A Summary Of Organic Farming In Washington State

According to The Atlantic Magazine, organic means, “Organic means crops are grown without artificial pesticides, fertilizers, GMOs(genetically modified organisms), irradiation, or sewage sludge, and animals raised without hormones or antibiotics”(The Atlantic, Defining Organic: The Difference Between Sustainable and Local). The industrial organic food chain does not use harmful chemicals such as pesticides or herbicides. In The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Michael Pollan says, “Organic farming rules do not allow chemical weed killers, so Greenway has to use other methods to fight weeds”(Pollan 140). The fields are watered to get any weed seeds to grow before the plants are to be grown. Then, the farmers uses a tractor to plow the weeds. The farmers do this several times. Later, the farmers use propane torches to burn any remaining weeds. “The result of all this hard work is fields that look just as clean as if chemical weed killers had been used"(Pollan 140). When Michael Pollan says this, he is explaining that, because they plow the fields and do not use toxic chemicals, there are no harmful chemicals which can seep into the food and water supply and poison the consumers. Also, industrial organic farmers are changing. They are drifting away from the industrial way of only growing one or two crops per farm and are slowly starting to grow many crops per farm. “"The efforts of organic farmers to

Is there a federal standard for what "organic" means when it comes to farm fresh milk?

With the sales of organic foods rapidly increasing in recent years, jumping from $1 billion to $21 billion in just eighteen years, it is important for consumers to be well-informed when choosing either organic or inorganic (Bradbury et al, 2014). These products, with labels boasting claims such as no artificial fertilizers or pesticides and the use of ecologically friendly farming techniques, have become somewhat of a trend since their arrival in the early to mid twentieth century. As the public becomes increasingly cautious of what they eat, concern has been growing regarding the adverse health effects of ingestion of pesticides and artificial fertilizers in food products. It is not surprising, therefore, that perceived health

As an alternative to the industrial food chain which is now prevail in the US, the organic food chain emphasis that “nature rather than the machine should supply the proper model for agriculture” (Pollan 131). The idea of “organic” is best demonstrated by farms that raise diversified species in a traditional way and target at the local market. However, most of the “organic food” people consume today is produced from the “industrial organic” farms which belong to the industrial food chain instead of the ideal organic food

The rise of organic farming in the United States came about following the general push to return to a more natural way of life in the late 1960s and 1970s. This was really a return to the traditional farming methods that were used exclusively until the rise of industrial farming in the 1920s. A major force behind this movement was science writer, Rachel Carson who published Silent Spring in 1962 (History). In this work, she focused on the loss of songbirds due to the widespread use of DDT and the otherwise “indiscriminate use of chemical pesticides, fertilizers, and weed killers” (History). The label “organics” sprung from consumer pressure

In this brief article, Natural Resource Defense Council gives details of some of the harmful results of non-natural farming routines. They furnished me with information on the benefits of organic food, like exactly how beneficial it is for our body it is not the only thing that may be out of the lack of pesticides or fertilizer pollution. Our community is furthermore effected by using all those chemical substances from farmlands. Those chemicals aren't only centralized to the farms that make use of them, though instead they wash right into rivers and also makes it way to the ocean destroying the habitat. I became very stunned to find out that many of our health problems today were connected to those chemicals utilized to protect our products

By not using multiple chemicals to control crops, organic farming also ends up being better for the environment. Organic farmers use natural fertilizers such as manure so that they do not release artificial chemicals into the ground (“Organic Food”). In June of 1999 a report made by the U.S. Geologic Survey, found that most waterways and ground water supplies in both urban and rural areas contained enough pesticides to endanger aquatic life (“pesticides”). These chemicals can also leak into streams and encourage the growth of algae and intoxicate the water (“298 John P. Reganold et.al”). Furthermore studies have found that water contaminated with pesticides may accumulate in the

“Racism is actions, practices or beliefs, or social or political systems that consider different races to be ranked as inherently superior or inferior to each other, based on presumed shared inheritable traits, abilities, or qualities.” (Newman, 2012) Racism has promulgated after the slavery in America, and these practices are still evident in our generations today. Oftentimes, when the word “racism” is heard by many, negative characteristics on these actions will be dominant. Many perceive racism as disrespect to one’s rich culture and heritage, thus causing a lot of hatred. Despite my strong objection on the act of racism, I believe that racism played a major role in the development and rise to

Many consumers and farmers have discovered that living in an industrialized culture where the focus has become faster, bigger, and cheaper is not the best way to produce our food. Obsessed with productivity, the agriculture industry is reaping the negative consequences of creating an unsustainable environment for food production. Time and time again, the media captures stories regarding deadly bacterial contamination and dangerous pesticide contamination causing illness and death in our communities. The environment is also damaged and contaminated. This devastating trend, due to irresponsible farming practices as a result of the industrialization of the food industry, has become all too common. Returning to organic farming,

Sales of organic food have risen steadily over the past couple of years, reaching nearly $30 billion in 2011, or 4.2% of all U.S. food and beverage sales, (Adams). Many people believe that organic foods are ultimately the better choice when it comes to health due to the absence of pesticides and hormones. But other people—especially those whose food budgets may be more defined—wonder if organic food is really worth the inflated price tag. Despite the price, Organic foods are worth producing and consuming rather than conventional foods due to the immense benefits they provide.

(Cropper, 2004) Decostole, J. (2010). The Truth About Organic Foods. Retrieved from Redbook Magazine website: http://www.redbookmag.com/recipes-hometruth-about-organic-foods In this magazine article Decostle explains just what organic foods are. She gives us details about how organic crops are grown and how organic animals are raised. Providing more information about how organic food is healthier and better for our bodies and how they differ from conventional foods. She also provides facts about how purchasing organic foods are also healthier for our environment and worth the price difference. Although pesticides contamination is common in our meats, due to feeding animals conventional farmed grains, much of the concern is about

According to the USDA, organic foods consist of foods and products that are grown without the use of sewage sludge, harmful pesticides, and fertilizers made from synthetic ingredients. These standards and guidelines were implemented with the overall objective of improving the quality of the food supply while also preserving the environment. The Organic Foods Act (OFPA) “authorized a new USDA National Organic Program (NOP) to set national standards for the production, handling, and processing of organically grown agricultural products. In addition, the Program oversees mandatory certification of organic production.” (Gold “Organic Production/Organic Food:”) When these standards are upheld, consumers are given the opportunity to educate themselves on the contents found in their food, which

The word Organic can be defined in multiple ways but what the word basically means that the product is derived from living matter. Organic farming produces organic food. The goal is to encourage soil and water conservation, reduce pollution, and constrain conventional methods to fertilize and control weeds. According to the U.S Food and Drug Administration “The term "organic" is not defined by law or regulations FDA enforces.”

As everyone knows organic foods have increased in popularity with the idea that it’s healthier than conventional foods. But with the lack of proof many people have a hard time backing up this idea. The nonbelievers would argue the lack of proof is evidence enough to not question conventional methods of making food, yet there remains a large group of people that would argue in favor of organic foods anyway. These organic food supporters tend to base their opinions off of the harmful effects pesticides have on soil and the ecosystem which makes sense. Pesticides were created in order to poison bugs, thus kill living creatures. Even if humans are larger and more complex than a mere little insect, poison is still poison no matter how big you are. One of the first experiments that proves there exists harmful effects when eating conventional food was conducted by Ria Chhabra, Santharam Kolli, and Johannes H. Bauer. With the use of fruit flies, Drosophila melanogaster, these scientists finally had a breakthrough that could change our eating and farming habits forever.