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  • From: "Tradingpost" <tradingpost AT gilanet.com>
  • To: market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Re: The Use of Chemical Fertilizers
  • Date: Wed, 05 May 2004 17:02:27 -0600


You know, I really don't like being misquoted, i.e., "it's impossible to
tell whether or not there are chemical - and not just pesticide - residues in
organic food".

I said, as my post below shows, "nobody can assure their produce has no
traces of pesticides etc., because the standards don't actually test the end
products." I can't make it any clearer than that. Point being, no matter how
you come out on the federal standards, it's very likely your produce has some
traces from drift or other unlikely sources.

I believe it IS "fairly well known that the federal standards allow the
corporate producers to "skirt the edges of organic". However, I'd guess NONE
of the corporate producers would admit to it. Whether you can "stand that
kind of generalization" or not is really none of my concern.

And I have better things to do than split hairs over who or what is organic.
Healthy food and healthy land is what matters to me. That statement should
not start another argument.

paul tradingpost AT gilanet.com

That is well said, replied Candide, but we must cultivate our garden.
--Voltaire [Francois-Marie Arouet] Candide

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

On 5/5/2004 at 5:30 PM rjweeks70 AT comcast.net wrote:

>I have to ask about the phrase "it's fairly well known" in your statement.
>Who knows this? How do they know it? If as you say, it's impossible to
>tell whether or not there are chemical - and not just pesticide - residues
>in organic food, how do you then know that those chemicals have been
>actually used?
>
>In my own opinion, I have a pretty good idea when fresh veggies that are
>labelled "organic" are actually such. You can tell just by looking at
>them! Does the lettuce have an occasional bug hole in the leaves? Do the
>zucchini or cucumbers have external scars from some insect predation? Do
>the tomatoes actually smell ripe?
>
>Admittedly, this is about as scientific as "it's fairly well known". But
>I can't stand that kind of generalization. Are large organic farms
>actually organic or not?
>
>As far as I understand from conversation with my local inspector for CCOF
>(California Certified Organic Farmers), the large farms and vineyards in
>our CCOF chapter have to maintain the same documentation as I do,
>operating on a few acres. The paperwork is admittedly a huge pain in the
>ass for me.
>
>Roger Weeks
>
>Date: Wed, 05 May 2004 08:33:47 -0600
>From: "Tradingpost" <tradingpost AT gilanet.com>
>Subject: Re: [Market-farming] The Use of Chemical Fertilizers
>To: market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
>
>
>The federal organic program has been severely criticized by many state
>certified
>organic producers who are hardly trying to "skirt the edges of organic".
>As for
>starting somewhere, it appears to be a giant step backwards from the goal
>of
>assuring chemical-free food, with loopholes for industrial agribusiness
>but
>burdensome and unnecessary paperwork for the smaller growers. It's fairly
>well
>known that the federal standards DO allow the corporate producers to
>"skirt the
>edges of organic". And of course nobody can assure their produce has no
>traces
>of pesticides etc., because the standards don't actually test the end
>products,
>they only concern the intentional inputs. As for Pat's methods, we need to
>look
>beyond arbitrary do's and don'ts and recognize the added value of growing
>locally for local consumption, esp home grown.
>
>paul tradingpost AT gilanet.com
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