Our mission at Ahavah Farm is as follows: "Our mission is to provide health to our region, healing to our earth and love to our community by growing the purest and most environmentally responsible food available."
In order to grow the PUREST, MOST-SUSTAINABLE and REGERATIVE Food possible (we were selected as the #1 most sustainable farm in America for 2 years in a row), and to grow the MOST nutrient-dense produce available, we must do so without compromises (see our pledge here: https://www.ahavahfarm.com/post/our-farm-pledge-to-you).
To grow without compromises we must never use chemicals, pesticides, grow with GMO's or non-organic seeds. and we grow over 95% of our varieties as heirloom varieties only. We use minimal tillage methods, preserve our water and use water-saving irrigation methods. We don't use tractors, or compact the soil or allow the nasty chemicals from tractor exhaust to touch our crops. We also operate our farm in an energy-conservative way by using solar power, using in-ground cold-rooms to conserve power and more.
We also use out-of-the box methods, like using bread-flour to dust our crops for grasshoppers instead of using nasty, harmful, chemicals, and by using beneficial insects to control other pests and we even grow our own biology in compost teas, and to inoculate our seeds and our soil to utilize as part of our biological-organic mission and central focus. To us, there is nothing more important than growing the absolute purest and most environmentally sustainable crops available - PERIOD. Full stop.
By using these methods, and many more, we are able to deliver our promise of providing the purest, most nutrient-dense crops that are available. This means that our BRIX scores are off the charts, the biological abundance in and on our crops is beyond anything you will find, and the healing affects and energy in our food is unparalleled - never mind the incredible flavor and beauty of the vegetables themselves.
This year is the worst year we have ever experienced with the threat of grasshoppers, and our farm is at risk of losing all of our crops. We have exhausted all means of trying to control the grasshoppers naturally and have never in ten years seen anything this horrendous. For the first time in ten years we were told of a method called "Flour-Dusting", whereby you take bread-flour and "dust" your crops. This method is supposed to choke out the grasshoppers and cause them to starve and so-far, it's working. This method is biologically-safe, safe to the environment and completely pure. In addition, the plants do not absorb the flour (or gluten) and as long as the produce is washed, it poses no risk to those who consume our produce.
Last night, we posted about our flour-dusting method, as we were excited to share our new-found method with the world (as transparency, loving-kindness and knowledge-sharing is top on our list), as we also shared the way we were utilizing pepper and garlic sprays and using our ducks to help mitigate the issues as well.
However, this post about flour-dusting created a fire-storm within the celiac community and the comments and e-mails we received from some of our "loving community" were down-right mean, hurtful and many of them were outright lies and untruths to propagate an agenda that our food (and our farm - me and my family) was untrustworthy and dangerous (this couldn't be further from the truth).
The nastiness of the celiac community that commented and e-mailed was upsetting and hurtful and has caused me and my family a lot of pain. Personal attacks, insults, and nasty, selfish, rude comments are never ok. This caused me to remove the post.
As part of our transparency mission (you can see our terms and conditions found here: https://www.ahavahfarm.com/termsandconditions) we include on our website and materials the following statement: "Ahavah Farm cannot be held responsible for those with allergy sensitivities as we do not have the capabilities or the facilities to separate produce which may cross-contaminate other produce. For instance, those with allergies to beets or wheat or peppers etc. cannot hold Ahavah Farm responsible for any potential cross-contamination and may be at-risk. It may be best for members with these types of high-sensitivities to avoid our produce." )
We are a small family farm, doing the best we can to be as transparent, honest, upright and wholesome to our community as we possibly know how to. We have always been 100% transparent about the way we grow our food, and there are many other farms that utilize harsh and compromising practices without disclosing it to the public (MANY!). The fact that we disclose our practices without hesitation is proof of how safe and wholesome our produce is for our community and the hurtful and angry comments from people telling me "how dare you put our community at risk" by using an organic and non-invasive, and biologically-safe way to control grasshoppers by spreading flour is not just hurtful, but it is outright mean, disgusting and couldn't be further from the truth.
I AM DISGUSTED by the immature, vulgar, rude, mean and nasty comments and e-mails we have received for doing the right thing.
If you are a member of our community and you are concerned about the "SAFETY" of our produce, then you don't have to buy it, and if you are a current member that has lost "all hope" in our growing methods, we will happily give you a refund, and wish you the best. I don't know where you eat, how you eat or what you do with your life, but typically, people wash their produce and flour-dusting is a very common practice within the regenerative and organic gardening and farming communities.
In addition, flour-dusting is safe, biologically safe, environmentally friendly and one of the purest ways to take care of grasshoppers. The plants DO NOT absorb the flour and by simply washing the produce (which is already pre-washed from our farm before we sell it), there is no risk to those who consume it.
We will continue to use this method in the future, as it is working well, is a very safe approach, and is the alternative to losing our farm due to the destruction of grasshoppers.
Thank you.
Opmerkingen