Our Farming Philosophy
Synergy
Recognizing the interconnection of all our systems
We see our farm, its people, and processes, not as a factory but rather as a living whole system. We recognize that organic production integrates social, biological, and mechanical practices that foster cycling of resources, promote ecological balance, and conserve biodiversity. Our ecosystem here at the farm is alive and has many interwoven components: from the seeds to the soil, and from the climate to the people who work here. Each piece of the farming process contributes to making something greater than the sum of its parts.
Synthesis
Our caring, well-trained people bring it all together to serve customers all over the world
At Pacific Botanicals, we know the importance of building customer relationships. We keep our business to a manageable size so that we can prioritize the relationships we’ve built over the years. Retailers, practitioners, and manufacturers always get the most conscientious service we have to offer.
Sustainability
Being a good steward of the earth and its resources
Sustainability is the foundation of organic agriculture. At Pacific Botanicals it means that we work to cooperate with the natural renewing and sustaining power of the earth. The earth naturally provides elements that keep an ecosystem thriving. All too often in large scale corporate farming today, in an effort to be efficient, or to increase crop yields, natural systems can be depleted and work against the natural renewing and replenishing cycles of the environment. We employ these sustainable farming practices to foster and support a healthy thriving ecosystem.
How We Practice Sustainability
- Soil Nourishment: We rotate and plant crops that are complementary. We add nutrients to the soil from cover crops such as Clover, Mustard, Sudan Grass, Rye and Oats. We routinely test the soil to determine when to add micronutrients. We fertilize with nutrient balanced organic compost made exclusively here at the farm.
- Seed: To ensure the highest quality, we produce our own seed for the majority of our crops. By saving seeds through generations, and selecting them for quality and success in our microclimate, we've found that we can produce the finest crops that are acclimated to our ecosystem year after year.
- Cultivation: Each of our crops have a full time dedicated field crew during the growing months, and each of our crops are cultivated by hand in many phases of their growth to ensure minimum impact on the plant and the soil.
- Pests: We use a variety of natural methods to control pests that do not harm the environment. Many of our plants attract pest eating predatory insects and as a result we have very low insect pressure naturally.
- Irrigation: Our water comes from the Applegate Valley Watershed. The people of the Applegate Valley established the first watershed council in the U.S. to ensure that our water supply would retain a high quality standard. Our water supply is abundant and consistent and allows us to grow a large variety of crops through sound irrigation management in the growing months.
- Harvest: Our harvests are timed so that our customers can be assured that the peak of each herb is achieved. Many of our fresh crop, including Chamomile, Echinacea flowers, Red Clover blossoms, and Calendula flowers, are harvested by hand, which enables multiple harvests from each crop. Control over irrigation in the summer months allows us to precisely manage and customize harvest times for each crop.