To celebrate Organic Awareness Week, we spoke to market stallholder, organic educator and pioneer of the local organics movement, David Forrest, of OrganicForrest Farm at Federal. 

Why go organic?

Certified Organic farming provides customers with the opportunity to support their family health while also supporting a verified environmentally sound production system.

Just as people can make a difference by shopping at a Farmers Market their support for Organic farmers is a partnership creating healthy soil , health giving plants and healthy local ecosystems.

Research has shown better nutrition  through higher levels of minerals,antioxidants and polyphenols , carbon sequestration , clean water and air and higher biodiversity on certified Organic farms.

Why is organic certification important?

 Consumer demand has continually grown since the Organic Certification system was introduced in 1987. In fact, Organic certification has underpinned this growth as it provided definition to what is Organic and a marketplace Quality Assurance system with written Standards and an independent third party on site audit process to provide verification of Organic claims for customers confidence .

Organic Certification costs are only equivalent to buying a daily coffee -about $25 per week. There is a requirement to document the production process and inputs for all crop cycles and management activities. These records coupled with the farm inspection provide a validation that customers are getting what they expect of Organic food , and the farm is not causing environmental damage.

Farmers are happy to carry this out so customers know their purchase is also helping create a greener world.

What are some of the problems associated with conventional farming?

The use of artificial pesticides and fertilisers deplete personal and environmental health while producing food with lesser nutrition. These petrochemicals are significant emitters of greenhouse gases in their production ,transport and use.

The process to create synthetic Nitrogen uses about 8% of the worlds energy from gas and oil to produce and distribute.

Losses in farming use are high and much nitrate leaches into waterways or volatilises into the atmosphere as Nitrous oxide and ammonia.

In plants nitrogen forced growth increases cell size but makes plants more susceptible to pests and diseases. Artificial pesticides are then used to poison these organisms being taken in systemically to every part of the plant and cannot be washed off.

The off target and downstream consequences of these are not included as a cost of the food.

Australian pesticide regulations allow the use of many pesticides banned overseas , and also fail to recognise the susceptibility of babies (from conception ) and children to the toxic load of the chemical cocktail of our current food production system, let alone the broader environmental consequences.

What is TROPO?

The Tweed Richmond Organic Producers Organisation (TROPO)  was formed in 1989 to provide an interface for sharing knowledge and experience to develop the relationship between farming ,consumers and the environment. It has enabled farmers to engage with consumers (and vice versa) , interpret research and share current best practice through regular field days workshops and the magazine Going Organic. Membership is open to all as is attendance at TROPO activities.

Mullum Farmers Market is a TROPO member, as are some customers and the Certified Organic farmers selling there and at New Brighton Farmers Market.

Why did you decide to go organic in the first place? 

The problems with chemical farming have been clear for many decades so as an Ag scientist starting farming at Federal in 1978 there had to be an alternative.

Certified Organic farming has given OrganicForrestFarms the opportunity to produce high nutritional quality  food using environmentally sound inputs and practices.

Raising a family on the farm gives high priority to non toxic farming methods and this has informed environmental restoration activities for the mutual benefits to biodiversity and the farming system.

When the Farmers Market selling option became available we were able to broaden the range of produce we grow. This is good for the shoppers but it also gives a buffer as when there are problems with one crop we still have others to maintain income.