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organics opposition
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Gerald J.
Posted 9/12/2012 16:38 (#2587700 - in reply to #2587545)
Subject: Organic rules



Organic rules are based on the supposition by Rodale that if it comes from the ground, its natural and healthy, if its made in a factory its unsafe while being unnatural. There is no scientific basis to that supposition, but it has been promulgated into USDA Organic rules.

As the result, rock phosphate is considered good, but super phosphate which is rock phosphate cleaned up by an acid treatment is not good. Funny thing the rock phosphate processing plants are Superfund clean up sites from disposing of what the acid took OUT of the rock phosphate. So that raw rock phosphate just might be super contaminated with heavy metals and other unhealthy materials.

In much of Iowa, there is no crop response to rock phosphate because it requires acidic soil and we believe in neutral pH soil for growing better crops and apply much lime to achieve that. In Ohio where Rodale lived and worked, neutral pH soil was much harder to achieve. And that minimizes the availability of organic phosphate materials.

At least a couple resources, one from Iowa State last week and one from the USDA in years past has noted that most organic crops are fertilized with manure of some type, which means the crop is very likely to include bits of manure containing organisms very unhealthy to human, like e coli.

Then there's pollen drift. I once tried to be organic, but how could I claim my corn crop was organic if all the fields around me were GMO and pollen drifted half a mile a day. I might follow all the procedures (though now its hard to find absolutely pure none GMO seed) but my crop might be 20% GMO from pollen drift. I didn't think that claiming that corn crop was organic when it was partly pollinated by none organic pollen was honest.

The Rodale that started all of this is dead now so we can't reason with him anymore, though it may have been impossible while he was alive too.

Gerald J.
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