While I was intrigued to read last week’s “Make the Valley Healthy” article relating to shopping for organic produce, I was taken aback that there was not a single mention of the local, organic growers right here in the readership area who are doing the heavy lifting to advocate for organic programs and who provide fresh, incredibly local options to this immediate community.

I have been a certified organic vegetable grower right here in New Tripoli since 2017- though I was practicing the organic standards five years before obtaining this challenging, expensive certification. Nor was I the first - the greater Northwestern Lehigh area is home to some of the most seasoned and amazing organic-practicing growers I have met in 15 years in this industry - Teena Bailey runs Red Cat Farm, which produces organically-grown, local grains right here in Germansville, and The Good Farm moved their vegetable operation from Rodale several years ago. They were the original growers right in this area providing certified-organic vegetables through a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture, which is the seasonal, weekly vegetable box programs you may have heard about over the years). Though they dropped their certification this year due to costs, which I will get into shortly, they continue to follow these rigorous guidelines and are true stewards of the land.

To not include the local growers in a story like this is a disservice to us and to our customers, who are working and sharing their food dollars to support this gritty, sometimes thankless work when it comes to the organic standards. There are a lot of really amazing farmers in the Lehigh Valley who are either practicing the organic standards without obtaining the certification, or we are here paying the bills, following these strict guidelines, sharing our growing practices in a transparent way with our patrons and vendors, and doing it all without the giant backing of an industrial farm conglomerate (which is the scale that sells at many grocery stores, especially when sourcing from further across the country), places that have an entire staff dedicated to the organic certification process.

For me, the organic standards are a second, costly job on their own. Each year, a farmer must renew his or her application within their certifying agency. We are charged a steep annual fee, charged a percentage of our sales, and then must pay for the third party inspectors to come out to review our farms, walk the properties, and provide trace and mass audits of what we are growing. Every year. For my small veggie operation, this comes out to just under $2,000 a year. I continue to remain certified because I have a storefront and can talk about the process with customers in a more up front, honest way, especially when I am explaining why some growers just cannot sustain the organic certification, but remaining certified organic is a choice I reconsider every year as the world becomes more fiscally difficult to navigate.

I have heard the argument that local, organic food is expensive. I would counter that statement by saying that our health is the most important component of our daily lives, second maybe only to the health and vitality of the communities we live in. To support a small farming business by paying a little more (and, honestly, with gas prices and input costs raising the bigger farms’ overhead, I have seen my own prices become competitive and even cheaper than some grocery stores in the last two years), to support growers who are paying their labor equitably, partaking in extra certifications for responsible land stewardship and humane animal and people welfare practices, and who sitting on boards to create a more sustainable, healthier future, should be a priority for everyone.

There are certainly folks out there misusing and abusing the “organic” certification - some right here, and some out in the world where the grocery stores are pulling from. A trace audit doesn’t tell you who is treating their workers fairly, who is exploiting for profit, or who is caring for the soil for future generations of growers. For that, you have to do a little extra leg work. You have to get out into the world to meet and know the small, local farmers who are growing your food. If organic health is something you truly care about as a person and as a community member, I assure you, it is worth taking the time.

If you don’t know where to start, feel free to reach out. I would be happy to point you in the right direction. I would also highly recommend perusing the Buy Fresh Buy Local Greater Lehigh Valley website, which is comprehensive and breaks down a lot of local farms based on organic certifications and direct sales options. The resources are out there and, as growers who want to feed you, we are happy to share them.

Liz Wagner is the owner and operator of Crooked Row Farm in New Tripoli and Orefield.