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Michigan Cherry Grower Road’s End Orchard Gets Certified for Sustainable Practices

October 1 , 2007: BIG RAPIDS, Mich. – In spite of a tough year for Michigan fruit growers, Road’s End Orchard in Big Rapids has added value to their cherry harvest through sustainable agriculture practices and Food Alliance certification.

Food Alliance is a non-profit organization offering third-party certification to farmers, ranchers, food processors and distributors across North America for sustainably-produced food products. The certification assures buyers that Road’s End Orchards is a socially and environmentally responsible business that offers safe and fair working conditions, practices soil and water conservation, protects wildlife habitat and uses progressive pest management strategies.

“As a grower, I see myself as one of the original environmentalists,” said Joe Gamble, owner of Road’s End Orchards. “But so much of today’s agriculture is not sustainable, either environmentally or from a business perspective.”

Gamble has extensive experience and a background in agricultural educational and business, so he knows his way around the farm and today’s agriculture, both in terms of production and business management. He earned a Bachelors of Science, a Masters and ultimately a PhD in horticulture from Michigan State University, working for much of that time as a fruit grower. Gamble has taught plant and horticultural science at Purdue and at Ferris State University as well. With a partner, he also started the Great Lakes Irrigation Company, one of the first companies to supply trickle irrigation equipment and technology in the Great Lakes region.

Even with great production practices and knowledge of the industry, though, farming isn’t a guaranteed success in today’s market. Gamble was impressed by the rigorous and comprehensive standards set by Food Alliance, but the decision to seek certification was driven by marketing.

“We currently market several acres of sweet cherries under our Road’s End Orchards label at local markets and to the Meijer grocery store chain,” he explained. “We plan on using Food Alliance certification as a value-added marketing tool to build customer satisfaction and loyalty in these existing channels and to help open additional markets.”

More and more growers are seeking out new markets and trying to add value to their products to be successful today. Being recognized for good, sustainable production practices is an important part of making that success happen.

“Certification is a tool that helps producers differentiate and add value to their products and protect and enhance their brand,” said Bob Olson, Business Development Manager for Food Alliance Midwest in St. Paul, Minnesota. “Certification can be especially valuable for mid-sized farms that are targeting higher-end niche markets.”

To earn certification, farms must pass a third-party site inspection to demonstrate that they:

• Reduce pesticide use and toxicity through Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
• Conserve soil and water resources
• Protect and enhance wildlife habitat
• Provide safe and fair working conditions for their employees
• Provide healthy and humane care for livestock

In addition, farmers cannot use hormones or sub-therapeutic antibiotics, genetically modified seed and certain pesticide ingredients that have been identified as an acute risk to human and environmental health. Certified farms are also required to show improvement in land stewardship over time. Complete standards are available at www.foodalliance.org, along with an online self-assessment tool that helps farmers determine whether they will pass the inspection before they apply.

Helping to coordinate the introduction of Food Alliance certification to Michigan is James Krenek, Market Development Director at Michigan Food and Farming Systems – MIFFS, a statewide non-profit organization whose purpose is to improve Michigan’s triple bottom line: our economy, our environment and the social well-being of our communities. Visit www.miffs.org for additional information on sustainable agriculture, marketing opportunities for Michigan farmers and more.

Contacts:
Bob Olson
Business Development Manager, Food Alliance
Tel: (651) 265-3682
Bob@FoodAlliance.org

Joe Gamble
Owner and Operator, Road’s End Orchard
Tel: (231) 796-8793

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Founded in 1998, MIFFS is a statewide membership organization (501c3) whose purpose is to promote diverse efforts that foster and sustain food and farming systems that improve economic, ecological and social well-being. MIFFS has been effective at establishing successful partnerships among producers, markets and institutions that have created more profitable, environmentally friendly food systems in Michigan.

The organization’s vision is based on the premise that agricultural productivity, environmental stewardship and profitability reinforce each other for the benefit of Michigan’s rural and urban communities. To learn more, please visit www.miffs.org or call (517) 432-0712.