The Father of Organic Farming

An English botanist and an organic farming pioneer, Sir Albert Howard became a principal figure in the early organic movement. In the English-speaking world Howard viewed as the father of modern organic agriculture.  Howard worked in India as agricultural adviser and managed a government research farm. He observed and came to support traditional Indian farming practices over conventional agricultural science. He brought back to UK what he learned in India about agriculture and farming. He developed organic farming techniques, and spread his knowledge through the UK. He published many books about farming. An Agricultural Testament became one of his most famous works.

Sir Albert Howard is an important figure in today’s organic agriculture world. Every farmer knows and applies his principles into their own faming master piece.

Organic Farming

Organic fruits and vegetables sparks interest in many people. Growing organic foods is not an easy process; it requires a special and manual labor. Organic farms do no use any harmful pesticides or other chemicals that would be harmful human health and the environment. Most often, id a farmer decides to go organic they transform their farm 100% in order to avoid chemical spread. In order to obtain a USDA organic label, the farm must go through an annual certification process. On foods like fruits and vegetables, look for a small sticker version of the USDA Organic label or check the signage in your produce section for this seal. In order to pass the USDA inspections, farmers keep close records of all the activities that go on their farm and fields.   If it's a large farm, they usually end up hiring a person to do all the data management on the computer. 

Organic farming most of the time requires manual weed control. Farmers can't use chemicals on their plants so the weeding gets done by hand. It's time consuming and can get pretty expensive. 

Organic farms perform crop rotations in order to prevent soil depletion, maintains soil fertility, prevent disease, and control weeds. The ideas behind crop rotation never plant the same thing in the same place twice. 

International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements states, "Organic agriculture is a production system that sustains the health of soils, ecosystems and people. It relies on ecological processes, biodiversity and cycles adapted to local conditions, rather than the use of inputs with adverse effects. Organic agriculture combines tradition, innovation and science to benefit the shared environment and promote fair relationships and a good quality of life for all involved..".

The Mad Soy Disease

The "mad soy disease" strike Brazil due to Genetically Modified crops. According to the USDA Global Agricultural Information Network, 78 percent of Brazils soybean plants are GM. The scientists in the United States, identified more than 40 diseases linked to Genetically Modified plants. The GM crops spread the disease to the crops themselves, and to other near by planted crops. The disease delays the maturation of infected plants.  The plants remain green until they eventually rot in the field. The top leaves thin out, and the stems thicken and become deformed. The poison and highly toxic chemical in the GM plants, threatens human and animal health. 


“Significantly increase the severity of various plant diseases, impair plant defense to pathogens and diseases and immobilize soils plant nutrients rendering them unavailable for plant use”, says Don  Huber, recently retired scientist from Purdue University. Scientists are in the process developing a cure for the disease. So far they have not found a cure and disease will continue to spread across South America.  

One of the ways you can find out if your produce have been genetically modified.

Seven out of every 10 items on grocery stores shelves contain ingredients that have been genetically modified. Scientists are using new technology to transfer the genes of one species to another, and these altered foods are in the market stream. How do people know if the food they're buying has been genetically modified? Companies that produce genetically engineered seeds fight hard to keep the genetically modified label off the foods. Almost all fruits and vegetables in the grocery stores have identification sticker with numbers attached to the fruit. The code provides hidden information about the fruit.  Maria Gallagher reported in the Philadelphia Inquirer, the code printed on the sticker can tell a person if the fruit was genetically modified, organically grown or produced with chemical fertilizers, fungicides, or herbicides. 

The food grown with chemical inputs, the code on the sticker consists of four numbers. Organically grown fruit has a five-numeral code prefaced by the number 9. Genetically engineered (GM) fruit has a five-numeral code prefaced by the number 8.

The sticker labels attached to the fruits and vegetables at the grocery stores contains valuable information. The code on the label uncovers the truth about the food you buy. 

Monsanto

The Monsanto Company is the leading producer of genetically engineered seeds. Monsanto scientists became the first to genetically modify a plant cell in 1982. Five years later, Monsanto conducted the first field tests of genetically engineered crops. All the plants they modify cannot be resold or breed with other seeds because Monsanto own the original genetic makeup of the seed. Monsanto contaminates the organic crop with their modified seeds. They go around and sample the fields for GM plants. If they find any GM plants growing in the fields they then sue, saying they own the crop. Monsanto seeds contain highly toxic class of chemicals. Results of tests on mice and rats caused concern to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.  The EPA determined that treated plants are so dangerous to agricultural workers that they must wear special protective clothing when handling them.

In May 2010, Monsanto announced will be donating 60,000 seed sacks (475 tons) of hybrid corn seeds and vegetable seeds to Haitian farmers. They farmers called for a march to protest the corporation's presence in Haiti on June 4, for World Environment Day. 

People from all over the world developing an awareness of Monsanto Company. Poor countries like Haiti and India would rather starve than consume food from Monsanto Company. 

Genetically Modified Foods Hazards

Genetically modified foods raise many concerns among people all over the world.  European environmental organizations and public interest groups protested against GM foods for months. Recent controversial studies about the effects of genetically-modified corn pollen on monarch butterfly caterpillars brought the issue of genetic engineering to the U.S. In response, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration held three open meetings in Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Oakland, in order to establish a new regulatory procedure for government approval of GM foods.  

Last year a laboratory study showed that pollen from genetically modified corn caused high mortality rates in monarch butterfly caterpillars.

Some of the genes in GM technology are taken from a food that causes allergies in some people. Inserting that gene into another organism could cause the host organism to express that allergen as a trait. Several GM foods are modified using bacteria and viruses which can create an outbreak of new diseases. 

A recent article published in Lancet examined the effects of GM potatoes on the digestive tract in rats. The study discovered appreciable differences in the intestines of rats fed GM potatoes and rats fed unmodified potatoes. The gene introduced into the potatoes was a snowdrop flower lectin, which is known to be toxic to mammals.  

Genetically Modified foods create a controversy and concerns among people from all over the world.  When it come to food, most people want to make sure it won't  harm  human health and the environment. 

http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/gmfood/overview.php

Purpose of GMO

We live in the time where science and the modern day technology can develop things that seemed impossible and unrealistic in the earlier times.  The weather and climate no longer affects the crops.  Humans are now able to control the production of food by genetically modifying crops. The world population has topped 6 billion people and is predicted to double in the next 50 years.  The increasing population creates food supply challenges. Genetically modified foods original purpose was intended to be a solution for the food supply shortage.

GMO creates a pesticide resistance. Crop losses from insect pests can result in devastating financial loss for farmers and starvation in developing countries. 

The idea behind GMO is to provide an opportunity to feed the world. The quantity of genetically modified crops can be controlled because of the pest and herbicide resistance.  Unexpected frost can destroy plants. An antifreeze gene from cold water fish allows those plants to tolerate cold temperatures that normally would kill them. However, several countries do not want genetically modified foods due to health concerns.  This week, India rejected what would have been the country’s first genetically modified food crop, a transgenic eggplant. Indian government decided not to approve the crop because of possible negative impacts on human health and the environment.

Science can control the food that we eat today. Even though the idea of GMO can increase the food supply in the world, it might not be in the best interest for human health and environment. 

List of Genetically Modified Foods

People consume genetically modified foods on the daily bases without even knowing it. Science messed with the natural make up of a seeds by injecting genes from various unknown organisms. Some of the seeds lost their natural state to the genetically modified method. Estimates say as many as 30,000 different products on grocery store shelves are "modified."  That means every time a person goes to the grocery store they end up buying a food product that was scientifically altered.  Here is the list of genetically modified fruits and vegetables that should be avoided. 

Soybean and foods including tofu, soy oil, and soy flour are genetically modified to resist herbicides. 

Genetically modified sugarcane is resistant to certain pesticides. 

Tomatoes made for a longer shelf life and to prevent a substance that causes tomatoes to rot and degrade.

Officials from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said that thousands of tones of genetically engineered sweet corn made their way into the human food supply chain.  Recently Monsanto, a biotechnology food producer, said that about half of the USA's sweet corn acreage has been planted with genetically modified seed this year. Regular corn and products containing corn such as oil, flour, and syrup  were modified to resistant certain pesticides. 

Next time you go to the grocery store, think twice before grabbing a food item off the shelf, because that food item might be genetically modified.  

GMO Food

Modern day science and technology makes anything possible. Various foods we eat today contain genetically modified ingredients.  Genetically modified foods derive from genetically altered characteristics which aren’t present naturally. Scientists change the plants' characteristics by putting new genetic material into them, genes for example from bacteria which can withstand pesticides. The method transfers selected individual gene from one organism into another. The technology is also known as “modern biotechnology”, “gene technology”, “recombinant DNA technology” or “genetic engineering”.

Most of the time, GMO manipulates a plant or an organism for pest and herbicide resistance. When a farmer sprays pesticides on genetically mortified plant, the pesticide destroys the pest but it does not kill the plant. Herbicide chemicals are designed to kill weeds around the plant but without damaging the actual plant, because the plant is genetically altered to resist the herbicide. 

GMO raises environmental, health, economic and ethical concerns. Most people oppose to GM foods, and insist on further investigations. Science plays an important role in our modern day society, but did it go too far with GMO?  

Why Eat Vegetables?

Eat your vegetables! Every person most likely came across this saying at some point in their lives. Children are taught at young age to eat their veggie. Why is there such a great emphasize on eating vegetables? Fresh vegetables provide various health benefits. People who eat more fruits have a reduced risk of developing chronic diseases. 

Daily vegetable consumption reduces risk for stroke, cardiovascular diseases, as well as type 2 diabetes.  The nutrients found in vegetables protect against certain cancers, such as mouth, stomach, and colon-rectum cancer. Vegetables high in potassium reduce the risk of developing kidney stones and help to decrease bone loss. Vegetable high in potassium include sweet potatoes, white potatoes, white beans, tomato products, beet greens, soybeans, lima beans, winter squash, spinach, lentils, kidney beans, and split peas. 

Vegetables are great source of vitamins, especially A, E, and C. Vitamin A is vital for our eyes and skin healthy, and it helps to protect our bodies against infections. Vitamin E protects artery, and heart health. Avocados are rich with vitamin E. Vitamin C strengthens immune system. Cabbage, chard, collard greens, green peppers, kale, parsley, and mustard green contain an excellent source of vitamin C. 

Next time you hear a saying "Eat your vegetables", remember the reason why. Vegetables provide nutrients vital for health and maintenance of a human body.  

Systemic Chemicals

Vegetables treated with chemicals and pesticides can sometimes be washed off. However, it's not the case with fruits and vegetables treated with systemic chemicals. 

Systemic chemical absorbs into the tissue of a plant through the root. The chemicals are in the plant, not on it. Unlike with traditional insecticides, you can’t wash or peel off systemic pesticide residues because they’re in the plant’s tissues, not on their exteriors. Systemic may be absorbed, injected, or fed into the plant. The chemicals  circulate through the plant’s tissues, killing the insects that feed on them.  

"          ", said Tina Smith, Nevada organic farmer 

Top Ten Vegetables not to Buy Conventionally.

Non organic fruits and vegetables are sprayed with pesticides to ensure the best produce. Chemicals are sprayed on the plant to control the damage of the crop and to produce more.  Shopping for only organic foods would be the ideal, but not everyone's budget allows them to buy everything organic.  It is important to think carefully about which fruits and vegetables to spend the extra money on. Some fruits and vegetables-especially ones with thick skin, such as cantaloupes, avocados, bananas, pineapple and oranges-are just as healthy in their non-organic forms. Here is the list of top ten vegetables that should be bought organic.

1. Bell Peppers

2. Celery

3. Kale

4. Lettuce

5. Carrots

6. Collard Greens

7. Spinach

8. Potatoes

9. Green Beans

10. Summer Squash, e.g. zucchini

Bell peppers have 86% of chemical absorption rate. When growing bell peppers, farmers use pesticides to get rid of the ants and other insects. Celery contains 94% of the chemicals sprayed on it making it a number one threat to your health. Lettuce, spinach, and kale are treated with pesticides, which can be difficult to wash off. Most of the salad greens grow so low to the ground, so tend to absorb chemicals from directly from the soil.  

Not everyone’s budget allows them to purchase everything organically. It's important to prioritize and buy produce that's necessary to be organic in order to avoid harmful pesticides and chemicals. 

Why do we pay more for Organic?

Ice cream stores will charge extra for additional toppings. Extra slice of cheese on your on a sandwich would cost a dollar or two more to add. You would assume that organic food would cost less to produce than food with added extras. Organic farming is  a lot more complex than most would think. 

There is enormous amount that goes into organic food production. Organic farmers don't use chemicals or pesticides in their soil, which means they have to deal with weeds. They hire workers to do hand weeding, which can be costly. Organic farmers also run a higher risk of losing their crop because of the limited soil and plant treatments. "There aren't as many tools in the toolbox to deal with pest outbreaks or diseases," said Nancy Creamer, director of the Center for Environmental Farming Systems at North Carolina State University. 

When you grow organic fruits and vegetables, crop rotation is necessary to keep the soil healthy. Conventional farmers on the other hand, can use every acre every year to grow the crops. 

Organic Certification process requires additional administrative costs.   However, farmers can apply for a government grant to reduce the cost of the certification fees. 

Finally, the demand for organic food is greater than the supply. Most grocery stores don't even carry organic produce, and if they do it's topically more  pricey than conventional produce.  If there were more organic farmers in the country the cost of the organic food would go down. 

Organic Farming is complex and labor intensive.  It requires extra work, money, and time.  

An Organic Food Fiasco

Organic foods baffled many people all over the nation. Some believe that eating organic is a better way to go, while others think that organic foods is the waste of money.  Is it worth paying extra money for organic label, or stick with the regular "non organic" food? 

According to the USDA, organically grown food is grown without any synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, genetic engineering, growth hormones, or antibiotics. Weeds are controlled naturally through crop rotation, hand weeding, mulching, and tilling rather than through chemical herbicides. The preparation of organic foods is highly regulated. Before a product can be labeled ‘organic,’ a Government-approved certifier inspects the farm where the food is grown to make sure the farmer is following all the rules necessary to meet USDA organic standards. 

As mentioned earlier, organically grown foods do not contain pesticides.  Pesticides are chemicals such as fungicides, herbicides, insecticides, and are widely used in conventional agriculture. Children and pregnant women are most vulnerable to pesticide exposure. Children's bodies and brain are not fully developed, so an early pesticide exposure can cause developmental delays, behavioral disorders, and motor dysfunction. Most people have a build-up of pesticide exposure. The chemicals in fruits and vegetables could lead to health issues such as headaches, birth defects, and added strain on weakened immune systems.

An Organic food usually fresher and tastier than a non organic. Due to the number added preservative, non organic food has a longer lasting shelf life. Organic food contains no preservative. It doesn't last as long, but it's natural and fresh. 

Organic farming increases soil fertility, reduces pollution in air water and soil, and uses less energy. Harsh chemicals and pesticides can be very harmful, and even deadly to small animals and birds. 

Switching to organic foods is a personal choice. If you're concerned about eating foods that contain chemicals and pesticides then maybe it is worth paying the extra buck or two for an organic label. 

Why subscribe to CSA?

Community Supported Agriculture is a program designed to support and preserve local farms. The program offers wonderful benefits to those who subscribe to it. 

CSA subscribers become connected to their communities. It is a good way to meet other people who are interested in buying local fresh organic food. The program provides an opportunity to get to know the farmers who actually grow the food. 

One of the greatest things about the CSA program is freshly picked seasonal produce. Every season has its own harvest. Most of the time the produce that customers receive in their baskets is picked on the same day of the delivery. Now, you can't say the same thing about the produce at the grocery store. It is a surprise factor however. Typically, consumers never know what they are going to get each week. How many can say they've eaten a rolly Polly Squash or an Armenian cucumber? With CSA, consumers can try unfamiliar foods and master new recipes.

People who receive weekly CSA share usually consume more fruits and vegetables than they did before subscribing. U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) suggests that Americans consume at least two servings of fruit and three servings of vegetables daily, but a 2007 study by researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health reported that Americans are not meeting these minimum levels. 

Community Supported Agriculture program is a way to live a healthier lifestyle and an opportunity to experience seasonal harvest.  

What is CSA?

U.S. farmers adopted a new idea in farming that provides families with high-quality, seasonal produce grown on local, sustainable farms.  Community Supported Agriculture also known as CSA is a unique way for small farmers to make a living and consumers receive fresh fruits and vegetables.  

Here is how CSA program works.  A farmer offers public a certain amount of shares. The shares usually consist of a box or a basket of organic fruits and vegetables. A person who is interested in the share subscribes to the membership, and in exchange, receives a basket full of weekly seasonal produce throughout the farming season. Typically, consumers subscribe to CSA season at time, some places offer week to week subscription. It depends on the supplier. Some farmers produce enough fruits and vegetables to feed hundreds of people every week, season after season. The smaller farms have to take it a week at a time. 

 Nevada's CSA program offers three seasons: spring, summer, and autumn.  The spring season brings forth lettuces, spinach, baby greens, stir fry green mix, basil, cilantro, peas, beets, carrots, and asparagus. Summer includes tomatoes, sweet corn, melons, zucchini, and summer squash, fruit, berries, and more. Autumn subscribers receive winter squash, potatoes, pie pumpkins, onions, garlic, spinach and other fresh goodness. Different states provide different opportunities for people.   

CSA program feeds thousands of families every week with fresh, high quality produce. 

Bringing Community Together

A farmers market is one of the best ways to bring a community together. It's a place where people can go to buy fresh produce, visit with friends, listen to a life band, and eat delicious market food. Farmers’ markets are usually open air affairs, where shoppers can enjoy the fresh air and sunshine, unlike supermarkets where people exposed to artificial lighting and recycled air.  You see a gentleman holding corn on the cob while tapping his foot to the sound of the life band. Ladies are laughing. Children are dancing. Everyone is in good spirit. 

Farmers markets help bring life into towns and cities. Once a week, people have an opportunity to come together as community to relax and to enjoy each other’s company. Shoppers have a chance to interact with farmers. When people come every week, they develop trust and friendship with their farmers. 

Last but not least, Farmers markets attract business to retailers in the local area.  

W H Smith and Debenhams of Winchester both reported a statistic which shows businesses that are located closest to the market locations have profit increase by up to 30% on farmers market days.

Farmers market is an excellent way to bring a local community together, where people can relax, laugh, shop, dance, and simply just enjoy each other's company. 

Benefit of Farmers Market: Low Prices

Last week when I went to a local farmers market, I noticed something that completely surprised me. I had a $8 farmers market budget last week. I didn't think $8 could get me much stuff. However, for $8 I bought a cantaloupe, giant green pepper, onions, potatoes, tomatoes, zucchini, apples, and two cucumbers! Normally, I would spend over $15 on the same stuff at the grocery store. The prices of organic produce is outrages in the grocery stores. Organic produce is much cheaper to purchase at farmers markets. 

  

In a study of California farmers' markets, titled “California Farmers Markets Price Perceptions 54 percent of sellers at California farmers' markets “actually charged lower prices than supermarkets on a cumulative 345 items.” Another 44 percent said they set prices equivalent to supermarkets on a “a cumulative 259 produce items.”

   

Farmers market is a good way to save money on fresh produce. You'll be surprised how much stuff can buy for less than ten dollars

Benefits of a Farmers market: Naturally ripened process

Growing up, I had the opportunity to experience farmers markets from both the customer's and vendor's perspective. As I got older, I realized that there a many benefits to buying your produce at local farmers markets. 

The fruits and vegetables that you find at farmers markets are grown locally and picked when ripened. Naturally ripened produce produces a better taste, texture, and aroma.  Produce in the grocery stores is often picked unripe and ripened artificially with gas emission system or ethylene generator systems. Artificially ripened produce loses its nutritional value.  Food left to ripen on the plant will contain more nutrients and have a better flavor than food that is harvested early and ripened artificially. Produce at farmers markets is usually picked on the day of the market. At farmers markets fruits and vegetables are guaranteed to be fresh and nutritionally valuable.

 Each season brings forth a verity of vegetables and fruits. With spring comes lettuce, and fresh greens. Summer brings a verity of summer squash, tomatoes, carrots, berries, peppers, and more. In the fall, you'll find winter squash, potatoes, pumpkins, cantaloupe, and juicy apples. 

Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food.

Have you ever wondered where and how eat everyday comes from? Is eating organic food really makes a difference?

  

 What we put in our bodies is crucial to our health and well being. Most of the time when we go to buy produce at the nearby grocery store, we don't really know where and how those fruits and vegetables were grown. What kind chemicals are used to grow the produce, and are they harmful to our bodies? I'll talk more about those questions later on. For now, let's talk about how you can learn more about where you food comes from.

 The best way to learn about your food and where it comes from is through a local food producer. Get to know your local farmer, and get to know your food. Most places hold weekly farmers markets where you can purchase fresh locally grown produce. It will give you an opportunity to ask a farmer any questions about their food. As I’ve mentioned earlier, knowing what we put in our bodies is important to our health and our well being. Even though it's a fruit or a vegetable, doesn't mean it's good for us.