At Morangie Farm, we market most of our produce as "Naturally Grown".  That means we dont use any synthetic fertilizers or chemical means of pest or weed control.

Sounds like Organic right? 

According to the USDA Organic Foods Law, only produce which is certified Organic by an accredited organization can be legally marketed under the Organic label.  The USDA certification process requires that an organic field has not had any "synthetic" material applied to it for a period of at least 3 years.  Morangie Farm is a new operation and as such we cannot say what has been applied to the fields in previous years.  Also the certification process is expensive.  We plan to leave the option of certification open by following all the USDA Organic guidelines, however at this point we are not ready to apply for organic status and have no plans to do so.

Additionally, being certified organic would limit our options for pest control.  If a complete crop failure is imminent, chemical means of pest control would be used.  Any chemically treated vegetables will be labeled as such and not sold under the naturally grown label.

Some crops are not going to be produced naturally: sweet corn and pumpkins for instance.  Chemical fertilizer is applied to sweet corn when planting is done in the spring and again after the crop reaches 8-12 inches in height.   Non-chemical means of insect control do exist and will be used first.  Through close monitoring of pest and diesease signs any necessary chemical control can be applied as needed.   The minimum amount of chemical required will always be used.  Chemicals are expensive and can be dangerous to handle, but some crops are all but imposible to grow on a large scale without chemical help.

If you have more questions or would like to schedule a tour of the farm you can call:

 Andrew Marchese (973)868-3137