Studies come out all of the time concerning the food we grow. Just last week, I read two different papers. The first said – surprise! – that all of the pesticides that we are spraying on lawns, gardens and farms are not only killing insects and bees but also birds. The second argued that the nutritional profile of organic produce was different than conventionally grown produce.
We hear about studies all of the time. Chocolate is good for you. No wait, chocolate is bad for you. Eat more of this. Hold on, don’t eat so much of that. There is a good deal of conflicting advice and it’s hard to sort through. On top of that, we never seem to pay attention to who is funding these studies. That’s of utmost importance, for obvious reasons.
So what does your farmer make of it all?
I try to use my own brain as much as possible. First, pesticides kill things. That is why we use them. That is their purpose. It should come as no surprise that they have an adverse effect on non-insect populations, including humans. When I got started in farming, I learned about how much poison we spray on our very own food. The food that we eat. The food that, literally, becomes us. It’s one reason why food is so cheap in the store. It is easy to grow because everything is sprayed with poison.
As far as nutritional differences, that’s a little tougher. There are so many factors in play. The soil, the weather, and the time of harvest all come to mind as important. On top of that, how old is your food? The longer something has been sitting in a truck, the more it breaks down. In my opinion, that’s not the primary reason to choose organic.
So don’t let all the studies about organic farming confuse you. Just use your noggin and, importantly, go with your gut.
We hope that you have a great week!