"Like many small farms, this perfectly organic operation is not certified organic. Amy estimates certification would cost her $700 a year, and she wouldn't gain that much value from it. Virtually everyone who buys her food knows Amy personally; many have visited her farm. They know she is committed to chemical-free farming because she values her health, her products, the safety of interns and customers, the profoundly viable soil of her fields and greenhouses...Amy's customers trust her methods. No federal bureaucracy can replace that relationship. The rising consumer interest in organic food has inspired most of the country's giant food conglomerates to cash in, at some level..."Certified Organic" does not necessarily mean sustainbly grown, worker-friendly, fuel-efficient, cruelty-free, or any other virtue a consumer might wish for...Locally grown is a denomination whose meaning is incorruptible..."Local food" is a handshake deal in a community gathering place... It involves farmers with first names, who show up week after week. "Local" is farmers growing trust."
