Standard Process Inc.

Everything but Time Grows on
the Standard Process Farm

September 2006 News From The Farm SP News Article

Christine Mason,
Farm Manager

Harvest season is intense on every farm. The interesting aspect of harvest on the SP Farm is that it lasts from the first week of May until Thanksgiving…meaning every day for seven months straight.

Over the past several weeks, for instance, we have pressed buckwheat every day. Buckwheat is a critical harvest because with it, we create many products unique to Standard Process that cannot be purchased elsewhere.

Product display table

While we were harvesting buckwheat, we were also combining oats and barley. We combine oats in order to make organic oat flour in the milling room. Oats and barley are also both combined for seed and then cleaned and stored in the farm warehouse for use as our own organic seed source next spring. This process involves combining, barreling for production, barreling for seed, selling excess grain through the organic transaction certificate process, and baling straw (before it gets rained on).

During this same two-week timeframe, the alfalfa crop also decided to mature. We cut, ted, rake, and bale our own organic alfalfa for several key Standard Process products, including Organically Bound Minerals, Pancreatrophin PMG^®, and Diaplex^®.

Christine discussing
R&D test beds with
one of the attendees

Of course, nothing else slows down, especially the weeds, just because we have four goals to harvest all at once. Our crew also planted and cultivated all of our fall red beet and Spanish black radish acres, twice. Tim continued to make flour every day (unless we pulled him out of his room for emergency assistance). Six employees rotated in their summer vacation, and the farm hosted many tours. I am proud and continuously amazed by the seven people that work here at the farm. They are dedicated and diligent or we could never accomplish so many tasks all at once.

S.A.R.E. Tour Event Photos and Information

The 2006 national SARE (Sustainable Agricultural Research and Education Program of the USDA) conference was held in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin on August 15-17, 2006. This year's theme was A Midwest Homecoming: Sharing a New Tradition of Sustainability. The SP Farm was proud to be one of the tours offered during this important event.