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Organic Farming In Maryland Essay

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Agriculture affects every aspect of an ecosystem including people, animals, flora, and the environment. In fact, “agriculture contributes 42 percent of the nitrogen, 55 percent of the phosphorous, and 60 percent of the sediment entering the Bay” (Chesapeake Bay Program). However, consumers in Maryland hold a say in whether these effects are positive or negative depending on whether they buy organic or nonorganic foods. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) only certify foods as “USDA Organic” if farmers can prove that their products promote ecological harmony, conserve biodiversity, and recycle farming resources. These benefits include “maintaining or enhancing soil and water quality; conserving wetlands, woodlands, and wildlife; and avoiding use of synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, irradiation, and genetic engineering” (USDA). …show more content…

By the 1970s, the organic movement grew to combat the social, environmental, and health related concerns of conventional farming (“History of Organic Farming”). For example, in 1989, US researchers announced that Alar, a ripening agent used in apples, could cause cancer (Suutari). Around the same time, organic agricultural organizations grew and environmental movements began to focus on organic farming. Even Maryland created its own Organic Certification program to assure consumers that their organic products were consistent with USDA, standards given the popularity of the organic movement (Organic Certification Program). Organic farming sustains the Chesapeake Bay better than traditional agriculture, given that the organic movement arose to address the plethora of environmental concerns related to conventional farming

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In Susan Percy's article, "A Kinder, Gentler Agriculture," she interviews Will Harris, an organic farmer from Georgia. Percy and Harris discuss the various aspects of organic farming and how and when he decided to make the switch to organic. Harris considers himself a "steward" of the land and the animals that he raises. The farm Harris owns has been in his family for over 100 hundreds and was a factory farm when he took control of it. After that, they discuss the economics of sustainable farming and what Harris' plans are for the future.

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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.

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The Civil War had already ended when agriculture began to develop, bringing about changes across the country, particularly in the West. American agriculture began in rural regions that were urbanized, resulting in a surge of people in the fields and cities where employment and hard labor were supplied manually. It has grown significantly as a result of advanced economic and social changes towards its industrialization for expansion. It increased production among the families of farmers, who served through hard and difficult situations. Throughout the period of 1865-1900, American agriculture changed rural inhabited areas, expanding prospects for migration and urbanization, industrialization growth with advanced machinery, and evolved farming

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Pollan, however, believes that animal welfare should be espoused by allowing animals to live free-range and follow their natural instincts. Pollan and Hurst are also concerned with protecting the environment, but disagree on what the best avenue of protection is. Pollan believes that the environment would be better protected if animals were put back on farms and raised organically (370). Hurst believes that industrial farming practitioners are sufficient in their efforts to protect the environment because they are conscious of the effects industrial farming has on the environment, and they take steps to reduce the harm it could have on the environment, such as monitoring nitrogen levels. The authors, despite their differing views on the best way to accomplish their beliefs, successfully convey their

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Throughout the world commercial farming has had a disastrous effect on the earth and its inhabitants. In the documentary “Farmaggedon The True Cost Of Cheap Meat” the short film shows just how bad it is and why we should find alternative ways to farm and raise livestock for consumption. Throughout the documentary we see just how the repercussions of commercial farming impact the environment by turning grasslands to deserts, sources of water to cesspools of poison, deforestation for more farmland, the harmful toxins these places to produce to keep the animals and crops alive, and how these toxins and pesticides effect the people who live there, and killings of species due to the reason mentioned earlier. Commercial Farming threatens the quality

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“The vision of a huge fertile garden extending from the Appalachians to the Pacific Ocean had inspired Americans since the early days of the republic” (Out of Many - A History of the American People, pg. 622). Since its beginning, the American ways of farming had always been gradually evolving, but in the time between 1865 and 1900, it transformed like never before. The American tradition of agriculture would experience dramatic changes, as the growth of production and agribusiness would ensue from revolutions in technology, massive increase in population, and alterations in government policies. A major factor in changing the way of agriculture was the new technology being developed in farming and transportation.

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In the past years Americans have become more conscious about their diets and the environment. More and more individuals are hopping on the trend to be more plant-based and some may wonder if leaving behind the precious protein that Americans have come to admire is worth it. Diving deeper into the environmental effects, economic comparisons, health benefits, and threats of the plant-based diet can help an individual gauge whether the pros of the diet outweigh the cons. Understanding the effects the meat industry has on the environment is monumental in the consideration of a plant-based diet. Not many individuals can grasp the number of farm animals that live on Earth.

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Can a person make a living from farming? Although it is not all about the money, there is money in farming, all depending on what people want to farm whether it is big money or a small amount of money. “We want real farmers or real men who will make good farmers down here in North Carolina, and there is plenty of real land for them to buy.” (6.3 ‘Eastern North Carolina for the Farmer). Farming in North Carolina is not as popular as it used to be; it can be a carrier, it can be hard, and there is land out there to be used, so we need to get new generation farmers in North Carolina to start farming this land.

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Cattle are by far the biggest source of emissions from animal agriculture, with one recent study showing that in an average American diet, beef consumption creates 1,984 pounds of CO2e annually. Replacing beef with plants would reduce that figure 96 percent, bringing it down to just 73 pounds of CO2e. ” This is showing that animal agriculture is destroying our planet, but the only problem is many don't know of the impacts animal agriculture has. Strange that many don't know of this problem when it takes up huge amounts of land, water and energy that destroys our world. Though animal agriculture is a way many americans get food today in the U.S. it is killing our planet, but it can easily be solved if the people start to help save this would now and not later when it's too

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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.

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