article regarding the cost of organic food...

[Guest guest]

I've personally never had a problem spending the extra money for

organic, but I know A LOT of people who do. I've always felt like I

was supporting an excellent cause and if there is something I'm

going to pay extra for, it might as well be for my own personal

health - not to mention the health of the environment.

 

So here is an essay I came across in regards to that issue...

 

Organic Farming and Cost-Consciousness

By Kenneth Reinert

Stacked near the check-out counter of my local food co-operative are

gallons of apple juice. There are two stacks; one of commercial

apple juice and another of organic apple juice. The commercial juice

sells for $3.50, the organic juice for $6.50. Each week, when I step

up to the counter, m hand hovers between the two stacks. Invariably,

my fingers come to rest on the neck of the commercial juice, and I

feel that I am being cost-conscious. " The organic juice is simply

too expensive, " I tell myself.

 

It is not just juice that brings on this hesitancy. I behave in this

fashion whenever a price difference appears between an organically-

produced item and its non-organic equivalent. And I imagine that

there are many such " cost-conscious " shoppers, each with their hands

wavering.

 

Are we really cost-conscious shoppers when we behave in this way?

Are we " getting a good deal " when we choose the commercial product?

The higher price of organic foods partly reflects the small number

of organic farmers. However, it also reflects other factors which we

might refer to as stewardship costs. To illustrate this, let us ask

the reverse question. Why are the prices of commercial products so

low? There are some significant production costs absent from the

prices of commercial items. These include the costs of soil

degradation and soil erosion, the water pollution costs of

fertilizer runoff, the costs of ground-water depletion, the national-

security costs of over-reliance on imported fossil fuels, the health

and depreciation costs of herbicide and pesticide use, the

agricultural-security costs of reduced plant-species diversity, and

the cultural cost of factory farming. Economists have a term for

these costs. They are known as " externalites. " These costs are not

borne by the commercial farmer as part of the production process.

They are borne by other individuals or groups, or even by future

farmers. They are thus external to commercial-farm production and

are not reflected in the prices of commercial-farm products. This,

in part, explains why commercial food items are so inexpensive

relative to their organic counterparts.

 

In contrast to commercial-farm production, organic-farm production

internalizes many of these costs. Natural soil maintenance

(composting), a greater amount of hand care and labor-intensive

techniques, integrated pest-and-disease control, and culturally-rich

small farms all involve costs that become incorporated into the

prices of organic products. When we purchase these goods, we are

being " cost conscious " in a very true sense. We are paying for what

others would not pay in external costs if we had purchased the

commercial equivalent.

 

The recognition of these stewardship costs is quite profound. As it

stands, the agricultural system of the United States is guilty of an

error of conception that was identified by E.F. Schumacher in his

well-known easy " Buddhist Economics. " Simply put, the U.S.

agricultural system mistakes capital for income. It treats the

environmental and natural-resource capital of the United States---

which includes the soil, species diversity, ground water and fossil

fuels---as income available on an annual basis into eternity.

Organic farming corrects this misconception, treating our

environment and natural resources as what they are: capital. The

higher prices of organic foods reflect capital-maintenance or

stewardship costs. Paying these higher prices, we exercise true cost

consciousness.

[Guest guest]

BRAVO Jamie Lynn,

 

Thank you for posting the article. I would also like to mention that

NOW IS THE TIME for each one of us to STEP UP and TAKE PERSONAL

RESPONSIBILITY

for our environment and how our food is grown. If it is at all

possible for you to grow your own produce, PLEASE DO SO, and do it

ORGANICALLY! If you are not in a position to grow your own food,

then PLEASE check within your local communities for access to

community gardens or urban gardens. If you find that these are also

not an option, PLEASE don't give up. Talk to the produce manager and

the perishables manager or the owner of the grocery that you shop at

and VOICE YOUR CONCERN over the lack of/or exorbitant price of

ORGANIC products at the store. WE LIVE IN A COUNTRY FOUNDED ON

CHOICE...MAKE YOUR CHOICE KNOWN!!!

 

If you are not willing to take RESPONSIBILITY for your health, your

environment, your FUTURE, then don't complain about YOUR outcome.

 

I had the opportunity tonight to meet with the regional managers

(actually couldn't believe how many were there!) of a local grocery

chain in my area and MADE MY VOICE HEARD! I told them that the

American public wants affordable and sustainable ORGANIC products in

their markets. I was very uplifted by the response I received from

these people [my husband, always the pessimist (please not realist),

said when I relayed my news, " hopefully it did not fall on deaf

ears, " ] WELLLLL, my best response to him is that these managers,

also shoppers, I might add (whom were horrified at stories I had to

tell about the food they were selling and eating ) were actually

asking LITTLE OL' ME if I might know of suppliers that they could

contact to procure the items I wanted. Let me tell you, I have all

of their email addy's and they will be getting A LOT OF INFORMATION

FROM LITTLE OL' ME!!! But " I " was the one who had to make my VOICE

HEARD.

 

May I please take one more moment of your time to say that if EVERY

SHOPPER THAT CARES ABOUT THEIR HEALTH AND THIS PLANET TAKES THE

TIME...TAKES THE TIME....TAKES THE TIME.....TO LET THEIR VOICE BE

HEARD...THEN CHANGE WILL HAPPEN!!! It is imperative that you TAKE

THE TIME to notify your county extension offices, your local health

department, your state representatives and congressmen/women, your

governors/esses, your local church authorities, YOUR LOCAL GROCERY,

any person in a position of PURCHASING power/authority or GOVERNING

rule or TEACHING professional that your ORGANIC WAY OF LIFE

MATTERS!!!

 

PLEASE, if everyone lets it be known to their governmental powers to

be that they feel that this is an ISSUE OF LIFE AND DEATH, then WE

WILL BE HEARD!!!

 

WOULDN'T IT BE AWESOME IF " FACTORY FARMING " CAUSED THE SAME UPHEAVAL

AS " ABORTION " DOES TO THE GENERAL CONCENSUS?

 

WOULDN'T IT BE AWESOME IF THE TERM " GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISM "

CAUSED THE SAME UPHEAVAL THAT " CLONING " DOES?

 

WOULDN'T IT BE AWESOME IF THE " MEDICAL COMMUNITY " WERE ONLY PAID WHEN

THEIR PATIENTS WERE " KEPT WELL " ?

 

WOULDN'T IT BE AWESOME IF " SUSTAINABLE FARMING " GARNERED THE SAME

RESPECT AS FIGHTING IN IRAQ?

 

One final note, in regard to the devestation caused by the Tsunami in

Sri Lanka, my thoughts of uplifting hope are extended to all who have

suffered, may you find peace and guidance in your recovery, and to

those of you who may have been affected from a distance, remember

what I have always said,,

 

that it takes only one thought, one breath, one whisper to change a

life...make your choice count.

 

Please feel free to copy and paste this in its entirety, but please

do not alter my wording. I am passionate about what I stand for and

do not want to be mis-interpreted. Yours in Health and Warm regards,

Lori

 

 

herbal remedies , " Jamie Lynn " <jalynned>

wrote:

>

>

> I've personally never had a problem spending the extra money for

> organic, but I know A LOT of people who do. I've always felt like

I

> was supporting an excellent cause and if there is something I'm

> going to pay extra for, it might as well be for my own personal

> health - not to mention the health of the environment.

>

> So here is an essay I came across in regards to that issue...

>

> Organic Farming and Cost-Consciousness

> By Kenneth Reinert

> Stacked near the check-out counter of my local food co-operative

are

> gallons of apple juice. There are two stacks; one of commercial

> apple juice and another of organic apple juice. The commercial

juice

> sells for $3.50, the organic juice for $6.50. Each week, when I

step

> up to the counter, m hand hovers between the two stacks.

Invariably,

> my fingers come to rest on the neck of the commercial juice, and I

> feel that I am being cost-conscious. " The organic juice is simply

> too expensive, " I tell myself.

>

> It is not just juice that brings on this hesitancy. I behave in

this

> fashion whenever a price difference appears between an organically-

> produced item and its non-organic equivalent. And I imagine that

> there are many such " cost-conscious " shoppers, each with their

hands

> wavering.

>

> Are we really cost-conscious shoppers when we behave in this way?

> Are we " getting a good deal " when we choose the commercial product?

> The higher price of organic foods partly reflects the small number

> of organic farmers. However, it also reflects other factors which

we

> might refer to as stewardship costs. To illustrate this, let us ask

> the reverse question. Why are the prices of commercial products so

> low? There are some significant production costs absent from the

> prices of commercial items. These include the costs of soil

> degradation and soil erosion, the water pollution costs of

> fertilizer runoff, the costs of ground-water depletion, the

national-

> security costs of over-reliance on imported fossil fuels, the

health

> and depreciation costs of herbicide and pesticide use, the

> agricultural-security costs of reduced plant-species diversity, and

> the cultural cost of factory farming. Economists have a term for

> these costs. They are known as " externalites. " These costs are not

> borne by the commercial farmer as part of the production process.

> They are borne by other individuals or groups, or even by future

> farmers. They are thus external to commercial-farm production and

> are not reflected in the prices of commercial-farm products. This,

> in part, explains why commercial food items are so inexpensive

> relative to their organic counterparts.

>

> In contrast to commercial-farm production, organic-farm production

> internalizes many of these costs. Natural soil maintenance

> (composting), a greater amount of hand care and labor-intensive

> techniques, integrated pest-and-disease control, and culturally-

rich

> small farms all involve costs that become incorporated into the

> prices of organic products. When we purchase these goods, we are

> being " cost conscious " in a very true sense. We are paying for what

> others would not pay in external costs if we had purchased the

> commercial equivalent.

>

> The recognition of these stewardship costs is quite profound. As it

> stands, the agricultural system of the United States is guilty of

an

> error of conception that was identified by E.F. Schumacher in his

> well-known easy " Buddhist Economics. " Simply put, the U.S.

> agricultural system mistakes capital for income. It treats the

> environmental and natural-resource capital of the United States---

> which includes the soil, species diversity, ground water and fossil

> fuels---as income available on an annual basis into eternity.

> Organic farming corrects this misconception, treating our

> environment and natural resources as what they are: capital. The

> higher prices of organic foods reflect capital-maintenance or

> stewardship costs. Paying these higher prices, we exercise true

cost

> consciousness.

[Guest guest]

herbal remedies , " Lori " <tootstl> wrote:

<snip>

>If it is at all possible for you to grow your own produce, PLEASE DO

>SO, and do it ORGANICALLY! If you are not in a position to grow

>your own food, then PLEASE check within your local communities for

>access to community gardens or urban gardens.

> Lori

 

************

Lori,

 

I'm fairly new to the group, have been " lurking " , and haven't posted

yet. But I wanted to add my 2 cents, and hope its OK! I agree 100%

with everything you said in your post, but especially the above part

I " snipped " . Due to the sad fact that organics are hard to find in

my area, and also their expense, 2 years ago, I started growing just

as much of my own veggies/fruits/herbs as I could, and I plan to

expand a bit each year. Even tho we've been eating organic for

longer than I've been growing them, the difference in the " home-

grown " organic foods is absolutely amazing! I have also helped

several relatives that live in the city, to grow some of their own

organically too. Many, many foods/herbs can be grown in containers,

so even apartment dwellers can grow some of their own foods, on

balconies or whatever. The amount of foods that can be grown from a

packet of seeds is SO much cheaper, than purchasing them already

grown. And yet, if you purchase organic seeds to plant, you are

still supporting organic agriculture, and " voting " with your

pocketbook.

 

For help with stuff I don't grow/raise myself, I found a website that

you can type in your city/state or zip code, and it will give you a

list of local growers and merchants....

(fruits/veggies/meats/eggs/dairy/CSA'S/natural skin care products

etc) in your area. (I hope its OK to post the link???)

 

It is at:

http://www.localharvest.org/

<snip>

Nothing tastes better than a tomato just picked from the garden. The

freshest, healthiest, most flavorful organic food is what's grown

closest to your home. With the LocalHarvest map, you can find all the

farmers' markets, family farms, locally-grown produce, grass-fed

meats, and other sources of sustainably grown food in your area....

 

 

Also, if anybody knows organic farmers that grow to sell (or

soapmakers etc) please encourage them to list their wares with the

website. They can register on it for FREE, and that way, people

looking for pure foods/skin care can " find " them easier. There were

several pages of listings in my area (that I had never heard of),

until I found them on this site a couple years ago. I did talk 2

organic CSA farmers into registering on the site, and they did

mention they got increased biz from it.

 

I hope this helps anyone else that may find it difficult and/or

expensive to find pure foods etc.

Jan

[Guest guest]

Oh, I have a friend who has a container garden every year and she decided this year to try teach others...her website is www.containerseeds.com

She has a newsletter every month about something of interest and she also includes a recipe. She has no yard and only a small deck and raises an amazing amount of food.

 

Flo

 

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the website - I'm not in a position to a full garden at

this time and more information about container gardening is

appreciated.

 

Someone told me the other day that you can take a 5 gallon bucket,

cut a 2-3 " hole in the center of the bottom - insert a tomato or

pepper plant (probably other vining plants too) into the bottom and

fill the bucket with dirt. Hang the bucket and water/fertilize from

the top. He said that the yield will be better. I suspect depending

upon where they are hung, that bugs would less likely invest the

plant.

 

herbal remedies , " Flo " <fgarig@b...> wrote:

> Oh, I have a friend who has a container garden every year and she

decided this year to try teach others...her website is

www.containerseeds.com

> She has a newsletter every month about something of interest and

she also includes a recipe. She has no yard and only a small deck

and raises an amazing amount of food.

>

> Flo