Why we grow organically
The Case for Organic Food
The following letter was published in the Dec. 15, 2016 issue of the Napanee Beaver in response to a letter questioning the value of organic farm products. Andrew's letter focuses on some of the issues associated with glyphosate used by conventional farmers. Click on pictures or blue text to read more details.
Dear Sir,
A recent letter from Eric Kaiser has argued that the higher cost of organic food is of questionable benefit.
As a youth, I happily used chemicals on a conventional farm but, as an adult, reading about their possible negative effects led me to examine organic methods.
Both forms of farming now make extensive use of no-till equipment and cover crops to offer some protection to the soil. What Mr. Kaiser has not explained is that organic farmers use mechanical devices to control weeds while conventional farmers use herbicides, particularly Monsanto’s Round-Up which contains the chemical, glyphosate.
So extensive is the use of glyphosate that recent research by the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows that all Americans are likely to have its residues in their blood. Unfortunately, no such tests have been carried out in Canada but there is no reason to think the results would be any different.
Whistlebl
owers at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration say that scientists opposed the approval of glyphosate over health concerns but were over-ruled by their political bosses. The basis for its approval in Canada remains secret as Health and Welfare Canada, under both Conservative and Liberal governments, has consistently stonewalled concerned citizen Tony Mitra’s requests for information.Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the number one ranked university in the world, have found that, glyphosate, a synthetic amino acid, mimics glycine in the body and affects the brain and several internal organs, particularly the liver. Glyphosate is now associated with increased rates of many medical conditions from childhood autism to lung disease. Communities exposed to glyphosate have far higher rates of cancer. The International Agency for Research on Cancer states that glyphosate probably causes cancer.
Mr. Kaiser is generally right that organic methods have lower productivity. Those conventional famers transitioning to organic require many years to rebuild soil health; however, farms with generations of soil-building have productivity levels higher than conventional farms. At Polyface Farm in Virginia, the owners have eight times the number of cattle per acre than the state norm. Unless I had witnessed it myself, I would not have believed it.
Mr. Kaiser did not point out that herbicides, like glyphosate, kill the good bacteria in soil and is one of the reasons their use is associated with poor soil health and lower nutritional value in food. It would take 20 modern apples to match the food value of iron found in just one apple from 50 years ago. In contrast, organic methods enrich the soil with nitrogen that leads to higher nutritional levels. A Scottish university study showed that organic products often have higher nutritional content than those of conventional farming.
Mr. Kaiser is also right when he says organic products are not free of herbicide residues but simply have less than conventionally grown crops. That’s not for lack of trying. We are surrounded by farmers using glyphosate and their spray can drift onto our property and contaminate our soil. This undermines our efforts to farm organically and compromises the quality of our crop. If we grow any of the major crops such as corn or soya beans and any of our neighbours’ seed or pollen lands on our property, genetically-modified hybrids can be the result and Monsanto can accuse us of stealing their patented seeds! We are victimized twice.Finally, the bible calls on all of us to be good custodians of Creation. As a Christian, I really wonder whether pervasive use of poisons like glyphosate really honours the Creator’s intentions for taking care of the Earth. And whether we can actually afford cheap food given the costs on human health.
Andrew Michalski
Retired Teacher and Active Farmer