Organic Agriculture And Developing Optimal Management Strategies For Organic Production

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 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 it is necessary we produce this food using the land we already have. The only way we can accomplish this is to combine the best practices of organic, or small farms, with those of

The articles “Organic foods: Are they safer? More nutritious?”, by the Mayo Clinic Staff and “Is organic better for your health? A look at milk, meat, eggs, produce and fish”, by Tamer Haspel, delve into whether or not the products produced by organic farming are more nutritious and or safer than those produced by conventional farming.

Through growing up on a family farm in a rural community I have been fortunate enough to fall in love with the agriculture sector. In discovering my passion for agriculture I have pursued a career as a Corn Specialist for AgriGold, of which we will be discussing throughout this essay. AgriGold is a company within the Agricultural Sector that in the past had solely focused on selling seed corn, but as we will discuss later they now offer soybeans and a technology platform. They are the 3rd largest seed corn company in the United States and their parent company is AgReliant Genetics located in Westfield, IN.

Over the last few years, awareness of organic food has risen. Due to this, the demand for organic food is a factor which is influencing the farmers to switch to use this technique, and it is being sold in specialty stores and conventional supermarkets. Organic products contain numerous marketing claims that it is healthier, it offers more value, and the farming is more environmentally friendly than traditional foods, so, how does one determine if organic is the way to go? Some argue that there is evidence that supports and demonstrates why organic foods and farming are better overall, while others insist that conventional foods and agriculture can offer the same benefits as going organic. There is no right or wrong answer. Within this

Other flaws in “big” organic are discussed, painting a picture  of a feel‐good movement that provides few benefits. Pollan’s final position on “big” organic is  somewhat unclear. He clearly perceives substantial flaws in the system, such as the fact that it is  as non‐sustainable as typical industrial food production, but at the same time he seems to argue  that it is at least a step in the right direction.     Pollan’s position on “small” organic is much less equivocal. He spends a substantial section of  the book detailing his visit to a small organic “grass” farm. Although Pollan does his best to  maintain a journalistic, neutral view throughout the book, it is clear that he was captivated by  the work being done by the grass farmers. Pollan shows that the most important crop to these  farmers is in fact the numerous varieties of grass, which form the foundation of the life cycle on  the farm. These farmers work to farm in a sustainable, natural way that closely resembles the  symbiosis of nature. In this section, Pollan provides a fascinating look at the evolved  relationships between different species of plants and animals, and how these relationships can  be utilized to create a sustainable farming system. Although Pollan is clearly enamored with  such “small” grass‐based farming, he also recognizes the near impossibility of implementing  such farming on a large scale. For example, the higher costs

First, we should take a look at a brief overview of the Daylesford Organic Farm concept. According to author Gwenda Brophy (2004), Daylesford Farm was first opened

Within recent years there has been an uprising movement to eat organically. Some choose to do this to because of GMO’s while others make this choice because of a want to eat healthier. Locally grown foods do have their pros and cons. While eating locally provides beneficial aspects to society, the locavore movement does not necessarily affect the cost, environmental, and health factors.

We have been able to genetically modify foods so that they grow faster and bigger and produce more seeds so the next harvest would yield even more food. Some people think that if we entirely converted all genetically modified foods over to organic farmers that we would be able to produce foods faster and more than the way genetically modified foods are currently being produced. But how would organic foods be produced faster because they would just grow at the regular rate when genetically modified ones haves been forced to grow faster than the average

operations to heavily processed foods are making their way onto store shelves and passing off as USDA organic. The regulations that are in place are keeping small farmers out of the loop. The price to register as organic with the USDA is too much for small farmers to afford. The low prices offered by corporations are out competing the small farmers. In addition to this, many foods that are pre-frozen, packaged, and full of dozens of ingredients are labeled organic. And if this was not enough, an enormous quantity of organic foods is being shipped to the United States from overseas. These shipped foods come with very low prices that the local farmer cannot match. The social justice issue is the suppression of the true organic movement; the small

Since 2006, the demand and market for organic food and drinks has been increasing exponentially. The demand for these organic products is growing much faster than the supply. Consumers are more interested in where their food is coming from and how it was made. “The latest data shows organic sales in Canada have tripled since 2006 to 3.7 billion dollars a year.” (Global News). There are not enough farms in Canada that produce and supply organic products to meet the high demand. It takes approximately three years for an average farm to convert to an organic farm. However, the whole farm does not have to be organic, a portion of the farm can be converted to organic while the rest operates the way it was previously. The demand curve has shifted

As of December 31st, 2014, the population of the United States was estimated to be over 320 million with a net gain of one person every 13 seconds (U.S. Census Bureau). In the year 2011, the world population reached 7 billion and is currently predicted to reach 9 billion by the year 2050 (Monsanto). In order to meet the expected needs of our growing population, agriculture production will need to at least double (Monsanto). Agriculture is essential to everyone’s daily lives. This raises many concerns for agriculturists and for our growing population as a whole. With the population of the United States continuously growing, space is also becoming more limited. Therefore, agriculturists are having to find new, innovative ways to produce

GMOs advocates are advising the idea of including genetically altered organisms into organic farming. These advocates believe without the help of genetically engineered seeds the benefits of organic farming “will likely remain small”

Long ago, the concept of self-sustaining, organic fruits and vegetables was actually a reality. The earth was created in this fashion to sustain life, and in an attempt to streamline production, people have created farms that chemically treat our foods. However; it is possible to go back to the basics as an entire community, not just an individual striving alone. Imagine a Permaculture World is a non-profit organization whose mission is just that.

Potato cultivation has become a major crop for many American farmers and nearly all potato farmers raise the monoculture Russet Burbank. Due to their nature of being non fungus and non disease resistant, they are heavily chemical dependent. “Organic” is an alternative farming technique presented in the book. Large varieties of cultivars are grown and insects are not eliminated while using organic methods of farming. Yet, using organic farming requires on a lot of labor, and the product is somewhat limited to certain market. The author suggests that modern America monoculture in potato farming may collapse in its agricultural methods, just like what happened with the Irish Potato Famine. The main point is while the European history of potato cultivation through agriculture demonstrates political control, the transgenic NewLeaf demonstrates human desire to control life.

Planting plants grown from organic seeds into straw bales is a popular alternative for many home gardeners. This method is often chosen by gardeners who have poor soil or who experience difficulty getting down on their hands and knees to garden. The plants are placed in the top of the bale and can be staked or allowed to cascade down the sides. Both hay bales and straw bales can be used, with each offering its own benefits. Price and local availability will differ, but even bales from the previous year can be used and may be less expensive. One caveat, organic seeds should be planted only in pesticide and herbicide free bales to ensure fully organic produce.