GOING ORGANIC
By 1996 Dick could see that the lettuce industry was getting harder and harder. Dick decided to take a look at organic farming and saw a challenge. In the past he had doubted the feasibility of farming without the fertilizers and pesticides that he was accustomed to. However, due to the benefits of organically grown food he faced the challenge of learning a new way of farming without his conventional tools. For this he asked his brother Bill to join the team as they learned about organic farming together.
Ironically Dick started his organic farming venture on the same farm that he and his brother Jim had farmed so many years earlier. This 55 acre ranch sits on a lake with an old water tower with a windmill next to the old farm house. This became the inspiration for Lakeside Organic Gardens and that windmill amongst the rolling hills became the logo. Thus began the challenge of farming organically and trying to transition more ground to organic production.
In order for the ground to be certified organic it must not have any materials applied for three years that are not approved for organic use by the USDA. This means that you must either find ground that has been fallow for at least three years or you must grow crops organically by not applying restricted materials for three years but the crops cannot be sold as organic. This is one thing that makes organic farming difficult and expensive.
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