Healthy Nature

Make no mistake about it: the mainstream news media serves as the primary battleground between traditional commercial farming and organic farming.

That war’s not fought with guns, tanks, or airplanes. But it is fought with money, access, and personal connections.

If you scan the major headlines on any given day, you will certainly notice negative news stories about organic farming.

Stories will discredit the touted health benefits, while also minimizing and questioning perceived harm by commercial farming.

But make no mistake about it. The big ag industry is in fact “big.” USDA’s data says that the agriculture, food, and related industries GDP was about $992 billion in in 2015. Farms by themselves output about $136.7 billion that same year.

Big Ag Has a Lot to Lose

The bottom line truth regarding organic is that we don’t have full knowledge of organic’s benefits versus traditional farming.

Researchers have certainly found good evidence to support the perception that herbicides and insecticides cause cancer.

The March/April 2013 issue of CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, for example, published a review spearheaded by the US National Cancer Institute which supported that exposure to many different pesticides has become increasingly linked to causing cancer.

Monsanto, for example, has a value of around $50 billion.

Roundup, the most widely used herbicide in the US, is their staple product.

What would happen to them if researchers found indisputable, proven evidence that Roundup causes cancer?

Investors would pull their money and invest it somewhere else because they know years of lawsuits would come. That would not be good for Monsanto.

But Organic Has a Lot to Lose Too

Now look, you can’t say that just because big companies are big that necessarily makes them bad.

Of course, they don’t want to lose their financial interest. So when you see articles slamming organic farms or minimizing the harm of commercial agriculture, you simply have to maintain an objective viewpoint (healthy skepticism).

Because, remember that organic farming has large values too. For example, in 2017, organic farms sold $49.4 billion in product.

…So they have a significant financial interest in all this!

And that’ll continue to grow because consumers who want organic are increasing their demand also.

Now, that’s not nearly as large as traditional farming. But, it’s still noteworthy enough such that larger players in the organic industry wouldn’t want to lose what they have.

Think It Through Before You Say And Do

So, when you see these provocative headlines, whether on TV or in print, don’t rush into judgment, thinking,”Those large commercial farmers. They’re all crooks. All they want is money.”

And don’t launch into the same about organic farmers, either.

Analyze the facts as far as you can see them. And then act after careful consideration about what you believe the facts say.