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Brief essay on organic farming
Difference between organic and conventional farming
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Pollan compares Naylor’s Farm and the Polyface Farm to understand the differences between organic and conventional farming. In organic farming, there are no synthetic
Despite the increase in organic buyers, the majority of people do not know how to merely interpret what the word organic even entails. The United States Department of Agriculture enforces and regulates the labeling of organic products, namely food products (cornucopia.org). In addition to the elusiveness of organic foods, organics are apt to be more expensive than conventional food; this is because instead of a huge manufacturing plant, one would be receiving their food products from a small farm (where a small amount of food is being grown and harvested). People choose to argue that organic food is far better for you than conventional or natural food; however, there are only minute differences between the two. Stephanie Watson, an executive editor of Harvard’s Women Health Watch, states:“The researchers discovered very little difference in nutritional content, aside from slightly higher phosphorous levels in many organic foods, and a higher omega-3 fatty acid content in organic milk and chicken” (Harvard.edu).
I originally thought about the word organic as fruits and vegetables picked freshly from the branches of a tree and packaged into stores and chickens wandering large fields, I realize that it is not that simple. Michael Pollan traced some of his organic purchases back to their sources and discovers that there are organic feedlots, organic dairy cows whose lives are not any nicer than the conventional, and organic “free-range” chickens whose only access to the outside world is a small door in their shed, which is only open for about two weeks. “The organic movement, as it was once called, has come a remarkably long way in the last thirty years, to the point where it now looks considerably less like a movement than a big business” (Pollan 138). My thoughts now on organic foods at supermarkets such as Wegmans and Walmart is that the animals aren’t treated as great as conventional foods. I’ve realized that the extra cost of organic that I pay is largely because of the transportation.
Catherine tells the reader that organic food could produce plenty of food for the whole world. She says “when the same products are grown, organic yields are 8% to 19% lower on average than conventional farming yields... We currently grow far more food than is necessary.” (COFFtW).
First of all, Pollan states just because it says it's organic doesn't mean it really is. If you buy an “organic” salad at your local grocery store, farmers will still use pesticides to keep bugs away and other animals. The chemicals they use are all natural, but it's not truly organic if you use pesticides or other chemicals. In The Omnivore’s Dilemma Pollan says, “Instead of toxic pesticides, crops are sprayed with natural substances, like BT, a pesticide made from a common soil bacteria” (140.) This quote proves that big organic industrial companies use pesticides to help produce grow.
In the articles “An Animals Place,” by Michael Pollan, and “The Omnivore’s Delusion: Against the Agri-intellectuals,” by Blake Hurst, the controversial methods of farming in today’s society are examined. Modern farming methods are a relevant topic of discussion because the foods that people consume have a direct impact on their health, therefore they should be aware of the procedures that farming methods employ. Pollan and Hurst have differing beliefs on farming methods, but similar interests in the environment, people, and animals. In the article “An Animals Place,” the author, Michael Pollan sheds light on the barbaric institution of American meat-packing.
Many people choose to eat only organic because it’s said to be healthier but when compared to non-organic food the difference is slim. Regardless people continue to buy organic products. People get emotionally connected to
He discovers that a majority of the advertisements written on organic products are not remotely true to the treatment of the animals. “A charge often levied against organic agriculture is that it is more philosophy than science. There's some truth to this indictment, if that it what it is, though why organic farmers should feel defensive about it is itself a mystery, a relic, perhaps, of our fetishism of science as the only credible tool with which to approach nature” (Pollan 225). Pollan sees that a lot of organic farmers feel threatened when people question their different methods of farming, but Pollan tries to explain that if it truly is a practice that is successful and forthcoming then there is no need to feel threatened. However Pollan notes a discrepancy in the way a majority of organic farmers advertise their products.
“Why is Agriculture Important In Tennessee?” Agriculture, the basis of the world’s food source, is a very large portion of the average American’s diet; as well as the main source of clothing material. Agriculture is important in Tennessee for this reason. Agriculture is not only crops, but includes the entirety of merchandise on a farm. The diet of the average American includes a massive amount of these resources.
In the article, “The Omnivore’s Delusion” Blake Hurst expresses his idea that agri- intellectuals, people who claim that industrial farming is inhuman, have a warped perspective on the reality of modern day farming. Essentially, Hurst proposes that there are both positive and negative aspects to both industrial farming and organic farming. Hurst states that during organic farming when farmers do not use unnatural additives, the whole process becomes more troublesome due to the increase of molds, fungus, and bugs. The author writes, “… some of the largest farms in the country are organic—and are giant organizations dependent upon lots of hired stoop labor doing the most backbreaking of tasks in order to save the sensitive conscience of my fellow
To begin, organic foods do not have significantly better nutritional and health value than conventional foods. Many people choose to go organic because they want to live a “healthy, pesticide-free lifestyle”. Contrary to popular belief, organic farming actually does use pesticides. The word organic does not necessarily mean pesticide free. Organic food means that the pesticides used are derived from natural ingredients.
The world has decided to go organic! Have you? There is no doubt about the fact that the organic industry is booming. According to the Hartman Group, a market research firm ‘About 70 percent of Americans buy organic food occasionally and nearly one quarter buy it every week. For most of us, the reason is simple: We want natural food that 's better for us and for the environment.’
This type of organic food that is popular among many people is produced on organic farms. Farms belonging to this group foster recycling, speak for promotion of ecological balance concept and represent the direction of conserving environment. The process of growing organic food implies refusal from use of synthetic pesticides as well as other chemical stuff that increases fertility. According to the Food Marketing Institute, “Organic livestock must have access to the outdoors and be given no antibiotics or growth hormones” (Natural And Organic Foods).
Agriculture has become a major part of many Americans everyday lives. From growing crops to raising cattle, it’s how many people make a living. People grow crops like soybeans, corn, and cotton. They also raise animals such as cattle, hogs, and chickens. Agriculture has a wide variety of things to choose from.
They feel or do not care if there are definite studies to prove that this food causes their bodies or the environment any harm. Inorganic or non-organic farming is determined by the chemicals that are used when produce is grown. The chemicals used are all synthetic and not natural. Animals are grown with antibiotics and growth hormones to increase the speed and size at which they grow as well as increasing their milk production, which ultimately increases the farmer’s profits. Medications are used to prevent diseases in the animals and testing is done to ensure that animals are disease free before products go to the consumer.