July 16, 2010 12:09pm by Steve | 
Pretty much everything you think about so-called “organic” food (all food is chemically organic) is wrong. Organically grown food is nutritionally identical to food produced by conventional farming. Why would you willingly pay more for designer food that is identical to normal food?
The answer, of course, is marketing. You have been told for the past 5 to 10 years that the term “organic” equates to both “healthy” and “environmentally friendly”. And you believe it. You have faith in it. Have you ever personally investigated whether or not that claim is true? Did you know that the very same companies that produce so-called “industrially farmed food” (the word “industrial” is used purposefully to scare you) are the same ones producing “organic food”? People love to buy organic food because it strikes back at Big Agriculture, but Big Agriculture owns the organic food producers!
“Nearly 100% of organic food in supermarkets comes from a producer owned by one of the major food companies that also sells regular food.”
Everything about organic farming is less efficient.
- Crop yields are less, so more land is required to generate yields equivalent to traditional farming.
- Organic pesticides and fungicides are derived from plants in order to make you believe that it is somehow “safer”. This is the “All Natural” logical fallacy. “All Natural” NEVER means “safe”. These new, organic pesticides and fungicides are 70% LESS efficient than traditional fertilizers that have been certified safe for decades. This lack of efficiency requires more applications, more passes with farm vehicles, more soil compaction resulting in the need for excess tilling, etc.
- Organic fertilizers are far less efficient than traditional fertilizers, and they are far too expensive to use in large scale farming. Both organic and traditional fertilizer ultimately deliver the same chemical load. The difference lies in the amount of fertilizer required.
But eating organic food keeps me safe from evil pesticides!
“Despite claims in the organic community, there’s never yet been a confirmed case of anyone becoming ill from consuming produce contaminated with residue from pesticides or herbicides, either organic or synthetic. Both are certified safe for human exposure, and both are applied at trace levels well below safety standards. In no way does limiting yourself to organic produce decrease your risk of dangerous levels of exposure to pesticides. The risk is practically zero either way.”
But what about genetically modified food? I don’t want to eat anything that’s been tampered with by evil scientists.
If you feel this way, then you are a complete moron. You have absolutely no idea what’s going on. Do you know who Norman Borlaug is? He is known as the Father of the Green Revolution. He was the guy who pioneered the use of genetically modified crops to feed starving people in developing countries. He created strains of pest-resistant rice that would grow in arid environments. This is apparently something that God couldn’t, or wouldn’t do on his own. (jab!)
Dr. Borlaug was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970 for his work with genetically modified organisms. The United States Congress, in 2006, awards him that Congressional Gold Medal stating that:
“Dr. Borlaug has saved more lives than any other person who has ever lived, and likely has saved more lives in the Islamic world than any other human being in history.”
Dr. Borlaug has the largest negative body count of any person who has ever lived. I phrased it that way purposefully in order to hit you with the following link from the anti-Borlaug… Jenny McCarthy. Jenny’s ignorant crusade against childhood vaccination has directly resulted in the deaths of over 500 people. Jenny McCarthy Body Count
Source: Skeptoid – Organic vs. Conventional Agriculture
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I once read an article on an organic orchard. I believe it was in INC magazine.
They used no pesticides; instead creating a natural ecosystem around the orchard; where the bugs could live in harmony [for lack of a better term] with the things they were growing.
I’m sure I’m oversimplifying things; but my impression was they got good bugs to chase away the bad bugs. I assumed this was a common approached used in most organic farms.
Well, you’re right on one thing in particular – we’re never going to survive as a species unless we find a safe and effective way to make GM work.
The pro’s and con’s of organic can be debated all day and night, but the basic problem is our food chain – beginning to end. There’s a difference between food being “safe” and “good for you”. You might not die of e.coli now, but you’ll have diabetes at the age of 50.
Not that factory farming is “safe” either – countless recalls due to contamination, and you probably don’t want to know how they make your food “safe” in the first place (hint, it involves bleach. Seriously)
“Organic” food is more expensive for two reasons:
1) It doesn’t take advantage of economies of scale (a selling point)
2) It’s not subsidized, like factory farming. Your tax dollars subsidize farming to the tune of $20 Billion a year. The flaw is that it goes to the biggest producers – not what it was meant for, when originally conceived.
The term “organic” is outdated, already. You can’t address Food issues without incorporating discussions on environment, health and energy – they’re all interlinked.