"What you people don't seem to grasp"... Seriously? :roll: First of all, organics "always was." Then it came back. Have you read the guidelines for certified organic vegetable production? Believe me, the guidelines are not meaningless. They talk about soil building, crop rotation, plant and animal diversity, composting, soil protection/erosion and much more. If the guidelines had no teeth, everyone and their brother would claim to be organic and certified. It's because it is such an intense and difficult process that many people haven't taken that step.
The only thing I agree with you on is that customers trust local. And sometimes that trust is misplaced. My fellow farmer's markets vendors claim to be organic all the time, then tell me about that one application of Sevin or Roundup. Hmmmm...
In MY particular situation, I belong to a larger CSA group. Once my sales reach a certain point, I must be certified to remain in the group. This membership allows my customers to get sizable health insurance rebates on their CSA shares. So while most of my farmer's market customers are happy based on a trust relationship, my CSA members will need me to get certified to maintain their rebates.
As for sugar in the hive, I guess beekeepers or beekeeping associations need to define their own organic standards and decide if that fits in there.