Do organic farmers use RoundUp?
A product with the USDA Certified Organic seal must be grown or produced with no synthetic herbicides, pesticides, or fertilizers—and that means no RoundUp and no glyphosate.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Agriculture Department said “glyphosate is never permitted on organic production” since it is a “synthetic pesticide” that the agency's organic regulations prohibit.
Pesticides approved for use in organic farming include neem oil, made from the neem tree, and pyrethrin, which is made from chrysanthemum plants. A few synthetic chemicals are also allowed in organic farming. Examples include copper sulfate, alcohols, chlorine products, hydrogen peroxide, and soaps.
Organic crops may have to contend with more weeds and pests than conventional crops, so they may produce more natural toxins to ward the weeds off, as potatoes do with a chemical called solanine. Additionally, the use of manure fertilisers may increase the risk of contamination by microbes such as E. coli.
Genetically modified organisms, nanomaterials, human sewage sludge, plant growth regulators, hormones, and antibiotic use in livestock husbandry are prohibited.
| Crop | Annual average (Lbs. Glyphosate) | |
|---|---|---|
| Almonds | 2,100,000 | 95 |
| Apples | 400,000 | 70 |
| Apricots | 10,000 | 80 |
| Asparagus | 30,000 | 70 |
Glyphosate is not allowed to be sprayed on organic wheat according to USDA organic standards. Sadly, we did find the presence of glyphosate residue in organic wheat, and other organic grains, including organic barley, oats, spelt, and einkorn. The range was from 0.03 to 0.
But let's get one thing clear: Organic produce is not pesticide-free. There are pesticides used in organic farming, but they're derived from natural substances rather than synthetic ones, And as Carl Winter, Ph.
Most people think of organic as the “chemical-free” alternative, and while organic farmers avoid toxic herbicides and pesticides at all costs, that assumption isn't entirely true. Yes: organic certification restricts the use of many chemical pesticides and fertilizers.
“Soft” chemicals: soap, stinging nettles, and rhubarbs provide excellent alternatives to pesticides. Parasites: certain pests are often easily targeted by specific parasites. Predators: ladybird beetles and birds will decimate many pest infestations in short order.
Why organic farming is not the future of agriculture?
Over all crops, the organic yield gap was 35%. Since yields are lower under organic than conventional practices, more land is required to produce the same amount of agricultural crops. A 35% yield gap means that 50% more arable land is required.
The following controversies were identified: 1) effects on human health of the presence of chemical contaminants in organic foods; 2) the quality of organic foods as compared to conventionally grown foods; and 3) price of organic foods.
The organic standards generally prohibit products of genetic engineering and animal cloning, synthetic pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, synthetic drugs, synthetic food processing aids and ingredients, and ionizing radiation.
Hand hoes, push hoes and hand-weeding are still used when rouging of an individual plant or patch of weed is the most effective way of preventing the weed from spreading. Hand-weeding may also be used after mechanical inter-row weeding to deal with weeds left in the crop row.
Contrary to popular belief, organic farming does use pesticides. Over a hundred fertilizers and inputs (pesticides, insecticides or fungicides) are authorized by organic farming regulations in Europe and the United States.
Health practitioners recommend the use of sauna or steam therapies to sweat out unwanted toxins, as well as an increase in the use of probiotic foods and supplements to replenish the microbiota which glyphosate may be destroying.
The report found that foods such as Cheerios, Goldfish Crackers, Oreos and Doritos contain residues of the chemical glyphosate. Also known by the name Roundup, glyphosate is used to kill weeds in crops.
Glyphosate is measured by testing urine. You can order a test kit–$99 at cost–and receive your results back in a few weeks. A recent study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found glyphosate rates are up 500%, but average levels are up 1200% in people over the last 20 years.
We listened to your concerns and took action on this issue. In response to our customers, we worked with our oat suppliers to put an end to their use of glyphosate as a pre-harvest desiccant for all varieties of Bob's Red Mill oats.
Because our study was small, and there is not much government testing of glyphosate contamination in popular grocery items, there may be other contaminated products at your school or grocery store. We just don't know. We did recently find glyphosate contamination in King Arthur bread flour.
Does Barilla pasta have glyphosate?
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EWG Tests of Pasta and Wheat-Based Cereal for Glyphosate.
| Product | Name | Glyphosate (parts per billion)* |
|---|---|---|
| Dry pasta | Barilla Whole Grain Rotini | 130 |
For starters, a lot of people buy organic food with the assumption that it doesn't involve the use of any fertilisers or pesticides. But that's not true. By definition, organic foods only have to avoid synthetic fertilisers and pesticides - so they can still be sprayed, just not by any human-made chemicals.
Pesticides in Produce
7 Yet, the Dirty Dozen list only shares details about pesticides on conventionally grown produce, but not on organic options. Conventional pesticides are often synthetic, while organic pesticides are naturally derived.
Celery rarely carries the residue of just one pesticide. Government lab tests have found that 95 percent of celery samples tested positive for pesticides; and 85 percent of them contained several different chemicals. Overall, 67 different pesticides showed up on various celery samples.
Organic farmers use natural fertilizers like manure and seaweed, and rely on insect predators rather than pesticides to keep pests and weeds at bay.
Blueberries are an additional berry type that contain a high level of pesticides. The thin skin allows the chemicals to enter the fruit's flesh. Buying blueberries organic is the safest option. Conventional blueberries contain 52 pesticide chemicals.
Organic bananas are essentially identical to conventional ones — they're just grown using different production methods. Thus, they contain mostly the same nutrients. Still, limited research suggests that amounts of certain nutrients could vary between the two types.
Organic foods are much less likely to have trace amounts of glyphosate, however, it is appearing in low levels in some cases.
Compost, cover crops, plant by-products, animal manure, and other biological materials form the bulk of what is applied to organic fields for fertility. Organic farmers are also permitted to supplement the addition of organic matter with the use of other natural products, such as mined minerals.
Any farmer, regardless of size or label, wants to use as little chemical as possible, not least of which that they're expensive and time-consuming to use, among other reasons. Really what it boils down to is pest pressure, economies of scale, climate, etc.
Why are farmers switching to organic farming?
Compared with conventional agriculture, organic farming uses fewer pesticides, reduces soil erosion, decreases nitrate leaching into groundwater and surface water, and recycles animal wastes back into the farm. These benefits are counterbalanced by higher food costs for consumers and generally lower yields.
Organic farming is widely considered to be a far more sustainable alternative when it comes to food production. The lack of pesticides and wider variety of plants enhances biodiversity and results in better soil quality and reduced pollution from fertilizer or pesticide run-off.
One of the main problems of organic farming is that of timing. This does not concern all cases, but generally, organic produce and meats require efficient supply chains to reach the market quicker. The main difference between organic from conventional farming methods is using fewer chemicals throughout food production.
Below are three significant challenges facing organic farmers. Weed, disease and insect control are shared challenges for organic growers. They have limited pesticide options because they can only use those approved by the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI).
California had by far the most certified organic farms in 2016, with 2,713. Its nearly 1.1 million acres of organic farms represented 21% of all U.S. certified organic land. The states with the second- and third-highest number of farms were Wisconsin (1,276 farms) and New York (1,059).
Organic Basics
A product with the USDA Certified Organic seal must be grown or produced with no synthetic herbicides, pesticides, or fertilizers—and that means no RoundUp and no glyphosate. But organic is more than that.
You will find that organic plants have a trace of glyphosate that is still allowed under an organic certification. Even though this is one of the methods, some farmers have been found to use this herbicide and still try to label their crops as organic.
Glyphosate is not allowed to be sprayed on organic wheat according to USDA organic standards. Sadly, we did find the presence of glyphosate residue in organic wheat, and other organic grains, including organic barley, oats, spelt, and einkorn.
Even organic oats have been found to have high levels of glyphosate. Organic can't save you here. Using the report gathered by EWG, we can see which brands had the highest and lowest levels of glyphosate.
Health practitioners recommend the use of sauna or steam therapies to sweat out unwanted toxins, as well as an increase in the use of probiotic foods and supplements to replenish the microbiota which glyphosate may be destroying.
What do organic farmers use instead of pesticides?
“Soft” chemicals: soap, stinging nettles, and rhubarbs provide excellent alternatives to pesticides. Parasites: certain pests are often easily targeted by specific parasites. Predators: ladybird beetles and birds will decimate many pest infestations in short order.
Glyphosate is measured by testing urine. You can order a test kit–$99 at cost–and receive your results back in a few weeks. A recent study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found glyphosate rates are up 500%, but average levels are up 1200% in people over the last 20 years.
Glyphosate is showing up predominately in food made with oats because oats and wheat are sprayed with glyphosate to kill the crop right before harvesting. It is a practice that is not necessary and should be stopped.
The EWG found that levels of glyphosate in Cheerios were 729 ppb and in Honey Nut Cheerios Medley Crunch the levels reached 833 ppb. The EWG considers 160 ppb to be the highest level safe for children's food.
We listened to your concerns and took action on this issue. In response to our customers, we worked with our oat suppliers to put an end to their use of glyphosate as a pre-harvest desiccant for all varieties of Bob's Red Mill oats.
...
EWG Tests of Pasta and Wheat-Based Cereal for Glyphosate.
| Product | Name | Glyphosate (parts per billion)* |
|---|---|---|
| Dry pasta | Barilla Whole Grain Rotini | 130 |
Canadian oats and other cereal grains used in popular breakfast products have been found to contain glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup.
- Kashi by Kids Organic Berry Crumble Cereal. ...
- Nature's Path Organic Corn Puffs Gorilla Munch Cereal. ...
- Annie's Organic Cereal, Cocoa Bunnies. ...
- Go Raw Organic Superfood Sprouted Granola. ...
- Barbara's Bakery Organic Honest O's Cereal.
Conventional Almond milk batch testing contained glyphosate and AMPA (effective glyphosate) at low levels 0.87 ppb and organic almond milk contained 12 X less at . 07 ppb, however even the lowest levels, between .
Glyphosate, a toxic herbicide sprayed on hundreds of U.S. agricultural crops, cannot be removed through washing or cooking.
