The farmers were asked if they grew any commodities that were not certified organic. Responses totaled 128 with 56% answering yes and 44% no. Affirmative responses included non-organically grown commodities as well as organically grown commodities that were not certified. Respondents were given an opportunity to indicate their non-certified commodities and explain why their operations were not totally organic.
The most frequently stated reason (n = 15) for having non-certified commodities was that the farms were in transition to being certified. The second most cited reason (n = 7) was that a landlord decided how the land was farmed. The next most frequent reasons (n = 6) were the lack of certified organic feed for livestock and certification was considered too costly. Other reasons mentioned several times were a lack of extra market value (n = 4) and too many acres to manage as organic (n = 3).
In Table 11 it is interesting to note that 31% of producers who operate their farms entirely under organic methods grow commodities that are not certified as organic. This is an indication that although some commodities are not certified, producers still choose to grow them organically. Table 12 indicates there is no association between the types of commodities grown and the probability that an "all organic" grower will grow non-certified organic commodities.
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Survey respondents were asked "If your goal is to be totally organic, is this goal shared by your family?" Ninety percent of 94 respondents to this question said yes. This demonstrates a strong commitment to growing all commodities organically. However, no conclusions with respect to having a goal of being totally certified organic can be made as the word "certified" was not included in this question.