reason 4,789,253 to grow organically

If you have visited this site occasionally, you know that we have strong feelings about corn and its use as a commodity crop.  Well, new data released today has not done much to change our feelings.

Research indicates that heavy rainfall expected because of climate change will exacerbate the effects of increased fertilizer use for corn-based ethanol production, causing a significant increase in nitrogen levels in rivers, according to Environmental Science and Technology.

Roughly 25% of the fertilizer used to grow crops makes it into our water supply. But that percentage changes depending on the type of land use, because the more fertilizer-dependent the agriculture is, the higher the concentrations of nitrogen entering water bodies. Corn is one of the most dependent crops on fertilizers and pesticides due to its constant manipulation to produce more and more as a commodity.  As a result of the fertilizers being released into our water systems, dead zones are created in many of our rivers, lakes and oceans.  

Currently, we know what to expect in terms of nitrogen quantities because of current levels of rainfall.  But what happens when rainfall gets heavier due to climate change?

The authors also found that a 7-fold increase in nitrogen input from humans caused river nitrogen levels to increase 8-fold, but when the rainfall increases by 7-fold, nitrogen levels double in the rivers. This suggests that human impact is greater than that of climate on the nitrogen levels, especially in agricultural areas.

However, the good news is that if farmers move towards organic means and decrease their pesticide and fertilizer use, the impact is seen immediately in our water supply.

news in food

Here are a handful of interesting links in food news for this week

Growing More Corn for Ethanol Makes Pest Control Harder, via the NY Times

Critics say turning more acreage over to corn to make fuel can lead to higher prices for other crops, increased soil erosion and other negative effects.

In a report in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Douglas A. Landis of Michigan State University and colleagues show that increasing the corn acreage can reduce the abundance of insect predators that control aphids, the most significant soybean pest in the United States.

Let’s Ask Marion Nestle: Are The USDA’s Organic Standards A Sham?, via Huffington Post

Cheating is the Achilles’ heel of organics. The entire organic certification system is based on trust. If trust goes, the organic industry collapses like a house of cards. Organics means two quite different things. To people who care about the food system, organics is about growing crops and raising animals using methods that are good (for the health of people and animals), clean (for the environment), fair (to the people who produce the food), and sustainable (meaning renewing–not wasting or destroying–the earth’s natural resources).

To everyone involved in raising and selling organic foods, organics is a business. This business commands higher prices if–and only if–buyers believe that the food is produced according to those criteria and is better for their health and that of the planet.

(edit. note: really good article)

Will Obama Integrate Food, Farming & Health Policies?, via ENN

Diet-related diseases continue to escalate – specifically in our children. Researchers predict that as a result of the continued rise in overweight, the children of today will have a shorter lifespan than their parents. Overweight and obesity alone have translated into skyrocketing health care costs which are bankrupting families and the health care system.

Likewise, the number of family farms and acres used for growing food is falling, while the cost of farm inputs are increasing. Subsidized crops such as corn, soybeans and wheat have flooded supermarkets with more processed, packaged “food-like” substances. Often, these foods are of low nutritional value and high in sugar, fat and salt.

A dichotomy exists between agriculture policies and Dietary Guidelines for Americans – yet, ironically, both are overseen by the USDA. Current food and farm policies stand in the way of making healthy food the easiest choice.