A 100% Organic Okanagan

[FreeRights]

Well one thing that is disgusting about the whole organic industry

is the way they try to put the smallest growers out of business with super high certification costs.
It's great for those few bigger growers - they pretty much have a monopoly - and let the gouging begin.

it's disgusting. I wonder if Stephen Cipes had a plan for the government to put an end to that. Maybe
subsidize the cost of organic certification for small growers?
In fact, why doesn't the government do that right now?

Everything else aside, nobody is putting smaller growers out of business. Nobody has to grow "organic" product, and people will still eat it.

[Thinktank]

A 100% organic Okanagan would decimate the fruit industry.

Actually, two things:

First, how bad is the Okanagan for being "contaminated" with pesticides? Does anyone know how often the school fields and parks are sprayed? Where else are pesticides used in this valley?

Every orchard and vineyard sprays Roundup or some other herbicide several times a year. Apple growers spray some type of pesticide three or four times a year, in April or May mostly - I think. With the new dwarf trees, there's not spray drift any more. So how bad is the pesticide situation in this valley? It's not that bad right now. And where pesticides are used, it's the low paid farm worker who will the price - with his health.

If the entire valley went organic, it would be do-able, and the whole valley would become more prosperous. People around the world would hear about the famous organic Okanagan. Millionaires would probably want to live here more than they do now. Our apples all over the world would sell for higher prices, which would bring in $millions of dollars more to the province.

Lets do it.

[Jonrox]

You're overestimating the demand for organics and are underestimating the amount we grow. If the entire valley went organic, we'd see yields fall, grower expenses rise, and prices would remain about the same as conventionally grown items.

[damngrumpy]

Why is it we always have to get down to a 100% of anything rule? A friend of my at a board meeting once said if we all
one hundred percent had the same view we would likely all be wrong. Here are some quick facts for those who seek reason.
At present the Market would handle 12% of the marketplace without having any negative effect on prices. At present farmers supply about 1.2% so there is room for growth. However the tree fruit industry is expanding again that includes both apples and cherries as grapes have leveled off. There is so much happening its hard to know where to start.
New Varieties are bringing better prices.
New Replant initiatives are working as incentives
There is a nation replant improvement program being proposed
New value added market opportunities are opening up such as cider
there are some problems too such as new invasive pests like Spotted wing moths
Brown stink bugs and so on which threaten both conventional and organic product
water is an emerging issue as well.

The idea is not to force one method over another the real benefit is to inform growers where opportunity exists to help them decide the avenue they should take. It is irresponsible to demand one system over another it is far more productive to have both conventional and organic growers working together to create a healthy industry in general.