Hello Tom and everyone,
The main reason the apiary must be on
"certified land" is for inspections. To be
certified a land owner MUST agree to
announced & unannounced inspections.
An inspector would be trespassing during
an unannounced inspection if the land were
not certified. The "forage area" need not be
certified, just the apiary.

I had an "announced" inspection of my
vegetables today. He said he would be here
at 8:00 AM. He knocked on the door at 8:30
saying he had already been through the fields
and unlocked buildings. We then went through
the locked buildings and spent 3 hours going 
over records. People who don't follow the rules
do get caught. 

No one could "guarantee" 100% purity. But let's
take my place and a 2 mile radius around it for
an example. North - grass pasture, woods &
900 blueberry plants at my neighbors. Blueberries
are not sprayed during fruit set. Any spraying is
done after harvest. West - watermelon at 1.7 miles
and another watermelon field at 1.9 miles. total
area between the fields approx. 25 acres.
South - woods and pasture. East - lake and low
land. (There is a farm across the swamp but I
don"t know how they get there! For now let's 
assume it to be pasture.)

Of 8658 acres, 25 acres(.003%) are flowering and 
contaminated. (Once again, thats provided I
don"t find a large flowering crop across the swamp)
The only other "known" source of contamination is
sometimes during wet periods farmers will spray
their pasture with a fungicide. This is done in late
spring and could happen during a honey flow.

Should that be enough contamination to void
"certified organic". Everyone's view on this is
important to me. Please "say it how you feel it"
Thanks
Ed Parker
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