Organic and P3 Certifications

Siri and Son Farms is a USDA certified organic grower by Washington StateDepartment of Agriculture and by Oregon Tilth. We are also a certified organic handler by Washington State Department of Agriculture. We have a total of 200 certified organic acres in vegetable production and 2 acres of certified organic blueberries.

The Road to Organic…
In 2003 Joe chose Organic Vegetable Farming as his senior project while at Oregon State University. He was able to certify a portion of the farm and grew bell peppers and cucumbers with great success. Even prior to the farm’s formal certification the basic organic principals were being applied so a complete farm transition into organic certification was not difficult.

Some of the most important practices that we carry out at the farm include:

• Water conservation via drip irrigation
• Wet and composted manure as fertilizers
• Pesticides which are derived from natural substances
• Overhead irrigation for pest control
• Introduction of beneficial insects
• A continual search for varieties which are more resistant to disease and other problems
• Physical removal of pests
• Crop rotation
• Cover cropping as erosion control
• Plastic mulch as weed suppression
• Tractor tillage as well as physical removal of weeds
• Careful record keeping

We believe that farming is a life long learning experience through trial and error. We are constantly trying Earth friendly innovative ideas to improve crop quality and production.

We are proud to have certified ourselves P³ Certified! P³ is a concept developed by Jim Siri. We believe in the emphasis of three major farm components, People, Practices and Pathogens.

People: We believe that all employees are entitled to fair labor practices. We encourage all Siri and Son Farms employees to speak freely about all issues without fear of any repercussions. We feel that equality is what makes our operation work as a team, without teamwork everything would fall apart, we all need each other.

Practices: Sustainable farming is as important as breathing at Siri and Son Farms. Every farm decision that is made, strongly takes into consideration its effect on this planet. Each seed, fertilizer, plant and material that is applied to our soils are carefully evaluated prior to their application.

Pathogens: Food safety is an essential concern of everyone’s. We at all times are ensuring that no harmful pathogens will enter the food system. We do this by stressing the important of cleanliness with our employees, routine water testing and careful record keeping.