We started growing organically long before it was fashionable. As Raymond has been known to say, "It's a lot more fun being organic now." But in the past few years, the organic industry has gone from being considered a bunch of reactionary 'roots and berries' people with little influence to a real force in the modern agriculture scene. Major retail chains now stock organic foods and environmentally friendly cleaners, farmer's markets are booming and health food stores are enjoying a run of popularity they haven't seen in years.
Consumers have also come to recognize their own power--the power of the pocketbook--and how their choices affect the production of products. If no one buys green widgets, soon there won't be any more produced. But if every red widget produced sells out as soon as it hits the shelf, companies will scramble to produce a product they know they can sell and the ones already selling them will expand.
That's what happened with organic. As people became more concerned about what went into their bodies, they began buying organic. The organic farmer suddenly had more money--he or she expanded. People told their friends, who then bought from the farmer. The farmer's neighbor, who was worried about chemicals but didn't really know how to get off the treadmill of modern agriculture, saw what was happening and said, "I can do that." Now we have two organic farmers. The two farmers got together and opened a roadside stand. People stopped for 'Farm Fresh Vegetables' and learned about organic. Now there are more people buying organic. Someone says, "Gee, vegetables are great, but do you have any organic chicken?" Farmer 1 bought some chickens to run around in his yard the next spring. Farmer 2 talked to his cousin, who had some cows, so the next time someone asked about organic milk, he could say, "Yep, right in this cooler." Farmer 2's cousin also had some extra grain left over, so a local housewife had organic flour and oats to make bread to sell at the stand. Soon the grocery stores heard what was happening and asked, "Do you think you could grow enough for us, too?" The farmers asked around and now there are 5 organic farmers.
This is what has happened and is still happening in the organic industry.