Reflection: I Am A Columbus State Transient Student

There is always opposition to pesticides because of the harm that it can cause on the environment and the animals alike. Pesticides though have saved a lot of hard work for farmers over the past couple of decades because it does all the dirty work, for example, the killing of weeds and other pests. Pesticides have also saved a lot of money for farmers by preventing pests from damaging crops or taking the nutrients and water supply away from crops. (Whitford, 7) In the future we need to start to find less toxic ways to prevent pests from attacking the crops and vegetation. This would prevent a lot of the other costs associated with pesticides for example, health costs for farmers that are exposed to the toxic chemicals or the killing of the habitats in the surrounding areas.

Despite the increase in organic buyers, the majority of people do not know how to merely interpret what the word organic even entails. The United States Department of Agriculture enforces and regulates the labeling of organic products, namely food products (cornucopia.org). In addition to the elusiveness of organic foods, organics are apt to be more expensive than conventional food; this is because instead of a huge manufacturing plant, one would be receiving their food products from a small farm (where a small amount of food is being grown and harvested). People choose to argue that organic food is far better for you than conventional or natural food; however, there are only minute differences between the two. Stephanie Watson, an executive editor of Harvard’s Women Health Watch, states:“The researchers discovered very little difference in nutritional content, aside from slightly higher phosphorous levels in many organic foods, and a higher omega-3 fatty acid content in organic milk and chicken” (Harvard.edu).

Companies have known that their pesticides and fungicides could cause cancer and birth defects, but have still used them. These companies acted to gain money without any thought given to the people who they were harming. When some of these companies were accused of not stopping the use of the harmful agents, many settled, but not many admitted or felt any guilt for the actions that they took. Corporations have no feelings other than their drive to gain profits, and many companies harm people for their own personal

Organic foods are made without the use of dangerous chemicals. The USDA didn’t establish standards for foods that could be classified as organic until 2002. Garcia tells us that organic foods cost more because they don’t use harmful pesticides; therefore, they don’t have as

The main reason for this cost increase is the difficulty to produce these foods in large quantities. Without the use of artificial fertilizers to increase amount and size of food, herbicides to kill the intruding weeds, and pesticides to kill insects, farmers yield lower amounts of fruits and vegetables, which carries an increased price down to the consumers. Animals that are not given antibiotics and growth hormones grow slower and produce a lower amount of milk and eggs. This extra cost is made up in the health benefits of organic foods. Non-organic foods come with a risk.

In the book “The Omnivore's Dilemma” Michael Pollan explains the benefits of eating organic food vs eating non organic food. One study Pollan talks about is a study from the University of California and says “the study showed that the organic fruits and vegetables contained higher levels of vitamin C.”(page 156 OD) The study proves that organic food is healthier than conventional crops because they are richer in vitamins. Healthier food is better for the public’s consumption. Another reason the industrial organic food is better for the public is because it is better for farmers and labors growing it.

Most people are exposed to a certain level of pesticides. Farmers who experience routine exposure to pesticides have exhibited neurological symptoms such as headache and hand tremors. Children, in particular, may be more susceptible to negative effects resulting from pesticide exposure. Pesticide runoff can have devastating effects on nontarget organisms as well. For example, roundup, an extremely common herbicide used in agriculture, is highly toxic to fish and amphibians.

First of all, Pollan states just because it says it's organic doesn't mean it really is. If you buy an “organic” salad at your local grocery store, farmers will still use pesticides to keep bugs away and other animals. The chemicals they use are all natural, but it's not truly organic if you use pesticides or other chemicals. In The Omnivore’s Dilemma Pollan says, “Instead of toxic pesticides, crops are sprayed with natural substances, like BT, a pesticide made from a common soil bacteria” (140.) This quote proves that big organic industrial companies use pesticides to help produce grow.

The Industrial Organic Meal is good for you because it doesn’t use chemicals & contains more nutrients. In Michael Pollan’s book Omnivore's Dilemma on page 136 he says, “To grow the plants and animals that made up my meal, no pesticides found their way into any farmworker’s bloodstream, no nitrogen runoff seeped into the watershed, no soils were poisoned, no antibiotics were wasted, no government subsidy checks were written.” This quotes proves that the Industrial Organic meal is healthy for you & it’s healthy for you because no bad chemicals makes its way into the food you will be eating . The Industrial Organic meal is also healthy for you because it contains nutrients. In the Article Health Benefits of Organic Food the author writes, “Organic food growers & dairy farmers do not use any antibiotics in their process.”

The essay “Why Organic Foods Are Worth the Cost,” the author Alex Garcia presents the argument of whether or not organic foods are worth the higher cost. The essay starts with the first paragraph explaining the situation and how it has come to the author’s attention. Ending the paragraph with a thesis backing organic foods’ health benefits and environmental benefits of organic foods despite it being a contested topic. The next paragraph explains what organic foods are according to the USDA as explained, “Organic foods are produced without using most chemical pesticides, without artificial fertilizers, without genetic engineering, and without radiation…” (Garcia, pg. 112). The author then goes on to explain further including meat, dairy products,

Many people choose to eat only organic because it’s said to be healthier but when compared to non-organic food the difference is slim. Regardless people continue to buy organic products. People get emotionally connected to

It is cheaper to make processed foods than it is to grow organically, organic food takes time to grow there is no other way and some things that are grown are seasonal too. For example apples grow once a year but they are seen all year round in conventional stores, but typically in farmers markets they have the apples when it is in season. Population growth is one of the reasons why processed foods were invented besides the money; they compete with other places and sell processed fruits and vegetables for a cheaper price than the organic stores. There are many people in world, and the industries that once used to grow organically found an easier and cheaper way to feed consumers without having to loose money in the process.

In a farmers market you have reach to needed food and drinks. Eating locally grown food is a lot better for the environment. Organic food is outweighed by the environmental damage. Eating organic is outweighed by the damage that it caused.

Organic Food In the society where people are getting more concerned about one 's health organic food has become a widely spread and followed by many people tendency. Organic food is believed to have better impact on person 's well-being and not to cause harm to people and the surrounding world due to its ecological nature. The debate that has been recently developed around this topic cannot be solved easily since both supporters and their counterparts provide reasonable arguments supporting their positions. However, to get into the problem and find the answer to a question that concerns many people it is necessary to identify organic food at first.

I acknowledge that the foods we consume contain pesticides. As a Certified Nurse Assistant working in Home Health care environment, the diversity of my clients is enormous. However, when shopping for my clients, most of them usually caution me against buying foods that are not organically grown. I first heard about organically grown foods in December 2013 form one of my clients, Frank Lawry. He informed me that there is a very high likelihood that organically grown foods have fewer pesticides than foods grown using conventional farming systems.