I meant to ask about this before but I got distracted and forgot to come back to this thread.
I went to visit a huge, famous farmers market here. (Union Square/14th St, for those that are also local and my know more about what I'm asking.) I had expected to see a lot of "organic" signs all over the different booths. I think only 2 booths had Organic signs for their products. All booths DID however, have huge signs up, stating their addresses and that they were local, upstate farms.
Ronandannette, what you said about the costs for being certified as "organic" makes sense. I can understand why now, that these farms may not have wanted to pay for the certification. However, they also didn't have any signs or anything stating their practices, like, "No pesticides," "no hormones or antibiotics," any of the processes that would make them "organic" without the certification. One thing I do know is that businesses can't state they are something, especially in writing, if they are NOT that. So, I didn't buy anything from there.
While I'd love to support local farmers, being "locally grown" means squat to me, if they still use all the pesticides & junk that non-organic companies do. I felt like they were
insinuating that they were organic and better quality by just being at the farmers market. But, without the signage, flyers, banners stating any "organic-type" practices, that may not be true. HOW am I supposed to know that their produce & meats are any better, beyond being locally grown & raised?