Percentage-wise, it's growing fast, but it still has a long way to go, to reach the big-time, at about 3% or total sales.
http://www.foodinstitute.com/dailyupdate/ota.pdf
Tex
Organic Food Sales Volume Is Growing, But Still Low
Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
Organic Food Sales Volume Is Growing, But Still Low
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Tex,
I'm reading an interesting book called The Omnivore's Dilema. The first 1/4th of the book is about corn. The next 1/4th is about grass. There's a lot about organic food and sustainable growing practices. I am only half through so I don't know what the last half is about. You might find it interesting, too. I don't know, maybe you wouldn't like it. It is kind of hard on #2 commodity corn.
Apparently there's a difference between local organic and industrial organic. I also heard Barbara Kingsolver (Poisonwood Bible, Pigs in Heaven, High Tide in Tucson) has a new book out about her family eating locally for a year.
By the way, we did hear the golden cheeked warbler and heard and saw the black capped verio.
I'm reading an interesting book called The Omnivore's Dilema. The first 1/4th of the book is about corn. The next 1/4th is about grass. There's a lot about organic food and sustainable growing practices. I am only half through so I don't know what the last half is about. You might find it interesting, too. I don't know, maybe you wouldn't like it. It is kind of hard on #2 commodity corn.
Apparently there's a difference between local organic and industrial organic. I also heard Barbara Kingsolver (Poisonwood Bible, Pigs in Heaven, High Tide in Tucson) has a new book out about her family eating locally for a year.
By the way, we did hear the golden cheeked warbler and heard and saw the black capped verio.
kathy
Hi Kathy,
Hmmmmm. Unless the author wrote that book from the viewpoint of a cereal chemist, I probably wouldn't be interested in it. I'm kind or surprised that someone would spend that much time writing about feed-grade corn. Food grade would be No. 1.
As I understand it, the definition of organic is sort of at the discretion of whoever is doing the certifying. A few years ago, we had to re-clean several truckloads of blue corn that a local chip and tortilla plant bought in New Mexico. It was certified organic, but it contained a lot of pieces of glass, metal, and various assorted pieces of junk. Whoever cleaned it the first time, didn't know what they were doing.
Since we weren't certified organic processors, I called the state regulatory agency in charge of organic certification, to see what we would have to do to become certified, so that the corn would not lose it's certified organic status. I was told that all we had to do was to clean the equipment thoroughly, before we processed any organic grain. If we wanted to become an "officially designated" certified processor, on a continuing basis, all we had to do was to pay a small registration fee, clean out the equipment each time, prior to processing any organically certified grain, and maintain records on it. We were never even inspected by anyone in the organization. Requirements probably vary somewhat, from one state to another.
Hey, you did good. If I've ever heard either one of those birds, I'm not aware of it, but then, I don't normally spend any time in their habitat during the nesting season, and I've never tried to locate them.
Tex
Hmmmmm. Unless the author wrote that book from the viewpoint of a cereal chemist, I probably wouldn't be interested in it. I'm kind or surprised that someone would spend that much time writing about feed-grade corn. Food grade would be No. 1.
As I understand it, the definition of organic is sort of at the discretion of whoever is doing the certifying. A few years ago, we had to re-clean several truckloads of blue corn that a local chip and tortilla plant bought in New Mexico. It was certified organic, but it contained a lot of pieces of glass, metal, and various assorted pieces of junk. Whoever cleaned it the first time, didn't know what they were doing.
Since we weren't certified organic processors, I called the state regulatory agency in charge of organic certification, to see what we would have to do to become certified, so that the corn would not lose it's certified organic status. I was told that all we had to do was to clean the equipment thoroughly, before we processed any organic grain. If we wanted to become an "officially designated" certified processor, on a continuing basis, all we had to do was to pay a small registration fee, clean out the equipment each time, prior to processing any organically certified grain, and maintain records on it. We were never even inspected by anyone in the organization. Requirements probably vary somewhat, from one state to another.
Hey, you did good. If I've ever heard either one of those birds, I'm not aware of it, but then, I don't normally spend any time in their habitat during the nesting season, and I've never tried to locate them.
Tex
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MaggieRedwings
- King Penguin
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Maggie, it was a lifer for us, too. Here is a picture of its habitat with the first rock trail marker. We walked to marker 5. Heard 2 of them. Stan had listened to the call on the computer so knew what it sounded like.
Tex, according to this book #2 commodity corn is for feed, but also lots of food products, for instance high fructose corn syrup. Of course we ultimately eat the cattle, pigs, etc.
That was interesting about you cleaning the blue corn. Glad you got the glass and metal out! I wonder how it all got IN.
Tex, according to this book #2 commodity corn is for feed, but also lots of food products, for instance high fructose corn syrup. Of course we ultimately eat the cattle, pigs, etc.
That was interesting about you cleaning the blue corn. Glad you got the glass and metal out! I wonder how it all got IN.
kathy
Kathy,
That's true, but the extraction of HFCS from corn starch is a complex chemical process that involves, among other things, at least three different enzyme based reactions on the starch. I don't see how purity of the original feedstock would matter, in the finished product. I'm not saying that HFCS is good for us, but it is a pure product. I don't mean that it's pure fructose, (actually it's 55% fructose, and 45% glucose), what I mean is that it doesn't contain impurities.
Glass, metal, etc., show up in corn, because during the harvesting process, occasionally stalks are ripped out of the ground, by the harvesting machine, (called a combine), and whatever is clinging to the roots is run through the machine, and some of it winds up in the grain bin. Blue corn is especially vulnerable, because since it is an inbred cultivar, the stalks are very weak, and much of it usually lodges before harvest, so that harvesting machinery has to run very close to the ground, and any irrigularities in the surface contour can result in the "header" of the combine dipping into the soil, and scooping up anything there. Often, old homesites, which have been abandoned decades earlier, are reverted back into cropland - thus the source of shards of glass, metal, plastics, etc in the grain. This is true of virtually all grains. That's why proper cleaning is so important.
Tex
That's true, but the extraction of HFCS from corn starch is a complex chemical process that involves, among other things, at least three different enzyme based reactions on the starch. I don't see how purity of the original feedstock would matter, in the finished product. I'm not saying that HFCS is good for us, but it is a pure product. I don't mean that it's pure fructose, (actually it's 55% fructose, and 45% glucose), what I mean is that it doesn't contain impurities.
Glass, metal, etc., show up in corn, because during the harvesting process, occasionally stalks are ripped out of the ground, by the harvesting machine, (called a combine), and whatever is clinging to the roots is run through the machine, and some of it winds up in the grain bin. Blue corn is especially vulnerable, because since it is an inbred cultivar, the stalks are very weak, and much of it usually lodges before harvest, so that harvesting machinery has to run very close to the ground, and any irrigularities in the surface contour can result in the "header" of the combine dipping into the soil, and scooping up anything there. Often, old homesites, which have been abandoned decades earlier, are reverted back into cropland - thus the source of shards of glass, metal, plastics, etc in the grain. This is true of virtually all grains. That's why proper cleaning is so important.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Kathy,
To follow up on the comment about the fact that we eat livestock that consumes all that "bad" corn, I'd like to point out one of the reasons why I have a hunch that production agriculture generally receives a bum rap, simply because people make assumptions, and never really check out the facts.
A year or so ago, I met a fellow who is the general manager of a medium-sized cattle slaughtering facility, located in Texas. This guy started at the bottom of the heap, with nothing, and worked his way up through the ranks, to a very prominent position in the industry, (people from all over the world study his methods, and copy his innovative ideas).
Anyway, I happened to have an opportunity to spend some time with him this past weekend, and during our conversations, he mentioned that his plant slaughters cattle for the U. S. Olympic Team, twice a week, and ships the meat to their training grounds in Colorado. Since the Olympic Team requires organically-produced beef, I pursued this topic, and we discussed it at length. What he told me was a real eye-opener.
They process the beef that is donated to the U S Olympic Team, by the Maverick Ranch, (in Colorado). The Maverick Ranch is a very large organic beef operation. Here's a story on them:
http://www.meatnews.com/mp/northamerica ... eYear=2002
Anyway, to cut to the chase, he told me that despite all the claims about how "healthy" organically produced cattle are, USDA inspectors condemn at least 90% of all the livers from the cattle that are slaughtered, (due to abscesses). Something like 70% of the kidneys are condemned, because they are covered with "bumps". The heart is always encased in a "sac" which grows around it, (this sac is not present in non-organically produced cattle). The tissue comprising this membrane is so tough, that during the slaughtering process, workers peel it away from the heart, and send it to a medical processor, where it is made into suture material for use in surgery. Bear in mind, that non-organically raised cattle typically have about a 50% liver condemnation rate. Also, he mentioned that the cattle seem to have a remarkable amount of cancer, but I forgot to take note of any percentages, because I was so surprised by the figures on liver abscesses, so I don't remember if he said that they have at least as much cancer as conventionally-raised cattle, or more.
He also mentioned that the ranch is unique, in that their herd bulls only last until about three or four years of age, before they have to be sent to slaughter. They are slaughtered at such a young age, because they all develop such severe arthritis, especially in their knees, that they become unable to breed. This, of course, is not normally a problem with non-organically raised cattle, at least I've never heard of it before.
Note that organically-raised beef is openly promoted as a healthier choice than conventionally produced beef, and is claimed to reduce the risk of cancer, arthritis, and other major health problems, and yet these cattle seem to be plagued with those very same problems. Hmmmmmmmmm. Here's a Whole Foods article promoting their organic beef, for example:
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tnam ... e&dbid=141
Why these cattle are having these problems, no one seems to know, but it kind of shakes my trust in the "organic means healthy" campaign. Abscessed livers are not a pretty sight. It seems that we never get the real story, unless we "know someone", or we are able to go "behind the scenes".
Tex
To follow up on the comment about the fact that we eat livestock that consumes all that "bad" corn, I'd like to point out one of the reasons why I have a hunch that production agriculture generally receives a bum rap, simply because people make assumptions, and never really check out the facts.
A year or so ago, I met a fellow who is the general manager of a medium-sized cattle slaughtering facility, located in Texas. This guy started at the bottom of the heap, with nothing, and worked his way up through the ranks, to a very prominent position in the industry, (people from all over the world study his methods, and copy his innovative ideas).
Anyway, I happened to have an opportunity to spend some time with him this past weekend, and during our conversations, he mentioned that his plant slaughters cattle for the U. S. Olympic Team, twice a week, and ships the meat to their training grounds in Colorado. Since the Olympic Team requires organically-produced beef, I pursued this topic, and we discussed it at length. What he told me was a real eye-opener.
They process the beef that is donated to the U S Olympic Team, by the Maverick Ranch, (in Colorado). The Maverick Ranch is a very large organic beef operation. Here's a story on them:
http://www.meatnews.com/mp/northamerica ... eYear=2002
Anyway, to cut to the chase, he told me that despite all the claims about how "healthy" organically produced cattle are, USDA inspectors condemn at least 90% of all the livers from the cattle that are slaughtered, (due to abscesses). Something like 70% of the kidneys are condemned, because they are covered with "bumps". The heart is always encased in a "sac" which grows around it, (this sac is not present in non-organically produced cattle). The tissue comprising this membrane is so tough, that during the slaughtering process, workers peel it away from the heart, and send it to a medical processor, where it is made into suture material for use in surgery. Bear in mind, that non-organically raised cattle typically have about a 50% liver condemnation rate. Also, he mentioned that the cattle seem to have a remarkable amount of cancer, but I forgot to take note of any percentages, because I was so surprised by the figures on liver abscesses, so I don't remember if he said that they have at least as much cancer as conventionally-raised cattle, or more.
He also mentioned that the ranch is unique, in that their herd bulls only last until about three or four years of age, before they have to be sent to slaughter. They are slaughtered at such a young age, because they all develop such severe arthritis, especially in their knees, that they become unable to breed. This, of course, is not normally a problem with non-organically raised cattle, at least I've never heard of it before.
Note that organically-raised beef is openly promoted as a healthier choice than conventionally produced beef, and is claimed to reduce the risk of cancer, arthritis, and other major health problems, and yet these cattle seem to be plagued with those very same problems. Hmmmmmmmmm. Here's a Whole Foods article promoting their organic beef, for example:
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tnam ... e&dbid=141
Why these cattle are having these problems, no one seems to know, but it kind of shakes my trust in the "organic means healthy" campaign. Abscessed livers are not a pretty sight. It seems that we never get the real story, unless we "know someone", or we are able to go "behind the scenes".
Tex
Aaack! That is interesting. I guess it is just bad luck to be born a cow!
I don't think the author said anywhere that #2 commodity corn was "bad", just that there was a lot of it. He did say it costs more to produce that it can be sold for. That was weird.
The neatest thing about corn in the book was the story of how it is fertilized. I never knew what those tassels were for.
I don't think the author said anywhere that #2 commodity corn was "bad", just that there was a lot of it. He did say it costs more to produce that it can be sold for. That was weird.
The neatest thing about corn in the book was the story of how it is fertilized. I never knew what those tassels were for.
kathy
Maybe he was referring to the somewhat vague concept of the "environmental" cost of the hydrocarbon-based inputs used for corn production, (but that's true of probably 95% of the things we consume in daily living). Actually, at today's price relationships, corn production is very profitable, using a conventional income/expense analysis, thanks to the huge increase in ethanol production.
Yes, I agree. To me it is quite incredible the way that the pollen travels down the center of each strand of silk, in order to grow a single kernel of corn. That's a very, very long trip for each one of them to have to complete. Their success rate is extremely high, though, because blank spots on ears, (missing kernels), are quite rare, except, of course, during droughts, when the pollen or silks dry out prematurely, or on the upwind borders of fields, where the prevailing winds prevent pollination of the outside rows in a field.
Tex
Yes, I agree. To me it is quite incredible the way that the pollen travels down the center of each strand of silk, in order to grow a single kernel of corn. That's a very, very long trip for each one of them to have to complete. Their success rate is extremely high, though, because blank spots on ears, (missing kernels), are quite rare, except, of course, during droughts, when the pollen or silks dry out prematurely, or on the upwind borders of fields, where the prevailing winds prevent pollination of the outside rows in a field.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Hi Shirley,
I'm not saying there is anything wrong with the beef that Maverick Ranch produces - hell, the U S Olympic Team eats it, and they have very strict standards. I'm guessing this is a common issue with all organically produced beef, but note that I said that I'm guessing.
Love,
Tex
I'm not saying there is anything wrong with the beef that Maverick Ranch produces - hell, the U S Olympic Team eats it, and they have very strict standards. I'm guessing this is a common issue with all organically produced beef, but note that I said that I'm guessing.
Love,
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.