Provocations

Organic vs Conventional. Lets get it straight.

Apples vs Oranges?

Yet another study - this time in today's Washington Post:
The environmental footprint of organic vs. conventional food
comes to a fairly simple conclusion: "Organic food is no better than regular food, a study finds."

I wonder how many will read what, as of this writing, is the sole comment. There's more understanding there than in the article itself. It stands on its own so I'll quote it here to give it a little more exposure:

Tawster wrote (italics mine):

You did something really subtle there. You changed the wording a bit there: The study is comparing "yields" and not "productivity". Big difference. I was scratching my head for a bit as I read because I knew that "productivity" of organic crops generally crushed conventional every time, though, dependent on the practice of the farmer, "yields" could be mixed.

Productivity is a measure of NET yield. I.e., after cost is factored in. Yields can be more or less than conventional, but the cost endured for conventional crop production is massive in comparison to organic. Costs include raw costs, like seed, fertilizer, fuel, herbicides, fungicides, labor. Those are a bit more for conventional generally, but it could be comparable in many cases. But where conventional falls face down is in *externalized* costs: ground water poisoning, air pollution, MRSA and virulent E. coli outbreaks, slurry lagoon breeches, soil loss, etc. etc.

i.e., The costs of conventional farming, often are more than the value of the crop they produce.

If you move to modern beyond-organic farmers, even their yields blow away conventional and organic and are the most yielding *and* productive farms on the planet.

This is trivially simple stuff. Why is the press not getting it right? I don't understand.

I think Tawster's being polite. It's actually not that hard to understand. The big money's not on organic, as evident in the attempt by Monsanto et al to defeat California's Proposition 37 (which seeks clear labelling of genetically modified products). Here's what it looked like as at the beginning of September. These are the companies seeking to prevent labelling of GMO foods in California; and the money they are spending to attempt to keep customers in the dark. Some are no surprise and some actually sell certified organic food. (Source: Big Ag Drops Another $13 Million to Defeat Food Labeling Prop)

1. MONSANTO COMPANY $4,208,000.00
2. E.I. DUPONT DE NEMOURS & CO. $4,025,200.00
3. PEPSICO, INC. $1,716,300.00
4. BASF PLANT SCIENCE $1,642,300.00
5. BAYER CROPSCIENCE $1,618,400.00
6. DOW AGROSCIENCES LLC $1,184,800.00
7. NESTLE USA, INC. $1,169,400.00
8. COCA-COLA NORTH AMERICA $1,164,400.00
9. CONAGRA FOODS $1,076,700.00
10. SYNGENTA CORPORATION $821,300.00
11. KELLOGG COMPANY $632,500.00
12. GENERAL MILLS, INC. $519,401.17
13. HERSHEY COMPANY $498,006.72
14. THE J.M. SMUCKER COMPANY $388,000.00
15. COUNCIL FOR BIOTECH. INFO. $375,000.00
16. GROCERY MFRS. ASSOCIATION $375,000.00
17. HORMEL FOODS CORPORATION $374,300.00
18. BIMBO BAKERIES USA $338,300.00
19. PIONEER HI-BRED INT $310,100.00
20. OCEAN SPRAY CRANBERRIES, INC. $301,553.21
21. PINNACLE FOODS GROUP LLC $266,100.00
22. DEAN FOODS COMPANY $253,950.00
23. BIOTECH INDUSTRY ORG. $252,000.00
24. MCCORMICK & COMPANY, INC. $248,200.00
25. WM. WRIGLEY JR. COMPANY $237,664.90
26. RICH PRODUCTS CORPORATION $225,537.15
27. CARGILL, INC. $202,229.36
28. DEL MONTE FOODS COMPANY $189,974.61
29. KNOUSE FOODS COOPERATIVE, INC. $135,831.53
30. MARS FOOD NORTH AMERICA $100,242.69
31. BUMBLE BEE FOODS, LLC $98,073.62
32. SUNNY DELIGHT BEVERAGES $96,952.57
33. SARA LEE CORPORATION $96,833.22
34. CAMPBELL SOUP COMPANY $70,454.91
35. SOLAE, LLC $61,207.43
36. MCCAIN FOODS USA, INC. $52,295.63
37. DOLE $45,580.05
38. C. H. GUENTHER & SON, INC. $24,189.18
39. LAND O'LAKES, INC. $21,513.78
40. HERO NORTH AMERICA $21,044.96
41. MORTON SALT $20,957.42
42. INVENTURE FOODS, INC. $11,343.80
43. GODIVA CHOCOLATIER, INC. $11,121.53
44. HOUSE-AUTRY MILLS, INC. $1,077.27
45. RICHELIEU FOODS, INC. $165.80

Some of these big names have organic food divisions or subsidiaries. This fairly recent chart will give you some insight:

Who Owns What in the Organic food industry.

I'm going to keep Tawster's comment handy for when I encounter the next blinkered article, claiming organic is more expensive than conventional agriculture.

A Permaculture farm in Oregon, using keyline principles

While each location has its unique aspects, elements of this farm setup will likely apply in your area.

"Permaculture Elder Tom Ward takes us on a ten-minute animated tour of Wolf Gulch Farm in Southern Oregon, USA. It was designed using Permaculture principles and laid out using Keyline patterning. Tom's narrated journey explores water supply and storage, soil building, wind and air drainage, cropping, and an enlightened perspective on the watershed and the future of farming in harmony with natural forces. "

"This video was produced by Andrew Millison as part of the course content for his online Advanced Permaculture Design Practicum, Hort 485, taught through the Horticulture department at Oregon State University's Extended Campus."

Growing Things - My Growing Experience

Working with beneficial weeds

Using his young food forest as an example, Michael Pilarski shows some of the many riches that can be generated by working with the plant kingdom.

The implications of charity - an animation by Slavoj Zizek

This development of charity as a "built-in" feature of our politico-economic system has been grinding away in my mind for a while. It's a relief to have it articulated so well.

In this country, at least, the food bank was intended as emergency relief. Now, as corporate government treats hunger as a food bank responsibility, the food banks are running out of food and calling on the people to give more, many of them the same ones who now need the food bank themselves.

What's On My Food? :: Pesticides On Food

What's On My Food? :: Pesticides On Food.

"What’s On My Food? is a searchable database designed to make the public problem of pesticide exposure visible and more understandable."

US-based but should be generally applicable to Canada as much of our non-local food seems to come from the same sources.

Prison Farms - support growing

In March I wrote to our local MP about the proposed closing of Canada's prison farms.  It was a polite, even complimentary, letter but I received no acknowledgement at all.

This federal government move seems to be driven by an ideologically-driven wish to punish and, perhaps, a lack of respect for the fact that learning to grow food is one of the most important skills a citizen in this era could have -  not to mention the fact that farming provides very good learning opportunities to develop the basic attitudes and understanding that makes for a good worker. (I speak from my experience as a market gardener). According to Kingston this Week:

Dianne Dowling, Vice President of the National Farmers Union . . . argues that the farms allow inmates to acquire key transferable skills. They not only learn practical trades such as meat-cutting, food processing, and equipment operations, but also become accustomed to acceptable workplace behaviour.

“The prison farms offer inmates a chance to rehabilitate by learning employment skills such as [punctuality], job commitment, and teamwork,” she says.

Productivity at these farms is worth noting, she says.

The eggs and dairy products produced at Frontenac Institution and meat processed at the Pittsburgh Institution abattoir are used in federal prisons in Ontario and Quebec, and hundreds of dozens of eggs have been donated to the local food bank. The farm at Frontenac spends about $900,000 in the local economy, Dowling points out, helping support businesses such as farm equipment dealers, feed mills and tradespeople.

As the sign says, the inmates are paying their way through agriculture, Dowling states.

With continued public protest against the proposed closures and examples like New Zealand's successful organic prison farms, there's hope yet that we may see the continuation of a simple, sane and productive aspect of prisons and prison life.

• Harper government's plans to shut prison farms show lack of vision
• Prison farm may not produce farmers but could create better people - Jan.13/10
  
• The Future of Prison Farms - audio and transcript
• Cultivating convicts - Dec.4/09
• Ending prison farms defies logic - Oct.24/09
• First step toward closing the two prison farms in kingston could come this June -Feb.3/10
• Prison farm supporters take case to Ottawa - Apr.3/10
• Prison farms shouldn't be plowed under - Apr.27/10
• Prison farms should remain in Canada - Apr.29/10
• Sale of prison farm herd criticized - Jun.23/10
• Hundreds protest prison farm closure - Aug.9/10
• Liberals pledge to reopen federal prison farms - Sep.24/10
  

Greater long-run savings and humanity in small, de-centralized businesses.

Quote for the month:

How can individuals assist the transition? Support the small, local alternative, even if it entails inconvenience. And often it will. The big, mainstream standbys (big banks, chain stores etc.) are often subsidized in hidden ways to make them more convenient, and to make them seem to the individual consumer to be more economical. According to dominant theory, bigness implies an "economy of scale" through mass production and bulk purchasing. But the real costs of added transportation resulting from centralized production and control (including extra pollution and its cascading environmental effects) are rarely factored into the accounting. Also we must learn always to question the ideology of efficiency, since many human needs and interests are only degraded by its ruthless, myopic calculus (should one, after all, strive to be an "efficient" parent, giving a minimum of love for a maximum of obedience?).

 - Richard Heinberg

The Kaslo Food Security Project

A good example of a community approach to food security:

Planting the Seeds from Hadas Levy on Vimeo.

A Blueprint for Restoring Fragile Ecosystems

By piecing together a complex ecological puzzle, biologist Willie Smits has found a way to re-grow clearcut rainforest in Borneo, saving local orangutans - and creating a thrilling blueprint for restoring fragile ecosystems.

About Willie Smits
Willie Smits has devoted his life to saving the forest habitat of orangutans, the "thinkers of the jungle." As towns, farms and wars encroach on native forests, Smits works to save what is left.

Watch this remarkable and inspiring 20-minute video.

Harper government's plans to shut prison farms show lack of vision

It's coming up for a week since I sent an e-mail to our local (Kamloops - Thompson - Cariboo) member of parliament, Cathy McLeod. With no acknowledgement or reply yet, I will publish it here as an open letter:

To: Cathy McLeod MP

Greetings,

I've found your presence in this area to be refreshing. While it will take a bit to get me to vote Conservative, your style and apparent substance have had me paying attention and considering dropping in to your 100 Mile Office.

However, today I was reminded of your leader's style of governing and, unfortunately I have to see you in that context. I awoke to the story about the Harper government's plans to shut prison farms and, aside from vague rationalizations, what came thorough to me was meanness, lack of social vision and the blinkers of ideology.

Living in a more rural area, I'm hoping you will understand the folly of this move and perhaps can persuade Mr Harper that there is little to be gained and much to be lost by shutting down these farms. I suspect the ideological drive is a punitive one and a fear of being "soft on crime". However, if people are to leave prison with some hope of success in our society and a reduced likelihood of recidivism, surely it can only help for them to develop the work habits that form the foundation of job success. While I've been a web designer for ten years, for three years I ran a three-acre commercial vegetable garden. I saw how the compulsions of caring for animals and crops created a meaningful framework for some of the young people who worked for me, one in which their actions had clear consequences.

Add to this, the expanding importance of local food supplies and the related value of growing/raising at least some of our own food and I can only wonder: what is he thinking? Please see what you can do to get your leader/party to exercise a little more social vision and keep his eye on the big picture.

The mainstream media has pretty much failed to pick up on this story. Here are a couple of references added subsequent to the above post:

• Canada's prison farm system being phased out - announcement (read comments that follow)
• [update June 3, 2009] Union fighting government's plan to close prison farm