Farmers make a natural progression-Organic trend continues its strong growth

STOCKTON, Ill. — The Westaby family farm was falling further into debt until the Organic Valley milk truck pulled up in August.

By Rob Kaiser
Chicago Tribune staff reporter

With conventional milk prices dropping, Delmar and Theresa Westaby completed a lengthy process to certify their farm as organic. They now grow pesticide-free feed for their cows and shun the use of hormones and antibiotics.

The payoff has been clear: Instead of receiving about $11 for 100 pounds of conventional milk, they now get closer to $19 for 100 pounds of organic milk. Meanwhile, their costs have remained steady.

For the Westabys, the first visit by the Organic Valley truck meant not having to think about the unthinkable: Leaving their 141-year-old, sixth-generation family farm west of Rockford.

"I was just so glad to see him," Theresa Westaby said. "I ran out and took a picture of the truck."

Spurred by a swelling demand for natural foods and the growth of chains such as Whole Foods and Wild Oats, the organic movement has become a savior for a number of family farmers nationwide. And more small farms are likely to start benefiting after the first national standards for organic labeling go into effect Oct. 21, more than a decade after Congress ordered their creation.

The new labels, which differentiate between products that are 100 percent, at least 95 percent or at least 70 percent organic, will start appearing just as organic products take over more shelf space in traditional grocery stores such as Jewel and Dominick’s.

"The timing is perfect," said George Siemon, chief executive of Organic Valley. "Sometimes people need permission to believe in something, and now they have permission."

Numbers increase

Sales of organic food have grown more than 20 percent annually for the past 10 years, to $9.3 billion last year. They are projected to grow to nearly $20 billion by 2005, according to the Organic Trade Association.

Like an increasing number of new Organic Valley farmers, Delmar Westaby was not always an organic believer. A decade ago, he got mad when his brother-in-law said that spraying pesticides was harmful.

But thinking about why he took nutritional supplements, Westaby began to believe that chemicals disrupted the natural system of nutrients passing from the soil to crops, livestock and eventually humans.

He began looking into organic.

"It’s the old way of farming with a different name," he said. "My grandfather or great-grandfather could probably tell you how to do this in a heartbeat."

Still, for farmers, converting to organic is like being a handyman without his trusty tool belt. They have to spend more time in the fields fighting weeds and find natural replacements for pesticides, herbicides and chemical fertilizers. Occasionally, a cow in need of antibiotics has to be sold.

In 1999, after Westaby went completely organic, weeds overran his fields. His output of corn dropped to 70 bushels an acre from 120 bushels.

"It’s a big commitment," Siemon said. "They have to rediscover farming. They have to rediscover their relationship to the land."

They also have to complete a lot of paperwork and be prepared for surprise inspections.

To be certified organic, a farm must be free of pesticides and other chemicals for at least three years.

The farmers also have to regularly rotate their crops, maintain soil quality and fill out lengthy forms about sanitary conditions, temperature levels and other matters.

"The biggest problem with a lot of organic farmers now is keeping records," said Keith Ostby, a consultant who helps Westaby and other organic and conventional farmers with soil testing and other issues.

Additionally, the farmers need to be ready for surprise visits from inspectors, who, like the United Nations, seek to go anywhere on an organic farm in search of banned chemical weapons.

Still, the interest in going organic is growing, particularly among small dairy farms that are being forced to grow or die off.

The number of dairy farms in the United States dropped to 87,000 last year from 138,000 in 1987, according to industry and U.S. census figures.

Organic Valley, based in LaFarge, Wis., has 450 farmers nationwide and 70 to 100 more usually waiting to join the group. Its revenues have grown to $126 million from $9 million in 1995.

When Siemon and six other Wisconsin farmers formed an organic cooperative in 1988, they didn’t do it with the notion that they were in the midst of a growth industry. The farmers just wanted to start using natural farming methods.

"We were laughed at," Siemon said. "It was a joke. There wasn’t even a category. It was just a dream."

Siemon said many of the farmers joining Organic Valley today are more motivated by financial pressures. But they also believe in more natural farming concepts.

Art Wedig, another Organic Valley farmer, stopped using chemicals after his older son began battling cancer.

"I thought it was going to be a big loss," Wedig said of his expected yields without chemicals. But after learning new methods, Wedig said, yields actually climbed.

Wedig and other organic farmers said the cost of operating an organic farm is comparable to the cost of a conventional operation.

While labor costs increase, expenses for pesticides and other chemicals disappear.

And many organic farmers expect long-term benefits from going organic.

"They’re afraid these chemicals will eventually make the land sterile," Wedig said.

Copyright © 2002, Chicago Tribune

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