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  • senecarr
    senecarr Posts: 5,377 Member
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    senecarr wrote: »
    senecarr wrote: »
    IMO looking for local farmers to buy your products is better, finding ones that don't use pesticides/use natural enemies.
    Because as mentioned before, pesticides are indeed also found on organic-labelled brands.

    As some others have mentioned too, I focus on buying the purest, least processed food possible. I buy grass-fed meat and antibiotic-free poultry.

    To me the most important is to get your food in the most pure form available.

    It's actually pretty hard to keep any type of profitable garden going without pesticides. Even the most environmentally conscience local organic farmers will usually use pesticides/herbicides of some type if they are in it for profit.

    The difference is that small organic farmers are much more likely to use things that naturally break down quickly and leave no residue. Things that don't kill the honeybees that pollinate their crops. These must be applied more often, which is why big ag likes the harsher stuff that will kill indiscriminately and not break down. Not even before it reaches your table.
    The bees are not dying off. Actual, registered honeybee hive numbers are actually going up. I don't know if anyone is tracking wild bees off the top of my head, but honestly, I wouldn't care as honeybees are not native to North America, so seeing wild ones die off isn't an environmental disaster.
    There is nothing about natural pesticides that means they will break down faster. That's a huge naturalistic fallacy. Copper sulfate is natural, and approved in organic farming. It does not breakdown readily. It actually tends to accumulated in soil and groundwater. It also has a much worse LD50 than a lot of synthetic pesticides.

    It sounds like you are reading things into my post that weren't there. I never said all natural pesticides would break down faster, in fact, I never said anything about natural pesticides at all.
    small organic farmers are much more likely to use things that naturally break down quickly and leave no residue.
    So what "things" that "naturally" break down are small organic farms using?

    There are any number of things depending on the problem. Neem oil and hydrogen peroxide are pretty common.

    And those are not pesticides?
  • ckspores1018
    ckspores1018 Posts: 168 Member
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    It isn't top on my list but I do prefer to buy from local farmers markets or eat what we grow in our garden during the summer. In the winter, I buy what is cheapest and that typically isn't organic.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
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    senecarr wrote: »
    senecarr wrote: »
    senecarr wrote: »
    IMO looking for local farmers to buy your products is better, finding ones that don't use pesticides/use natural enemies.
    Because as mentioned before, pesticides are indeed also found on organic-labelled brands.

    As some others have mentioned too, I focus on buying the purest, least processed food possible. I buy grass-fed meat and antibiotic-free poultry.

    To me the most important is to get your food in the most pure form available.

    It's actually pretty hard to keep any type of profitable garden going without pesticides. Even the most environmentally conscience local organic farmers will usually use pesticides/herbicides of some type if they are in it for profit.

    The difference is that small organic farmers are much more likely to use things that naturally break down quickly and leave no residue. Things that don't kill the honeybees that pollinate their crops. These must be applied more often, which is why big ag likes the harsher stuff that will kill indiscriminately and not break down. Not even before it reaches your table.
    The bees are not dying off. Actual, registered honeybee hive numbers are actually going up. I don't know if anyone is tracking wild bees off the top of my head, but honestly, I wouldn't care as honeybees are not native to North America, so seeing wild ones die off isn't an environmental disaster.
    There is nothing about natural pesticides that means they will break down faster. That's a huge naturalistic fallacy. Copper sulfate is natural, and approved in organic farming. It does not breakdown readily. It actually tends to accumulated in soil and groundwater. It also has a much worse LD50 than a lot of synthetic pesticides.

    It sounds like you are reading things into my post that weren't there. I never said all natural pesticides would break down faster, in fact, I never said anything about natural pesticides at all.
    small organic farmers are much more likely to use things that naturally break down quickly and leave no residue.
    So what "things" that "naturally" break down are small organic farms using?

    There are any number of things depending on the problem. Neem oil and hydrogen peroxide are pretty common.

    And those are not pesticides?

    Yes (insecticides). You asked me for examples of things that break down quickly that a local organic farmer might be likely to use.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
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    _John_ wrote: »
    _John_ wrote: »
    IMO looking for local farmers to buy your products is better, finding ones that don't use pesticides/use natural enemies.
    Because as mentioned before, pesticides are indeed also found on organic-labelled brands.

    As some others have mentioned too, I focus on buying the purest, least processed food possible. I buy grass-fed meat and antibiotic-free poultry.

    To me the most important is to get your food in the most pure form available.

    It's actually pretty hard to keep any type of profitable garden going without pesticides. Even the most environmentally conscience local organic farmers will usually use pesticides/herbicides of some type if they are in it for profit.

    The difference is that small organic farmers are much more likely to use things that naturally break down quickly and leave no residue. Things that don't kill the honeybees that pollinate their crops. These must be applied more often, which is why big ag likes the harsher stuff that will kill indiscriminately and not break down. Not even before it reaches your table.

    "big ag" (from a farmer's perspective) likes not using pesticides at all...pesticides mean money. This is where engineering crops that maintain nutrition and produce their own pesticides or are resistant to effective herbicides such as glyphosphate and drought and insects are huge.

    Also, an example of a pesticide that commonly leaves residues in foods above an adverse effect level would be nice since you state that as truth.

    Another reading things into my post that weren't there.

    This was you, right?
    These must be applied more often, which is why big ag likes the harsher stuff that will kill indiscriminately and not break down. Not even before it reaches your table.

    It is. Do you see something in there about adverse effect?
  • krissydelrio
    krissydelrio Posts: 7 Member
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    Personally, I would rather be safe than sorry. I eat as much organic as I can, mainly with meats, dairy, and fruits/vegetables. It's alarming to see an organic piece of fruit next to a conventional piece of fruit, the conventional looks like it is on steroids...why risk it if you don't know what you're putting into your body? I must say that I feel better when I eat organic, my skin has improved, and I feel energized rather than drained. So I will spend the extra money so that one day I at least won't have to say to myself, "I wish I would have done this or that."
  • _John_
    _John_ Posts: 8,642 Member
    edited June 2015
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    _John_ wrote: »
    _John_ wrote: »
    IMO looking for local farmers to buy your products is better, finding ones that don't use pesticides/use natural enemies.
    Because as mentioned before, pesticides are indeed also found on organic-labelled brands.

    As some others have mentioned too, I focus on buying the purest, least processed food possible. I buy grass-fed meat and antibiotic-free poultry.

    To me the most important is to get your food in the most pure form available.

    It's actually pretty hard to keep any type of profitable garden going without pesticides. Even the most environmentally conscience local organic farmers will usually use pesticides/herbicides of some type if they are in it for profit.

    The difference is that small organic farmers are much more likely to use things that naturally break down quickly and leave no residue. Things that don't kill the honeybees that pollinate their crops. These must be applied more often, which is why big ag likes the harsher stuff that will kill indiscriminately and not break down. Not even before it reaches your table.

    "big ag" (from a farmer's perspective) likes not using pesticides at all...pesticides mean money. This is where engineering crops that maintain nutrition and produce their own pesticides or are resistant to effective herbicides such as glyphosphate and drought and insects are huge.

    Also, an example of a pesticide that commonly leaves residues in foods above an adverse effect level would be nice since you state that as truth.

    Another reading things into my post that weren't there.

    This was you, right?
    These must be applied more often, which is why big ag likes the harsher stuff that will kill indiscriminately and not break down. Not even before it reaches your table.

    It is. Do you see something in there about adverse effect?

    no, but you posted that as if widespread use of organochlorines was still the norm...

    I was asking what specific pesticides used by "big ag" leave residues (and then I added the no adverse effect level because that would be how science would rate if what's left there as a residue even matters).
  • senecarr
    senecarr Posts: 5,377 Member
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    senecarr wrote: »
    senecarr wrote: »
    senecarr wrote: »
    IMO looking for local farmers to buy your products is better, finding ones that don't use pesticides/use natural enemies.
    Because as mentioned before, pesticides are indeed also found on organic-labelled brands.

    As some others have mentioned too, I focus on buying the purest, least processed food possible. I buy grass-fed meat and antibiotic-free poultry.

    To me the most important is to get your food in the most pure form available.

    It's actually pretty hard to keep any type of profitable garden going without pesticides. Even the most environmentally conscience local organic farmers will usually use pesticides/herbicides of some type if they are in it for profit.

    The difference is that small organic farmers are much more likely to use things that naturally break down quickly and leave no residue. Things that don't kill the honeybees that pollinate their crops. These must be applied more often, which is why big ag likes the harsher stuff that will kill indiscriminately and not break down. Not even before it reaches your table.
    The bees are not dying off. Actual, registered honeybee hive numbers are actually going up. I don't know if anyone is tracking wild bees off the top of my head, but honestly, I wouldn't care as honeybees are not native to North America, so seeing wild ones die off isn't an environmental disaster.
    There is nothing about natural pesticides that means they will break down faster. That's a huge naturalistic fallacy. Copper sulfate is natural, and approved in organic farming. It does not breakdown readily. It actually tends to accumulated in soil and groundwater. It also has a much worse LD50 than a lot of synthetic pesticides.

    It sounds like you are reading things into my post that weren't there. I never said all natural pesticides would break down faster, in fact, I never said anything about natural pesticides at all.
    small organic farmers are much more likely to use things that naturally break down quickly and leave no residue.
    So what "things" that "naturally" break down are small organic farms using?

    There are any number of things depending on the problem. Neem oil and hydrogen peroxide are pretty common.

    And those are not pesticides?

    Yes (insecticides). You asked me for examples of things that break down quickly that a local organic farmer might be likely to use.
    So you were referring to natural pesticides that breakdown quickly, but I was wrong to read into it you claiming organic farmers use natural pesticides that breakdown quickly? (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
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    _John_ wrote: »
    _John_ wrote: »
    _John_ wrote: »
    IMO looking for local farmers to buy your products is better, finding ones that don't use pesticides/use natural enemies.
    Because as mentioned before, pesticides are indeed also found on organic-labelled brands.

    As some others have mentioned too, I focus on buying the purest, least processed food possible. I buy grass-fed meat and antibiotic-free poultry.

    To me the most important is to get your food in the most pure form available.

    It's actually pretty hard to keep any type of profitable garden going without pesticides. Even the most environmentally conscience local organic farmers will usually use pesticides/herbicides of some type if they are in it for profit.

    The difference is that small organic farmers are much more likely to use things that naturally break down quickly and leave no residue. Things that don't kill the honeybees that pollinate their crops. These must be applied more often, which is why big ag likes the harsher stuff that will kill indiscriminately and not break down. Not even before it reaches your table.

    "big ag" (from a farmer's perspective) likes not using pesticides at all...pesticides mean money. This is where engineering crops that maintain nutrition and produce their own pesticides or are resistant to effective herbicides such as glyphosphate and drought and insects are huge.

    Also, an example of a pesticide that commonly leaves residues in foods above an adverse effect level would be nice since you state that as truth.

    Another reading things into my post that weren't there.

    This was you, right?
    These must be applied more often, which is why big ag likes the harsher stuff that will kill indiscriminately and not break down. Not even before it reaches your table.

    It is. Do you see something in there about adverse effect?

    no, but you posted that as if widespread use of organochlorines was still the norm...

    Or you read it that way. :p

    But he said she said is silly in a forum where what was said is visible.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    There's prevention, too, like netting to deter the cabbage butterfly.
  • _John_
    _John_ Posts: 8,642 Member
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    _John_ wrote: »
    _John_ wrote: »
    _John_ wrote: »
    IMO looking for local farmers to buy your products is better, finding ones that don't use pesticides/use natural enemies.
    Because as mentioned before, pesticides are indeed also found on organic-labelled brands.

    As some others have mentioned too, I focus on buying the purest, least processed food possible. I buy grass-fed meat and antibiotic-free poultry.

    To me the most important is to get your food in the most pure form available.

    It's actually pretty hard to keep any type of profitable garden going without pesticides. Even the most environmentally conscience local organic farmers will usually use pesticides/herbicides of some type if they are in it for profit.

    The difference is that small organic farmers are much more likely to use things that naturally break down quickly and leave no residue. Things that don't kill the honeybees that pollinate their crops. These must be applied more often, which is why big ag likes the harsher stuff that will kill indiscriminately and not break down. Not even before it reaches your table.

    "big ag" (from a farmer's perspective) likes not using pesticides at all...pesticides mean money. This is where engineering crops that maintain nutrition and produce their own pesticides or are resistant to effective herbicides such as glyphosphate and drought and insects are huge.

    Also, an example of a pesticide that commonly leaves residues in foods above an adverse effect level would be nice since you state that as truth.

    Another reading things into my post that weren't there.

    This was you, right?
    These must be applied more often, which is why big ag likes the harsher stuff that will kill indiscriminately and not break down. Not even before it reaches your table.

    It is. Do you see something in there about adverse effect?

    no, but you posted that as if widespread use of organochlorines was still the norm...

    Or you read it that way. :p

    But he said she said is silly in a forum where what was said is visible.

    ok...I'll pull it back for everyone (again). You said big ag uses indiscriminate pesticides that leave residues while organic farmers are likely to use natural pesticides that don't.

    I ask you to provide examples of the pesticides since it was stated as fact.

    You dodged every thing afterwards...
  • _John_
    _John_ Posts: 8,642 Member
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    Research Article

    Dietary Exposure to Pesticide Residues from Commodities Alleged to Contain the Highest Contamination Levels

    Carl K. Winter and Josh M. Katz

    Department of Food Science and Technology, University of California, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA
    Received 29 November 2010; Accepted 16 March 2011
    Academic Editor: Ian Munro

    Copyright © 2011 Carl K. Winter and Josh M. Katz. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

    Abstract

    Probabilistic techniques were used to characterize dietary exposure of consumers to pesticides found in twelve commodities implicated as having the greatest potential for pesticide residue contamination by a United States-based environmental advocacy group. Estimates of exposures were derived for the ten most frequently detected pesticide residues on each of the twelve commodities based upon residue findings from the United States Department of Agriculture's Pesticide Data Program. All pesticide exposure estimates were well below established chronic reference doses (RfDs). Only one of the 120 exposure estimates exceeded 1% of the RfD (methamidophos on bell peppers at 2% of the RfD), and only seven exposure estimates (5.8 percent) exceeded 0.1% of the RfD. Three quarters of the pesticide/commodity combinations demonstrated exposure estimates below 0.01% of the RfD (corresponding to exposures one million times below chronic No Observable Adverse Effect Levels from animal toxicology studies), and 40.8% had exposure estimates below 0.001% of the RfD. It is concluded that (1) exposures to the most commonly detected pesticides on the twelve commodities pose negligible risks to consumers, (2) substitution of organic forms of the twelve commodities for conventional forms does not result in any appreciable reduction of consumer risks, and (3) the methodology used by the environmental advocacy group to rank commodities with respect to pesticide risks lacks scientific credibility.

    Full paper: http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jt/2011/589674/
  • miriamtob
    miriamtob Posts: 436 Member
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    I used to work on a certified usda organic farm. We used lady bugs for pest control. The only thing we ever sprayed on the plants was Fish and Seaweed fertilizer. A massive emphasis was on soil quality. We were always doing stuff to build up the soil: cover crops, bone meal, mulching, crop rotation, etc... Good soil grows strong plants which are more naturally resistant to pests and disease.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
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    _John_ wrote: »
    _John_ wrote: »
    _John_ wrote: »
    _John_ wrote: »
    IMO looking for local farmers to buy your products is better, finding ones that don't use pesticides/use natural enemies.
    Because as mentioned before, pesticides are indeed also found on organic-labelled brands.

    As some others have mentioned too, I focus on buying the purest, least processed food possible. I buy grass-fed meat and antibiotic-free poultry.

    To me the most important is to get your food in the most pure form available.

    It's actually pretty hard to keep any type of profitable garden going without pesticides. Even the most environmentally conscience local organic farmers will usually use pesticides/herbicides of some type if they are in it for profit.

    The difference is that small organic farmers are much more likely to use things that naturally break down quickly and leave no residue. Things that don't kill the honeybees that pollinate their crops. These must be applied more often, which is why big ag likes the harsher stuff that will kill indiscriminately and not break down. Not even before it reaches your table.

    "big ag" (from a farmer's perspective) likes not using pesticides at all...pesticides mean money. This is where engineering crops that maintain nutrition and produce their own pesticides or are resistant to effective herbicides such as glyphosphate and drought and insects are huge.

    Also, an example of a pesticide that commonly leaves residues in foods above an adverse effect level would be nice since you state that as truth.

    Another reading things into my post that weren't there.

    This was you, right?
    These must be applied more often, which is why big ag likes the harsher stuff that will kill indiscriminately and not break down. Not even before it reaches your table.

    It is. Do you see something in there about adverse effect?

    no, but you posted that as if widespread use of organochlorines was still the norm...

    Or you read it that way. :p

    But he said she said is silly in a forum where what was said is visible.

    ok...I'll pull it back for everyone (again). You said big ag uses indiscriminate pesticides that leave residues while organic farmers are likely to use natural pesticides that don't.

    I ask you to provide examples of the pesticides since it was stated as fact.

    You dodged every thing afterwards...

    I never said most of what you say I said, but if you want data on pesticide residue all you need do is a simple internet search.

    http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELPRDC5110007
  • _John_
    _John_ Posts: 8,642 Member
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    _John_ wrote: »
    _John_ wrote: »
    _John_ wrote: »
    _John_ wrote: »
    IMO looking for local farmers to buy your products is better, finding ones that don't use pesticides/use natural enemies.
    Because as mentioned before, pesticides are indeed also found on organic-labelled brands.

    As some others have mentioned too, I focus on buying the purest, least processed food possible. I buy grass-fed meat and antibiotic-free poultry.

    To me the most important is to get your food in the most pure form available.

    It's actually pretty hard to keep any type of profitable garden going without pesticides. Even the most environmentally conscience local organic farmers will usually use pesticides/herbicides of some type if they are in it for profit.

    The difference is that small organic farmers are much more likely to use things that naturally break down quickly and leave no residue. Things that don't kill the honeybees that pollinate their crops. These must be applied more often, which is why big ag likes the harsher stuff that will kill indiscriminately and not break down. Not even before it reaches your table.

    "big ag" (from a farmer's perspective) likes not using pesticides at all...pesticides mean money. This is where engineering crops that maintain nutrition and produce their own pesticides or are resistant to effective herbicides such as glyphosphate and drought and insects are huge.

    Also, an example of a pesticide that commonly leaves residues in foods above an adverse effect level would be nice since you state that as truth.

    Another reading things into my post that weren't there.

    This was you, right?
    These must be applied more often, which is why big ag likes the harsher stuff that will kill indiscriminately and not break down. Not even before it reaches your table.

    It is. Do you see something in there about adverse effect?

    no, but you posted that as if widespread use of organochlorines was still the norm...

    Or you read it that way. :p

    But he said she said is silly in a forum where what was said is visible.

    ok...I'll pull it back for everyone (again). You said big ag uses indiscriminate pesticides that leave residues while organic farmers are likely to use natural pesticides that don't.

    I ask you to provide examples of the pesticides since it was stated as fact.

    You dodged every thing afterwards...

    I never said most of what you say I said, but if you want data on pesticide residue all you need do is a simple internet search.

    http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELPRDC5110007

    wow...again, what you posted previously
    The difference is that small organic farmers are much more likely to use things that naturally break down quickly and leave no residue. Things that don't kill the honeybees that pollinate their crops. These must be applied more often, which is why big ag likes the harsher stuff that will kill indiscriminately and not break down. Not even before it reaches your table.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
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    jgnatca wrote: »
    There's prevention, too, like netting to deter the cabbage butterfly.

    Yep, that's what I do. Works perfectly, though I can see how it might not work on a large commercial farm.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
    Options
    senecarr wrote: »
    senecarr wrote: »
    senecarr wrote: »
    senecarr wrote: »
    IMO looking for local farmers to buy your products is better, finding ones that don't use pesticides/use natural enemies.
    Because as mentioned before, pesticides are indeed also found on organic-labelled brands.

    As some others have mentioned too, I focus on buying the purest, least processed food possible. I buy grass-fed meat and antibiotic-free poultry.

    To me the most important is to get your food in the most pure form available.

    It's actually pretty hard to keep any type of profitable garden going without pesticides. Even the most environmentally conscience local organic farmers will usually use pesticides/herbicides of some type if they are in it for profit.

    The difference is that small organic farmers are much more likely to use things that naturally break down quickly and leave no residue. Things that don't kill the honeybees that pollinate their crops. These must be applied more often, which is why big ag likes the harsher stuff that will kill indiscriminately and not break down. Not even before it reaches your table.
    The bees are not dying off. Actual, registered honeybee hive numbers are actually going up. I don't know if anyone is tracking wild bees off the top of my head, but honestly, I wouldn't care as honeybees are not native to North America, so seeing wild ones die off isn't an environmental disaster.
    There is nothing about natural pesticides that means they will break down faster. That's a huge naturalistic fallacy. Copper sulfate is natural, and approved in organic farming. It does not breakdown readily. It actually tends to accumulated in soil and groundwater. It also has a much worse LD50 than a lot of synthetic pesticides.

    It sounds like you are reading things into my post that weren't there. I never said all natural pesticides would break down faster, in fact, I never said anything about natural pesticides at all.
    small organic farmers are much more likely to use things that naturally break down quickly and leave no residue.
    So what "things" that "naturally" break down are small organic farms using?

    There are any number of things depending on the problem. Neem oil and hydrogen peroxide are pretty common.

    And those are not pesticides?

    Yes (insecticides). You asked me for examples of things that break down quickly that a local organic farmer might be likely to use.
    So you were referring to natural pesticides that breakdown quickly, but I was wrong to read into it you claiming organic farmers use natural pesticides that breakdown quickly? (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻

    The part I thought you were reading in that was never suggested is that my statement applied to ALL natural pesticides, because of your statement "There is nothing about natural pesticides that means they will break down faster. That's a huge naturalistic fallacy."

    I said nothing about "natural" pesticides or ALL natural pesticides. My statement was simple, true and had no subtext.
  • 3AAnn3
    3AAnn3 Posts: 3,055 Member
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    I think eating organic is extremely important. I buy it whenever I can because I'm not a huge fan of having herbicides and pesticides on my food. When they apply that stuff, there is a reason why they are wearing suits...it's because it's toxic.

    There are people that say that you don't get that much nutrition benefit from it but that's very primitive thinking. There is so much more to food than just macros, calories, vitamins, and/or minerals. Every biological process and chemical reaction our bodies have to food and the possible toxins it carries are way too complex for anyone to fully comprehend. With that said, I do my best to fuel my body with the best available food. It's just a no brainer for me.

    Very much agree with this. There are some foods you don't really have to worry about buying organic - avocados for instance, but others it's very important to eat organic due to the heavy pesticide spraying - grapes and strawberries, for example.
  • _John_
    _John_ Posts: 8,642 Member
    edited June 2015
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    AprilAY3 wrote: »
    I think eating organic is extremely important. I buy it whenever I can because I'm not a huge fan of having herbicides and pesticides on my food. When they apply that stuff, there is a reason why they are wearing suits...it's because it's toxic.

    There are people that say that you don't get that much nutrition benefit from it but that's very primitive thinking. There is so much more to food than just macros, calories, vitamins, and/or minerals. Every biological process and chemical reaction our bodies have to food and the possible toxins it carries are way too complex for anyone to fully comprehend. With that said, I do my best to fuel my body with the best available food. It's just a no brainer for me.

    Very much agree with this. There are some foods you don't really have to worry about buying organic - avocados for instance, but others it's very important to eat organic due to the heavy pesticide spraying - grapes and strawberries, for example.

    In the paper I just posted that looked at pesticide residue levels of the "dirty dozen", the highest average concentration detected of the most commonly detected pesticides was 36,000 times less than the reference dose (chronic exposure level for acceptable risk of any harm) for strawberries (http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jt/2011/589674/tab8/), and 4,110 times less than the reference dose for grapes (http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jt/2011/589674/tab7/).

  • snikkins
    snikkins Posts: 1,282 Member
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    senecarr wrote: »
    senecarr wrote: »
    IMO looking for local farmers to buy your products is better, finding ones that don't use pesticides/use natural enemies.
    Because as mentioned before, pesticides are indeed also found on organic-labelled brands.

    As some others have mentioned too, I focus on buying the purest, least processed food possible. I buy grass-fed meat and antibiotic-free poultry.

    To me the most important is to get your food in the most pure form available.

    It's actually pretty hard to keep any type of profitable garden going without pesticides. Even the most environmentally conscience local organic farmers will usually use pesticides/herbicides of some type if they are in it for profit.

    The difference is that small organic farmers are much more likely to use things that naturally break down quickly and leave no residue. Things that don't kill the honeybees that pollinate their crops. These must be applied more often, which is why big ag likes the harsher stuff that will kill indiscriminately and not break down. Not even before it reaches your table.
    The bees are not dying off. Actual, registered honeybee hive numbers are actually going up. I don't know if anyone is tracking wild bees off the top of my head, but honestly, I wouldn't care as honeybees are not native to North America, so seeing wild ones die off isn't an environmental disaster.
    There is nothing about natural pesticides that means they will break down faster. That's a huge naturalistic fallacy. Copper sulfate is natural, and approved in organic farming. It does not breakdown readily. It actually tends to accumulated in soil and groundwater. It also has a much worse LD50 than a lot of synthetic pesticides.

    It sounds like you are reading things into my post that weren't there. I never said all natural pesticides would break down faster, in fact, I never said anything about natural pesticides at all.
    small organic farmers are much more likely to use things that naturally break down quickly and leave no residue.
    So what "things" that "naturally" break down are small organic farms using?

    My guess is ladybugs. IPM plans are becoming more popular, and ladybugs are beasts, man. :bigsmile:

    I keep telling the Hubster that we need ladybugs to protect our plants... He seems skeptical, not because he doesn't think it'll work but because I think he knows I just want ladybugs. Ha

  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
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    I know the organic gardens by us don't really use anything other than fingers to neutralize pests and weeds. a friend of mine worked at a nearby one