The residents of North Otago have much to be grateful for: a wildly beautiful coastline, stunning mountain and river scenery, world-renowned Whitestone architecture and, of course, blue penguins. Added to this, as more and more people are discovering, they have Brydone Growers and Farm Shop on State Highway One, south of Oamaru.
Owned and run by Sue and Lindsay Smith, not only does the Brydone farm supply fresh organic produce, their shop sells everything from cosmetics to organic takeaway coffee and baking.
When Sue and Lindsay came to live on their 24 hectare block 22 years ago they were both working full time – Lindsay as a self-employed mechanic and Sue as a nurse. After deciding they needed to put their land to use, the crop that immediately came to mind was barley, mainly because it was easy to grow. They ended up planting the entire property in barley, but it didn’t prove to be a satisfactory or profitable crop and when reconsidering future use for the land, they decided to gradually get into the predominant land use activity in the area at the time – growing vegetables.
Both Sue and Lindsay came from mixed-farming families and they used that background to successfully establish crops such as potatoes, lettuce, broccoli and cauliflower, that were well suited to the conditions of the area. Within four years they had given up their other work and were occupied full time with the business of growing and selling vegetables. They also had the first of their three sons during that time and discovered, as many new parents do, that love and concern for children can be a powerful catalyst for changing the way we look at things.
Lindsay and Sue say they had always had some concerns about the types and quantities of sprays used for growing vegetables commercially.
When their three children came along and would spend time out on the farm with their parents, often eating the vegetables where they grew, their concerns became more personal and immediate. With one of their small boys also proving to have a taste for soil, there were plenty of reasons to consider what was going onto their vegetables and land.
They became increasingly interested in finding ways of growing their produce without chemicals and started contacting and talking to organic growers about alternative ways of managing plant pests and diseases.
The highly favourable conditions for growing vegetables and the fact that the Smiths grew their crops on a seasonal basis meant that they could comfortably make the transition to growing without chemicals. By the end of the 1980s they were selling much of their produce as spray-free, although they didn’t market it that way. They were more concerned with knowing they were growing food that they were happy to sell to others and feed to their own family – “we just care that people are eating good food”.
At the beginning of the 1990s Sue became increasingly interested in BioGro certification. The logo was beginning to appear on more products and the Smiths began to develop a vision of where their farm was headed.
Sue describes the BioGro label as the ultimate “I don’t have to worry” label for consumers. They knew then that it was a way to set their vegetables apart from other commercially grown produce and to guarantee its integrity to their customers.
In 1991 they contacted BioGro and began soil testing on their farm. The Smiths describe the certification process as fairly intimidating to start with, but say as they became more familiar with the people and processes involved, they became less anxious and the whole thing became easier.
In 1999 the farm attained full certification. Sue and Lindsay hadn’t been in a hurry to push the process along. They were happy doing what they were doing and busy raising their three boys, comfortable in the knowledge they were producing good quality food and heading in the right direction towards their vision for the farm. They focused a lot on developing the quality of their soil and that is what seems to underpin their whole operation – a fundamental sense of patience and integrity.
That is not to say it has not been challenging at times. There was a certain amount of flak received from others (especially other growers) about what they were doing. The arrival of the lettuce aphid had a devastating effect at a time when the farm was growing large quantities of lettuce.
While many other growers dealt with the problem by spraying chemicals, Sue and Lindsay had to accept that they couldn’t harvest that particular crop. Planting a variety of aphidresistant lettuce has since helped to overcome that problem.
Lindsay says that probably the biggest frustration is that there are no quick fixes and that “if you’ve got a problem it’s really too late”. In order to farm organically, he says, you need to be forward thinking and pro-active.
Brydone has a strict crop rotation programme (five-yearly). They leased another 6 hectares of land to help with crop rotation.
There was also the issue of selling the produce. Sue and Lindsay had always sold vegetables in a stall at the farm gate, but the majority was sold through wholesalers supplying to supermarkets. Not only did the Smiths find that supermarkets were selling their produce with an unacceptable mark-up, the produce was not always fresh on the shelves.
They wanted to see their produce sold at its best and also became increasingly concerned with breaking the myth that organic produce needs to be expensive. These concerns were the main impetus behind the development of the farm shop (see side-bar). It also drove them to be more selective of wholesalers. (It was also somewhat disconcerting that they were expected to wrap their vegetables when selling to wholesalers in order to prevent chemical contamination from other producers’ vegetables. They couldn’t help but wonder why it wasn’t the responsibility of those other growers to prevent contamination, given that they were the ones creating it.)
At present Brydone only supplies two organic wholesalers – Eat Your Greens and Fresh Direct – and one outlet in Dunedin.
Vegetables from the farm are harvested daily for wholesale and the shop. The standard of Brydone’s produce is such that they have people travelling weekly from as far afield as Dunedin, Timaru and Twizel. They also have a base of customers who buy their produce solely for its quality and price, not because it’s organic. For some the Smiths’ potatoes alone are considered worth a visit.
Advice from the wise when asked what advice they would give to people wanting to grow organically and starting out, Lindsay says that most importantly they’ve really got to want to do it – if you have that fundamental desire, you will find ways of making it succeed. He believes that there is plenty of good advice and products available that can help with the process. He suggests that the first step is to get your soil tested. Initially they had used a lot of organic nitrosol, fish emulsion and BIOSEA (liquid seaweed) but for the past year they have exclusively used a compost tea that they produce on the farm. It is a key component of their growing process. Soil and leaf analysis is used to assist in determining the right brew for any particular requirement or problem, and they are very pleased with the results being achieved.
The long-term vision for the farm is to keep producing high quality organic produce while continuing to develop the farm shop. To meet the increasing demand generated by the shop they are now growing a wider variety of crops, many of which they are able to grow all year round. This has been enabled by the favourable growing conditions on their farm and improvements in seed availability and quality.
It has been a busy couple of years since the shop opened and Lindsay and Sue say there is no pressure at this stage to make any radical moves. They seem to have always been moving forward regardless – and it has been an enjoyable and satisfying progression.
Everything that has happened so far indicates that the Brydone farm and shop will continue to do well.
THE BRYDONE GROWERS FARM SHOP
The Smiths’ shop is located in the former Totara Community Hall on State Highway One, south of Oamaru. The name “Brydone” comes from the name of the monument on the hill adjacent to Sue’s and Lindsay’s property.
The monument marks the origins of the first frozen shipment of meat from New Zealand to Europe in the 1870s.
The shop was established just over two years ago after the hall, located on Sue’s and Lindsay’s boundary, came up for tender when the local community could no longer afford to maintain it.
Just a day before, the Smiths had been granted consent to expand their existing shop in a shed on their property. Seeing the hall come up for tender was one of those “moments” and Sue and Lindsay knew it was an ideal building and location. They won the tender, and set up shop in the hall in March 2004. The hall has been preserved as much as possible in its original condition, stage included, and has a rustic, open feel.
Over the past two years the shop has evolved into a popular destination for consumers. The Smiths are focused on turnover and try to keep their prices low enough to support this. The shop stocks an extensive range of products, including organic baking products and free-range pork produced locally by Sue’s brother-in-law. Sue and Lindsay stay responsive to consumer demand and bring in new products regularly to meet the needs of their customers. The recent addition of an organic coffee bar has been a popular move.
The Smiths tried selling at the local farmers’ market for a time, but found that the shop was enough to keep them busy and decided to focus solely on this.
Sue and Lindsay intend to continue developing the shop. They have recently installed a commercial kitchen with a view to producing products such as pickles and sauces, and are planning an application for a liquor licence this year in order to be able to sell organic beer and wine.
Organic Cheats
/in Magazine Articles, RegularsOrganic Cheats – The Commerce Commission has you in its sights.
Fine distinctions are out – Consumer expectations are now the benchmark as to what is acceptable and what is not.
Earlier this year Organic NZ was sent photos of egg carton labelling and asked how the company could get away with what seemed to be a claim of organic status based merely on using certified feed.
The “Organic” brand is bigger than any other wording on the package.
We were equally perplexed by Commerce Commission advice that the labelling did not raise issues of misleading advertising. This seemed at odds with the Commission’s recent prosecution over organic chicken sold by a butcher in Auckland. (See p16, Organic NZ July/Aug 06) Although the chickens came from certified organic farms, they were butchered at a Mt Eden butchery which was not certified. The Commission also prosecuted over honey soy chicken nibbles advertised as “organic” when the marinade was not organic. The butcher was fined $3,700.
Commerce Commission director of fair trading, Deborah Battell said then “Consumers expect both ‘organic’ and ‘certified organic’ products to be 100 percent organic through the entire chain, from farmyard to shop shelf.”
“This includes any ingredients that are added to products.”
So we asked the Commission what distinction it made between non-organic marinade and claiming organic status for eggs merely based on organic feed being used.
Our inquiry brought the involvement of Yvette Popovic, the Commerce Commission’s Chief Adviser, Policy & Compliance Strategy, Fair Trading, who says she has personally reviewed the egg labelling case and has concluded that we’re right.
“The advice that went out from our Contact Centre as to why there is no breach of the Fair Trading Act isn’t actually correct. It was seen in a narrower light. So thank you, you’ve done us a service.”
“When it was assessed originally I think it was considered that [the label] referred clearly to certified seed therefore it must be okay. When I examined I thought no, when you looked at the overall impression of the labelling, it’s not just the seed that should have had certification. It’s the eggs themselves and the whole production process to get to those eggs.
“You are right: Simply with feed being certified we wouldn’t think you could call the packaged product ‘organic’. I agree that you can’t isolate representations on a package. You have to take the overall impression.”
“But the actual finding still stands as there being no contravention. In fact at the time that packaging was out there, the whole process was actually certified – not just the seed.”
Legal niceties aren’t what counts
Yvette Popovic says the Commission finds the area of organics quite difficult.
“There is the voluntary organic standard but we don’t actually agree with parts of that standard, because the standard allows for tolerances and we take the quite firm view that organic means 100 percent organic and not 95 percent.
“We also don’t think it means as good as you can get.
“We think that if you choose to use that label (and often charge a premium) it’s important that it is correct. People often seek out those labels and people can’t verify these things themselves; they just have to rely on the labelling.”
Such statements from The Commerce Commission support Soil & Health’s position: that if you’re using the term “organic” it has to clearly mean what it says or else it means nothing.
Ultimately it’s likely to be in the broad court of public opinion where the battle will actually be won or lost, rather than in marketing semantics or judicial statements on law.
“It’s not a ruling because we can’t make one, only a court can,” says Popovic, “but at the end of the line we feel strongly enough about the issue to make statements because that’s how we believe the ordinary consumer would view these claims.”
“We take these matters to try to get judicial pronouncement. If the accused pleads guilty we don’t get that judicial pronouncement. We get a result that clearly seems to support what we’re saying, however we’re still at the point of saying that’s only our opinion.”
It would seem to be an important development nonetheless. The Commission’s stance and its public statements feed back into the public perception of what they can expect, and the Commission’s stance on behalf of the consumer connects well with the original foundation of Organics – not as a commercial movement but as a philosophical commitment to quality in food. The Commerce Commission’s stance has caused even a number of people who consider themselves stalwarts of the organic movement to pause and look over their shoulder because it is such a staunch position.
Brydone growers and farm shop – A 24 hectare block, 22 years on
/in Farming and Horticulture, Magazine ArticlesThe residents of North Otago have much to be grateful for: a wildly beautiful coastline, stunning mountain and river scenery, world-renowned Whitestone architecture and, of course, blue penguins. Added to this, as more and more people are discovering, they have Brydone Growers and Farm Shop on State Highway One, south of Oamaru.
Owned and run by Sue and Lindsay Smith, not only does the Brydone farm supply fresh organic produce, their shop sells everything from cosmetics to organic takeaway coffee and baking.
When Sue and Lindsay came to live on their 24 hectare block 22 years ago they were both working full time – Lindsay as a self-employed mechanic and Sue as a nurse. After deciding they needed to put their land to use, the crop that immediately came to mind was barley, mainly because it was easy to grow. They ended up planting the entire property in barley, but it didn’t prove to be a satisfactory or profitable crop and when reconsidering future use for the land, they decided to gradually get into the predominant land use activity in the area at the time – growing vegetables.
Both Sue and Lindsay came from mixed-farming families and they used that background to successfully establish crops such as potatoes, lettuce, broccoli and cauliflower, that were well suited to the conditions of the area. Within four years they had given up their other work and were occupied full time with the business of growing and selling vegetables. They also had the first of their three sons during that time and discovered, as many new parents do, that love and concern for children can be a powerful catalyst for changing the way we look at things.
Lindsay and Sue say they had always had some concerns about the types and quantities of sprays used for growing vegetables commercially.
When their three children came along and would spend time out on the farm with their parents, often eating the vegetables where they grew, their concerns became more personal and immediate. With one of their small boys also proving to have a taste for soil, there were plenty of reasons to consider what was going onto their vegetables and land.
They became increasingly interested in finding ways of growing their produce without chemicals and started contacting and talking to organic growers about alternative ways of managing plant pests and diseases.
The highly favourable conditions for growing vegetables and the fact that the Smiths grew their crops on a seasonal basis meant that they could comfortably make the transition to growing without chemicals. By the end of the 1980s they were selling much of their produce as spray-free, although they didn’t market it that way. They were more concerned with knowing they were growing food that they were happy to sell to others and feed to their own family – “we just care that people are eating good food”.
At the beginning of the 1990s Sue became increasingly interested in BioGro certification. The logo was beginning to appear on more products and the Smiths began to develop a vision of where their farm was headed.
Sue describes the BioGro label as the ultimate “I don’t have to worry” label for consumers. They knew then that it was a way to set their vegetables apart from other commercially grown produce and to guarantee its integrity to their customers.
In 1991 they contacted BioGro and began soil testing on their farm. The Smiths describe the certification process as fairly intimidating to start with, but say as they became more familiar with the people and processes involved, they became less anxious and the whole thing became easier.
In 1999 the farm attained full certification. Sue and Lindsay hadn’t been in a hurry to push the process along. They were happy doing what they were doing and busy raising their three boys, comfortable in the knowledge they were producing good quality food and heading in the right direction towards their vision for the farm. They focused a lot on developing the quality of their soil and that is what seems to underpin their whole operation – a fundamental sense of patience and integrity.
That is not to say it has not been challenging at times. There was a certain amount of flak received from others (especially other growers) about what they were doing. The arrival of the lettuce aphid had a devastating effect at a time when the farm was growing large quantities of lettuce.
While many other growers dealt with the problem by spraying chemicals, Sue and Lindsay had to accept that they couldn’t harvest that particular crop. Planting a variety of aphidresistant lettuce has since helped to overcome that problem.
Lindsay says that probably the biggest frustration is that there are no quick fixes and that “if you’ve got a problem it’s really too late”. In order to farm organically, he says, you need to be forward thinking and pro-active.
Brydone has a strict crop rotation programme (five-yearly). They leased another 6 hectares of land to help with crop rotation.
There was also the issue of selling the produce. Sue and Lindsay had always sold vegetables in a stall at the farm gate, but the majority was sold through wholesalers supplying to supermarkets. Not only did the Smiths find that supermarkets were selling their produce with an unacceptable mark-up, the produce was not always fresh on the shelves.
They wanted to see their produce sold at its best and also became increasingly concerned with breaking the myth that organic produce needs to be expensive. These concerns were the main impetus behind the development of the farm shop (see side-bar). It also drove them to be more selective of wholesalers. (It was also somewhat disconcerting that they were expected to wrap their vegetables when selling to wholesalers in order to prevent chemical contamination from other producers’ vegetables. They couldn’t help but wonder why it wasn’t the responsibility of those other growers to prevent contamination, given that they were the ones creating it.)
At present Brydone only supplies two organic wholesalers – Eat Your Greens and Fresh Direct – and one outlet in Dunedin.
Vegetables from the farm are harvested daily for wholesale and the shop. The standard of Brydone’s produce is such that they have people travelling weekly from as far afield as Dunedin, Timaru and Twizel. They also have a base of customers who buy their produce solely for its quality and price, not because it’s organic. For some the Smiths’ potatoes alone are considered worth a visit.
Advice from the wise when asked what advice they would give to people wanting to grow organically and starting out, Lindsay says that most importantly they’ve really got to want to do it – if you have that fundamental desire, you will find ways of making it succeed. He believes that there is plenty of good advice and products available that can help with the process. He suggests that the first step is to get your soil tested. Initially they had used a lot of organic nitrosol, fish emulsion and BIOSEA (liquid seaweed) but for the past year they have exclusively used a compost tea that they produce on the farm. It is a key component of their growing process. Soil and leaf analysis is used to assist in determining the right brew for any particular requirement or problem, and they are very pleased with the results being achieved.
The long-term vision for the farm is to keep producing high quality organic produce while continuing to develop the farm shop. To meet the increasing demand generated by the shop they are now growing a wider variety of crops, many of which they are able to grow all year round. This has been enabled by the favourable growing conditions on their farm and improvements in seed availability and quality.
It has been a busy couple of years since the shop opened and Lindsay and Sue say there is no pressure at this stage to make any radical moves. They seem to have always been moving forward regardless – and it has been an enjoyable and satisfying progression.
Everything that has happened so far indicates that the Brydone farm and shop will continue to do well.
THE BRYDONE GROWERS FARM SHOP
The Smiths’ shop is located in the former Totara Community Hall on State Highway One, south of Oamaru. The name “Brydone” comes from the name of the monument on the hill adjacent to Sue’s and Lindsay’s property.
The monument marks the origins of the first frozen shipment of meat from New Zealand to Europe in the 1870s.
The shop was established just over two years ago after the hall, located on Sue’s and Lindsay’s boundary, came up for tender when the local community could no longer afford to maintain it.
Just a day before, the Smiths had been granted consent to expand their existing shop in a shed on their property. Seeing the hall come up for tender was one of those “moments” and Sue and Lindsay knew it was an ideal building and location. They won the tender, and set up shop in the hall in March 2004. The hall has been preserved as much as possible in its original condition, stage included, and has a rustic, open feel.
Over the past two years the shop has evolved into a popular destination for consumers. The Smiths are focused on turnover and try to keep their prices low enough to support this. The shop stocks an extensive range of products, including organic baking products and free-range pork produced locally by Sue’s brother-in-law. Sue and Lindsay stay responsive to consumer demand and bring in new products regularly to meet the needs of their customers. The recent addition of an organic coffee bar has been a popular move.
The Smiths tried selling at the local farmers’ market for a time, but found that the shop was enough to keep them busy and decided to focus solely on this.
Sue and Lindsay intend to continue developing the shop. They have recently installed a commercial kitchen with a view to producing products such as pickles and sauces, and are planning an application for a liquor licence this year in order to be able to sell organic beer and wine.
Growing seed for harvest 4: Carrots and brassicas
/in Gardening, Magazine ArticlesIn the final of our series Annie Wilson and Colin Walker look at growing carrots and brassicas for seed.
The Koanga Institute was established to develop a national network of growers to support the seed bank started by Kay Baxter and the team at Koanga Gardens and ensure the survival of traditional food varieties. By growing heritage seeds you can help.
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Government moves against natural remedies are Allison’s new worries
/in Magazine Articles, RegularsAllison Roe believes that a new combined Australia and New Zealand authority will severely limit consumer access to vitamin and mineral supplements in this country and destroy sectors of the New Zealand natural health industry.
Another health issue that has currently caught Allison¹s attention is the highly contentious Australian-based Trans Tasman Therapeutic Goods Agency (TTTGA) due to come into effect next July but which Allison believes will severely limit consumer access to vitamin and mineral supplements in this country and destroy sectors of the NZ natural health industry.
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Growing seed for harvest 3: Leeks, celery and cucurbits
/in Gardening, Magazine ArticlesIn the third of our series, Colin Walker of the Koanga Institute talks to Annie Wilson about saving heritage seed.
The Koanga Institute was established to develop a national network of growers to support the seed bank started by Kay Baxter and the team at Koanga Gardens and ensure the survival of traditional food varieties. By growing heritage seeds you can help.
The following content is only available to members. Join us for access.
Growing seed for harvest 2: Beans, corn and tomatoes
/in Gardening, Magazine ArticlesIn the second of our series, Colin Walker of the Koanga Institute talks to Annie Wilson about saving heritage seed.
Now is the time to be organising the planting of the main summer crops. Here we will discuss saving the seed of three of those crops: beans, corn and tomatoes.
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Growing seed for harvest 1: Introduction & Lettuce
/in Gardening, Magazine ArticlesIn the first of a new series, Colin Walker of the Koanga Institute talks to Annie Wilson about saving heritage seed.
Koanga has received such a multitude of New Zealand’s heritage seeds over the last twenty years from gardeners around the country, that it now requires considerable resources to keep them alive. The scale of the collection is huge and maintaining the viability of all the cultivars requires growing out a certain number of lines to a certain scale, every year.
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Organic Asparagus: Yield way above conventional
/in Gardening, Magazine ArticlesOn the much lauded Heritage Farms, just out of Cambridge, manager Richard Prew has had a surprisingly large and successful crop of asparagus. It was enough to draw commercial grower Annie Wilson to check things out.
The Waikato is the main asparagus growing area in the North Island, chiefly because it has areas of flat, fertile, well drained sandy loam – soil suited to the needs of asparagus, which is a long-lived perennial and likes good fertilisation.
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Perfect pasture – grazing management
/in Farming and Horticulture, Magazine ArticlesDr Tim Jenkins, of the Biological Husbandry Unit outlines strategies to develop great pastures
Grazing management can include a regular pattern of shifting livestock onto clean pasture. In some cases this may be as often as shifting each day. This is an effective way of ensuring good pasture diversity too, especially if paddocks can be left long enough for the more preferentially grazed and slower to recover species to recuperate from the grazing. This will involve a high level of permanent and possibly temporary fencing (with back fencing). (A further advantage of such fencing is to reduce losses of nutrients through dung and urine transfer – fewer stock camps etc).
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Organics, sheep husbandry and fly strike
/in Farming and Horticulture, Magazine ArticlesOn conventional New Zealand farms fly strike is kept under control through a variety of means, including mulesing, tail docking, crutching and dagging sheep, and dipping and jetting with insecticides. The latter is not possible on organic farms, and other common techniques don’t fit well with Organics. This can make fly strike management a challenge. Animal welfare commentator Dr Michael Morris looks at the issues and the challenges.
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Proudly published by the Soil & Health Association NZ
Proudly published by the Soil and Health Association NZ