Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
Rob is more negative about the value of these inspectors. “Who knows? Like
our Eagles' Nest Brand is U.S. number one, and they want to make sure
that is what is in the box. They have to come out and inspect the fruit and
put a USDA stamp on it. Unfortunately, I have to pay the USDA. It seems like
everyone has their hands in your pocket.”
In Illinois, Joel has additional government inspectors: “All of our meat is
frozen. Yes, we've got five freezers. Having our broker's license, a man comes
to check it once a year. Although I am wondering if he retired because the
state of Illinois offered early retirement. I haven't seen him for a while. You
fill out the forms, write him a check, and he checks your freezers. Are they
cold? Yes. Are they processed where they are supposed to be? Yes. Check
who you are processed from and make sure it is from an inspected plant,
which it is, so there is no problem.” Paperwork and inspections are routine
for organic farmers.
[175],
(26)
Lines: 432 to 442
———
0.0pt PgVar
———
Normal Page
PgEnds: T
E
X
Research
Organic farming is management intensive, and farmers need information
for their diverse operations. But when Joel is asked if his college degree in
agriculture helped him learn about organic farming, he is adamant: “No,
not at all. You won't find anything from universities about organics. They're
so far off base. As far as universities getting in touch with really sustainable
practices, you can forget about that.”Naioma thinks that universities should
“switch research to sustainable or organic agriculture. At all land grant col-
leges, research is funded by chemical companies. Information from univer-
sities for organic producers is null and void.” Joel agrees. He says that if we
had a wholesale shift to organic methods, “all the universities would have to
find work, because they are all, for the most part, chemically funded.” Phil
notes that even in California, “information can often be difficult. Up until
recently there hasn't been much interest in researching organic, especially
in organic systems.” From a New York state perspective, Steve says that
information from“extension and university people” has improved over the
last ten years or so.
Based on his Florida experience, Rob says, “It is a shame with modern
agriculture. They teach it in the schools, and the kids that are coming up in it
don't knowanything but chemicals. It is all politics. All this agricultural news
I get, like
Citrus Grower
,
Florida Citrus Industry
,
Grower and Vegetable
,itis
unbelievable what is in there. Everything is written by and for the chemical
corporations. You will read about field trials, and then at the bottom it
will say this product was used and that product was used. You ain't never
gonna read about a bad field trial. Whenever there is a writeup about a
[175],
(26)
