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Let’s Get Fresh At Polecat
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9016 Lonnie Harris Road Oxford NC, 27565
(919)
690-2182 |
Organic?
“Are you organic?” The simple answer is no, we are not Certified Organic according to the USDA definition. This however requires more explanation. Very few people have any real understanding of what the term “organic” means. In fact the USDA doesn’t seem to have a clear idea of what the term means even though they set up the regulations, which is why the organic community set up the National Organic Standards Board.
The organic movements started as a
response to factory farming. People
wanted good wholesome food. Originally
this was viewed as a “hippy” movement but by the end of the 70’s and beginning of
the 80’s it started to become more mainstream.
People were developing relationships with farmers again because there
was trust and integrity. Big business
saw a new market that they were missing out on so they started jumping in. The word “Organic” was everywhere. Of course people, justifiably so, questioned
the big business’s methods and claims.
They cried out for (ugh) regulation of these huge companies. In steps the USDA. They began the “Certified Organic Program”. The original idea was to provide the
consumer as well as the producer clear guidelines as to what organic
meant. Sounds OK so far, but keep in
mind this is the same federal government that runs Social Security, the tax
code and Medicare. The Certified
Organic Program has produced a similar mess complete with seeming endless
regulations, grey areas and loop holes.
Now this is not as bad as most other government programs simply because
it is so new. It hasn’t had time to
become a true government monster.
Lest we be misunderstood, we are not
against the Certified Organic Program.
We want to see you buying organic products from the store, because we
know you care about the food you bring home to your family. Even more, we would like to see you develop
a personal relationship with a local farmer or two regardless of the
certification status. The absolute
benefit of purchasing your meat and produce from a local farm is the
opportunity to personally inspect everything.
You should always have the opportunity to see, hear, smell, touch, and
taste how your food is produced. We
know of several excellent local farmers that are Certified Organic, but it is
not their certification that makes them excellent farmers. It is their methods, philosophy and
integrity that make them stand out. The
fact is that we follow most of the regulations already. Simply put the Certified Organic Program
(COP) is a labeling law that creates mountains of paper work and requires
government inspections at a premium. We
will not rule out the COP, but right now we want to focus on excellence versus
certification.
Our
goal is to develop personal relationships with consumers. We don’t want government inspections, we
want Yyour inspection. We want to put
the trust and integrity back into farming.
If you want to know about our methods and you don’t find your answers at
the website, please ask or better yet come out and see for yourself. We have no secrets here.