Muskegon Farmers Market

There is a lot of technical and confusing jargon used for agricultural produce and farming methods. This list of terms with their definitions should help you sort through all the market talk.

Farm Fresh: This phrase is a marketing term used in retail and direct farm sales. In general it means that the product is being purchased directly from a farm. If freshness is a concern, ask when the produce was harvested or the eggs collected.

Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs): GMOs are plants and animals that have had their genetic make-up altered in the laboratory to exhibit traits that are not naturally theirs. For example, tomato plants can be genetically altered so the tomatoes will store longer. In general, genes are taken (copied) from one organism with a desired trait and transferred into the genetic code of another organism. Genetic modification is currently allowed in conventional farming in the United States.

Locally Grown Food: Food grown near the point of its consumption. There is no standard definition for “local” when it comes to food — a particular definition of “local” might be based upon county, state, region, watershed, or another boundary. Ask the market master how the market defines “local”.

MDA: Michigan Department of Agriculture; this agency informs and enforces policy and procedures for food production and safety standards at the state level, promotes Michigan food and agriculture interests, and supports environmental stewardship within the state.

Pasteurize: The process involves heating the product to 160ºF for a few seconds and then immediately cooled. The high temperature kills any bacteria that might be in the food product.

Quality and Grading: The USDA, working with farmer organizations, has established quality standards and grades for many types of food. These standards and grades are used to specify and price food sales in the wholesale market. Many food products sold in farmers’ markets have not been graded. Remember that bigger is not necessarily better. Some of the best tasting produce is small and cosmetically imperfect. However, you should not find bruised or rotting produce in the marketplace.

Vine-ripened/Tree-ripened: “Vine-ripened” or “tree-ripened” is a term applied to fruit or vegetables that have ripened on the vine or tree and then picked when ripe. They often taste better because their flavor and sugars have developed naturally. They can be delicate to the touch and too fragile to ship. Fruits shipped long distances may be picked while still unripe, and later treated to “ripen” and soften them prior to being sold.

USDA: United States Department of Agriculture; this agency forms policy and procedures for food production and processing at the national (federal) level, regulates interstate commerce of agricultural products, promotes markets for U.S. agricultural products domestically and abroad, implements various food assistance and education programs, and manages on farm natural resource conservation programs.

Organic: Organic farming relies on developing biological diversity in the field to disrupt habitat for pest organisms, and to maintain and replenish the soil. Organic farmers are not allowed to use synthetic pesticides or fertilizers.

Certified Organic: The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is reponsible for the managing the National Organic Program, which was implemented in October 2002. Organic farming avoids the use of most artificial inputs, like synthetic pesticides and fertilizers and bans the use of animal by-products, antibiotics and sewage sludge among other practices. Any food product (except fish) using the word organic must be certified as such by an official USDA accredited certifier.

Hormone-Free: There is no government or official definition for this term except on meat and poultry products as defined by the US Department of Agriculture. Use of the term “hormone free” is considered “unapprovable” by USDA on any meat products. Meat and poultry products carrying the “no hormones administered” claim imply that the animal must not have received any added hormones during the course of its lifetime.

Free-range: Free range (or free roaming) implies that a meat or poultry product comes from an animal that was raised in the open air or was free to roam. Its use on beef is unregulated and there is no standard definition of this term. The term “free range” is only regulated by the USDA for use on meat poultry products. USDA requires that birds have been given access to the outdoors but for an undetermined period each day. “Free range” claims on eggs are not regulated. To learn more about what is meant by this term, customers should ask the rancher about their specific practices. (CUESA) Free range (or free roaming) is a general claim that implies that a meat or poultry product, including eggs, comes from an animal that was raised in the open air or was free to roam. Its use on beef is unregulated and there is no standard definition of this term.

Free range is regulated by the USDA for use on poultry only (not eggs) and USDA requires that birds have been given access to the outdoors but for an undetermined period each day. USDA considers five minutes of open-air access each day to be adequate for it to approve use of the free range claim on a poultry product. “Free range” claims on eggs are not regulated at all. To learn more about what is meant by this term, consumers must contact the manufacturer.

Heirloom: Heirloom varieties, also called farmers’ varieties, traditional varieties or landraces, have been selected and developed by farmers through years of cultivation and seed saving for the next season. Farmers hand them down through generations. These varieties are often specifically suited to a certain climate and soil type, and have been selected for flavor, pest resistance, productivity, and even beauty. Heirlooms are typically very genetically diverse and variable.

Transitional: Farmers need to practice organic methods for three years on a given piece of land before the products grown there can be certified organic. “Transitional” means that the farmland is in the midst of that transition period towards organic certification.