"I have not filled out an application," Copello said recently. "I'm still getting my record-keeping in order."
Instead, Copello said she's considering trying to become certified as "All Natural," which isn't quite as difficult to get, so she can slap that designation on her cabbagelike baby arugula, lettuce, collards, kale and green beans.
"It's more attainable for small farmers," she said. "You're inspected by other small farmers in the area, and it's more of an honor system."
Even without the certification, though, Copello uses many of the same techniques that certified organic farmers use.
She's among several commercial growers in Volusia County who are increasingly using organic practices or are trying to reduce the amount of land, water and chemicals they use, part of a national trend toward sustainable agriculture.
Commercial horticulture extension agent Dana Venrick said organic farming is "geared toward returning natural materials to the soil."
"You're keeping the soil healthy by adding organic matter and minerals on a regular basis," Venrick said. "(Organic farmers) also try to use beneficial or natural controls instead of pesticides, or use low-impact pesticides."
Copello, for instance, applies a slow-release fertilizer on her veggies and irrigates using a drip system to minimize water use. Manure is used on a limited scale to improve the fertility of the soil, and she composts tree trimmings, leaves and the like to generate even more organic material to till into the soil.
"A lot of work is done manually, such as hoeing, raking and weed control," Copello said. "And I make my own seed starting-mix."
Copello sells her vegetables to a select mix of clients, including restaurants and regular folks looking for a better quality of greens. And business is, well, growing, with April's sales surpassing the same month a year earlier, she said.
"I'm continuing to add more accounts, and more than half are restaurants," she said. "And there's a lot more interest from people wanting locally grown vegetables."
Taking a different tack is Vo-LaSalle Farm in DeLeon Springs. The vegetables grown on that farm are planted in Styrofoam containers that are stacked four or five high in towers, said Steve Crump, president of the family-owned and -operated enterprise.
Crump and his parents, Bruce and Sylvia Crump, saw similar operations in South Florida about two years ago. Those farmers were able to grow more crops on a smaller amount of land, and the Crumps decided to try it, too.
"The biggest advantage we saw is it's very dense, much greater than planting in the ground," the younger Crump said.
For instance, four times as many strawberry plants can be container-grown on the amount of land required for in-ground growing, he explained.
There also are other advantages. Irrigation requires less water, frost blankets rather than water can be used to freeze-protect plants, and liquid fertilizers can be used, he said.
"We use sterile potting soil which has fewer pests and diseases, so fewer chemicals like pesticides are needed," Crump said.
Vo-LaSalle is reportedly the only farm in Volusia County using the Verti-Gro system. The crops are sold at the farm on Johnson Lake Road and at the Farmers Market every Saturday in downtown DeLand.
Strawberry season is over, Crump said, but the containers now are filled with tomatoes, grape tomatoes, bell peppers, lettuce and herbs.
"This summer I'll expand the vegetable side (and) double the number of towers," he said. "I can sell a lot more vegetables than I can grow."
The Crumps also are taking a different approach in their citrus groves. They add a product called N-Viro Soil -- basically, pasteurized sewage sludge that has fly ash and quick lime added -- to the groves. In addition, rather than disking and plowing the ground between the trees, the Crumps allow grass to grow.
"That helps keep the soil from eroding, and adds organic matter to the soil," Crump said.
Another citrus grower is taking other measures to improve the marketability of his fruit. Dick Marshall, owner of Marshall Groves in DeLand, is adding organic material to the soil around his trees, using tree snails to help keep the trucks clean of fungi and other growths, and setting out his own bee hives to improve the pollination.
Marshall said since citrus trees are not native to Florida -- they are originally from the Orient -- they need some chemicals to grow in the Sunshine State. So he cannot use the term "organic" to describe his crops.
"It's not organic, but it's as holistic and natural and as green as they come," Marshall said.
He began using organic techniques because it's the right thing to do.
"Plus, it doesn't hurt my market niche," he said. "People like to know the citrus is naturally grown, without pesticides, and allowed to ripen on the trees. Customers appreciate that and can come out to the grove and see for themselves."
Mark Warren, Flagler County's agricultural extension agent, said every farmer is trying to use less water and less chemicals and pesticides, but none in that county is doing any organic growing on a large scale.
But Venrick, the commercial horticulture agent in Volusia County, said organic growing techniques -- and conservation of water and chemicals -- is important.
What is Sustainable Agriculture?
Sustainable agriculture was addressed by Congress in the 1990 Farm Bill. Under that law, the term "sustainable agriculture" means an integrated system of plant and animal production practices having a site-specific application that will, over the long term:
• Satisfy human food and fiber needs
• Enhance environmental quality and the natural resource base upon which the agricultural economy depends
• Make the most efficient use of nonrenewable resources and on-farm resources and integrate, where appropriate, natural biological cycles and controls
• Sustain the economic viability of farm operations
• Enhance the quality of life for farmers and society as a whole.
For more information, go to:
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Agriculture