The Fruit Growers News

Editor, Your recent focus on organic farming is timely. News articles have been varied and factual. But if you take Dennis Avery as a reliable source about organic policy, you will become very confused. Avery recently argued that organic farmers endanger public health because we use manure in our compost. He did not bother to say that organic certifiers impose limits and requirements on manure use. Also, conventional farmers use much more manure, without restrictions. Now Avery is apparently saying organic farmers will have to supply “regional markets with no organic price premium”. And that environmental regulations will stop the use of chemicals, citing the example of the Netherlands. Avery is like a man holding on the tail of an elephant at night, and trying to describe the beast. As to restrictions on pesticides - it has been obvious to me as conventional orchard worker for 30 years, that Guthion should be banned. If the feds finally wake up to that, it need not panic the industry. Likewise for clopyralid, coumaphos and a few other materials. The chemical industry is quite resilient in bringing out new products. As for “regional markets with no organic premium” - try telling that to thousands of dairy farmers who have been saved from bankruptcy because they can sell organic milk for $20 cwt. That milk is going national and international. What happens in the Netherlands is not half so important as Brazil. They export their GMO-free crops at a premium price, while the market for GMO soybeans and corn is difficult, to put I mildly. And USDA makes no secret that their primary interest is organic production to increase America’s exports.