Why We Grow Spray Free

When I was a kid, someone told me once, that if you ask the wrong questions, you are guaranteed to get the wrong answer.

Spray Free : Why we dropped our organic certification

When it comes to farming certifications and practices, there are several different approaches, each with its own set of standards and philosophies. We used to be USDA Organic Certified Farmers, but we stopped worrying about certifications a few years ago. Why? When I was a kid, someone told me once, that if you ask the wrong questions, you are guaranteed to get the wrong answer. This idea has become core to how we think about our goals. When we started to ask ourselves questions, like where are copper and sulfur mines? Who mines them? What does it do to the people and environment around the mines? We quickly realized that organic was a greenwashed term that’s meaning has been more striped of soil health than an old tobacco farm. It’s why we settled on a new term: Spray Free, which we describe as farming without anything mined or manufactured. Everything we use is local and contains only inputs from our farm and surrounding farms.

To take a closer look, here’s a breakdown of the major certifications:

Sustainable farming aims to meet current food needs without compromising future generations' ability to meet theirs. It can include organic practices but is broader, often incorporating water conservation, reduced use of chemicals, and implementation of practices that improve soil health and biodiversity. Sustainable is a broader philosophy that doesn’t always require formal certification, so it is more open to interpretation.

Organic farming avoids synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Instead, it relies on natural processes and materials. It focuses on the use of compost, crop rotation, and biological pest control. Soil health is a key focus. With organic farming you can use elements, like copper and sulfur as well as things like plastic row covers.

Regenerative agriculture focuses on restoring and enhancing the health of the ecosystem. Regenerative practices include no-till farming, cover cropping, and holistic grazing. The goal is to rebuild soil organic matter and restore degraded soil biodiversity.

Biodynamic farming is a holistic approach that treats farms as unified and individual organisms. Combines organic farming with specific preparations and planting schedules based on lunar and astrological cycles. Biodynamic farming focuses on closed system farming that creates a healthy ecosystem.

Spray-Free is a unique combination of these methods, focusing on natural and sustainable practices without the use of synthetic or mined inputs. We avoid all synthetic and mined substances, ensuring that our practices are purely natural. (We use dead yeast cells from fermentation as our fertilizer. We use mint and thyme as our antibacterials.) We incorporate regenerative techniques to enhance soil health, biodiversity, and ecosystem function, going beyond just avoiding chemicals.

Try any of our single orchard cider to see the difference spray free makes, like That's How the Light Gets In Pet Nat or check out the latest releases.