Reasons To Buy Organic
Organic Farming is still based on labor-intensive practices such as hand weeding and green manure and crop covers
instead of synthetic fertilizers to support soil.
Taste Better Flavor - There is a good reason why many chefs use organic
foods in their recipes-they taste better. Organic Farming starts with the nourishment of the soil, which eventually leads to the nourishment
of the plant and, ultimately your palates.
Protect Future Generations - Food Choices you make now will impact your child's future health.
Prevent
Soil Erosion - In conventional farming soil is used more for holding plants in vertical position so they can be chemically fertilized.
Protect
Water Quality - The Evironmental Protection Agency, estimates that pesticides- some cancer causing- contaminate the ground water in
38 states, polluting the primary source of drinking water.
Save Energy - Modern farming uses more petroleum than any other industry,
consuming 12% of the country's total energy supply.
Keep Chemicals Off Your Plate - Many pesticides approved for use by the EPA were
registered long before extensive research linking these chemicals to cancer and other diseases had been established. Now the EPA considers
that 60% of all herbicides, 90% of all fungicides and 30% of all insecticides carcinogenic. A 1987 National Academy of Sciences
report estimated that pesticides might cost an extra 4 million cancer cases among Americans. The bottom line is that pesticides are
poisons designed to kill living organisms and can also harm humans. In addition to cancer, pesticides are implicated in birth defects,
nerve damage and genetic mutations.
Support A True Economy - Although organic foods might seem more expensive than conventional foods,
conventional food prices don't reflect hidden costs borne by taxpayers, including nearly $74 billion annually in federal subsidies.
Other hidden costs include pesticide regulation and testing, hazardous waste disposal and cleanup, and environmental damage.
Promote
Biodiversity - Mono-cropping is the practice of planting large plots of land with the same crop year after year. While this approach
tripled farm production between 1950 and 1970, the lack of natural diversity of plant life has left the soil lacking in natural minerals
and nutrients. To replace the nutrients, chemical fertilizers are used, often in an increasing amounts. Single crops are also much
more susceptible to pest, making farmers more reliant on pesticides.
