ORGANIC AGRICULTURE IN HUMBOLDT COUNTY, FROM SOCIAL MOVEMENT TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: INTERVIEWS WITH ORGANIC DAIRY AND ROW CROP FARMERS By Allyson L. Carroll A Thesis Presented to The Faculty of Humboldt State University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts In Social Sciences August, 2006 ORGANIC AGRICULTURE IN HUMBOLDT COUNTY, FROM SOCIAL MOVEMENT TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: INTERVIEWS WITH ORGANIC DAIRY AND ROW CROP FARMERS By Allyson L. Carroll Approved by the Master's Thesis Committee: Judith Little, Major Professor Date Michael Smith, Committee Member Date Steven Hackett, Committee Member Date Selma Sonntag, Graduate Coordinator Date Christopher Hopper, Dean for Research and Graduate Studies Date ABSTRACT Organic agriculture is a concept that has evolved with its history, representing a farming method, social movement, and growing industry. Some analysts have critiqued organic agriculture as losing its grassroots soul and representing the conventional model of agriculture rather than an alternative to it. In order to ascertain current perceptions of organic agriculture from growers themselves, I interviewed 17 organic farmers in Humboldt County, California. These in-depth interviews focused on farmers’ rationale for certifying organic, values behind their farming style, associations with social movements, views of the federal regulations, and personal and regional economics. I interviewed both organic dairy and row crop farmers in order to compare groups and gain a spectrum of viewpoints. This study represents a place-based snapshot, particular to Humboldt County, California, a relatively rural and isolated area in need of viable economic development options. For the interviewed dairy farmers, organic agriculture represented a combination of an economic opportunity to maintain their multi-generational family farms combined with a farming method that reflected their existing techniques. The row crop growers articulated a range of reasons for certifying organic including a commitment to values, access to markets, and product credibility. Both populations of farmers expressed strong values of land and animal stewardship underlying their farming styles. Many of the row crop growers strongly associated with the organic social movement and spoke of ways to further refine articulations of sustainable agriculture that reach beyond organic. The dairy farmers generally did not associate with the social movement while still iii exemplifying values and methods that capture some of the core ideals of the movement. Both types of farming fit into the region’s economic development strategy. The organic dairy industry captures a strong export-based opportunity, while many row crop growers placed emphasis on the importance of their local markets and reciprocal relationships with the community. Organic agriculture in Humboldt County helps maintain open spaces, a rural quality of life, and a cultural identity of long-existing dairy farms combined with newer row crop farms on the cusp of the sustainable agriculture movement. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to acknowledge the assistance provided by my committee in preparing and editing this study: Judith Little, Michael Smith, and Steven Hackett. Cynthia Werner helped with formatting of the work. I thank Annie Eicher of the Organic Farming Program for her plentiful assistance, especially in the early stages of formulating a thesis topic and providing contacts and information. Annie’s work with the Organic Farming Program has been a great benefit to Humboldt County. I am truly thankful to the farmers who participated in this study. With extremely busy schedules, these farmers took the time to meet and talk with me in order to convey a better understanding of organic agriculture in Humboldt County. I would also like to thank my friends and family for their love and support, especially my beautiful daughter Leela. v TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF ACRONYMNS ................................................................................................. xii INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 1 LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................................................... 4 Food As A Link Between Nature And Culture......................................................... 4 Historical Roots and Trends of Modern Agriculture ................................................ 7 Agricultural Inputs and Outputs ...................................................................... 9 Farm Consolidation ....................................................................................... 11 Productivity.................................................................................................... 14 Monocultures ................................................................................................. 15 Distancing...................................................................................................... 16 History of Dairy Farming........................................................................................ 17 Conventional Milk Pricing ............................................................................ 18 Sustainable Agriculture........................................................................................... 19 Ecological Sustainability ............................................................................... 19 Economic Sustainability ................................................................................ 20 Social Sustainability ...................................................................................... 20 Organic Agriculture and Sustainability ......................................................... 21 History of Organic Agriculture: From Farming Method to Social Movement to Industry ........................................ 22 Early Articulations of the Organic Farming Method..................................... 22 Emergence of the Organic Movement........................................................... 24 The Organic Movement: Alternative Food Production, Consumption, and Distribution ................. 26 vi Decentralization ........................................................................................ 28 California Leads State Level Regulation of Organic..................................... 29 Federal Regulations ....................................................................................... 32 National Organic Program Standards ....................................................... 33 Organic Livestock and Dairy.................................................................... 35 Organic From the Consumer’s Perspective............................................................. 36 Growth of the Organic Market ...................................................................... 38 Current Critiques and Paradoxes of Organic Agriculture ....................................... 39 Farmers’ Reasons for Converting to Organic ......................................................... 42 Economics of Organic From the Farmers’ Perspective................................. 44 Economic Development .......................................................................................... 46 Economic Development Broadly Defined..................................................... 47 Models of Local Economic Development ..................................................... 48 HUMBOLDT COUNTY, CALIFORNIA........................................................................ 51 Geography ............................................................................................................... 51 Social Statistics ....................................................................................................... 52 Economy.................................................................................................................. 53 Review of Prosperity! - The North Coast Strategy................................................. 53 A Geography and Economy of Isolation................................................................. 54 A Combination of Cultures ..................................................................................... 56 Bioregionalism............................................................................................... 58 AGRICULTURAL HISTORY AND PATTERNS IN HUMBOLDT COUNTY............ 60 Agriculture in California ......................................................................................... 60 vii Economic and Land Use Descriptions of Agriculture in Humboldt County ............................................................................ 61 The Dairy Industry in Humboldt County....................................................... 63 Organic Agriculture in Humboldt County..................................................... 65 Marketing for Humboldt County’s Organic Growers............................... 68 Marketing for Humboldt County’s Organic Dairies................................. 72 Pressures on Humboldt County Agricultural Land ....................................... 72 METHODS ....................................................................................................................... 74 Previous Research ................................................................................................... 74 Study Participants...................................................................................................