|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Reader says earth-friendly organic is big misperception |
|
|
|
|
Earth Day is April 22, and you can bet there will be claims that organic crops are somehow “better” for planet Earth than conventional or biotech crops. But it’s the biggest misperception in agriculture. Organic farming isn’t pesticide free, as consumers are led to believe. A number of synthetic substances are allowed for use in organic crop production, including isopropanol, chlorine, hydrogen peroxide, boric acid, sulfur, and streptomycin. Among the dozens of other nonorganic substances allowed as ingredients in or on processed products labeled as “organic” or “made with organic” include various acids, animal enzymes, glucono delta-lactone (whatever that is) wood resin, cellulose, glyceride, and kelp.
See the entire list of chemicals and substances allowed in organic production, online at www.ams.usda.gov/NOP
E. coli is often linked to livestock manure, a primary source of fertilizer for organic crops, although it should be pointed out that manure is used in the production of conventionally produced crops as well, and that e. coli can originate from other sources besides manure. However, most producers of conventional and biotech crops use manufactured or synthetic fertilizer, and as Princeton molecular biologist Lee Silver puts it, “synthetic fertilizer does not contain bacteria of any kind – period. So synthetic fertilizer cannot cause food poisoning. no need to worry if it’s been processed properly.”
Organic farmers generally rely on conventional tillage for weed control, a practice universally understood to increase soil and water erosion and the loss of organic matter, which is the key to soil productivity.
Because organic crops do not yield as well as conventional or biotech crops, organic production requires more land. Alex Ave |
| 4/18/2007 |
|
|
|
|
