Some good organic farming universities?
I am planning to getting a degree in agriculture where it teaches you organic, sustainable food production. I was going to start at Texas A&M kingsville til i realized its about money, and large scale production there not about optimizing food and methods of production. Any suggestions on a university providing sustainable agriculture classes? I would prefer a smaller college, but one which is still accredited of course. All i currently have is an associate’s in Liberal Arts. Please if you know any, regardless of their geological location, please let me know. Thanks for the help!
find on google as top farming universities, that’ll be the actual result..
good luck
What Is Organic Skin Care?
To understand organic skin care, you have to understand organic farming because all of the ingredients in organic skin care are organically produced. This means that each and every ingredient should be certified as organically grown, not just the majority of them.
It is a good idea to check companies that you are considering for your organic skin care products to make sure that they are selling certified products and that the products you purchase from them are certified.
There are companies out there which make false claims about being organic and those that sell some non organic products along with organic products. Through understanding organic farming, you will see that organic skin care is better for both you and the environment.
Basically, organic farming is a return to the way farming used to be done, utilizing a number of things to replenish soil nourishment including: crop rotation, composting, and cover crops. Climate hardy plants grown in well nourished soil have better insect and disease resistance than their non organic counterparts do.
Because of this resistance, the organic plants do not require fertilizers and pesticides in massive amounts. Even when help is needed, organic farmers protect their plants through a variety of ways that still do not utilize synthetic chemicals. Sadly, this does not mean that there are absolutely no pesticides in organic plants.
Because of the over use of pesticides, even our rain carries them, which means that organic plants are subjected to them through the rain.
Biodiversity is promoted by the organic farmers way of growing different crops and natural resource systems (like air and water) are protected because of the way that organic farmers store and compost the animal waste they use in replenishing soil nutrients.
The overall effect on the environment through organic farming can be seen through reduced greenhouse gases. On a local level, farmers see less water used, less soil erosion, improved fertility, safer groundwater, and more abundant wildlife.
Organic is all about the way that various agricultural products are grown (or raised) and processed. By farming organically, the health of the ecosystem is maintained. Toxins in fertilizers and pesticides are bypassed because these products are not used in organic farming.
The focus is on the environment: soil regeneration and water conservation being the two biggest issues and animal welfare playing a large part as well. During processing quality is retained because organic foods are not subjected to artificial ingredients, irradiation, or preservatives.
Aside from man made additives, pesticides, and fertilizers, organic food is also free of man made herbicides and GMOs (genetically modified organisms). Animals raised organically are not fed by products of other animals (rather, they eat organically grown foods) and they are free to roam and enjoy their existence (instead of being locked in cages).
In raising animals organically, a diet of certified organic food is used; this means that, in addition to the absence of the above mentioned synthetics, there are no hormones ingested by organically raised animals.
Prevention of disease is a by product of the animals healthy living, so antibiotics are also not passed on to us through ingestion. Through this well nourished, free to roam life, it has been found that animals raised for things like milk and eggs tend to live much longer than their non organic counterparts.
According to the United States National Organic Standards Board, Organic agriculture is an ecological production management system that promotes and enhances biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity. It is based on minimal use of off farm inputs and on management practices that restore, maintain and enhance ecological harmony.
For products to be certified organic, they must meet a set of strict standards within the industry. These standards are verified by a third party agency, sometimes the government. In order to be certified, both farms and processing plants must be checked and found to be in compliance with the standards that have been set. After initial certification, farms and facilities are still inspected regularly to verify that the organic standards are still being met.
Organic does not just refer to the actual plants and animals produced for human consumption. It applies to anything which is manufactured in such a way that it meets the certification standards.
This is why one moisturizer may be organic while another is not, even though both companies use the same ingredients. Organic farming has grown to the extent that you can find a huge variety of food (even processed foods), but it goes even further than food. You can buy organic clothing, organic bedding, linens, and other items.
Louise Forrest
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/what-is-organic-skin-care-127722.html
Organic Farming in Western Province – Kenya
organic farming in Western Province
You will find more detailed information here:
www.sofdi.com
Sound:
Created with royalty free samples and loops licensed for use by Sony Creative Software and Sample Magic.
Location:
Buyangu, Western Province @ Kenya.
Duration : 0:10:0
What do you think about the law about banning organic farming that people tried to passs?
it wasnt passed but still
people wanted to make it illegal for people to have organic farms
it makes you wonder their intentions..
I think you have been reading to many scary emails that are full of mistruths. SB 510 will not out law organic gardening, nor farmers markets not back yard gardening. I wish more people would read the actual bill rather than fear mongering emails and websites full of lies and sensationalism.
Look, I am a small organic grower who sells direct to my customers and I have read the bill and i am all for it. It exempts all farms not doing interstate sales, who are doing less than 51% of their marketing wholesale and gross under $500K. That’s pretty much all the growers who do farmers markets and CSA and 100% of the backyard growers. Also this is all about allowing the FDA to have more oversight over our food. The USDA regulated the national Organics program, not the FDA and will continue to do so.
And BTW it has not passed yet but it is not a dead bill by any means and has a lot of support. The next phase for it is it will be put up for voting by the Senate, than the House than it will either be signed or vetoed by the POTUS
What do you think about the law about banning organic farming that people tried to pass?
I personally am starting to think the government wants the general population to be sick and unhealthy so we dont live long and can decrease population
because honestly, what the hell is wrong with organic farming
http://www.prisonplanet.com/bill-to-ban-organic-farming.html
There’s nothing wrong with organic farming. There is something wrong with telling people that organic food is safer or more nutritious than non-organics, though. Because it isn’t.
That aside, there is no such law. From Truth or Fiction:
"The Government is banning organic farming—–Fiction!"
Is Organic Food & Organic Farming the Future?
Businesses such as GuideMeGreen green directory and the co-op offer a real alternative for people concerned with these issues and with businesses that combine a strong ethical dimension in tandem with making profits.
Here are some of the main features of organic farming:
• Organic farming severely restricts the use of artificial chemical fertilisers and pesticides.
• Instead, organic farmers rely on developing a healthy, fertile soil and growing a mixture of crops.
• Animals are reared without the routine use of drugs, antibiotics and wormers common in intensive livestock farming.
Synthetic dyes and ingredients such as Sudan1 were in the national news in February and can cause cancer. See www.food.gov.uk for further details. Genetically modified (GM) crops and ingredients are not allowed under organic standards.
Why Buy Organic?
It has never been easier to shop for organic food, and there has never been so much choice. Every food category now has an organic alternative. Its also common sense; organic food is good food. Good to eat, good for the environment, good for the small-scale farmers and the farm workers who produce it.
Chefs across the country are committed to using organic ingredients because plants from healthy soils and organically fed livestock provide us with more flavorful food. Organic foods allow true flavour to shine through unlike other non-organic foods that look and taste good but are often full of E numbers and artificial flavourings and ingredients.
By supporting local, sustainable and organic farms in your local community you also support the larger community of which we are all a part. By eating organic food you are providing the healthiest choice for your family and supporting the farms that provide us with healthy and ecological neighbourhoods.
The ‘go local’ food movement is flourishing – over 15% of people buy organic food locally and this number continues to rise as the number of farmer’s markets, box schemes, cafes and restaurants serving organic food increase. GuideMeGreen helps you to find locally produced foods which are fresher, healthier and more economical. It cuts down on transport costs and ‘food miles’ where an average shopping basket can include fruit and vegetables transported from all over the world.
The big supermarkets in the UK are about to introduce there own vegetable box schemes. This is good because the supermarket schemes should encourage more people to buy organic food and are likely to raise the profile and public awareness of the benefits of organic box schemes in general. These new organic consumers will hopefully become convinced of the benefits of organic food and become more interested in and aware of the advantages of buying local too. The supermarket schemes could therefore be a positive first step on people’s journey to buying organic, local food generally and perhaps moving on to subscribe to independent box scheme businesses – as well as supporting other local food outlets like farmers’ markets or independent retailers.
The supermarkets themselves may find their businesses becoming subject to more far-reaching changes, as their customers are exposed to the principles and practices which inspire the original local food and grassroots box-scheme movement.
Davinos Greeno
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/is-organic-food-ampamp-organic-farming-the-future-84553.html
Benefits of Organic Farming
Organic farming is a different sort of farming practice which is different from the conventional farming. With organic farming, better and healthy food ingredients can be cultivated. The whole process of organic farming is natural. Basically, the organic farmers deal with the farmlands in a much careful manner. The organic farmers spend lots of time in improving their land. Soil combination and positioning are two key ingredients of organic gardening. There are certain benefits of organic gardening. With strong commitment to the lands, the organic farmers improve the agricultural processes. Soil foundation of the food chain is the key feature of organic soil. The organic products moreover meet strict standards and as a result almost all the products are of good quality. Organic certification is the public’s assurance that products have been grown and handled under persistent toxic chemical inputs. Through thorough study of these techniques, organic ingredients of better quality are achieved. Well balanced soil helps in the growth of better plants. Conventional farmers only add nitrogen. Potassium and phosphorus but the organic farmers use things like rock dust; the organic farmers use many beneficial soil organisms instead of removing them. More information is available from AgCommoditiesInc.com
Organic ingredients have become popular across the nations because of its purity and healthy nature. Organic ingredients do not reduce the possibilities of any residue of herbicide, fungicide or any pesticide within the functional ingredient. Genetically, engineered products can be detrimental for the plant’s health. It has been found from studies that the organic farming keeps the topsoil undisturbed and this helps in better production and crop rotation. Again by producing organic ingredient, soil poisoning can be stopped. But the fact is clear that organic farms require more labor. The food ingredients are now highly in demand, the healthy natures of these food ingredients are causes of its popularity. Food ingredients are used for preparing chocolates, snacks and various food products. Conventional farmers use chemicals which kill microscopic bacteria. Many of these bacteria enhance the plant’s ability to absorb nutrients. The fillings and the frying oils, coco butter etc are some of the delicious items prepared from organic ingredients. Organic ingredients are also used for making frozen food items. The elimination of polluting chemicals and nitrogen leaching are done during soil building and along with this it prevents soil, water and air pollution. For maintaining the natural harmony, it is indeed required to maintain the ecological balance. Organic ingredients are widely used for both foods and agricultural products; nowadays, even cotton is also grown following the process. The food ingredients are now highly in demand. Functional ingredients are also highly being used for yielding better and tastier products. For further information, one can refer to the website AgCommoditiesInc.com
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AgCommoditiesInc.com does not represent or endorse the accuracy or reliability of any of the article information, content or advertisements (collectively, the “Materials”) contained on, distributed through, or linked, downloaded or accessed from any of the services contained on this website (the “Service”), nor the quality of any products, information or other materials displayed, purchased, or obtained by you as a result of an advertisement or any other information or offer in or in connection with the Service (the “Products”). You hereby acknowledge that any reliance upon any Materials shall be at your sole risk. AgCommoditiesInc.com reserves the right, in its sole discretion and without any obligation, to make improvements to, or correct any error or omissions in any portion of the Service or the Materials. The information in this article is not intended to provide personal medical advice, which should be obtained from a medical professional, and has not been approved by the U.S. FDA.
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Mike Singh
http://www.articlesbase.com/nutrition-articles/benefits-of-organic-farming-64864.html
OUTLAW Organic Farming? Just say NO! Urgent Call to Action
They’re doing it. Soon. Monsanto has got his wish and they are attempting to Nationalize Farming and our Food Source. This is outrageous and requires immediate action! Please check out Jdouglasfisher’s channel for all the exact info on this, and thanks to Starrjaded for originally reporting on this.
http://www.govtrack.us/
Duration : 0:3:21
Why Is Organic Farming Bad – If It Is?
Why is organic farming bad, if it is? We have been told that organic farming is good for our health. Proponents have trumpeted the message that organic farming is good for the environment. How could it possibly be bad?
It seems that, increasingly, life is being divided into traditional and alternative. Each side claims their methods to be better than the other’s. Each tries to win people to their side. Traditional schooling fights alternative schooling. Conventional medicine fights alternative medicine. Mainstream culture fights alternative subcultures.
Farming, too, is involved in a battle, conventional farming against organic farming. Environmentalists and those concerned with their health assure us that organic farming is preferable in many ways. But others argue that organic farming is bad.
Why is organic farming bad?
Research Results
In 2002, Swiss scientists at the Research Institute for Organic Agriculture published in “Scientist” a highly publicized study. Their study, which covered 21 years, compared four types of farming. Two of those types were organic farming. The other two types were conventional farming.
Reporters quickly stated that the study proved organic farming was more efficient. Organic farming’s advocates said the study showed that organic farming uses 50% less energy. The facts?
1. Conventional farming is 20 percent more productive than organic farming.
2. Crop yields were significantly lower in organic farming.
3. The above two facts meant energy savings in organic farming were actually only about 19 percent per unit of crop produced, not 50 percent.
4. The study did not test organic farming against the most current methods of conventional farming. If it had, experts say, the 19 percent advantage of organic farming would disappear.
5. Current conventional farming matches organic farming when it comes to environmental advantages. Both have beneficial insects, produce less pesticide and fertilizer runoff, and reduce soil erosion.
6. Food quality was almost identical in conventional and organic farming. Advocates of organic farming had long claimed their food was far superior.
7. Current conventional farming methods produce the same or greater yields mentioned in number 1 above.
This research does not, of course, conclude that organic farming is bad. On the face of it, the conclusion is more that organic farming is not very different from current conventional farming. There most be other reasons for people believing organic farming is bad.
Organic Farming Can Kill
Many took from the Swiss study a realization that, as Cambridge chemist John Emsley said, “the greatest catastrophe the human race could face this century is not global warming, but a global conversion to ‘organic farming’- [where] an estimated 2 billion people would perish.”
Organic farming may supply food for small markets, but how can it feed starving nations? Its adversaries claim that current conventional farming is the only hope for these people. If we turn entirely to organic farming, they say, we will doom billions to die of starvation.
Challenging Organic Farming
Alex Avery, Director of Research and Education for the Hudson Institute’s Center for Global Food Issues, recently published a new book, “The Truth About Organic Foods.” (2006) In this book, Avery offers an unemotional look at the odd origins and unscientific basis for organic farming.
Nobel Peace Prize Winning Agricultural Scientist, Dr. Norman Borlaug, says about this book, “The Truth About organic foods gives consumers a thorough and straight-forward explanation of why organic foods offer no real health or safety benefits. More importantly, Avery communicates why organic farming’s lower yields and reliance on scarce organic fertilizers represents a potential threat to the world’s forests, wetlands and grasslands. The book offers scientifically sound evidence that more-affordable conventional foods are healthy for families and also good stewardship of nature.”
Skimming Mr. Avery’s book, one finds statements that indicate:
1. Organic farming started in the 1920s when a German mystic advised use of only animal manure because synthetic fertilizers had no cosmic energy.
2. Soon, the wealthy decided manure-fertilized produce was better.
3. J.I. Rodale first published his “Organic Gardening Magazine” in 1942, and the organic farming / organic gardening movement was named.
4. In 2007, organic farming advocates still have no credible science to support their beliefs.
5. Organic farming does not avoid pesticides. About 5 percent a vegetable’s weight is natural pesticides, some of which are cancer-causing.
6. Foods from organic farming have more illness-causing bacteria. (The January 2007 issue of “Consumer Reports” showed that chicken from organic farming has 300% more Salmonella than that from conventional farming. University studies have found more bacteria in vegetables from organic farming than in vegetables from conventional farming.
7. If organic farming, which decries synthetic fertilizer, was chosen over conventional farming, we would have a choice. We could kill millions of people to reduce global food needs, or we could sacrifice wildlife habitat in the amount of millions of square miles so we could produce more manure.
Why is organic farming bad? Mr. Avery believes he has the answer.
Notwithstanding Mr. Avery’s new book, I am not sure whether organic farming is bad or not. It is often difficult to sort through rhetoric and find fact. I do know that my forefathers had large organic farms. The produce was good and it was nourishing. Before I can turn my back completely on organic farming and organic gardening, I need clearer evidence. You probably want to do more research, too.
Anna Hart
http://www.articlesbase.com/gardening-articles/why-is-organic-farming-bad-if-it-is-136437.html
What’s the difference between organic farming and regular farming?is it true chemical fertilizers cause cancer
Chemical pesticides and fertilizers can cause cancer, neurological problems, and reproductive problems in sufficient quantities. In general, farm workers are more at risk from these effects than consumers, not that I would consider that a good reason not to buy organic.
http://www.nrdc.org/enterprise/greeningadvisor/wq-pesticides.asp
http://www.beyondpesticides.org/
http://www.panna.org/
organic farming is more tightly regulated than conventional farming, although there are still plenty of loopholes for abuse. In general, conventional farmers are more likely to use chemical fertilizers and pesticides to control weeds and insect pests, while organic farmers use natural techniques like crop rotation, diversified plantings, beneficial insects, and more.
Conventional livestock farmers often keep their livestock confined in inhumane conditions (CAFOs), where they must be fed growth hormones and antibiotics in order to stay healthy. organic farms are not allowed to feed hormones or treat their animals with routine antibiotics. However, many still use confinement techniques that are inhumane. The best label to look for with animal products is "grassfed" or "grass-finished," which ensures that the animal spent its whole life on pasture.
More resources:
http://www.epa.gov/agriculture/torg.html
http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/ams.fetchTemplateData.do?template=TemplateA&navID=NationalOrganicProgram&leftNav=NationalOrganicProgram&page=NOPNationalOrganicProgramHome&acct=AMSPW
http://www.organicconsumers.org/
http://www.ota.com/index.html
http://www.rodaleinstitute.org/new_farm
http://www.attra.org/
http://www.americangrassfed.org/