PISMO BEACH - Lisen Bonnier enlisted nematodes to conquer the ground weevils that were eating her peas. "We can't fumigate so instead of killing them with pesticides, we're killing them with other insects," Bonnier said. Using nematodes to take on ground weevils is just one of the ways Bonnier demonstrates her concern for the environment. It is also on of the reasons her company, Vintage Organics Inc., won the county's 1995 Pollution Prevention Award for agriculture. "Pollution prevention is just a natural part of organic farming," Bonnier said. Bonnier, 35, a lifelong farmer, is president of Vintage Organics Inc. The 4.5 year old company oversees 250 acres of farmland and specializes in growing organic produce for local and national markets. By 1996 she hopes to use 150 acres for organic beef production. The award honors Bonnier for pollution reduction techniques such as combating field erosion by planting cover crops, using a filter process that removes sediment from water before returning it to the creek. She uses a healthy population of beneficial insects and nematodes to remove pests instead of using conventional pesticides. This is the second year the Pollution Prevention Awards have been offered. More than 20 applications were considered before 10 winners were chosen. It was Bonnier's "environmental stewardship and responsibility," that earned her the award, said Dennis Knowles, an agricultural inspector biologist at the county Ag Commissioner's Office. Bonnier, a 1986 Cal Poly graduate in agriculture education, left the area and returned after doing extensive market research in her quest for perfect organic farm country. She found that San Luis Obispo County had a good growing climate, consumer awareness, income, a vital farmers' market and limited organic produce.

"It seemed like the perfect place to start an organic farm," Bonnier said. "This was practically and undiscovered region." It wasn't until she was out of school and "had drifted out of agriculture," that she realized organic farming is part of "the cutting edge right now." Bonnier said that more and more regulations are calling for pesticide removal and organic farmers are finding other ways to replace carcinogenic materials. "People think the organic industry doesn't do anything, but it's just the opposite," Bonnier said. "The market is always changing. You have to really study it to know what is happening out there." Forty of her organically certified acres are sold to local markets including various farmers' markets, which she attends around the county. Her crops include carrots, spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and garbanzo beans. The beans, she said, are the upcoming, hip bean," because falafel and hummus are so popular. Sixty of her crops are dryland farmed and yield large-scale beans and grains. Her produce can be found locally in stores including Foods for the Family and Questa Food Co-op in San Luis Obispo and Grande Whole Foods in Arroyo Grande. She also sells her produce to local restaurants and health food stores. She said she is very thankful for the support of the community. Vintage Organics, which operates with a foreman and two or three apprentices, has received a lot of additional volunteer help. "It couldn't have been made with my bare hands," Bonnier said. "That's for sure." Bonnier feels strongly that everyone can contribute to preventing pollution. "Every one of us can make a difference," she said. "You don't have to be a farmer to do what we're doing. You can start in your own back yard." * * * * * * * * * * San Luis Obispo County Telegram Tribune Friday, September 29, 1995

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