Back to Basics

More people than ever want to eat organic. A 2024 survey by the Organic Trade Association showed that the U.S. marketplace for organic foods grew at a record pace in 2023 to $63 billion in sales. Good news, right?

But The Real Organic Project sees a problem. They argue that the USDA Organic certification is not rigorously enforced. “The term ‘organic’ is powerful to eaters but there is skepticism about what it really means,” says Real Organic co-director Linley Dixon. “Our certification and labels ensure that eaters can trust organic means what it was established to mean.”

The Real Organic Project launched in 2018 as a farmer-led movement that works with a network of supporters to return “organic” to its original meaning. More than simply avoiding manmade fertilizers and herbicides, the 1990 legislation establishing what became the USDA organic certification required caring for land quality by upholding standards of “continuous improvement” of the soil. No hydroponics allowed. Additionally, it required raising animals on pasture rather than in large confinement areas housing hundreds or thousands of head and generating waste run off to poison watersheds. Animal welfare and health issues mattered.

Over the decades, industry consolidation resulted in Big Ag, which pursued efficiency and cost reduction and modified organic standards. This took a toll on the meaning of organic and pushed small and medium-size organic farms committed to operating under the original definition to the economic brink.

The Real Organic Project fights back in multiple ways. It educates and advocates for traditional organic farming practices via podcasts, speaking engagements and hosting its own events. It also established its own free certification process and add-on label based on clearly defined criteria that reclaim organic’s original intent. To date, more than 1,000 smaller farms nationwide have been certified. These farms must first hold USDA Organic certification before adding the Real Organic one. Real Organic farms can access special savings on seeds and other essentials and list their farm’s products on the Real Organic Project website.

Real Organic Project farmers like Shelli Meulmans—owner of Wild Coyote Farm in Berrien Springs, Michigan, with her husband, Paul—say that the certification makes sense for them because the organization is aligned with and promotes their philosophy of farming and does so at no extra cost. The program is funded by a combination of contributions and government grants so it can be free to farmers.

Recently, the organization stepped toward its own long-term sustainability by launching the Real Organic Leadership Initiative to give pioneer organic farmers like Eliot Coleman the opportunity to share their knowledge and experience with the leadership team. The goal? To help grow a new generation of food system leaders from The Real Organic Project’s current and future staff. As Coleman says on the organization’s website, “Real organic farming is a circle of endless renewal and it can succeed wherever there is soil. We the creators refuse to see the promise of organic farming compromised by the profiteers ….”

“It’s a small but mighty movement which I’m so grateful to be a part of,” says Real Organic’s new Midwest regional certification coordinator, Caroline Wright. “Real Organic farmers are doing the important extra work of meeting original organic standards.”

To learn more about this 501c3 organization, its member farms and how you can help keep organic real, visit The Real Organic Project’s website: realorganicproject.org

Paula Bartholome is former co-publisher of Edible Michiana and an avid farmers market goer. She lives in Southwest Michigan but will soon move to Edible WOW country to a completely sustainable community, Veridian at County Farm in Ann Arbor, Michigan.