Back in the 80’s I worked as a volunteer for an organization called Oregon Tilth that certified organic farmers in Oregon. I met many of the farmers and was impressed by their poorly rewarded dedication to growing food in a way that would do no harm to the environment and that would supply people with healthy non-toxic food. They were obviously not in it for the money or for pleasure. It’s very hard work being a farmer and even harder to be an organic farmer. They did it because they cared about people and the earth.

Just what is organic farming?

The USDA has created a rule governing what may be called organic. "This is a very complex and comprehensive rule. It covers everything from the time the seed goes into the ground to when it goes into a package for retail sale -- it's the entire food system in one single rule....One of the reasons for the rule is to get a uniform standard-- Keith Jones, National Organic Program Director, USDA

"The need for these standards rose out of the exponential growth of organic agriculture. It is a sector that is here to stay -- growing from $78 million in 1980 to about $6 billion today, with continuing growth of 20 percent a year." -- U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman

Organic farming is designed to replenish the soil, to promote biological diversity. Organic farmers recycle resources using crop rotation, rotational grazing, the planting of cover crops, intercropping, adding minerals and recycling plant and animal waste back into the soil. In other words; maintaining biologically living, healthy soil. The kind our great grandfathers farmed. Organic farmers don’t use any synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides or fungicides. If any blows in from the non-organic farm next door they must wait until no residue can be found in the soil or crops before they can be certified organic again. They are tested regularly.

Land that has been farmed conventionally cannot just be turned to organic farming over night. Oregon standards require 7 years growing with organic methods before land will be certified organic. The new national standards require 3 years. During these years the produce grown on this land is termed “transitional” or “no-spray”. The residues of pesticides and herbicides do not leave the soil quickly. Speaking of the new US standards U.S. Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman said "These are the strictest, most comprehensive organic standards in the world,". When you buy organically certified food you can have confidence that it has been grown in compliance with these standards. This is one of the factors in the higher cost. Conventionally grown food is not regulated or overseen in this way.

Is organic food healthier?

There has been much controversy over this subject. Many studies have been done over the last years. The Soil Association “Organic Farming, Food Quality and Human Health” report shows that the nutritional content of organic is higher than non-organic foods.

"(R)esearch confirms our findings that, on average, organic produce contains significantly higher levels of vitamin C, iron, magnesium and phosphorus, and how seemingly small differences in nutrients can mean the difference between getting the recommended daily allowance - or failing to." All 21 minerals compared were higher in organic produce.

http://www.soilassociation.org/sa/saweb.nsf

Even if the nutrient content weren’t higher it would still be healthier eating produce and animals grown without the use of toxic chemicals. Conventional farmers and farm workers have a significantly higher rate of certain cancers and other diseases than the general population. According to the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont “Many pesticides approved for use by the EPA were registered before extensive research linking these chemicals to cancer and other diseases had been established. Now the EPA considers that 60 percent of all herbicides, 90 percent of all fungicides and 30 percent of all insecticides are carcinogenic. A 1987 National Academy of Sciences report estimated that pesticides might cause an extra 1.4 million cancer cases among Americans over their lifetimes. The bottom line is that pesticides are poisons designed to kill living organisms, and can also be harmful to humans. In addition to cancer, pesticides are implicated in birth defects, nerve damage and genetic mutation.

Eating organic food is a way to avoid taking more toxic chemicals into our bodies.

The levels of “allowable” toxic residues on produce has been based on the amount that the average adult body can supposedly handle. Children's smaller bodies and more active metabolisms make them more likely to be harmed by exposure to these adult levels of toxic residues in food.

Here are a few more reasons given by the Organic Farming Research Foundation on their website at: http://ofrf.org/resources/organicfaqs.html

BETTER FOR OUR WATER

The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that the ground water in 38 states is contaminated with at least some cancer-causing pesticides. Organic growers and processors use production methods that eliminate persistent, toxic chemicals.

BETTER FOR THE TOPSOIL

Intensive monocropping and chemically-intensive farming practices have eroded billions of tons of topsoil from U.S. croplands over the years. Farming organically helps preserve the most important tool of production, our soil, by building soil organic matter with composts and cover crops and by using diverse crop rotations.

HEALTHIER HABITAT

The tenets of organic agriculture place the balance of the ecosystem at the top of the priority list. Organic farming eliminates risk of illness to both humans and wildlife by eliminating harmful pesticides. Wildlife near organic farms benefits from practices such as retention of fence rows, wetlands, and other natural areas.

PRESERVATION OF A TRUE ECONOMY

Organic produce may seem to cost more at the checkout counter, but in reality, conventional foods are more expensive because of the environmental and health costs to society that are associated with pesticide and chemical fertilizer use on conventional farms. These costs include federal subsidies to conventional agriculture, contaminated public drinking water systems, loss of wildlife habitat and top soil, increased health care costs, costs to regulate pesticide use, and costs for disposal and clean up of hazardous waste generated by pesticide manufacturing. Buying organic is a direct investment in a sustainable future for our planet.

BETTER TASTING FOOD

Chefs who are proponents of organic produce say that organic foods taste better. Well-balanced soils grow healthy plants which make vegetables and fruits taste like they're right off the farm.

http://www.cfarm.com/Q1.htm

Is Organics just a fad?

Fortunately for us and for the planet organic farming is a rapidly growing industry. It is estimated that in a few years 10% of the farms in the US will be organic. Certified organic cropland expanded 55% in Idaho and North Dakota from 1997 to 1999 and 150% in Washington state.

54% of the American consumers say they would prefer to see organic become the predominant agricultural. Organic farming is not a fad. It has been growing at a rate of over 20% a year. 2,000,000 acres are now organically certified in the United States. Farmers who are having difficulty making a living farming conventionally are turning to organic farming because the cost of the ever increasing need for chemical fertilizers and pesticides is reducing their income every year, whereas organic methods create a sustainable system.

Supermarkets around the nation are now selling 49% of the nations organic produce – the same percentage sold by natural food stores. They carry a wide variety of organic produce and packaged products. At the moment you have to be pretty dedicated to find organic food in most parts of Walton County. But, store owners will respond to the demands of their customers. Help make organic food more readily available here in Walton county. Ask your local supermarket manager to carry more organic food. Even the requests of 5 or 6 customers can turn the tide.

This column comes to you courtesy of the Environmental Concerns Group of the DeFuniak Springs Garden Club.