Scotch
Head Chef
Russ Parsons, the L.A. Times food columnist, has a great column in today's food section:
Organic Label Doesn't Guarantee Quality or Taste
Organic Label Doesn't Guarantee Quality or Taste
I agree a lot with this point. I buy organic frequently, mostly fresh, and I favor locally produced. But the Organic label isn't an end all, be all. It's only a list of standards and I don't think it's regulated that well. I know I've read a couple of articles recently about producers complaining about the authenticity of Organic (although I can't reproduce them).In fact, the sustainable agriculture movement recognizes this, claiming as one of its central tenets the much vaguer requirement of "environmental responsibility" and stating plainly that that doesn't necessarily require growing strictly organically.
Some people like to point out that a majority of farmers are small, and this is true, just like it is in business, but they deliberately exclude the point that the vast majority of acreage and production is in the hands of corporate factory farmers. I'd be willing to bet that his study included that information and that he consciously excluded it. Just a pet peeve of mine =)And as far as the image of organic farming being the domain of small family farms, for the most part, that is no truer than with conventional farms. A study by UC Santa Cruz professor Julie Guthman, included in her splendid book "Agrarian Dreams," found that the sizes and ownerships of working organic and conventional fruit and vegetable farms are not that different.
That probably shouldn't be that much of a surprise. Contrary to the image of farming being run by a few giant industrial agricultural corporations, roughly 85% of all farms in California -- organic or conventional -- are owned by individuals or families, and 75% are smaller than 100 acres. (On the other hand, Earthbound Farm, which grows organic lettuces and other vegetables, now cultivates more than 40,000 acres.)
I definitely agree with Goodweed, except in that organic is always better. Really, organic is a marketing tool in many instances, and sustainable agriculture also uses those organic-style farming methods, but without the ridiculous carbon footprint and false advertising. This is also for the meat aspects, not just produce.
Do you necessarily know that fertilizer is all that your plants need? Let's face it...with the way science goes, we never receive the full truth due to or reductionist nature. We don't know everything about the environment and need to trust more in natural methods of soil creation to furnish the plants with what they need rather than our own scientists who are frequently not seeing the bigger picture, because that is not what science in the western sense can do.
I do agree that naturally made soil from compost, etc. is exactly what you need to grow crops successfully and sustainably.