Omnivore's Dilemm The Future Of Organic Farming

Organic food is healthier for both the environment and the bodies of people and animals that surround farming sites. The process of organic farming helps the earth in many ways:

Michael Pollan, in his book The Omnivore’s Dilemma, advocates for organic, locally grown foods. He contends that processed foods, unlike organic foods, are

The food industry allows consumers to choose from a wide variety of products. However, most food corporations fail to tell the story behind their food. Is this secrecy due to their methods in creating their products? Conventional farming is America’s leading source of food production. Yet, the controversial practices used in conventional farming, may lead American’s to question if this is the only farming source that can feed our nation. Since 1972, organic farming has been creeping up the success ladder and demonstrating the methods involved can withstand the food demands of our nation. With the rising popularity of organic farming, U.S. citizens now have the option to purchase wholesome food. Consumers curious about purchasing organic goods should be aware of the notable differences between organic and conventional practices. The significant differences between organic and conventional farming include; animal welfare, health, and environmental. With the given information, consumers will be able to make informed decisions about their food purchases.

Research suggests that organic farming is a sustainable system of agriculture because it builds a toxin free biologically diverse ecosystem, controls soil erosion, and enhances the quality of air and water by reducing the hazardous chemicals.

(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

Every year, the average person in America consumes nearly a ton of food, and the majority of this consists of packaged and highly processed products. These foods also contain a substantial amount of unwanted fats and chemicals. The growing of organic versus nonorganic food has been a controversial issue for a long time among organic and nonorganic farmers and their customers. This is due to the myriad definitions of healthy eating and the stated benefits on both sides.

When we think or the term ‘organic’ in reference to produce we think of food grown without the use of pesticides, herbicides, or synthetic fertilizers. We also think of animals that produce meat and dairy products that don’t take growth hormones, antibiotics, or corn but rather fed their natural food like forage/grass in the case of ruminants. Upon Michael Pollan’s trip to Whole Foods, a well-known supermarket known for its organic products, he stumbles upon the labels of milk and compares each brand to one another. The common denominator between all the labels is that all of the companies falsely advertise their products and drown their labels with words such as “certified organic,” humanely raised,” or “free range.” Big organic companies

By the year 2050, estimates show that over 9 billion people will inhabit Earth, and it is imperative that agriculture finds a way to feed them all. That is about 1.5 billion more people than there are today. One of the biggest dilemmas that agriculture faces is that relatively very little more land can be converted into land used for agriculture production, without causing irreparable, detrimental effects to the environment The damage that this would cause is the subject for another essay, but the bottom line is that we have to produce this food using the land we already have. The only way we can accomplish this, and the point that I will try to argue, is to combine the best practices organic, or small farms, with those of conventional farms (Foley).

Organic Farming is a deliberate approach to farming based on regeneration and the promotion of life and health in the soil. Organic farmers do not use most of the fertilizers and pesticides that are used by conventional farmers. By using

When consumers hear the word “organic” they think the food they are eating is free of pesticides, hormones, and a plethora of chemicals, which is partly true. Farmers of all crops have to use pesticides to keep their crops alive; in the case of organics, farmers use case natural pesticides. However, consumers do not take into consideration that their food could have potential dangers due to lacking certain chemicals which help maintain a safer produce. Not only do Americans forget about the consequences of organic foods, but they do not realize that growing organic puts our production and yields at a lower supply, has potential to put our health at risk, and creates challenges in livestock production.

Organic food promotes a healthy way to live along with improving one?s overall health. This commitment in changing lifestyle has an alternative name known as alternative farming. This movement began to improve the lives of rule farming communities. To eventually conserve natural resources such as soil and water in that area. The term organic farming tries to follow the practices of not using pesticides to begin the process to transfer conventional fields into organic it takes approximately three years. There is a common myth that organic food is healthier and lacks the toxicity of conventional foods. All there is no proof regardless of higher cost many prefer organic due to better tasting

Everyone needs to eat and the matter of how farmers grow the food is important for our future. As the world progresses and becomes more and more modernized the old and the new clash and that is what is happening with farming. In the world of farming there are many methods of growing crops, two of them being organic and the other industrial. The two are definitely not the same and hold different viewpoints on the methods of farming. Organic farming is more old fashioned and very natural while on the other hand industrial farming being more modern and more synthetic. Organic farming has more of a moral side and industrial farming has a more “get the job done” attitude. Industrial farming uses genetically modified organisms and modern machinery with science behind it. Organic farming still uses some modern technology such as tractors and harvesting tools. Industrial farming is the better way of farming due to the use of genetically modified organisms,yield of crops through industrialized farming methods, and the efficiency of industrial farms.

Over the past few years, the food industry has seen a significant increase in the demand for organically grown foods over the alternative choice of conventionally grown food. In 1990, the revenue spent on organic foods was about $1 billion, in 2009 sales soared to $26.6 billion, and in 2014, sales reached the highest ever at $34.7 billion .The cause of the increase in demand can be attributed to the common belief that organic foods are healthier for human consumption, and healthier for our environment (USDA). There’s an overwhelming concern about how our food is produced, and how it impacts our environment and our economy.

Organic farming is becoming the next big thing in the food industry. Organic farms “produce products using methods that preserve the environment and avoid synthetic materials.”1 Organic standards explain how farmers grow and treat their plants and animals. As you can see, organic farming isn’t just food like vegetables and fruits but also includes dairy and poultry. Like many other topics, there are many parts that play into one thing. This research will provide you with the background on organic farming, its economic statistics, the ecosystems benefits, biodiversity benefits, and the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in organic farming.

Organic Agriculture, as defined by the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB): “Is an ecological production management system that promotes and enhances biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity. It is based on minimal use of off-farm inputs and on management practices that restore, maintain, and enhance ecological harmony.” Which is very fancily put for agriculture with as little man made input as possible trying to farm, as they perceive at least, the most beneficial to the environment in the agricultural setting. To do this, all uses of pesticides, herbicides, chemical nutrients, genetically modified seed, and the list goes on and on. The producer relies more heavily upon the application of manure and in most cases is forced into higher tillage to control weed pests. Although there is some other natural pest control methods, but the choices are pretty limited. Organic production’s man principle is to return organic matter back to the soil, as well as fetch premium market prices for their production. As for the history of the term “organic” and its association with agriculture as far as anyone can tell, at least in this country was around the 1940’s.( Gegner, L, & Kuepper, G, 2004) Until 1962 Organic Agriculture really wasn’t something the general population knew about or even cared, but in 1962 Rachel Carson’s Silent spring came into print. The publication was a graphic statement about the harms of pesticides on the environment. This one book had a