To be, or not to be organic, that is the question. We pondered the possibility of becoming organic many years ago. As a small generational family farm, we thought perhaps that would be something we could do to enhance our business. In theory the health benefits of eating organic are many, but in reality the process of becoming organic is not only very expensive but quite time consuming. With that said, we decided organic farming offered features we could take advantage of but we were not able to be 100% organic.
Erickson Ranch has used conventional methods of farming since its beginning over 50 years ago. “Conventional” is spraying traditional herbicides and pesticides to control both the outbreak of infectious diseases as well as the elimination of insects that destroyed the produce. That was, at the time, the way farmers controlled the huge variety of predators in nature whose primary job was the destruction of the farmers fields.
As with any area of business, time changes how any practice is done. Erickson Ranch incorporates organic methods that compliment conventional methods as we continue to grow delicious tree ripened fruit and sun-ripened vegetables.