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  • From: Pat Meadows <pat AT meadows.pair.com>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] The Use of Chemical Fertilizers
  • Date: Wed, 05 May 2004 08:20:49 -0400

On Tue, 04 May 2004 13:37:49 -0700, you wrote:

>The use of chemical fertilizers is conventional farming - not organic
>farming. Chemical fertilizers (i.e. 10-10-10) are not permitted at all in
>organic farming systems. Contaminants abound within chemically produced
>fertilizers which are taken up by vegetables exposed to them. Epsom salts
>is restricted as an input unless magnesium is an identified deficiency in
>the soil.
>
>It is very frustrating to hear people describe their farming methods as
>organic when they are so obviously not knowledgeable about what
>differentiates organic farming from conventional.


If you are addressing me in this post, I do NOT claim to be
an organic farmer. I am knowledgeable about what
differentiates organic farming from conventional.

If you go back and read what I posted, I think you will find
that I said (exact quote)

----------
I can still grow organically insofar as not using chemical
pesticides, etc.
----------

Perhaps the wording was not sufficiently clear. However,
what I meant was that one who uses chemical fertilizer is
NOT obliged to spray pesticides as well.

>We do not use chemical fertilizers, genetically modified organisms,
>pesticides or herbicides to start with - there is a whole lot more to
>protecting our vegetables from contamination from chemical pollutants.
>Please take the time to download the National Organic Program Standards if
>you are in the U.S. or the Canadian Standards if you are in Canada and
>educate yourself about what constitutes the minimum requirements for organic
>production.

Again, if you mean me, I've read them. I make no claim to
be an organic grower. I have *never* made any claim to be
an organic grower. I don't intend *ever* to make any claim
to be an organic grower since the USDA has co-opted the word
and slapped requirements that I consider silly into it.

At my level of production (microscopic), it makes NO sense
whatsoever to have to seek out an organic fertilizer I can
use for my seedlings - which grow in my living room under
lights - that will not cause my cat to dig them all up (as
fish emulsion and seaweed emulsion do).

When the federally-imposed standards disqualify someone from
being an organic grower merely because they used a chemical
fertilizer on seedlings growing in their living room - *even
if* the entirety of their methods were otherwise organic as
mine happened to be last year - THEN I am totally
disinterested in claiming to be an 'organic' grower.

I have grown vegetable gardens organically for well over 30
years: organically in the sense that everyone understood
until the word was co-opted by the federal government in an
effort to drive small organic farmers out of business (which
I believe to be the case) so that big business can take it
over. (Which is *precisely* what's happening now - many
long-time and well-known organic 'labels' formerly belonging
to fairly small enterprises have recently been bought out by
big business.)

Whether or not I comply with the 'standards', however, from
now on I will *never* again use the word 'organic' in
reference to anything I grow. The word is spoiled, ruined,
as far as I am concerned.

I will add that I am not alone in this opinion. See Eliot
Coleman's article to this effect, originally published by
the 'Mother Earth News' and now available on Coleman's
website:

http://www.fourseasonfarm.com/main/authentic/authentic.html

I make no apology for an opinion about growing things shared
by Eliot Coleman and other such luminaries of the 'organic'
movement as it was known for many, many years.

Since I have *extreme* difficulty in finding productive time
due to health problems and pressing financial need for the
veggies I grow (we depend on eating them as well as selling
them and cannot otherwise afford healthy vegetables and
salad stuff), I plan to utilize chemical fertilizer *if* it
will assist me.

If it works well, I'll continue to do it, while continuing
to build up my soil with whatever compost I can make, and
whatever mushroom compost I can afford to buy, and growing
'naturally' with regard to pest and weed control.

I personally think that local, and small-scale, food
production is to be encouraged regardless of whether it's
'organic' or not - rather than fighting among ourselves over
whether something complies with the organic 'standards' or
not, or whether or not the standards established by the US
government are the only 'good' or 'virtuous' way to grow
things.

Pat
--
"Rats and roaches live by competition under the laws of
supply and demand. It is the privilege of human beings to
live under the laws of justice and mercy." - Wendell Berry




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