News Coverage
Eastern Oregon farmers buy into organic produce
Published November 6, 2004
HERMISTON, Ore. -- While steering a pickup into one of Bob Walchli's fields near Hermiston, Dean Moody and Doug Dickey jumped out of the cab and began devouring fruit.
They tasted brilliantly red, ripe tomatoes and hot bell peppers, sweet cantaloupes and watermelons. Between mouthfuls, they explained their philosophy on how to grow such juicy produce, a practice changing the way Hermiston melons are grown and a concept making more believers out of growers in Eastern Oregon.
The idea of sustainable agriculture is catching on. It has many different levels in practice, but essentially seeks to reduce the amount of chemicals and pesticides used on crops. As demand for organic crops increases, farmers are embracing chemical-free growing methods and finding ways to certify that they have done so.
Organic farming is the most well known sustainable agriculture practice. The idea is more prevalent among growers in Western Oregon -- about 28,000 acres are certified organic with Oregon Tilth, the dominant such certification program in the state.
So far just about 6,100 acres in all of Eastern Oregon are devoted to organic food production, but farmers can't ignore a growing consumer demand. Organic food sales grew from about $1 billion in 1990 to $10.38 billion in 2003, the latest data available from the national Organic Trade Association.
"We've been farming the traditional way for 50 years and we've been doing it the same old way, sprays and herbicides, everything you've gotta do to provide a crop. That was how we worked," said Walchli, a Hermiston grower for the area's fresh market produce. "The traditional way may not be the right way."
Walchli, along with his father, and Pollock & Sons, another melon grower in Hermiston, subscribed this past season to a new agriculture certification program offered by Moody, vice president of TechCo Inc., a sustainable agriculture company, and Dickey, one of the company's sales managers.
The goal of the new certification program, called HealthyClean, is to meet consumers' demand for healthier produce by reducing pesticide use in the fields, but still meet growers' needs by allowing commercial fertilizers to feed the soil, Moody said.
HealthyClean is just one of many third-party certification programs cropping up around the country trying to fill a niche in the sustainable agriculture market.
Yet, considering the demand, the trend is driven more by perception than science.
"Really there's nothing you can put on melons that isn't safe regardless of HealthyClean or not," said Sam Pollock, co-owner of Pollock & Sons, echoing other growers' concerns about sending the wrong message to consumers: That the conventional way of growing crops is unsafe.
"But when you've got another option, that's always nice," said Pollock, one of the farmers who chose to go the HealthyClean way. "I like the fact that we're cutting down on some of the chemicals. It's a good way of growing a crop."
The organic market, originally a fringe movement of the 1960s, has grown between 17 percent and 21 percent every year since 1997, according to statistics provided by the trade association and used by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The $10.38 billion in consumer sales of organic foods in 2003 represented 1.9 percent of total U.S. food sales.
Fruits and vegetables accounted for the largest portion of organic food sales, at 40 percent. Dairy, breads and grains, as well as beverages, grew at noticeably lower rates.
A forecast derived from the manufacturers' responses anticipates an annual average growth rate of 18 percent for organic foods between 2004 and 2008. Meat, fish and poultry are expected to have the highest growth rates.
Despite the level of demand, however, little science exists to confirm the perception that organic or pesticide-free produce is healthier than that grown with the help of chemicals and pesticides. Claims that organic food is more nutritious are largely unproven.
"Money into research -- or lack of -- has been a big stumbling block," according to Barbara Haumann, spokesperson for the trade association. "No one's invested in trying to find out. The organic industry was never big enough to shout loud enough. Hopefully the work can begin more seriously on collecting valid data to show if there are any differences."
When it comes to choosing between organic or conventional foods, Jeff Jenkins, a professor and extension specialist at Oregon State University who researches environmental and molecular toxicology, said the choice rests largely on perceived value.
The Environmental Working Group, a conservation organization, has published a list of the produce that retains the most pesticide residue. Topping the list for consistent pesticide residue are apples, bell peppers and celery. The group's data are generally good, Jenkins said, but he cautioned that the claim of contamination is relative, since conventionally grown food is regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency.
"EPA is under the gun to be conservative, and there is quite a large margin of safety built into the EPA's tolerances," Jenkins said. "All the food may be considered very safe, but in a relative sense some are considered safer than others."
Teresa Walchli, and her husband Phillip, a relative of Bob Walchli's, have been farming organically for seven years in the Hermiston area under the name Helvetian Produce. She said her customers are buying organic food not just for health reasons, but also for quality-of-life issues.
Most organic farmers are small, family run farms, and customers like the idea of knowing the farmer growing their food. She said she's also convinced that organic produce tastes better.