Freewrite: Conventional Vs. Organic Production

Conventional Vs. Organic Production:

Conventional will feed the world, organic will feed the United States. Conventional are cheaper and offer the same health benefits. Organic takes longer to produce and doesn’t produce the same amount. While there are strict regulations for organic production, there are still regulations conventional farmers must abide to. Conventional can produce more on less land. Organic takes more labor and time to maintain. 

I grew up on a conventional farm and it has worked well for our family. I don’t know why people think it is bad. I’ve been eating conventional crops my whole life and nothing has happened to me yet. It boils down to how much you are willing to believe based on nothing. There is little research saying organic is better for you; people just believe it is better because it is ‘organic’. The world’s population is going to increase a lot in the next  century. How can we feed the world with organic production. I have news for you, we can’t; not with urbanization taking away valuable farmland. Conventional is the only way to feed the world. Why is this? Because we can use GMO crops to produce more with the land that is available. Feed the world.

To feed the world, we have to produce more on less land. That is obvious. How, may I ask is organic going to do that? I have an answer, they can’. You have to look at the future when you make decisions about your food choices. I do believe organic will always be around though. I know in my brain that conventional is better. All the facts point to it. Conventional production has worked well for us for a while, it will continue to do so in the future. With conventional production we can feed the ever-growing population.

Conventional sounds great for the future, but why do we need to use it now? We already have enough to feed the world right now. Right now we can use conventional production to help make bi-products. With the excess grain produced by conventional production, we can produce ethanol and more. Production.

Production agriculture is one of the most important industries in the world. We have to utilize technology available. This means having to do research, which opens new job opportunities. GMO is vital to the future of agriculture and it is agriculturalists’ job to find more and better ones.

Conventional production is the way to go. Organic production simply cannot produce enough for the present or for the future. So long as there is no proof indicating organic is better, i can only see it as a slower, more demanding, form of production agriculture.

Wind Turbines

What are these big white things in the middle of my field? Oh, that’s right they are wind turbines. There are a lot of controversies around these structures but I think it is clear that they should be put into place wherever possible. Some people do not like these wind turbines because they say they are bad for scenery. I have many in my backyard and I don’t think they take away from anything. If anything, they add interest to a boring plain. Some people also argue that they are dangerous to planes. There is a flashing light with the highest LCD light on the top of the structures to be sure the planes can see them. Another argument people have against wind turbines is they make too much noise. Once again, I have many around my house and I have yet to hear one unless I am underneath it. One more argument people have is that you can’t guarantee the wind will blow all day every day. Wind turbines have a sensor on them and if the wind doesn’t blow above 10 mph, they don’t spin. In addition, if the wind gets about 60 mph, the turbines shut off so they don’t break. One thing people cannot argue about is the benefit it the environment these wind turbines provide. When we use this type of alternative energy, we will depend less on fossil fuels and more on energy provided by ourselves. Wind turbines seem, stand up to most arguments people throw at them. In my opinion, wind turbines are awesome.

Fallacies of Organic Production

Kristen Weinacker argues that while many believe organic foods are better for you, there is no research showing that it is in her article “Safer? Tastier? More Nutritious? The Dubious Merits of Organic Foods”. I agree with her whole heartedly. Having grown up on a conventional farm, producing our own vegetables every year, I can’t see how organic foods are better for you. Some people say that organic foods have more of a pesticide residue, however, with a simple cleaning of your food before consumption will remove almost all trace of pesticides. She also states that people believe organic foods  taste better, however, if you taste both, in my opinion, they taste the same. Many people assume the cost of organic food is higher because it is better for you. That is not true. The cost is higher because the input and labor take more time, and the output is smaller than conventional farming.  Another reason the cost is high is because the producers need to offset the cost to be certified organic. This process takes years to do and is expensive to maintain. Therefore, many products are not certified organic. When buying a product, you must check to see if it is USDA Certified, if it is not, it is probably not be organic. While I can see that people think organic is better for you, I cannot agree until there is rock solid evidence stating so.

Unknown Terror

The BP oil spill was big news for a long time. We heard about how the oil spill was bad for the environment and how it killed innocent fish; normal fish are very common. I’m not saying we shouldn’t feel bad about those fish, however, what you didn’t hear about was how the oil spill affected sharks in the Gulf, specifically whale sharks. Whale sharks are not only the biggest species of sharks, but the largest living shark. While they are huge, they are some of the least ferocious. Whale sharks eat plankton and small fish like sardines. In order to eat these small creatures, a whale shark must swim with its large mouth wide open. When there are fish in front of its mouth, they go in with the water. The water goes out the gills and the prey gets caught by sponge-like filters at the gills. This is called filter feeding, done by Basking Sharks as well. In order to eat the vast quantity the whale shark needs to sustain itself, the whale shark swims on the surface quite often; where the plankton congregate. However, on the surface floats oil. So, when a whale shark is feeding, it sucks in oil as well as water and its prey. Oil gets stuck in the spongey filters because it is too thick to go through the gills like the water. When there is enough built up in their gills, the shark cannot get oxygen from the water. Without oxygen, the shark will die. The oil spill has affected more creatures than many know. Whale sharks are already on the vulnerable list. The oil spill only puts them closer to the endangered list.