Market Farming

["Rose & Fred Lieberman" <pyrite AT clarityconnect.com>]

From my personal experience at organic farming, the public perception seems
to be that it is "nice" but it's too expensive, not readily available, and
nobody's getting sick from supermarket produce.

It is marginal and will probably not mainstream unless two things happen, in
my opinion:

1.    There is a direct and scientifically established link between
pesticides and ill health - physical and mental - and the EPA bans the lot
of 'em!

2.    Growers of organic produce bring their prices in line with
traditionally grown produce.

Well, the EPA isn't fast enough or loose enough to ban anything unless it
fairly screams out.  And organic growers are just as greedy as anyone else
and they are convinced by land grant universities that they can't make money
unless they charge more.

So, not only is the food not readily accessible, but it's significantly more
expensive and, unless you're convinced that you'll die with the next bite of
traditional produce, no one is going to go out of their way to get it.

One more thing...organic produce still doesn't "look" as good as the other
stuff!  Despite the fact that we shouldn't have gotten used to blemish-free
produce, we did.  And we are constantly comparing.  Much of the produce
looks dull and is most often smaller.  I've seen it with just about
everything except for lettuces and greens.

So, the masses, who vote with their dollars, are not going to mainstream
organically grown produce.

Rose