<p>Organic and conventional growers, what do you think about this? An opinion piece by Dr. Henry Miller, the founding director of the FDA’s Office of Biotechnology, was recently posted on the Wall Street Journal claiming that <B>organic farming is NOT sustainable</b>. He argues that although organic farming “might work well for certain local environments on a small scale,” it poses much more of a significant risk to the environment than conventional farming. <B>Conventional farming, he says, is better because it produces more food and uses less water than organic farming.</b> Just how substantiated is Miller’s article, and do you agree with him? If you’d like to read the full article from Wall Street Journal, take a look at the link below.</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href=" http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304431104579550002888434432" target="_new"> Dr. Miller on Wall Street Journal: Organic Farming Is Not Sustainable </a></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>“The low yields of organic agriculture – typically 20% - 50% less than conventional agriculture – <B>impose various stresses on farmland</b> and especially on water consumption,” writes Miller. Aside from increased water consumption, Miller also cites research claiming that organic methods can increase nitrate in groundwater from composted manure, generate “significant amounts” of greenhouse gases such as methane and nitrous oxide, and can also “deposit pathogenic bacteria on or in food crops, which has led to more frequent occurrences of food poisoning in the U.S. and elsewhere.”<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> Those charges are just scratching the surface. Some groups, like the Organic Center in Washington D.C. are calling his report <B>poorly researched and narrow minded</b>. The Organic Center disputes Miller’s allegations, stating, “Most studies that examine nutrient runoff show that organic production methods result in reduced nitrogen losses when compared to conventional crop production.” And in terms of lower yields, Organic Center says that one study from publication Crop Management suggests that “<B>organic yields increase the longer their fields are managed organically.</b>”<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> Miller’s biggest argument for conventional farming is that it embraces using fertilizers, herbicides, and genetically modified seeds to significantly improve yields, but is this really representative of all farms? Miller’s entire argument seems very one-sided, so it’s important to consider both sides, from both the organic and conventional standpoint.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> I’d be interested to hear from other growers on this debate. It’s an interesting issue, but I don’t think Miller’s claims are entirely substantiated. If you’d like to read both Miller’s article on Wall Street Journal and Organic Center’s subsequent response, check out the links below.</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href=" http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304431104579550002888434432" target="_new"> Dr. Miller on Wall Street Journal: Organic Farming Is Not Sustainable </a></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href=" http://organic-center.org/news/response-to-organic-farming-is-not-sustainable" target="_new"> Organic Center </a></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
