Go Organic For our Health
      In conventional farming, studies have shown that exposure to pesticides are causing terrible health problems such as abdominal pain, vomiting, headaches, nausea, dizziness, and problems associated to the eyes and skin. Pesticides are also linked to severe health issues include cancer, depression, respiratory problems, memory disorders, neuralgic deficits, miscarriages, and birth defects.
      "Many pesticides approved for use by the EPA were registered before extensive research linking these chemicals to cancer and other diseases had been established. Now the EPA considers that 60 percent of all herbicides, 90 percent of all fungicides and 30 percent of all insecticides are carcinogenic. A 1987 National Academy of Sciences report estimated that pesticides might cause an extra 1.4 million cancer cases among Americans over their lifetimes. The bottom line is that pesticides are poisons designed to kill living organisms, and can also be harmful to humans. In addition to cancer, pesticides are implicated in birth defects, nerve damage and genetic mutation.*
      "A Natural Cancer Institute study found that farmers exposed to herbicides had a greater risk, by a factor of six, than non-farmers of contracting cancer. In California, reported pesticide poisonings among farm workers have risen an average of 14 percent a year since 1973, and doubled between 1975 and 1985. Field workers suffer the highest rates of occupational illness in the state. Farm worker health also is a serious problem in developing nations, where pesticide use can be poorly regulated. An estimated 1 million people are poisoned annually by pesticides. Several of the pesticides banned from use in the United States are still manufactured here for export to other countries."*

Go Organic For the Quality of Food
      Optimal texture, flavor, and quality of foods come from the quality of soil. In organic farming, rich organic humus is not replaced by chemical fertilizers. Therefore, the soil's own natural resources of macro and micronutrients are sustained, not depleted. Essential enzymes and microorganisms within the soil also grow and multiply. These important components in the soil are what make food, taste like food! It's no wonder many chefs and restaurants prefer to use organic foodstuffs in their dishes rather than foods drenched in poisonous chemicals. Organic foods just tastes better!

"What you have is real food. That stuff they sell at grocery stores is just imitation food." –Farmer's Market customer.

Go Organic For the Environment
      Without the use of chemical pesticides or fertilizers, our land, air, and water, are being sustained rather than being depleted of nutrients and organic matter. Nothing toxic gets released into the environmet that may potentially harm local wildlife. Energy usage and waste production is minimized through organic farming, thus promoting a diverse ecosystem, encouraging greater populations of plant and animal life to thrive.
      "Studies made by The Soil Conservation Service estimates that more than three billion tons of topsoil is eroded from the United States croplands each year. That means soil is eroding seven times faster than it is built up naturally. Soil is the foundation of the food chain in organic farming. Yet in conventional farming, the soil is used more as a medium for holding plants in a vertical position so they can be chemically fertilized. As a result, American farms are suffering from the worst soil erosion in history.*
      "Water makes up two-third of our body mass and covers three-fourths of the planet. Despite its importance, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), estimates pesticides (some cancer causing) contaminate the ground water in 38 states, polluting the primary source of drinking water for more than half the country's population.*
      "Modern farming uses more petroleum than any other single industry, consuming 12 percent of the country's total energy supply. More energy is now used to produce synthetic fertilizers than to till, cultivate, and harvest all the crops in the United States. Organic farming is still mainly based on labor-intensive practices such as weeding by hand and using green manures and crop covers rather than synthetic inputs. Organic produce also tends to travel a shorter distance from the farm to your plate."*

The Way We See It
      Mt. Olive is an organic farm with a vision. It is for our lives, and the life of our planet that we vow not to use any pesticides, herbicides, fungicides or chemical fertilizers. Even though organic standards in the US now allow certain "natural pesticides" such as Bt, pyrethrum, and rotenone to be used on organic farms, we believe that being 100% organic also means to abstain from these natural pesticides. If it kills the bugs, who's to say that it won't kill us?
      Our method of keeping pesticides away from our food is simple. We focus on strengthening the immunity of our trees and plants. Strong healthy trees are naturally less susceptible to disease and pests; just as healthy people are less likely to get sick. We use Efficient Microbes (EM), which are live, pro-biotic microorganisms, to promote vivacious health on a microbial level. EM is not a pesticide because everything about it is pro-life. In fact, if you were to apply EM on bugs and critters, it'd most likely strengthen their health too! Through using EM throughout all areas of Mt. Olive, we've been able to successfully conserve, develop, and promote a healthy self-sustainable farm filled with biodiversity. Just sweep a look across Mt. Olive and you'll know what we mean by a vision come true! Welcome to Mt. Olive.

*Organic Times, Spring 1992
Excerpted from an article by Sylvia Tawse
Alfalfa's Markets, Boulder, CO