Thursday, July 25, 2013

Organic Religion

A farmer posted his view and questions about the "organic religion" in some parts and some families of America.  I started reading the various views and it made me wonder, at what point in time did food become inorganic or non organic?

"You got me thinking now. My food as a child was pretty much organically produced. We did not use commercial fertilizer or pesticide, merely crop rotation. We were probably some of the last people to use commercial fertilizer and pesticides. Pesticide choices were limited when I was a child and farmers weren't taught yet how to use them where I was raised.


We did start using commercial fertilizer, remember the 80 lb bags? That kept child labor at bay because we couldn't lift them until we were older. I remember using the first 2,4-D on the farm, not sure what year. I remember sucker control coming to the tobacco patch and di ethyl stilbesterol to the feedlot. That's about it."

If you follow the population curve, it started up before what I would call inorganic or non organic food production started.  The main problem in starving people has mainly been distribution over the ages.  Today's waste of food is unbelievable.  Man has migrated to food sources over the ages until mainstream agriculture brought food to where he lives.  Man could create non-food related jobs and the number of people who aren't directly involved in food production continues to rise.

I've been accused of the no-till religion but never the organic religion.  That may change.  The best food source we have is our garden and it's as close to organic food as anyone could find.

After learning "inorganic ways," I figured out we were raised like the Amish, we just didn't follow their strict religious beliefs.  Dad had a team of horses, we had one tractor and we farmed more like that sect than anyone does today except the Amish themselves.

LuAnn has been buying "organic milk" on sale.  She says the taste puts regular milk to shame.  When not on sale, it costs twice as much.  Some people buy organic every day, we don't.

It's an interesting debate among farmers.  I love any kind of agriculture, organic or not.  I respect those who do it and those who understand it.  Food production just really interests me, it's the staff of life.

Thank you Lord for our daily bread, spiritual and physical.

Ed Winkle



3 comments:

  1. It is a bit weird how the same conservative population uses the word "religion" for non religious matters such as organics, climate change or "liberal" politics.

    No doubt there are some "bio-nuts" as Miller calls them in another blog, but the virulent and intransigent attacks against them from the conventional farmers, the oil industry, the chemical industry, the biotech and seed companies and the food industry are even nuttier. Organic farmers don't even have a Washington DC lobby, and certainly don't want to antagonize their conventional farmer neighbors and colleagues, or "convert" them to organics. They just want to fill a market or leave a better Earth to their children.

    Anyway, I always have at least something organic when I shop, either for its better taste, like LuAnn's milk, or to minimize my impact on the environment, or on my health, like whole grain. But my local food source being Safeway, I must admit I don't see much difference in produce or dairy products: These are the same Holstein cows raised on the same feed as conventional, just organic, and with no antibiotics or synthetic chemicals. Or hormones, for the cheapest milk. Safeway's own organic brand is about twice more expensive than the cheapest watery rBST milk they sell, but milk from cows with a decent pasture and hay diet is three times more expensive. Here's an example for a local producer: http://www.nodpa.com/ff_may_2013.shtml

    I think cooking from scratch unprocessed ingredients is already much better than eating processed junk food, so I am not too worried about eating only partly organics, I don't make a "religion" of it.

    Talking about milk, here is the best and easiest thing you can make from it: fromage blanc (soft cream cheese). Get a culture from here: http://www.cheesemaking.com/store/p/138-Fromage-Blanc-DS-5-pack.html
    Keep it ladled for a more acidic whey taste, or better, whip it for a soft cream cheese dessert, let it drain some more for a cheesecake, or with chives, garlic, salt and pepper for a spreadable treat, keep some of it unflavored for the next batch. Excellent as a dessert with jam or liquid honey, like yogurt, even better with a dollop of "chestnut spread", like the 17.5oz Clément Faugier can from this guy: http://www.frenchfeast.com/products.htm#jams

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  2. It seems to me that the only voices heard on issues like these come from the far left or far right. As an organic part time farmer I consider myself in the middle. I wish we could say one side is right and be done with this issue. But sadly this isn't the case. While organic works for us and our small acreage because of the price premiums, I can see how it wouldn't work for other producers. Maybe round-up is the cause of all the new health problems, maybe it isn't. I don't know, but I'm going to err on the side of caution.

    Stimulating as always Ed.
    Keep up the good work.
    Shawn- XIX on NAT

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