Organics

SNAP SK organic links

By the end of 2007, after the Saskatchewan Party was elected, Lon Borgeson's report was taken off the Saskatchewan Agriculture web site, and all paper copies were shredded. Since 2008, the Saskatchewan office of the Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada (OACC) at University of Saskatchewan was disbanded. It has not had a prairie presence of any significance since. There is still a U of S organic website; organic connections conference; organic stats, research. A google search links to Sask Agriculture instead.

Saskatchewan Organic Agriculture Report by Regional Economic and Co-operative Development Minister Lon Borgerson made recommendations to Premier Calvert on how to develop the province's organic agriculture industry after extensive consultations. (September 26, 2007)   Borgerson's recommendations include: Establishing an Organic Industry Advisory Board that will provide ongoing advice to the Minister of Agriculture and Food on organic issues; Expanded organic research capacity; Increased support and training opportunities for organic producers and processors; International marketing support for small and medium organic businesses; Measures to attract young people and immigrants to the industry; and the promotion of Saskatchewan-grown organic food. 

Organic research boosted at U of S (Western Producer, April 5, 2007)

Sask Agriculture's organic crop information (2017) including:

• Organics / Potato: Organic and Pesticide Free Production ( disappeared)
• Organic Crop Management: Weed Management (2017)
• Organic Crop Management: Insect Management (2017)
• Organic Crop Production: Disease Management (2017)
• Organic Crop Production: Fertility  There are 16 nutrients that all plants must have. (2017)
• Crop Protection/ Biological Control (disappearead) 
• Biological Control of Leafy Spurge (2017)
• Crop Production News  2017, The newsletter includes a compilation of articles relating to entomology, plant pathology, weed science, soils and agronomy issues. Not much on organics in the few issues I checked. 

A powerful and underappreciated ally in the climate crisis? Fungi    Mycorrhizal fungal networks are a major global carbon sink. When we destroy them, we sabotage our efforts to limit global heating      (Toby Kiers and Merlin Sheldrake, The guardian, Tue 30 Nov 2021)'Through fungal activity, carbon floods into the soil, where it supports intricate food webs – about 25% of all of the planet’s species live underground. Much of it remains in the soil, making underground ecosystems the stable store of 75% of all terrestrial carbon.... Logging wreaks havoc below ground, decreasing the abundance of mycorrhizal fungi by as much as 95%, and the diversity of fungal communities by as much as 75%. A large study published in 2018 suggested that the “alarming deterioration” of the health of trees across Europe was caused by a disruption of their mycorrhizal relationships, brought about by nitrogen pollution from fossil fuel combustion and agricultural fertiliser. Globally, at least 5bn tons of carbon dioxide are sequestered within mycorrhizal networks each year, a quantity roughly equivalent to the amount of carbon dioxide emitted annually by the US (unpublished data suggests this figure is closer to 17bn tons). Even small reductions in the prevalence of fungal networks have significant consequences: a release of just 0.1% of the carbon now stored in Europe’s soils is equal to the annual emissions from 100m cars.'

Climate Change Consequences and the Organic Response (Pesticides and You, vol 27 , No1, Spring 2007)  'Since 1981, data from the FST has revealed that soil under organic agriculture management can accumulate about 1,000 pounds of carbon per acre foot of soil each year (1,123 kg/ha/ yr metric). This accumulation is equal to about 3,500 pounds of carbon dioxide per acre taken from the air and sequestered into soil organic matter.... Conventional no till (or no tillage where plowing is replaced by herbicides) soil carbon increases in just the first few inches and this effect is extinguished at 3 to 6 inches (5 to 10 cm) or before this level,.. Why does the soil carbon level increase in organic systems but not in conventional systems when crop biomass is so similar? We believe the answer lies in the different decay rates of soil organic matter under different management systems.'

Sustainable Agriculture Strategy – Ambitious success, from the Guelph Organic Conference   (Prevent Cancer Now, 17 March, 2023)

Organic agriculture in the Prairies. 2017 Data. (Report by the Organic Trade Association, November 2018)

Links

• National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service  videos on sustainable and organic  agriculture available.
• Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada
• Sask Agriculture's organic crop information (2012)
• OFRF - Organic Farming Research Foundation (US)
• OTA - Organic Trade Association is the membership-based business association for the organic industry in North America. COTA - Canada Organic Trade Association - the Canadian association.

Articles

The research, published by scientists at Cornell University, underlines the important role soil-dwelling organisms (SDOs) must play in a sustainable agricultural future... “Really, we need to be optimizing these biotic processes in our soil and focusing more on biotic measurements,” Ms. Jernigan said.  For instance, sorghum planted on the enhanced weed management plot, where the soil was frequently plowed, had fewer weeds, but the SDOs soil-dwelling organisms present are those better able to handle disturbances, and less likely to significantly enhance soil health. This contrasts with the reduced tillage plot, which contained an abundance SDOs that enhance microbial activity in the soil and facilitate nutrient cycling. Despite the higher level of weed biomass in the reduced tillage plot when compared to the weed management plot, weeds problems were not overwhelming, and crop productivity was higher with reduced tillage....“The study is important because unsustainable farming practices are depleting soils of biological activity and nutrients, leading to widespread concern about farmers’ ability to grow enough food to keep up with global population growth.”   Thus, this research underscores the importance of a frequently overlooked “limiting factor” in crop productivity – soil health.

THE PESTICIDE PUZZLE   A Look at Agricultural Chemicals (Real Ag series, 19 Dec 2023) 30 minute very interesting video giving a good introduction to pesticides.    It features a case study on atrazine by reknowned biologist Dr. Tyrone Hayes. PAN Senior Scientist, Marcia Ishii (PhD Ecology and Evolutionary Biology), shares her knowledge on the ecological, social and political dimensions of pesticides in food and agriculture. Rob Faux (Fox) speaks about the benefits of agroecological practices based on two decades of growing experience.

Cover Crops Attract Pest Predators which Reduce Pesticide Use  (Beyond Pesticides, November 2, 2021) 'Cover crops create habitat that draw in pest predators and help mitigate crop injury, finds research published in the journals Agroecosystems and Biological Control from scientists at the University of Georgia. Expanded predator diversity can reduce pest pressure that drives conventional chemical farmers to apply toxic pesticides, and the authors of the study find the practice to be economically viable within these cropping systems.' Study on cotton production.  'Predator communities were found to be much more diverse (7 to 10x more) in cover cropped fields.   Researchers found the benefits of cover cropping to be most pronounced in the early spring. But as the cover crop degrades, differences between cover cropped and control plot predator communities began to even out.' However, termination of the cover crop utilized an unnamed chemical herbicide. Thus a range of predator insects that may have assisted in further, or more sustained pest management may have been killed off by the use of a chemical to terminate the cover crop.' While not strictly organic, this research uses the organic tool of cover crop.

The World of Organic Agriculture Keeps Growing  (Organic Without Boundaries, February 20, 2020)  'The Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) published its latest statistical yearbook “The World of Organic Agriculture“ featuring global data on organic farming worldwide from 2018. As we took a closer look at the figures, we remain optimistic about what the future of organic holds for us all.'

Longest Field Trials Show Organic Practices Yield Higher Returns than Chemical-Intensive Agriculture  (Beyond Pesticides, February 24, 2019) nearly 40-year research project are these:

• after a five-year transition period, organic yields are competitive with conventional yields
• in drought years, organic yields are as much as 40% higher than conventional yields
• farm profits are 3–6 times higher for products from organically managed systems
• organic management systems use 45% less energy than conventional, and release 40% fewer carbon emissions into the atmosphere
• organic systems leach no toxic chemicals into waterways
• organic systems build, rather than deplete, organic matter in soil, improving soil health

Anheuser-Busch initiative aims to help farmers transition to organic, boost organic industry   (By Ken Roseboro, The Organic and Non-GMO Report, August 30, 2019)   'Anheuser-Busch will pay a premium price for both the farmers’ transitional and organic crops.  They will also help farmers find markets for other crops grown in rotation with organic barley, including sugar beets, potatoes, and alfalfa.'  'Anheuser-Busch is the latest large company to launch an initiative to help farmers transition to organic production. Other companies that have launched similar initiatives include General Mills, Ardent Mills, Costco, Bunge North America, and The Andersons.'

General Mills Commits to Large Acreage of Regenerative Agriculture, Short of Organic  (Beyond Pesticides, March 21, 2019)  'General Mills is making significant investments, including grand-scale land conversions and working with training partners. They have donated $650,000 to nonprofit organization Kiss the Ground for training and coaching. Part of their million-acre effort includes converting 34,000 acres in South Dakota from conventional farm land to organic.'

La maîtrise des micro-organismes au bénéfice de la Terre et des Hommes Marcel Mezy is a self-taught French agriculturist who has developed a process to improv soils naturally with micro-organisms.

Why It’s Time to Stop Punishing Our Soils with Fertilizers  Researcher Rick Haney travels the U.S. preaching the benefits of healthy soils. In a Yale Environment 360 interview, he talks about the folly of pursuing ever-greater crop yields using fertilizers and other chemicals and how farmland can by restored through natural methods. (Richard Schiffman • YaleEnvionment360, May 3, 2017)  The soil health movement has been in the news lately, and among its leading proponents is U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) researcher Rick Haney.  SNAP Comment: how microbes are essential to soil life and agricultural productivity declines with soil health, requiring more fertilizer and pesticides, and how we can reverse that.

Canada Bans Nanotechnology in Organics (Beyond Pesticides, May 5, 2010. Posted in Alternatives/Organics, International, Nanotechnology)

Canadian Organic Sector Secures Canada Organic Label (December 21. 2007)

 Organic Agriculture can Feed the World (June 2007)

Access the FAO report, Organic Agriculture and Food Security 

Organic farming methods stand test of time (08/06/05, David Suzuki, York Region) and Study Shows Organic Farms Produce the Same Yields as Conventional. (Beyond Pesticides, July 22, 2005) "Organic farming produces the same yields of corn and soybeans as does conventional farming, but uses 30 percent less energy, less water and no pesticides, a review of a 22-year farming trial study concludes... Organic farming can compete effectively in growing corn, soybeans, wheat, barley and other grains, Pimentel said" (Beyond Pesticides, July 22, 2005) Profitability and increased biodiversity.

Overlooked Soil Life Holds Key To Third World Farm Viability (May 2, 2006)

Sustainable Organic Farming Practices Increase Crop Yields by an Average of 79% in Third World

Wal-Mart and the Globalization of Organics (June 12, 2006. exerpt from New York Times Magazine article “Mass Natural” by Michael Pollan, UC Berkeley professor, from Beyond Pesticides:) "To index the price of organic to the price of conventional is to give up, right from the start, on the idea, once enshrined in the organic movement, that food should be priced not high or low but responsibly." 

also see glyphosate

Economic Impact of Glyphosate Contamination on Organic Production in Saskatchewan (COTA Organic summit, November 18. 2019)

1. 26% producers had an unintended contact with glyphosate incident on their farm
2. 46% of respondents had to take land out of production
3. 20% of respondents lost a sale
4. 52% of respondents reported a financial loss
5. 20 % of exporters had loads rejected by buyer that had passed glyphosate residue testing before it left Saskatchewan.

Socioeconomic and Environmental Benefits in Organic Farming Exceed Chemical Practices   (Beyond Pesticides, August 24, 2021)

Soil-Based Organic Agriculture Takes on the Climate Crisis, Economic Insecurity, and Health Inequity (Beyond Pesticides, March 4, 2020)     'California produces the most food of any state in the U.S. – more than half of all domestic fruits and vegetables – but only 4% of its agriculture is organic. After releasing a report on the benefits of organic agriculture last year, the California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) Foundation is continuing to offer a “Roadmap to an Organic California” with an extensive policy report. The document proposes a wealth of concrete strategies for California lawmakers to employ. Organic agriculture, the authors skillfully reason, can respond to three pressing issues in California: climate resilience, economic security, and health equity.'

Organic Agriculture Boosts Local Economies (Beyond Pesticides, June 16, 2016) New research links county-level economic health to agriculture, and finds that organic food and crop production, along with the business activities accompanying organic agriculture, creates real and long-lasting regional economic opportunities. The recently completed White Paper, U.S. Organic Hotspots and their Benefit to Local Economies, was prepared for the Organic Trade Association (OTA) by Penn State Agricultural Economist Edward Jaenicke, Ph.D. It finds organic hotspots –counties with high levels of organic agricultural activity whose neighboring counties also have high organic activity– boost median household incomes by an average of $2,000 and reduce poverty levels by an average of 1.3 percentage points. The research highlights the success of organic agriculture and demonstrates, yet again, that organic agriculture can and must feed the world.

Organic Animal Farms Improve Bird Abundance   (Beyond Pesticides, May 31, 2019) 'Organic livestock farming was the only AES measure that had a significant effect on bird abundance. Insectivorous birds as well as long-distance migrant species had the highest positive relationship to organic animal farms. In the discussion, the authors reason that organic animal farms with nutrient-rich, antibiotic-free manure likely increases insect abundance which in turn supports insectivorous and, to a lesser degree, omnivorous birds. Previous studies show cow presence (and, relatedly, their manure) being positively associated with grubby fodder for birds.'  'Project Drawdown, a nonpartisan non-profit focused on carbon sequestration, states that if managed grazing could be amped up worldwide it could sequester over 16 gigatons of carbon by 2050. ' This research relates to organic meat grown on grass, not in feedlots on organic grain. 

Study Finds Organic Farming Methods Help Maintain Healthy Pollinator Populations (Beyond Pesticides, October 11, 2018) a Swedish study.  “This is the first large-scale study over the course of several years to show that organic farming has a consistent, stabilizing effect on pollinator diversity,” says Romain Carrié, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher at CEC.'While this trend held in fields with cereal crops and temporary grasslands, semi-natural grasslands were not impacted by the type of farming that occurred. Scientists indicate that this outcome was likely because on these farms, management practices are similar between the two approaches. Specifically, because these fields are generally only used for grazing, synthetic pesticides and fertilizers are not applied to these conventional plots.' SNAP Comment: perhaps it is in Sweden, but in Canada and the US, there are many pesticides registered for use on pastures. If the operator wants only grass, he will spray. Granted, pastures are likely directly sprayed less often, but in our Saskatchewan predominant crop landscape, they are still exposed to many pesticides that evaporate easily and fall back in runoff, rain or dry deposition. We know that because pesticides have been measure in air and water and found across the landscape. see pesticides in SK water

Organic Agricultural Practices Can Limit Climate Change (Beyond Pesticides, April 28, 2014)  It is possible to sequester more than 100% of current annual CO₂ emissions by switching to widely available and inexpensive organic management practices, which are referred to in the paper as “regenerative organic agriculture".

Organic Farms Support More Species On average, organic farms support 34% more plant, insect and animal species than conventional farms, say Oxford University scientists. Researchers looked at data going back thirty years and found that this effect has remained stable over time and shows no signs of decreasing. (Feb 2014)

Organic Farms Best for Wildlife (Beyond Pesticides, August 8, 2005)Title: ‘Benefits of organic farming to biodiversity vary among taxa’

Links between Biodiversity Requirements of Organic Systems and NRCS Practice Standards. Video.

Conventional Meats Contaminated with Multi-Drug Resistant Bacteria, at Significantly Higher Rates than Organic Meats    (Beyond Pesticides, May 18, 2021) Organic meat is far less likely to be adulterated with multi-drug resistant bacteria (MDRB) than conventional meat, according a study published earlier this month in Environmental Health Perspectives... Organic is not safer by chance, but by design. Organic standards, governed by the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990, were crafted with the goal of protecting public health and ecosystem services. Organic standards prohibit the use of antibiotics in poultry after their second day of life, and in mammals after the mother’s third trimester. Organic certified meats are also required to follow a stricter processing protocol, and in split operations organic meats cannot be processed on the same equipment as conventional meats without first undergoing cleaning and disinfecting....  In addition to food safety, past studies have found organic meats and other animal products to be more nutrient dense than its conventional counterparts.'

Can Organic Food Prevent a Public Health Crisis? (civileats.com)  From children’s development to antibiotic resistance, a new European Parliament report charts the many benefits of organic food. When it comes to pesticides, antibiotic resistance, and cadmium exposure, the authors write, “If no action is taken, an opportunity to address some important public health issues would be missed.” The report was prepared for a European audience, but its findings clearly apply to the U.S. “They did a really comprehensive job of a global literature search, so I don’t think anything in the report wouldn’t be applicable,” said Boise State University assistant professor of community and environmental health Cynthia Curl, who researches links between diet and pesticide exposure. Lots of links.

Report Reveals Food Retailers Failing Pollinators (Beyond Pesticides, October 31, 2016) SNAP comment: American retailers score card. Do we have something similar in Canada? Does a policy in US stores apply to Canadian stores? I don't know. "The report reveals that while consumer demand for organic and pesticide-free food continues to show double-digit growth, only four of the top food retailers, Albertsons, Costco, Target (TGT) and Whole Foods, have adopted a publicly available company commitment to increase offerings of certified organic food or to disclose data on the current percentage of organic offerings or organic sales. In addition to these retailers, Aldi, Food Lion, part of the Delhaize Group (DEG), and Kroger (KR) disclosed data on the current percentage of organic offerings or organic sales." 

The New Green Giants.  Is organic Better? (CBC Doc Zone, 5 May 2016. Direct link to the episode) I don't know how the Stanford study was conducted but I know that who pays for a study dictates the results. The easiest way to falsify a stud is by excluding studies one knows wil not support our conclusion.

In any case, organic producers in the video indicate that their soils have improved and they have higher quality product since switching to organic. They refer to the dead soil they had before. We also know that switching children to organic food reduces their pesticide load within 24 hours. Numerous published studies have also indicated better nutrition, vitamins and antioxidants from organic foods.

A Dirty Little Secret: Your “Organic” Strawberries Aren’t Really Organic ( by PAUL FASSA, Healthy Holistic Living). Methyl bromide, is used to sterilize the soil before strawberries are planted. It’s not sprayed on the fruit. It’s a soil fumigant that kills just about everything it touches. Many hybridized seed varieties have been created that can only grow in sterile soil. My comment: Yes, it is true the loophole of being able to purchase non organic seeds or plants has always been there when organic is not available. However, methyl bromide and, I believe iodide, are very volatile, which is what causes so many problems to neighbours, but it means it may not remain in the plant. Also, I am not getting sick eating them....We do live in an imperfect world and hopefully will soon have organic strawberry nurseries.

Report Reveals Chemical Food Industry Tactics in Spinning Food Safety and Attacking Organic (Beyond Pesticides, July 2, 2015) 'A report released this week by Friends of the Earth exposes the exorbitant amount of money food and agrochemical companies have spent over the past several years to defend industrial agriculture, sway public opinion, and influence elected officials. The report shines light on the both the tactics these companies use and the lengths to which they are willing to go to defuse public concern about the risks of chemical-intensive industrial agriculture and to undermine the reputation of organic food.'  also filed under Industry's Shenanigans 

Organic Food Consumption Leads to Dramatically Lower Pesticide Exposure (Beyond Pesticides, May 1, 2014)  89% lower traces of organophosphate metabolites in consumers that ate organic food for a week compared to those who ate a conventional diet. 

Trace Pesticide Residues from Conventional Ag Found on Organic Produce (Beyond Pesticides, January 9, 2014). .A recent CBC News analysis of Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) data finds that nearly half of the organic fresh fruits and vegetables tested across Canada between September 2011 and September 2013 contained trace pesticide residues. The analysis finds that of the 45.8 percent of organic samples that tested positive for some trace of pesticide, a smaller amount — 1.8 per cent — violate Canada’s maximum allowable limits for the presence of pesticides. Among non-organic samples, 78.4 percent contain pesticide residues, violating the allowable limits 4.7 percent of the time. Similar results in U.S.

Organic Foods: Health and Environmental Advantages and Disadvantages. 2012. American Academy of Pediatrics. organic diets have been convincingly demonstrated to expose consumers to fewer pesticides associated with human disease. Organic farming has been demonstrated to have less environmental impact than conventional approaches.

Organic Produce Reduces Exposure to Pesticides, Research Confirms  Stanford Univ. Study Also Finds Organic Meat Has Fewer Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria. (Environmental Working Group, September 3, 2012) Initial Reflections on the Annals of Internal Medicine Paper “Are Organic Foods Safer and Healthier Than Conventional Alternatives? A Systematic Review” Due to bad methodology, the Stanford study strongly underestimated the nutrient content, lower contamination and benefits of organic foods.

Study sheds new light on organic fruit and vegetables (May 27, 2011 PhysOrg.com) -- Organic fruit and vegetables contain on average 12 per cent more health-promoting compounds than conventionally grown produce, scientists at Newcastle University have found. Many consider this study the most definitive analysis in the scientific literature of the nutrient content of organic versus conventional food. 

Organic Corporate Gardens Is the New Trend in Employee Benefits (Beyond Pesticides, May 14, 2010. Posted in Corporations)

School District School District Serves Healthier Choices with Organic, Locally Grown Foods. The Lunch Box, a new web tool, has been launched to help schools throughout the country do the same. (Beyond Pesticides, August 31, 2009 Posted in Alternatives/Organics, Children/Schools )

Stanford Hospital Menu Offers Organic, Local Foods (U.S) (Beyond Pesticides, September 11, 2009 Posted in Alternatives/Organics, Health care) The new inpatient menu option puts Stanford Hospital at the forefront of an emerging nationwide recognition that fresh, healthy food is a vital part of the healing process.

Organic Farming Curbs the Spread of Foodborne Pathogens, According to Study. (Beyond Pesticides, April 18, 2019)    Organic farming promotes natural resistance to common foodborne human pathogens, according to a study that evaluates the benefit of soil organisms. By protecting valuable species of dung beetles and soil bacteria, organic farming systems naturally act to clean up and decompose potentially pathogen-bearing animal feces. 

Association of Frequency of Organic Food Consumption With Cancer RiskFindings From the NutriNet-Santé Prospective Cohort Study (JAMA Internal Medicine, October 22, 2018)   High organic food scores were inversely associated with the overall risk of cancer (hazard ratio for quartile 4 vs quartile 1, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.63-0.88; P for trend = .001; absolute risk reduction, 0.6%; hazard ratio for a 5-point increase, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.88-0.96). also filed under health/cancer 

Health benefits of organic food, farming outlined in new report (February 8, 2017) A report prepared for the European Parliament, co-authored by Harvard Chan School’s Philippe Grandjean, adjunct professor of environmental health, outlines the health benefits of eating organic food and practicing organic agriculture...Three long-term birth cohort studies in the U.S. suggest that pesticides are harming children’s brains. The report listed several policy options the European Parliament could consider to support and extend organic food production.

Organic Foods Higher in Nutrients (April 2008) A comprehensive review of 97 published studies comparing the nutritional quality of organic and conventional foods shows that organic plant-based foods (fruits, vegetables, grains) contain higher levels of eight of 11 nutrients studied, including significantly greater concentrations of the health-promoting polyphenols and antioxidants.

also see organic/ food on SNAP's organic page.

Organic Milk Healthier  Grazing cows on organic farms in the UK produce milk which contains significantly higher beneficial fatty acids, antioxidants and vitamins than their conventional ‘high input’ counterparts.

Organic meat and dairy improves breast milk

Hazardous Pesticides Found in Children Who Eat Chemically-Treated Foods disappear when they switch to organics. February 2008, Beyond Pesticides) This is only one of several studies all indicating the same thing.

 Why Organic lawn Care is so Important: Organic Gardening. US source. Some of the products allowed on lawns in the US are different than in Canada, although is is hard to tell as Canadian regulators have not been able to produce a list of domestic products for many years.

Fall is Here, and It’s a Great Time to Transition Your Lawn to Organic   (Beyond Pesticides, September 26, 2019)

Organic Lawn Care Gaining Momentum (August 15, 2007, Beyond Pesticides) (US)