Small vs. Large
The general public sees any type of organic food as being produced “straight out of a backyard garden” or “right off of the family farm”. But is it really freshly picked tomatoes right out of Grandma Mae’s garden or chicken breast from a local farm? If the food purchased is from Whole Foods or the organic section at Walmart, then that probably is not the case. Large organic farms are what usually supply Whole Foods and other larger chain stores that have organics. They are not what people initially think of when imagining the typical organic farm. They usually think of a small plot of land with an old farmhouse, chicken coops, a red barn, and a large pasture of grass. Even though there are still organic farms like that,
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Although the smaller farms do not need the expensive and large equipment, they have to pay farmhands to take care of everything by hand. Farm hands, on average, make about eleven dollars per hour. For three farm hands that work approximately an eight hour day, cost the farm two hundred and sixty-four dollars a day (Farm Hand). To power harvesting machinery for about an eight hour day, would cost two hundred and eight dollars a day just for diesel costs (Edwards). So, the price to run per day for both large and small organic farms does not have a dramatic difference.
Another quite large expense is that of transportation. Products from large farms typically supply large markets and are usually not at small farmers markets. In order for the food to be transported from the farm to the supermarket, they have to use fuel. Not only is this costing them much more, but it is also affecting the environment. On the contrary, small farms typically sell their produce at farmers markets or at their farm itself. This is not only conserving them money, but it is also conserving fossil fuels.
Another economic factor in organic farming, in general, is that organic food is typically more expensive that its non-organic counterpart. This observation goes along with both large and small organic farms. When people go shopping, they often look for the cheapest item. Since
In paragraph 2, Rachel Cernansky, says, “The big price tag can lead people to assume organic food is better than conventionally grown food.” On the other hand, organic food should not be consumed because of its price. “Besides, she said, why would she want to pay a markup that can run double or triple the cost of conventional food” (Lazarus 14). This statistic shows that organic food is a much higher cost than regular food. In paragraph 20, David Lazarus, stated, “According to Consumer Reports, organic foods and beverages run an average 47% more in price than conventional alternatives. In some cases, the markup can be more than 300%. That’s a hefty difference.” This quote shows how much organic food can be sold for. There is no point in buying organic food that is triple that amount of conventional food. In conclusion, we should not buy food because of its
Organic farming is farming without the use of growth hormones or genetically altering the growth of the food. Organic farming is a great alternative to the way the meat industry is ran now. Many large corporations, like Stonyfield Farm, are broadening the horizons on organic foods. Organic foods may take longer to produce, but it will be a very good exchange for health over time. Without the food being genetically altered, it will be rid of the nasty E. coli which has stricken the nation so often. Stonyfield Farms are even getting places like Wal-Mart to carry organic foods in their stores, which is a big step, Wal-Mart is thought of as one of the low grocery places, somewhere that the cheap people get their food. But, with this new movement, it could change the face of organic food, and the way we think of supermarkets. Organic farming is a step the industry must take to improve health
Katherine Spriggs, the author of the essay “On Buying Local,” speculates on the controversial issue of small farms versus industrial farms. There are various opinions regarding this, and she covers many angles of the argument. While reading her essay, you can definitely tell which type of farm she is in favor for, though she does acknowledge the other side and mention counter arguments respectfully. Her thesis was very clear in stating “We should not give up a little bit of convenience in favor of buying local” (Spriggs 92). She then gives us many main points thereafter and proves them with data. Spriggs uses the rhetorical strategies of ethos, pathos, and logos to effectively argue that buying local and supporting small farm is the best option
compared to that from larger farms. Small farmers focus their farming techniques on being sustainable, which includes reducing the use of
Traits of organic food can also be misconstrued in the sense of the ingredients and how it is different from the way processed food is produced. “In reality, certified organics have lower levels of chemical residue, Roethal argues, which is positive for consumers, farm workers and the land itself, but organic growing practices have no impact on how many nutrients, calories or grams of fat are in anyone's favorite foods”(SFGate). As mentioned previously in the quote, often times organic food can benefits one’s health because of the little amount in which chemicals and calories are in the substance. The concern about organic food is that it is substantially more expensive than non-organic food. However,“Organic food sales are increasing by double digits annually, and more than 80 percent of parents reported buying organic food for their families last year”, according to Batch. With the high-price of organic food, this could also be a reason on why people tend to lean more towards the less healthier items, all because of the low cost. Even though there are different and confusing standards on what organic really is, the ideal description would typically be foods that do not have the same producing process as non-organic food.
The rising costs of land and the simultaneous costs of water make it so 30% of farm households have negative income. The cost of sustainability, such a new tilling methods and access to water, also strains farms. This often leads to farmers self-exploiting themselves to try to generate the most crops possible and cultivate their land to the fullest extent.
A major criticism of organic foods is the obvious price increase included with purchasing organic products. While there are numerous reasons for the price premium associated with organic foods, the most obvious reasons are the cost of organic supplies such as feed and fertilizer to make a profit. George Siemon, CEO of the Organic Valley co-op, states that “A ton of organic cattle feed can cost from $350 to $400 a ton versus $220 or less for a ton of conventional feed,” illustrating a major price difference for simply fertilizing a crop (Simon). With access to more resources than organic farmers, conventional farmers will often spend less in the overall farming of a crop than organic farmers, increasing their profits. Conventional farmers often use materials such as “sewage sludge, which is cheap to buy, and chemical fertilizers, which are both cheap to buy and cheap to transport” (Simon). Using these potentially hazardous chemicals for crop production runs the major risk of chemical runoff and contamination of local water supplies or reservoirs, which will directly affect
Sure, industrial food is cheaper and easier to make, but smaller farms who make most of the food humans eat, do not get a lot of money, meaning people will go broke and lose their jobs. "we are a family owned business." Sandhya Dirks, the author of The Economic Impact of Killing 'Pink Slime' says. To further Dirks idea, their are more people who work on small, local farms, than large, industrial farms. MIchael Pollan, the author of Omivores Dilemma, says, " " If the American farmer is more productive than even before, how come so many farmers are going broke." IN other words- people who work on small local farms, who work so much hard than industrial farmers, who spend their days slaving away in a field, make less then the industrial farmers, who work
While the designation of foods produced without the use of agrichemicals as organic began in the 1950s, only recently has consumer interest in purchasing organic foods increased. As more and more companies market products to these consumers, some have begun to wonder about the advantages of eating these foods. Deborah Rich argues, “One of the major benefits of organic foods is their increased nutrient content” (Rich 1). Rich cites multiple studies showing that organically grown foods contain higher levels of important nutrients than conventionally grown foods. The low nutritional content of conventionally grown foods that most Americans consume, Rich suggests, has resulted in grave consequences for the nation, including higher rates of chronic disease, nutrient deficiencies, and overeating.
understood that because fewer produce growers provide organic offerings, the cost is a little higher, but
Alongside the growth of large farms, crops are being subsidized which leads to the prices of the goods being kept at a low price (Toews). For a family farm, this means producing a crop that is not cost effective which eventually drives the family farms out of business. Once these large corporations produce the crop, it is then shipped to the manufacturers
Why would Whole Foods tell such lies? Organic Products do not go through stringent standards. All you need for organic certification is the paperwork. Did you know organic farms use so-called natural pesticides? Natural pesticides are not regulated or even understood as their synthetic conventional pesticides. Studies show that conventional and organic farms use the same amount of pesticides and both are considered safe. The website also goes on to claim that organic foods taste better. Again I go back to that apple. Can you really tell a difference? Before writing this article, I used my family as guinea pigs. I even blindfolded them to it fun. Two out of my five family members chose the conventional grown apple. Whole foods continue to make all these accusations about how much better organic foods are by misleading the public. (3) Remember from earlier, this is a billion dollar business. For the two apples I purchased, one apple cost $0.85 and the organic one cost $2.34 and it wasn’t much bigger in size. (1)
Hurst sees that the methods of industrial farming could have less impact on the environment than people think. “The combination of herbicides and genetically modified seed has made my farm more sustainable...and actually reduces the pollution I send...” (Hurst 206). Hurst exclaims that the farmers are making consumers happy, and even provide the consumers with inexpensive food. He claims that “farmers can raise food in different ways if that is what the market wants” but even so “there are environmental and food safety costs” to the type of farming farmers choose ( Hurst 206). Personally, I believe it’s known that there will always be some costs, but this should not deter us from trying our absolute best to find a better and safer way of farming. Blake Hurst adds that he uses all animal manure available to him to reduce the amount of commercial fertilizer (Hurst 210) but this will not stop commercial fertilizer from being here. Therefore, Hurst would agree that the environment can be affected by industrial farming, but the methods farmers use are ones that would limit the negative effects as much as possible.
Organic farming is becoming an increasingly popular market throughout the world. (Adam, 2004, p. 666). The aims of organic farming are, to decrease pollution, maintain soil fertility and biodiversity, be more sustainable, and have increased nutritional benefits than conventionally grown foods (Yaping et. al., 2003, p. 298). While the aim of conventional farming is to provide safe, proficient supplies of food, in abundance and at low prices (Trewavas, 2001, p.409). Since 1996, the amount of land in the UK dedicated to organic farming has risen tenfold (Adam, 2004, p. 666). As well, from 1992 to 1997, the amount of certified organic cropland in the US more than doubled (Tafel et al, 2007, p.182 ). The main difference between organic and
Agriculture in the United States has changed dramatically over the centuries. Since the 1960’s large commercial farms have been leading in sales. As a direct result of their success we, as a society, have access to affordable food. However, the success of large farms has lead to many negative impacts such as increased usage of resources and decreased diversity in crop fields. This begs the question, what can be done to reduce the negative impacts of large farms. One solution growing in popularity is sustainable agriculture. The idea of sustainable agriculture is to create farms that need little to no outside help from irrigation, pesticides, or fertilizers. Sustainability can be achieved in many way through