Why We’re Certified Organic—and What That Really Means at Trillium Hill Farm

When we tell folks we’re certified organic, we know that can mean different things to different people. For us it’s more than a label—it’s a reflection of how we grow, care for the land, and feed our community.

We’re certified organic through Vermont Organic Farmers (VOF), and we go through an annual inspection and documentation process to verify that we’re meeting the USDA National Organic Program standards. But the truth is, the way we farm has always aligned with these values—and the certification is a way to make that clear and transparent to you.

Here’s how our actual, day-to-day practices line up with the organic principles—and why we believe certification matters:

1. We build our soil, not deplete it.

Organic certification requires careful soil stewardship, and this is truly at the heart of everything we do. We grow diverse crops, rotate our fields, plant cover crops, and use compost made on our farm and purchased in from Vermont Compost Company—all practices that feed the soil so the soil can feed our crops.

Our hoophouses are planted with intentional successions of crops and cover crops to give the soil rest and recovery time between commercial crops. Outdoors, we integrate fallow periods and green manures to regenerate the land. Healthy soil is more resilient, holds moisture better, and grows food that’s truly nutrient-dense.

2. We keep synthetic chemicals out of your food and our fields.

We never use synthetic pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers. Instead, we rely on a deep understanding of our crops, our soils, and our pests to manage challenges in ways that are safe for both people and pollinators. This means scouting regularly, timing plantings carefully, and occasionally using approved biological or mineral-based inputs.

For us, organic isn’t about doing less—it’s about doing more: more observation, more knowledge, more thoughtful management.

3. We farm with intention, not convenience.

Organic standards prohibit GMOs, synthetic seed treatments, and shortcuts that might make things easier in the short term but come at a long-term cost to the land. We select seed varieties based on resilience, flavor, and seasonal fit—not just yield. We spend the time to flame-weed our carrots, hand-harvest our greens, and fine-tune every step so that we can farm in a way we’re proud of.

4. We believe in accountability.

There’s a lot of trust involved in how your food is grown. By being certified organic, we’re inviting a third party to come in every year and review our records, walk our fields, and verify our practices. That might sound intimidating, but to us, it’s a way to back up our words with action. It ensures that when we say we’re organic, it’s not just a feel-good label—it’s real.

5. We’re growing more than vegetables.

Organic farming is about balance—between production and ecology, human health and environmental health, yield and quality of life. That’s what we strive for here. We’re raising crops, yes, but we’re also raising a child, feeding a community, stewarding a piece of land, and trying to model what responsible agriculture can look like.

So why organic certification?

Because we believe in transparency. Because we want you to trust the food you’re eating and the people who grow it. Because we know that farming in a way that prioritizes soil health, biodiversity, and long-term sustainability is worth doing—and worth verifying.

We hope our farming practices speak for themselves, but our certification helps amplify that message. It’s a promise to you, and a commitment from us, that we’ll keep growing in a way that honors the land and the people it feeds.