Amariyah Yisrael

3/9/2015
05/06
The Sickly Beast: Why Organic farming is the way to go

It is hard to determine what statistics are really true, particularly concerning

the food industry in America. There are people for organic farming while
there are others touting the success of inorganic business. One must
remember to keep in mind that there are companies on both sides with their
own business agenda. With the constant back and forth disagreement there
is one thing that remains constant; one method of farming has benefits that
outweigh the other. There are three principal practices that distinguish
sustainable agriculture from conventional agriculture: Sensitive
management, limited use of chemicals and better integration of crops and
livestock (Rubenstein 386). Organic farming gives the consumer products
that not only benefit their health but the health of the animals, employees,
and the environment around them.
In the U.S more than 10 billion animals are killed each year, many of which
endure abuse during their imprisoned lives. The six agricultural businesses
that pose the most threat to the abuse of animals according to Food Inc. are:
battery cages, fast growth of birds, forced feeding of Foie Grass, gestation
crates and veal crates, long distance transport, and electric stunning of
birds. Although these may seem offsettingly bad most of them can be
defended as being necessary. For example battery cages benefits include
increased hygiene resulting in a much lower incidence of diseases in which
the infectious agent is spread through the droppings, small group size
resulting in a low incidence of social friction, ease of management, absence
of litter problems, better working conditions, and a much lower cost of

production(Duncan 2001).If one was mostly considering the benefits of

money then battery cages would win in a heartbeat, however, the
devastating health issues associated with this abuse are tremendous
including lack of physical and psychological space for the hens, (2) lack of
exercise resulting in a higher incidence of metabolic disorders, lack of
nesting opportunities resulting in severe frustration for many birds each time
an egg is laid, lack of dust bathing opportunities which, although not a
severe disadvantage, should still be charged to cages, lack of other
behavioral opportunities which again seem not to be a severe disadvantage
and which await further elucidation, and (6) a higher incidence of foot
lesions(Duncan 2001). This demonstrates the lack of rights given to animals
on conventional farms.
Antibiotics are used to treat bacterial infections in people but many
agricultural companies are using these bacterial weapons to offset the
effects of overcrowding and poor sanitation, as well as to promote faster
growth (Antibiotic Use in Food Animals). This has led to a growing crisis of
antibiotic-resistant infections in humans. The American Medical Association
and other leading medical groups warn against using antibiotics in food
animals because it creates new strains of dangerous antibiotic-resistant
bacteria. After this issue was brought to the public there was and continues
to be a huge movement to antibiotic free food. A particular recent
announcement by McDonalds on March 4, 2015 that by 2017 all the chicken
it buys will have been raised without antibiotics important to human

medicine. This in turn can promote other companies to follow in the same
footstep as this multi-billion corporation.
In chapter 7 of Food Inc. Cheap Food: Workers Pay The Price, it explains why
immigrants and people with low incomes are the ones to pay the price for
the low prices of food in the U.S. An example given in the book is one of a
seventeen year old girl who dies after having a heat stroke while picking
vines in a California farm. Her death is an example of how the pressures for
decreased prices in our food system inevitably lead to exploitation of the
workers at the lowest end of the economic chain (Food Inc.125). The
system of agriculture in the U.S shields the big corporations from blame
concerning these productions. In the young teens case it involved her
employer who was neither Trader Joes nor Charles Shaw-producer and
winemaker Bronco Wines, but a farm labor contractor with no discernible
assets and no traceable relationship to the product sold(Weber 126). It is
hard to find who is to blame in these types of crimes. Is it the farm that hired
the girl or is the State of California itself which enforces labor regulations
that dictate shade, drinking water and rest breaks for farmworkers? Organic
farming on the other hand is known for its just treatment to its workers.
However since organic culture has become more mainstream, it is
characterized more and more by large-scale farms that have converted to
organic purely as a marketing decision (CATA Pushes for Social Justice in the
International Organic Movement). Undoubtingly this has caused mass
confusion for the public; this is why many people cannot distinguish between

real organic corporation and fake multi-billion dollar ones. More than
nonorganic farms there is a growing consensus that exists within the
international organic community for strong labor standards that are based on
existing international human rights laws. Yet there will always be, even on
the organic farms, a corruption when it comes to workers rights especially in
California where the migrant population is steadily increasing. According to
reimagine.org The ideology[agricultural exptionalism] also pervades the
organic and sustainable agriculture movements, which tend to conceptualize
social justice as justice for farmers, not farmworkersthe wages[for farm
workers] area among the lowest for any employmentCurrently, the median
income for a single farmworker is between $10,000 and $ 12,499.( MinkoffZern , Getz) This puts farmworkers in the poverty level and although this
may be true for many organic farms the nonorganic companies are much
more opposed.
The environmental value of organic farming and the way the products are
grown is often times considered more important than the nutritional value of
organic food. Many people expect that just because the food is organic that
its nutritional value will be better than nonorganic farming which is not most
organic organizations claims. Organic farming differed than conventional
farm grown food in the way that the products are grown. Research has shown
that has established that organic farms are nearly as productive as
conventional farms, use less energy, and leave soils in better condition
(Food Inc. 213). Therefore organic food can be seen as being healthier due to

the reduced amount of pesticides in their body. Unlike conventional farming

organic farming requires pretreatment of manure and other steps to reduce
the amount of pathogens in soil treatments. Organic foods are cultivated in
more nutritious soil so their mineral content is higher. Although it is harder to
show the differences in vitamins or antioxidants since higher levels of these
nutrients relate more to a food plants genetic strain or protection from
unfavorable conditioning after harvesting are production methods, studies
still show that organic peaches and pears contain greater quantities of
vitamins C and E, and organic berries and corn contain more antioxidants
(Food Inc. 213). Though there may be a small nutritional difference between
organic and nonorganic the less damaging effects of organic products are
alone enough to make them a better profit.
The benefit of organic agriculture doesnt just end at the environmental level
but also biodiversity of plants. Compared to conventional farming organic
[has] between 46 and 72 percent more semi-natural habitats and host 30
percent more species and 50 percent more individuals than non-organic
farms (Organic Agriculture and Biodiversity). Lower farming intensity is and
higher proportions of semi-natural areas allow plants in native area as well as
animal species to survive on organic farms. Decades of continuous land use
intensification has led to biodiversity decline because of the use of
pesticides, synthetic nitrogen fertilizer, land consolidation, and the use of
heavy machinery. Studies show that organically farmed areas have on
average 30 percent more species and 50 percent more individuals than non-

organic areas particular birds, predatory insects, spiders, soil dwelling

organisms and field flora benefit most from organic management(Organic
Agriculture and Biodiversity). Organically farmed areas also aid in preserving
rare and endangered species on organic land and also habitats. For example
the number of bees is 7 times higher than that of conventional areas
resulting in growth in the populations of wild bees, honeybees, and
bumblebees. Therefore organic farming promotes the pollination of plants.
This in turn benefits farmers since higher diversity of flora and fauna
encourages organisms that naturally reduce the amount of pests and
reduces yield losses in potato crops. Organic pastures allow richer fauna to
exist in dung than conventional pastures as they are not contaminated by
chemical veterinary drugs (Organic Agriculture and Biodiversity). More lively
fauna and flora make a more active soil life and research shows a stronger
reduction in soil pests due to this rich fungal fauna. Farming methods that
most notably improve biodiversity are the forgo use of herbicides, forgo use
of chemically-synthesized pesticides, less and purer organic fertilizer, fewer
cattle per square meter, more diversified crop rotation with higher clover
grass percentage, conservation tillage, higher percentage of semi-natural
areas, higher percentage of arable and ecological areas, and more diversified
farm structure. Yet the wide spread production of food at relatively cheap
prices make customers overlook the environmental value of organics.

While conventional farming may produce more goods on a broader scale

than traditional organic farming, organic farming provides a new way in
cultivation of land and methods of farming in general that can allow any
place to participate in such farming. Twenty-five years of hard-won success
at Stonyfield tell me that sustainability is the correct grail for business
leaders to pursue in the early twenty-first century. Those who alone will reap
unimagined rewards for themselves and the planet. This is no longer a
hypothesis; it's a surefire plan for solid, transformation (Weber 59). Although
one must remember of the agenda of organic companies in Food inc in its
most basic way it encourages others to t steps follow in his foot steps
Organic farming is a movement toward healthier practices and a more just
system. Organic farming is overall a safer and friendly aspect of farming than
any other conventional methods while still being able to produce the amount
of food needed in order to serve a growing population size. With new
innovative technology in agriculture the push toward more sustainable
systems in farming does not seem too outlandish. Practices that encourage
healthy ways of treating animals which will in turn reduce the amount of
diseases in the processed food, is the statue by which organic farming stands
by. Organic farming is the way to go.

References
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<http://www.cata-farmworkers.org/english pages/Fair Labor
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