The United States is now holding the results of four generations exposed to agricultural and industrial chemicals. Organic farming is a method of crop and livestock production that involves much more than choosing not to use pesticides, fertilizers, GMO’s, antibiotics, and growth hormones. Organic farming is a better way of farming. Organic farming saves energy, protects the environment, leaves fewer residues in food, and it can even slow down global warming.

When farmers use chemicals on their crops it can affect the environment around us. When it rains the water from the fields goes to a river or creek that animals drink out of. When the chemicals run into water source that animals drink out of they can get sick from consuming it and the fish in the water can also die. It also flows down to the Gulf of Mexico which has a dead zone now larger than 22,000 square kilometers, which is an area larger than New Jersey. Studies show that infants are exposed to hundreds of harmful chemicals in utero.

Recently it was proved that If you have an organic strawberry and a non organic strawberry, you will see that the organic one tastes a lot better. Researchers at Washington State University proved this as a fact when they had lab taste trials that concluded the organic berry was more sweet and tasted better overall. Research also verifies that organic produce is lower in nitrates and higher in antioxidants than conventional food. Polyphenols and antioxidants protect humans and plants. Pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides actually block a plant’s ability to have those important compounds. Salicylic acid is another important compound of a plant. Salicylic acid helps with anti-inflammatory, rheumatism, hardening of the arteries, colon cancer, and it reduces the risk of heart attacks. Organic foods have a way higher percentage of good salicylic acid than conventional foods do.

More than 90% of the pesticides Americans consume are found in the fat and tissue in our meat and dairy products. A lot of pesticide intake is coming from meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products. Millions and millions of antibiotics are used in animal feed every year, and these are passed into the food that we eat. These antibiotics and growth hormones can lead to bad things for us. It can lead to growth of tumors, increased risk of cancer, and genetic problems. Hormones in milk have been directly linked to cancer, especially in women.

People argue that organic food has just as much nutrients as non organic. Which is true but also not true. The nutrients we see in non organic foods aren’t real. They still get your body everything it needs but they aren’t naturally put in your fruit. Organic produce is all natural and the nutrients in them are so much better for your body. Organic foods contain a higher concentration of antioxidants while conventional foods are containing a higher level of the toxic metal cadmium. Cadmium is a toxic chemical found in cigarette smoke.

Organic food is the way to go. We would be much healthier as a country and much safer. There would be a less risk of all these diseases coming from non-organic food. Why would you want to put harmful things into your body that could end up harming you or your future children. Agriculture chemicals, pesticides and fertilizers are contaminating the environment. They poison our water supply and they destroy the value of our fertile farm land. A study was done by David Pimentel, a Cornell entomologist, and he concluded that only an estimated 0.1% of pesticides actually reach the pests. That means that 99.% of the pesticides are left to impact the environment, and not in a good way. Help out the environment and your body, and eat organic.