Nutrient Content Of Organic Crops example essay topic

Today, more than 60 ARS scientists are conducting organic farming research. Notably, these studies are on organically certified fields. These experts have consistently made themselves available to local growers for help and advice. For example, the researchers in Corvallis, Oregon, are working with organic growers to quell plant diseases. This collaboration is experimenting with compost teas.

These teas are made by adding water to organically approved compost and allowing the mix to steep, somewhat like adding water to tea leaves. The mix is then strained, and the resulting tea-colored liquid is sprayed on foliage. The teas may help zap Botrytis rot that attacks leaves of blackberries and ornamentals such as roses and geraniums. (Coleman, 1995). What is the evidence the organic foods are better? There are more than 30 studies comparing the nutrient content of organic crops and those produced conventionally with chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

In these studies, various individual nutrients in individual crops were compared, such as zinc in organic versus conventional carrots, or vitamin C in organic versus conventional broccoli. In the more than 300 comparisons performed in these studies, organic crops had a higher nutrient content about 40% of the time, and conventional crops had a higher nutrient content only about 15% of the time. Overall, organic crops had an equal or higher nutrient content about 85% of the time. These results suggest that, on average, organic crops have a higher nutrient content. (Coleman, 1995). While the overall outlook is favorable for organic crops, there is too little data for most individual nutrients to say anything at all.

But for three individual nutrients - vitamin C, nitrates and protein quality - there is enough evidence to suggest that organic crops are superior to conventional ones. Compared to crops grown with chemical fertilizers and pesticides, organically grown crops generally have a higher vitamin C content, a lower content of carcinogenic nitrates and better protein quality. Further work is needed on other nutrients before any definitive conclusions can be drawn. While this nutrient content data is interesting, it does not tell us anything about the health of people and animals that consume these crops. The most relevant studies then, are not those that simply assess nutrient content, but are those that feed organic or conventional feed to animals and then look at how healthy they are.

There are 14 such animal studies that have been performed over the last 70 years. In ten of these, the organically fed animals fared better; in one, the animals fed organic feed came in second among several chemically fertilized feeds; and 3 studies showed no difference, possibly due to weaknesses in the study designs. (Grossman, 2000). The final research results support the notion that organically produced crops may be more conducive to good health and hence more nutritious. The positive effects are most striking in sick or otherwise vulnerable animals such as newborns and in sensitive areas of reproduction such as sperm motility.

It is particularly interesting to see that the fertility of animals fed fodder grown with chemical fertilizers and pesticides declined over several generations. This recalls the progressive decline in health that were seen in each succeeding generation of cats fed a less than optimal diet. In summary, from the research that has been done, it appears that organically grown crops may have, on average, a higher nutrient content than crops grown with chemical fertilizers and pesticides. In addition, animal evidence supports the thesis that organically produced foodstuff can produce a better health outcome over the long term, particularly in the area of reproduction.

These studies support a return to traditional, organic farming methods. The organic foods are more expensive. This is the point, which cannot be argued about. But the lower prices of conventionally grown products hide costs, including the long-term effect on our soil and water quality, as well as the health of farm workers and consumers. Still, most people aren't thinking along those lines when they wheel their shopping carts to the cash register. The Food and Drug Administration tested 15,000 food samples over a two-year period and identified the crops with the highest levels of pesticide residue.

The Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit research organization based in Washington, D.C., compiled the following list, with the foods given in descending order of toxicity: strawberries, bell peppers and spinach (tied for second), U.S. -grown cherries, peaches, Mexican-grown cantaloupes, celery, apples, apricots, green beans, Chilean grapes and cucumbers. (Gross, 2002). Concerned consumers should make a special effort to find organic sources for these foods. Finally, it can be inferred it is better to consume organically grown foods in order to escape many questions about your health in the future, even if this way is more expensive.