The first state “organic certification” was awarded this morning to a Benton county woman. Virginia Moser of Garrison, which is between Waterloo and Cedar Rapids, is now a certified “organic farmer.”Moser raises garden produce on 14 acres for 36 family-customers. She says people buy shares in her garden. Moser says some of her customers are “chemical sensitive” and appreciate having her produce.Last winter, Moser formed an alliance with a dozen other farmers to market and grown seeds for organic crops.Maury Wills, the organic program manager for the Iowa Department of Agriculture, says a state law passed in 1998 outlined what it took to be certified as an “organic” farmer. Wills says a growing number of Iowans are trying their hand at organic farming.There are several things a farmer must prove in order to win “organic certification.” For example, land must be free of fertilizers and chemicals for a minimum of three years.
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