Profile: Tecolote Farm
 Katie Kraemer Pitre and David Pitre are the founders of Tecolote Farm, the longest-running Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in the state. David earned his B.S. in Agroecology at U.C. Santa Cruz while working on area farms and growing food for the San Francisco restaurant circuit. Tecolote Farm focuses on growing 150 varieties of heritage and hard to find vegetable varieties, raising pastured pork, and training the next generation of Texas farmers. Katie works to promote local food in the Austin area via GroACT, the Growers Alliance of Central Texas, and through 3 years of service on the Sustainable Food Policy Board for Austin/Travis County. Several of Tecolote’s apprentices have created their own farms and started agriculture-related endeavors. Read the full interview here.
Quote of the Week
"We have considered dropping our organic certification but have talked ourselves out of it because of the allure for new customers to have that assurance."
— Katie Kraemer Pitre
 Transition Made Easy
A great way to try out "going organic," is by first substituting conventional inputs with inputs approved by the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI). These inputs could be fertilizers, minerals, insecticides, fungicides, etc. For instance, if you were growing kale and were used to spraying for caterpillars with Sevin Concentrate, you could switch to Bt products or neem oil. You can also substitute compost for synthetic fertilizers. Eventually, you will want to get into crop rotations and other soil building practices. For more information, please visit here.
Myths & Misconceptions 
Myth: "Organic farmers aren't real farmers; they're a bunch of hippies."
Truth: Most organic farmers converted to organic farming from conventional farming. According to the 2012 Census of Agriculture, there were 188 existing farms already certified and 105 farms transitioning into certified organic production in Texas. The owners of these farms would surely argue if they were to be called fake farmers.
Questions from the ATTRA Vault
Q: I want to cover my raised beds with stucco or a similar material. Which building materials should I use to stay in compliance with organic standards?
A: There are a few options to choose from for building materials and a few different ways to approach making your raised beds more aesthetically pleasing. First of all, before applying any material to the outer surface of these raised beds you will need to apply a buffer, such as a metal lath backing, around the wood. Read the full answer here.
Q: How can I organically treat peach leaf curl?
A: The infection period for leaf curl is when new leaves start emerging from buds in the spring. Spraying after the buds have opened is ineffective because infection takes place as the young leaves emerge, and the fungus develops inside the leaf. Accordingly, sprays must be applied during the trees' dormant period—after the leaves have fallen and before the first budswell in the spring. Read the full answer here.
TOFGA Corner
Part of TOFGA's responsibilities to our members, and to other interested folks, is to spread awareness about other Texas organizations and their activities in the sustainable food arena. For that reason we are using our TOFGA corner this week to share with the readers some announcements from two other important organizations involved in changing the food system here in our great State of Texas.
Get Your Game On: Slow Food Austin Second Annual Grub Trivia fundraising event on August 17th
Do you grow more than you can eat? Spread the Harvest is Sustainable Food Center's unique gardening and food-sharing program, which helps children and adults in Central Texas to grow healthy food for themselves and their families and to share with friends, neighbors and food pantries.
Texas Organic Chronicles is funded in part by the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program as administered by the Texas Department of Agriculture.
ATTRA has been a trusted source of information about organic and sustainable agriculture for over 25 years. Visit www.attra.ncat.org, for over 400 (mostly free) publications, as well as many other tools and resources. Send us a question by e-mail, using the form on our website. Text your question to askanag@ncat.org. Or phone us at 800-346-9140 (English) or 800-411-3222 (Spanish). Funded by the USDA's Rural Business-Cooperative Service, ATTRA is a program of the National Center for Appropriate Technology.
TOFGA is a grassroots membership organization, proudly supporting organic and sustainable farming in all parts of Texas. TOFGA hosts an annual conference, regional meetings and workshops, farm tours, and other events. Whether you're a farmer, gardener, or consumer, please join TOFGA today. www.tofga.org.
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