Making the choice: organic, conventional, in-between
Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2018 10:41 pm
Organic is a choice that is very popular now. Mainly because of the organic movement's claims that the food is more nutritious (which it is not), environmentally sound ( yes), implies no pesticides are used (misleading to downright a lie)
Organic should be cheaper since it is not using expensive fertilizer and uses what would otherwise be considered waste (green waste, manures from farms locally sourced. In fact, that is not the case as organic produce costs more. On average about 14% more. Some say that is to offset organic's higher production cost. But after cost of production are factored in, the difference is only about 7% more in actual costs for a well managed operation. Either management is bad with higher costs or Organics is making a huge profit riding on the wave of organic hype and consumerism.
There is no question that organic practices are more environmentally sound. Recycling what would otherwise be wasted resources and focusing on building healthy soil.
However, there are other costs to being organic:
Higher labor costs, if you go all the way and give up the plows and machines as well. Most organic farms don't do that, so they still have a carbon imprint. it requires more tonnage of organic inputs than synthetic fertilizer to get comparable yields. Yields on organic farms with the exception of a few crops are 20-25% less than with conventional practices. The yields are best realized with farms that have the right climate conditions, are well managed, and practice crop rotation to balance their nutrients. Organic farms that, like conventional farms, plant the same thing in the same place, cycle after cycle don't yield as well as conventional.
The medical and scientific community have said that there is no significant nutritional difference between conventional and organic food. They contain the same caloric counts. There are some slight differences in antioxidants and heavy metals but too small to be significant and an extra helping of conventional produce would make up the difference and be more cost efficient than organic vegetables.
As far as pesticide residues. Organic has fewer pesticides. However, no one looks really hard for organic pesticides, only conventional ones, and some percentage of organic does contain some residues in small amounts. Drift, or is there some cheating going on? How well do you know your grower? It is agreed that organic produce would be better for people at risk like infants, children, and individuals with immune deficiencies. Even conventional food has very low pesticide levels much lower than what is allowed. Conventional farmers do not want their products pulled off the market for residues or get bad press from contamination so it behooves them to harvest produce according to pesticide safety guidelines and to only use pesticides when they have to. The FDA regularly tests food in the marketplace and the medical and science says that our food supply is safe for consumption no matter what the source is.
Organic tastes better?
Taste is a subjective thing. All I can say is that almost anything I grow well in my garden is fresher and tastes better than what I find in the stores. I use a combination of organic and conventional gardening practices. Since, I am growing some of my produce that I am eating, I have a lot of control over how much pesticides I use. Except for lots of slug bait, I rarely use more than water on the plants. The exception are carrots which do not grow well in 80 degree weather and some tomatoes, but that may be because of the cultivar. The stores near me do not have large organic sections and it is more expensive so it stays on the shelf longer and that lack of freshness does detract from taste. When I have gotten something fresh organic and fresh conventional, I either don't see a difference in taste or conventional may have an edge because it is a different variety. Organic varieties are limited since they have to grow crops that have more natural resistance. There are definitely fewer holes and bugs in the conventional produce. It matters if I have a good recipe more than the variety or whether or not it is organic.
I choose to do both some organic and some conventional. I do add compost to my garden every time I plant. I choose to use some organic seeds, but organic choices are limited and some are not really suitable or available so I do buy both organic and conventional seeds. I have more choices of cultivars with non-organic seeds and I have nothing against gmo. I could not grow papaya without gmo seeds. I do choose to use both organic and low npk slow release and some sulfate of ammonia synthetic fertilizers because, I like bigger yields since I have a small garden space. I don't like to use animal byproducts if I can avoid them. My soil tests for the most part say all I need is ammonia and sulfur. I do plant for, and encourage beneficial insects and animals in my yard. However, I am not ready for a chicken and I can't seem to keep a toad in my yard so I have to use slug bait and hand picking. As far as organic vs conventional produce, I usually grow most of the vegetables I routinely eat when I can. I do buy onions, garlic, carrots, potatoes and staples because I don't grow them well and I buy whatever is cheapest.
I have a good garden patrol and I have not seen an aphid in years. I do have some pests, but I usually use water, alcohol, and a soapy brush for most of them. I do have to use chemicals on some plants. I try to use short acting ones for the roses and hibiscus which don't do well without them. My only other choice would be to get rid of the plants. Ornamentals are in my front yard, so I only spray there and not in the backyard where I have the edibles. Even the roses in the back yard do not get sprayed. They are hardier rambler roses. I do use Round Up everywhere, because I can't keep up with the weeds any other way, especially since I have had to cut water to the yard.
The choice to be organic, conventional or in-between is yours. Some people want to be 100% organic and that is their choice. Some people want to kill every bug in sight and worry about every imperfection. Others garden the way they have for years, using synthetic fertilizers and conventional seeds an have not had any issues, so it works for them. Some gardeners like to experiment and try new plants, cultivars and try some different techniques. Some work out, some don't. Others have gotten into a groove and figured out what works for them, so if it ain't broke, there is no reason to change it. Still others don't mind blending using both conventional fertilizers and techniques, but also incorporating more organic matter into the soil, maybe some permaculture practices, adding techniques to improve recycling and watering more efficiently like keyhole gardens, grey water, rain barrels, and getting rid of the grass in favor more drought resistant landscaping.
Every gardener is different and every garden has unique challenges that may need to be overcome. There are a lot of choices out there to be organic, conventional, or a blend of different ideas and practices. It is every gardeners' ultimate right to choose what works best for them and what fits with their philosophy about environmental stewardship and their health. As a community we support each other and we should respect each other's choices.
I have deliberately tried to find data from sources that are not strongly biased so I don't look for sources from organic organizations since I have found them to be extremely biased and downright untruthful since they do not update their sources and ignore findings that are contrary to their opinion. While it is impossible to eliminate all bias. I do try to use sources that are either government, university, scientific, or medically based.
https://www.ams.usda.gov/press-release/ ... am-summary
https://depts.washington.edu/ceeh/downl ... icides.pdf
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-life ... t-20043880
https://www.zmescience.com/other/scienc ... e02092015/
https://www.ers.usda.gov/amber-waves/20 ... mains-low/
Organic should be cheaper since it is not using expensive fertilizer and uses what would otherwise be considered waste (green waste, manures from farms locally sourced. In fact, that is not the case as organic produce costs more. On average about 14% more. Some say that is to offset organic's higher production cost. But after cost of production are factored in, the difference is only about 7% more in actual costs for a well managed operation. Either management is bad with higher costs or Organics is making a huge profit riding on the wave of organic hype and consumerism.
There is no question that organic practices are more environmentally sound. Recycling what would otherwise be wasted resources and focusing on building healthy soil.
However, there are other costs to being organic:
Higher labor costs, if you go all the way and give up the plows and machines as well. Most organic farms don't do that, so they still have a carbon imprint. it requires more tonnage of organic inputs than synthetic fertilizer to get comparable yields. Yields on organic farms with the exception of a few crops are 20-25% less than with conventional practices. The yields are best realized with farms that have the right climate conditions, are well managed, and practice crop rotation to balance their nutrients. Organic farms that, like conventional farms, plant the same thing in the same place, cycle after cycle don't yield as well as conventional.
The medical and scientific community have said that there is no significant nutritional difference between conventional and organic food. They contain the same caloric counts. There are some slight differences in antioxidants and heavy metals but too small to be significant and an extra helping of conventional produce would make up the difference and be more cost efficient than organic vegetables.
As far as pesticide residues. Organic has fewer pesticides. However, no one looks really hard for organic pesticides, only conventional ones, and some percentage of organic does contain some residues in small amounts. Drift, or is there some cheating going on? How well do you know your grower? It is agreed that organic produce would be better for people at risk like infants, children, and individuals with immune deficiencies. Even conventional food has very low pesticide levels much lower than what is allowed. Conventional farmers do not want their products pulled off the market for residues or get bad press from contamination so it behooves them to harvest produce according to pesticide safety guidelines and to only use pesticides when they have to. The FDA regularly tests food in the marketplace and the medical and science says that our food supply is safe for consumption no matter what the source is.
Organic tastes better?
Taste is a subjective thing. All I can say is that almost anything I grow well in my garden is fresher and tastes better than what I find in the stores. I use a combination of organic and conventional gardening practices. Since, I am growing some of my produce that I am eating, I have a lot of control over how much pesticides I use. Except for lots of slug bait, I rarely use more than water on the plants. The exception are carrots which do not grow well in 80 degree weather and some tomatoes, but that may be because of the cultivar. The stores near me do not have large organic sections and it is more expensive so it stays on the shelf longer and that lack of freshness does detract from taste. When I have gotten something fresh organic and fresh conventional, I either don't see a difference in taste or conventional may have an edge because it is a different variety. Organic varieties are limited since they have to grow crops that have more natural resistance. There are definitely fewer holes and bugs in the conventional produce. It matters if I have a good recipe more than the variety or whether or not it is organic.
I choose to do both some organic and some conventional. I do add compost to my garden every time I plant. I choose to use some organic seeds, but organic choices are limited and some are not really suitable or available so I do buy both organic and conventional seeds. I have more choices of cultivars with non-organic seeds and I have nothing against gmo. I could not grow papaya without gmo seeds. I do choose to use both organic and low npk slow release and some sulfate of ammonia synthetic fertilizers because, I like bigger yields since I have a small garden space. I don't like to use animal byproducts if I can avoid them. My soil tests for the most part say all I need is ammonia and sulfur. I do plant for, and encourage beneficial insects and animals in my yard. However, I am not ready for a chicken and I can't seem to keep a toad in my yard so I have to use slug bait and hand picking. As far as organic vs conventional produce, I usually grow most of the vegetables I routinely eat when I can. I do buy onions, garlic, carrots, potatoes and staples because I don't grow them well and I buy whatever is cheapest.
I have a good garden patrol and I have not seen an aphid in years. I do have some pests, but I usually use water, alcohol, and a soapy brush for most of them. I do have to use chemicals on some plants. I try to use short acting ones for the roses and hibiscus which don't do well without them. My only other choice would be to get rid of the plants. Ornamentals are in my front yard, so I only spray there and not in the backyard where I have the edibles. Even the roses in the back yard do not get sprayed. They are hardier rambler roses. I do use Round Up everywhere, because I can't keep up with the weeds any other way, especially since I have had to cut water to the yard.
The choice to be organic, conventional or in-between is yours. Some people want to be 100% organic and that is their choice. Some people want to kill every bug in sight and worry about every imperfection. Others garden the way they have for years, using synthetic fertilizers and conventional seeds an have not had any issues, so it works for them. Some gardeners like to experiment and try new plants, cultivars and try some different techniques. Some work out, some don't. Others have gotten into a groove and figured out what works for them, so if it ain't broke, there is no reason to change it. Still others don't mind blending using both conventional fertilizers and techniques, but also incorporating more organic matter into the soil, maybe some permaculture practices, adding techniques to improve recycling and watering more efficiently like keyhole gardens, grey water, rain barrels, and getting rid of the grass in favor more drought resistant landscaping.
Every gardener is different and every garden has unique challenges that may need to be overcome. There are a lot of choices out there to be organic, conventional, or a blend of different ideas and practices. It is every gardeners' ultimate right to choose what works best for them and what fits with their philosophy about environmental stewardship and their health. As a community we support each other and we should respect each other's choices.
I have deliberately tried to find data from sources that are not strongly biased so I don't look for sources from organic organizations since I have found them to be extremely biased and downright untruthful since they do not update their sources and ignore findings that are contrary to their opinion. While it is impossible to eliminate all bias. I do try to use sources that are either government, university, scientific, or medically based.
https://www.ams.usda.gov/press-release/ ... am-summary
https://depts.washington.edu/ceeh/downl ... icides.pdf
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-life ... t-20043880
https://www.zmescience.com/other/scienc ... e02092015/
https://www.ers.usda.gov/amber-waves/20 ... mains-low/