Walk through any farmer’s market or grocery store and you’ll see products covered in labels and logos. Organic. Natural. Sustainable. Local. Regenerative. With so many claims competing for your attention, it can be difficult to know what they actually mean.

At Sunset Sky Farm, we believe that labels should stand for something. That’s why we have chosen to pursue third-party certifications that require us to meet specific standards and undergo regular inspections.

Today, we’re taking a closer look at the certifications you’ll find on our products and what they mean for you as a customer.

Why Certifications Matter

Anyone can make claims about how food is grown or raised. Certifications provide an independent way to verify those claims.

Each certification has its own standards, inspections, and requirements. While no certification is perfect, they help provide transparency and accountability while giving consumers confidence in the products they purchase.

Here are the certifications you’ll find at Sunset Sky Farm.

Certified Organic – NOFA-NY Certified Organic, LLC

Our vineyards are certified organic through NOFA-NY Certified Organic, LLC, one of the oldest and most respected organic certification organizations in the country.

Organic certification is governed by the USDA National Organic Program and requires farms to follow strict standards regarding soil management, fertility, pest control, and weed management.

For us, organic certification means:

• No synthetic herbicides
• No synthetic insecticides
• No synthetic fungicides
• No genetically modified organisms (GMOs)
• A focus on building healthy soils through natural processes

Organic farming requires extensive recordkeeping, annual inspections, and ongoing verification that standards are being met.

For many consumers, organic certification provides assurance that food has been produced without the use of many common synthetic agricultural inputs.

Real Organic Project Certified

In addition to USDA Organic certification, our farm is also certified through the Real Organic Project.

The Real Organic Project was created by farmers who wanted to strengthen consumer understanding of organic agriculture and emphasize practices that go beyond simply meeting minimum organic requirements.

The certification focuses on principles such as:

• Building healthy living soil
• Growing crops in the ground rather than in artificial growing systems
• Supporting biodiversity
• Encouraging ecological stewardship
• Maintaining a strong connection between farming and natural ecosystems

For us, the Real Organic certification aligns closely with our commitment to regenerative farming practices and our belief that healthy soil is the foundation of healthy food.

New York State Grown & Certified

The New York State Grown & Certified program is a voluntary certification that recognizes farms that meet standards for food safety, environmental stewardship, and quality.

This program helps consumers identify products that are grown and produced in New York while supporting responsible farming practices.

To participate, farms must meet standards related to:

• Environmental management
• Food safety practices
• Animal welfare (where applicable)
• Product quality

We are especially excited about our participation in this program because it recently helped us secure funding through the New York State Grown & Certified Infrastructure & Technology Grant Program.

Through this grant, we are investing in improved fencing, virtual grazing technology, and equipment that will help us continue building a more sustainable and efficient farming operation.

Beyond the Label

While we’re proud of our certifications, we believe that the most important part of farming can’t always be captured in a logo.

The reality is that certifications are only one piece of the story.

The daily work of moving livestock, managing pastures, building soil health, maintaining vineyards, caring for animals, and stewarding the land is what truly defines our farm.

We encourage our customers to ask questions, visit us at the farmers market, and learn more about how their food is produced.

Because at the end of the day, transparency matters more than marketing.

Our Commitment

At Sunset Sky Farm, our mission is to produce high-quality food while caring for the land, our animals, and our community.

Our certifications help communicate that commitment, but they are ultimately tools that support a larger goal: building a farm that will remain productive, resilient, and healthy for generations to come.

When you see these logos on our products, we hope you’ll know that they represent more than a label. They represent a commitment to farming with integrity.

Thank you for supporting local agriculture and for being part of the Sunset Sky Farm story.