Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["TradingPostPaul" <tradingpost@riseup.net>]

Unfortunately, testing produce for pesticides is prohibitively expensive,
and USDA does not rely on testing for organic certification. Of course
chemical fertilizers don't show up in produce as chemicals that can be
tested. Certification is all based on documenting permitted inputs and land
history for three years back - correct? No one knows whether prohibited
chemicals were used. Which leaves us buying local from known sources and
growing our own to know what we're getting. I read recently that USDA has
never yet levied any fines against corporations violating organic
standards, or revoked anyone's certification over it ("we didn't do it and
we promise not to do it again"). And what control does USDA have over
"organic" tomatoes grown in Mexico, or wheat gluten (pet food) from China,
or winter produce from Chile? Zip.

paul tradingpost@lobo.net

*********** REPLY SEPARATOR  ***********

On 4/6/2007 at 11:20 AM Pego Rice wrote:

>This is well known among people who track these things
>and almost unknown elsewhere, I suspect.  I have a
>link to a survey of the Dairies for organic standards.
>http://cornucopia.org/dairysurvey/index.html
>
>Dean is one of the worst and has made the news a few
>times.  Many of the organic producers willingly
>shoulder extra testing and cost to show and keep their
>organic standards high.  Some, though, are relieving
>themselves of the burden of organic testing and simply
>marketing direct.  I buy from a dairy of this order, I
>can see their operation from end to end and can be
>assured of their standards...inasmuch as I understand
>them (from my family I actually do but) my point being
>that without understanding those standards or knowing
>these people enough to rely on their knowledge and
>trustworthiness what may actually be taking over the
>industry is shabby despair and shoddy tactics.  Being
>ignored into disrepute/death by the government is
>actually an old tactic of the US government and it
>works very well to get rid of thing the bureaucracy or
>the politicians find inconvenient.
>
>Yours Pego
>
>
>
>
> 
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