Livestock Production: Organic Cattle and Swine The History of Organic Farming Organic agriculture is the oldest form of agriculture on our planet. Until post World War II, farming without harmful petroleum based sources was the only way of farming. There were no hazardous fertilizers and pesticides made from petroleum based products. During World War II many agricultural technologies were created. For example, ammonium used for munitions during World War II evolved into nitrate fertilizer and organophosphate production led to the creation of strong insecticides. These technical advances have resulted in economic gains at the cost of severe environmental and social consequences. Examples of non-harmful organic methods would be: crop rotations, cover crops, and natural based products to improve soil fertility. Because genetically modified organisms encourage the use of synthetic inputs with unknown risks, GMOs are not allowed in organic agriculture (Delate, Duyvejonck, 2011). In the 1960s and 1970s, Americans began thinking more about where their food is from and how it is produced. Consumers began worrying about the application of pesticides. In the minds of consumers, it became very important not to use pesticides in organic agriculture. Due to the growth of organic agriculture a list of organic standards was developed and third-party certifiers became popular. These agencies were independent and provided farmers with an assessment (review of plans and on-site inspections) (Baier, Coffey, There are strict regulations required to raise certified organic meat. The USDA defines “natural” meat as: “All meats raised for human consumption without additives and minimally processed” (Topline Foods, 2014). According to USDA regulations, any meat can be labeled “natural” if it contains no artificial flavoring, coloring, preservative or any other artificial ingredients. This means that producers raising natural meats may choose to eliminate the use of steroids, growth hormones and antibiotics from their animals. They may also be producing their animals in conventional feedlot situations full of steroids, hormones, antibiotics and GMO feeds. It’s all about the processing (USDA Organic,
In today's society, organic food is a giant new thing in which food is produced without any chemicals. In other words, the product must be 100 percent natural. A major food source of the American people is meat, and the way that it is produced today is a major issue. In feedlots, where cattle are fed grain to grow before being slaughtered, the conditions are terrible and horrifying. Cattle are confined to a limited amount of space and not allowed to roam freely. Also in these cattle growing yards, the risk of disease is much higher in these animals than out on the open range grazing on the grass. Beef critics say that there are no cattle breeds that posses the amounts of marbling present to make a good steak. It is a true statement to say that these critics are very indeed wrong. Also, Many people also do not know that that the meat from cattle that are fed grain, is high in fat content and has too much marbling. Grass-fed beef is much leaner than grain-fed beef, has less fats, and is produced all naturally. Therefore, grass-fed beef is much healthier and safer to eat than grain-fed beef.
Organic fertilisers and natural pest control methods minimise the impact of viticulture on the environment. In recent years there has been a considerable movement by some growers towards an organic approach. This is as a result of consumer driven trends and pressure to minimise the environmental impact of viticulture.
Organic products and non-organic products have been a subject of interest to me for a great amount of time because I have often questioned whether there really was a difference between the two types of products. I always wondered what the nutritional, economic, laborious, and pollution differences were, if any, in the creation of the two types of products. Through research, I have found several sources of information that allow me to determine more than a physical difference between the two. To start, labeling something as organic is specific and determined by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The regulations set are extremely specific and it is relatively difficult to meet the standards.
Organic refers to the way agricultural products, food and fiber, are grown and processed. “It is an ecological system that at its core relies on a healthy rich soil to produce strong plants that resist pests and diseases. Organic farming prohibits the use of toxic and persistent chemicals in favor of more “earth-friendly” practices that work in harmony with nature. In the case of livestock, antibiotics are prohibited, opting instead for preventative measures for keeping animals healthy and productive. Organic production also prohibits the use of genetically modified organisms (GMO’s).” (Ameriorganic) To find organic products one must only look for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) seal. The seal certifies the product must be 95%
Pesticides can be absorbed from the outside of the produce to the inside of the skin. If one does not eat completely organic, there is no way to stay completely away from consuming chemicals. Pesticides also contaminate drinking water. Run off water from farms using pesticides contaminate rivers and have the potential to infiltrate drinking water supplies ("Assessing Health Risks from Pesticides | Pesticides | US EPA"). A simple way to avoid this is to filter your water a few extra times before you consume it. Scientists know more about the effect pesticides have on people than the effects GMOs do. This evidence is due to worker exposer. People who apply pesticides such as vegetable and fruit pickers. The Environmental Protection Agency known as the EPA, evaluates exposure workers have to chemicals. The EPA only registers chemicals that are shown to be safe if used properly. There are different ways to be exposed to pesticide, inhalation exposure, dermal exposure, and oral exposure. Testing is typically preformed on animals by pesticide companies in independent laboratories. While testing pesticides the EPA looks for a wide range of side effects such as eye and skin irritation to birth defects and cancer. The Federal Government also regulates pesticides, “to ensure that they do not pose unreasonable risk to human health or the environment.” ("Assessing Health Risks from Pesticides | Pesticides | US
A good example is when you plant carrots with onions. The onion smell ends up chasing the carrot root fly and vice versa. The use of trap crops is another alternative to pesticides whereby pests are attracted away from the valuable crops. Organic farming is another alternative because it involves less of pesticides or any other method. Biological pest control is another means that farmers can use to reduce the use of pesticides. It includes the use of bacteria and viruses, entomopathogenic fungi, pheromones, and the release of natural pest and parasites. Insect breeding interference is the last alternative that can be used instead of pesticides to reduce the effects (Pimentel
Many people believe that they can remove excess pesticides by merely washing their produce before consuming it, yet that is simply not the case. One may wash their produce to their hearts content, but when the poisons of pesticides are already harbored within, there is no way to remove them. Going back to the example of an apple, as it continues to grow the pesticides will stay within and also, slightly alleviate the need for more. When it comes time to harvest the apples, orchards will send them off to be cleaned and then to the stores or to a processor to become apple juice. With the pesticides still inside of the apples, even apple juice will contain the chemicals and can be harmful to the consumer. The best way to ensure that the food purchased is something healthy instead of harmful, is to check to make sure that ‘Organic’ is somewhere on the label. It may cost more but the price should always outweigh the health risks. Certain studies on pesticides are based around calculations of what they may do to the human body in the future if our use of them continues, but many studies
Research has also shown that organic producers are unable to give their cows medications and still consider them “organic” so often times when cows have illnesses or disorders they go untreated, of course at the expense of the cows own well-being. Aside from being exploited for products that do not belong to humans, animals that are truly raised “humanely” due to specialty labels are only a “very small percent, about 2 percent, of the billions of animals exploited for food each year in the U.S, and even animal derived foods produced according to a "humane" program may not meet consumer expectations.” These labels are meant to mislead consumers, in order to make them feel that they are making more humane choices. Unfortunately alternatively labeled dairy does not exempt the cows from the
For years organic farmers and conventional farmers have feuded over which is superior. Organic farmers argue that their product is more eco-friendly because they do not use the synthetic chemicals and fertilizers conventional farmer’s use. Conventional farmers argue that their product is healthier and yields more. People tend to have stereotypes regarding the two types of farmers. Organic farmers are usually thought of as liberal, hippy, tree-huggers while conventional farmers are usually thought of as right-wing, industrialists. Obviously, some do adhere to this stereotype, but a majority of these farmers are normal, hardworking people. Although these farmers, both believe in their methods, one is no better than the other. There are advantages and disadvantages to both, but there is no true superior method of crop farming.
A study of 362 datasets found that organic agriculture produces 80% of conventional yield with 21% standard deviation (Tomek et al. 2012). Second, organic farming requires less energy input which equates to less money spend from the farmers in addition to lowering carbon emissions. A study by the Department of Environment shows that organic agriculture uses 25 percent less than energy than their chemical counterparts, and certain crops like organic leeks and broccoli use 58 and 49 percent less, respectively (Bialis et al. 2013). Third, organic farming does not use pesticides. According to the World Health Center, 20,000 people die annually from the exposure of pesticides (Costa et al. 2014). Fourth, the methods that organic farmers use are better for the environment in the long run. And lastly, organic farming creates more jobs. A study done in United Kingdom shows 93,000 jobs could be created if Britain were to make a full scale shift to organic farming (Herro 2006). Although conventional agriculture is the primary producer for food currently, a large scale shift to organic agriculture is better suited to feed the world because organic agriculture can produce at adequate yield, requires less energy input, do not use
The source shows the reliability of biodiversity and soil quality that organic farming agriculture exploits, specifically when it has a tight grip of the economy and community that has directly affected livestock, farmers, people, and the global environment as a whole. Organic farms are sometimes difficult to maintain as the land can quite possibly lose its potential of being free from pesticides. As articulated in the source, the piece of land must also need precise qualifications which takes time and patience. This is one amongst many disadvantages a progressive movement such as organic farming must work on. The purpose is meant to enhance a genetically modified agriculture into an innately modified agriculture for a nutritious
The students prefer organic farming because of the following reason. First, organic farming is environment friendly. It improves the general condition of the soil and promotes biodiversity. One of the methods in organic farming is the natural fertilizers where the farmer uses cow manure and chicken dung and other animal manure for fertilizer. Application of organic materials attracts lot of small organisms such as termites, insects, earthworms, bugs, etc. that converts the organic matter into smaller units. Because of these, microorganisms flourish and the interaction of these different organisms improves soil quality and health. Scientific research has demonstrated that organic agriculture significantly increases the density and species of soil’s life. Suitable conditions for soil fauna and flora as well as soil forming and conditioning and nutrient cycling are
Organic food is food that is grown without any pesticide or fertilizers. In recent years, sales for organic foods are increasing every year. A lot of people go to supermarkets in order to buy some organic foods, because they think that organic foods are healthier than conventional foods. People purchase organic foods for different reasons such as personal health, the quality of organic foods, and taste, but the most important reason is personal health. The topic that whether organic foods have more benefits or not is very controversial for a long time. Maybe some people believe that organic foods are beneficial to human health, but some other people disagree with the viewpoint, so buying organic foods depend on people’s choices. People believe organic foods are healthier because they generally think organic foods have less pesticide and fertilizer residue, more nutritional values, and are beneficial to environment.
Organic farming has mushroomed drastically in importance and influence worldwide from its modest beginnings in the first half of the last century. Organic farming is production of food and livestock without the use of herbicides, pesticides, weedicides, fertilizers or genetically modified organism and use natural resources such as manure and compost instead. In other words, it is a production system which maintains the quality of soil ecosystem as well as human beings. According to IOWA State University, “the chemicals were not used for farming before World War 2. A number of munitions used in farming have contributed to field of agriculture.
An example that comes to mind and something most have experience with are household cleaners. One can use less commercial chemicals than natural ones such as vinegar/water or baking soda to clean surfaces, but in the long run we know that the chemical cleaners are not as healthy for us to use. They make the job easier a lot of times and so we are stuck with a decision that is sometimes as easy as efficiency vs. overall health. Or to put it another way, short term vs. long term. There is something else, however, to take into account in the farming industry. How regulated are organic sprays? The spray 's that we may show more confidence in. A question I hadn 't thought of initially. "...the actual volume usage of pesticides on organic farms is not recorded by the government." (Wilcox, 2011) So, that in of itself is something I want to know when I am buying my food, but that shouldn 't scare me as much as empower me to make better decisions. Interestingly, farmers that choose to use GMO seeds and pesticides know what to expect. My grandfather would have been considered a