for farmers and companies wishing to produce organic products.
Christine Mason, Farm Manager for Standard Process, was selected by Secretary of Agriculture Rod Nilsestuen to be an inaugural member of the WOAC in 2006 when the group was formed. When the opportunity arose, Christine gladly spent a day hosting the council in Palmyra. During their July 23 visit, Mason showed how Standard Process produces 80% of its raw materials on 420 organic acres with the help of only a six-person team.
While the WOAC toured the farm, they learned how Christine and her crew use organic farming techniques to ensure the quality of the farmland is maintained for years to come.
Preparations for the planting season on the Standard Process Farm begin in January, long before the snow melts. Seed orders are placed early in the year to ensure the large amounts of organic seed needed to meet the upcoming year’s harvest goals are still available. Finding organic seed is not always easy or affordable, so the company focuses each year on harvesting their own seeds for planting. The tour group learned the process the farm crew follows each year in an attempt to get as much seed from the crops as possible. When they don’t get enough seed yield from a crop, untreated and GMO-free seed is purchased from organic vendors.
Controlling and limiting weeds is an ongoing battle on any farm, so WOAC members were interested to know how the certified organic Standard Process Farm eliminated weeds without pesticides. The Standard Process Farm crew adheres to strict organic weed control standards, such as cultivating, mowing, hand-weeding and using a crop flamer. Cover crops, a source of nitrogen and a way of returning organic matter back to the soil, are also utilized on the farm. The members of WOAC could look at the fields and see how effective these methods were when put into practice by knowledgeable staff.
As WOAC members surveyed the land, many asked how Standard Process coped with the June floods. From their vantage point, it looked like the farm was bordered by a lake. What they were really seeing were the neighboring farms, still under several feet of water. While Standard Process lost about half of what it had planted for the 2008 season, the farm is unique, because planting and harvesting occurs in rapid succession all summer long in order to meet the company’s needs. Every day, the farm sends raw material to the plant for processing. Standard Process focuses mainly on short-season crops, such as buckwheat, kidney beans, Spanish black radish and barley grass. These crops require a shorter growing season than traditional row crops, such as field corn. Production schedules at the plant may need to be adjusted on a daily basis, but there will be crops to harvest and no major negative effects of the flooding should be felt.
There were two more areas on the farm WOAC members were curious about – the two greenhouses and a small cluster of experimental test beds bursting with a variety of vegetables and plants. The greenhouses allow Standard Process to stretch out Wisconsin’s short growing season. Many of the cruciferous crops, such as Brussels sprouts and cabbage, get their start here. When planting time arrives, the team transplants robust plants into the ground. The headstart inside the greenhouse gives these crops time to mature in an optimal environment, which helps them to better withstand disease and insects, naturally.
While experimental test beds are not typically found on large farms, the test beds at the Standard Process Farm provide a wealth of information to both Mason and Standard Process’s Research & Development department. The farm crew and company scientists work together to determine which plant varieties are the hardiest and will survive and grow in our climate. The scientists also observe and test certain plant species to determine which will provide the most nutritional benefit.
Standard Process was happy to host the WOAC and is honored to have its own Christine Mason as part of the Council. The company welcomes every chance to help educate others on the benefits and challenges of organic farming.
For more information on DATCP’s Organic Advisory Council, contact Laura Paine, Organic Agriculture Specialist, at 608-224-5120 or laura.paine@wi.gov. For more information on Standard Process, contact Annie Gentil, public relations coordinator, at 800-848-5061 or agentil@standardprocess.com.
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