C2o—Lancaster Firming, Saturday, April 12,1950
Organic
(Continued from Page Cl 8)
post produce more
nutritious food is not true.
Whatever the type of fer
tilizer, it does not influence
the nutrient composition of
the plant, pr its amount of
protein, fat, carbohydrate,
or vitamins. These nutrients
are determined by the
genetic composition of the
and the maturity of the
plant at harvest.
A plant grown in soil defi
cient m nutrients will simply
fail to grow well, may be
stunted, and yield poorly.
Animals that do not receive
essential nutrients from
pasture or in the feedlot will
also suffer.
The meat of an animal
raised on organically grown
feed will be identical to that
of an animal fed on conven
tionally grown feed, provid
ed that both animals receive
enough feed and it contains
all the nutrients essential for
growth.
Fertilizers do influence the
mineral composition of soils.
Trace elements essential for
plants such as iron,
manganese, copper, and zinc
or those non-essential for
plants essential for animals
such as iodine, cobalt, and
selenium may be low, and
plants grown on such soils
will be deficient when
consumed as food or as
animal feed.
Lack of these minerals can
lead to physiological
disorders and problems with
growth m animals. Nutrients
are not supplied in sufficient
amounts by non-
manufactured organic
materials because of un-
balanced composition As
plants remove these from
the soil, a supplement must
be provided in order to
replenish the soil’s natural
mineral composition
Soil improvements will in
crease the yield and size of
the crop, but will not affect
major nutritional character
sistics (other than mineral
content) of the crop grown
on it.
For example, it is not
possible to raise an apple to
have the vitamin C content
of an orange by adding
ascorbic acid to the soil
Studies have shown that
manure treatments did not
significantly increase ascor-
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bic acid, carotene, iron, or
copper in rye or potatoes.
Another study showed that
carrots treated with
chemical fertilizers did
have a higher carotene con
tent than those fertilized
with compost, but the dif
ference was attributed to the
larger size of the carrots
grown in chemically-treated
soil. The nitrogen content did
increase in soils when
manufactured fertilizers
were used, and this would
account for the high yields
that resulted.
Pest control problems
Pests can also be a pro
blem to crops. They can
ravage a large-scale com
mercial crop or a backyard
garden. Chemical insec
ticides, herbicides (weed
killers), and fungicides used
in commercial production of
most food crops in the United
States are abhorred by
followers of the organic
movement.
But pesticides have been
proven safe when apphed ac
cording to the label direc
tions, and residue tolerances
set by the Environmental
Protection Agency are
monitored by the Food and
Drug Administration
It is possible to produce
crops without the use of
pesticides (particularly her
bicides), but at a sacrifice in
the quality of the product.
Objectionable insect
damage, insect fragments,
and plant diseases are
almost uncontrollable. To
garden organically and pre
vent plant diseases the
recommendations are simp
ly to follow good crop
management practices
Rotation of garden loca
tion, altering the site every
year if possible for “related”
crops, such as tomatoes,
potatoes, and eggplant; or
cabbage, broccoli, mustard,
kale, radishes, and turnips
(leafy crops versus root
crops).
Use of proper fertilization;
Planning disease-resistant
varieties and only healthy
plants;
Use of disease-free seed
Use of proper irrigation
Even by following these
good management prac
tices, insect or disease in
festation can be expected,
and the quality of an insect-
free crop is not likely to be
achieved. Insects can
consume appreciable
quantities of food, and
therefore, yield will
decrease.
This is a severe problem
for large-scale production
farms. Organic gardening
may work when properly
done, but organic farming is
more risky since the high
yields and high market
grades cannot be
guaranteed.
This problem with
decreased yield poses
another' problem when
organic farming is used.
Famines are historic facts.
One is reminded of the
blight which hit the potato
crop in Ireland m the last
century when a million peo
ple starved and another
million emigrated.
Experts have estimated
that if pesticide use were
prohibited in the United
States, crop losses would
amount to 50 per cent and
food prices would increase
four or five tunes.
An estimated 50 million
Americans alone would face
starvation if organic garden
ing was the only agricultural
method used.
At present, one per cent of
our farms produce 60 per
cent of the vegetables, 45
per cent of the fruits and
nuts, and 35 percent of the
poultry that is consumed.
This is possible only by using
scientific methods of farm
ing, and using manufactured
fertilizers and pesticides.
The amount and cost of
organic fertilizer needed to
fertilize large areas of land
is prohibitive. Commercial
fertilizers provide plant
nourishment in a concen-
trated form, and they are
far more uniform in com
position than farm manure.
Manure has only one
twentieth of the plant
nutrients provided by
chemical fertilizers, and has
a lower proportion of
phosphorus relative to other
nutrients, which depending
on the crop, can be detrimen-
tal to plant growth.
Comparative costs show
that a pound of nitrogen is
provided by garbage com
post at about $l2 per pound,
by dried manure at about $5
per pound, and by commer-
cial chemical fertilizer at
about 7.5 to 15 cents per
pound. The reason for the
high cost-of organic foods is
obvious
Special problems must be
anticipated when using
organic fertilizers. While
organic foods may contain
chemical pollutants,
biologically speaking they
may be the most con
taminated of all
Organic fertilizers of
animal or human orgm are
likely to contain
gastrointestinal parasites
and disease-causing
bacteria and viruses.
Organic produce is more
likely to be contaminated
with these, and is no less
likely to be free of con
tamination by filth, mold,
natural toxins, or even
heavy metals such as lead,
cadmium, and mercury,
than is food grown with
manufacutred fertilizers.
Levels of toxic mater’a Is
m organic waste should be
measured, but this is rarely
done. The use of sewage
sludge, in particular, re
quires knowledge of its
heavy metals content and
the soil it is applied to, but
few organic enthusiasts
realize the possibility of such
contamination.
Apart from health issues,
one attribute organic en
thusiasts claim for natural
foods is that they taste better
than what’s available at the
supermarket. Personal taste
preferences determine the
choice.
Organic foods may have
desirable characteristcs not
always found at the super
market, and some may be
more flavorful and fresher
depending on the speed of
marketing. However, an in
crease in vitamins and
minerals is not likely to be
one of these characteristics.
Higher costs of organic
It is up to the consumer to
decide if the higher cost of
organically-grown produce
is worth the possibility of fin
ding fresher flavor.
However, all natural foods
are not more expensive than
regular supermarket items.
A USDA market basket
survey in 1971 found that a
collection of 29 standard
foods cost $ll in a super
market, while their organic
label counterparts purchas
ed in the supermarket’s
organic section cost $20.30.
In 1971 the organic food
movement was barely star
ting; a more recent survey
(May 1979) shows that prices
can be quite variable.
No laboratory test exists to
prove if a vegetable has been
fertilized organically or with
manufactured fertilizers.
Occasonally, checks are
made of products labeled
“organically-grown” to
analyze for pesticide
residues, and occasionally
some residues are found,
which may be the result of
accidental contamination,
but all that is labeled
“organic” may not actually
be so. Putting on fertilizer
one year and nothing the
next is not “organic” pro
duction.
Consumer’s choice
The consumer’s choice of
whether to “go organic”
depends on a wide variety of
factors, including taste
preference and economics
but concern over the nutri
tional content of fresh pro
duce is not a justifiable
claim for choosing organic.
Paying a higher price for
organic foods may be all
right for families who can af
ford it, but not if it leaves the
food budget so strained that
other necessary foods for a
nutritionally balanced diet
are crowded out. Freshness
of organic produce is not
always gauranteed if it has
to be shipped long distances
The answer to the con
troversy between the two
schools of thought may be to
combine them. Use the
method most applicable to a
given situation, and make
sure that neither bad en
vironmental effects nor food
shortages occur.
For some people, tilling
your own garden is an ex
perience whose therapeutic
value is unmeasurable. For
these, organic gardening is a
very practical approach and
a resourceful way of
regulating the organic
material in the soil.
But if everyone decided to
“go organic,” there would
not be enough manure
available fos an “aii
orgamc” agriculture, and if
there were it would be ex
tremely expensive to handle
and distribute it. Both
methods have merit when
properly and timely apphed
so why not combme the
two and enjoy the best of
both worlds?