Why is organic food more expensive?

[Bllackguard666]

It requires more land, and produces less, requires more lobbyists to get these big industry heads to jump in on this scam. It requires more land, less product, higher price, and NO difference in the food quality.

[shinokiba]

@Obamain2012 If that happens, a lot of people will die. Organic food is not as effective and Genetically altered food. There will be a lot less food for everyone.

[shinokiba]

Organic food an only feed 4 billion people, and it is worse for the environment. It takes more land to grow organic foods, that means more trees will have to be cut down.

[Monte3207]

@shinokiba that bullshit. Spraying chemicals is what is bad for the environment. trees are cut down everyday and it has nothing to do with farming. Legalize Hemp and not one more tree needs to be cut down. but noooooooooo that would mean lumber and paper will lose business and god forbid, let the little guy make a buck or a living.

[shinokiba]

@Monte3207 I also want hemp to be legalized, but you can't eat hemp. Organic farming uses as much chemicals as non organic farming, the difference is that the chemicals used in organic farming is worse. If you care about the environment then don't eat organic foods and legalize hemp.

[Monte3207]

@shinokiba Hemp grain has been used throughout history as an abundant and nutritional food source. Hemp grain produces two distinct food products: oil and flour. The oil is made into salad dressings, soups, butter, and cheese. The flour can be used as a complement to wheat or corn flour to make breads, pancakes, pizza dough, cookies, and many other foods. You can most definitely grow organic without chemicals. you think chemicals were involved a 100 years ago?

[shinokiba]

@Monte3207 I did not know that about hemp, thats really cool.

[Monte3207]

@shinokiba it really is. I wish we could grow it. we spend a lot of money importing it.

[shinokiba]

@Monte3207 Don't worry it will be legal is the next 5-10 years, it is very expensive to keep it illegal, it will end the same way prohibition ended in 1933.

[demerc]

Let's call it what it is,a racket.The idea that there is a legitimate long term reason "organic" methods of farming should cost substantially more is apologist BS for bad bureaucracy and thieving corporate interests.Of course if you simply convert to organic methods of farming without accounting for all the inputs,it'll be more labor intensive and yield less.That's a straw man's argument.Properly balanced permaculture farming methods yield the same OR MORE.Unnatural trumps Mother Nature? NEVER!!

[theorganicmother]

Thank you this video. You explain the topic well. This will help me more clearly explain to my customers why the organic food I produce costs more for them than conventional foods they buy in the grocery store. Hannah at theorganicmother . com

[theorganicmother]

Thank you this video. You explain the topic well. This will help me more clearly explain to my customers why the organic food I produce costs more for them than conventional foods they buy in the grocery store. Hannah at theorganicmother

[potterylady1]

Where are the local meat folks in Texas? I would love to know!

[OrganicSizeMe]

You get what you pay for.

[organicauthority]

Awesome video Michael. For me it is worth it to pay extra for food that is not irradiated, doesn't contain toxic chemicals that are designed to kill pests

(that came out of WWII's left over chemical warfare, think agent orange and gas chambers) and wreak havoc on the human system, don't contain hormones or excessive amounts of antibiotics. And organic foods just simply taste better and are higher quality, which is why they are a secret ingredient amongst top chefs around the world!

[TechboyUK]

Good, short, explanation.

[Tunnelfish]

If organic food is to get better sales, it does need to find a way to become more competitive with the mainstream agricultural products. Altruism isn't cheap regarding this subject matter and the less money the consumer can afford to spend on food the less likely organics will be bought. Farmer's markets are a plus, but there seems to be a shortage of them, especially in urban areas and suburban areas not adjacent to farmlands.

[TheJoman40]

Blame the middle men..Not the farmers. I am a certified organic farmer/rancher who is subject to all of the increased costs. However I believe that there is far too much price gouging taking place in the market due to all of the middle men. We sell our grass finished beef to our local grocery store at the same rate that they can buy it from IBP. Consumers will be able to buy it for about the same price as the IBP garbage because we are eliminating four or five middle men.......Buy Local

[heyassmanx]

@TheJoman40 Thanks for the info, I've been dealing with that very problem for a long while now, much appreciated!

[Alchemist0011]

I'm really disappointed that the video did not explain that the organic foods have a much more nutrient dense product - more vitamins and minerals and a LOT more taste! Conventional farming does not give greater yields, it's just cheaper to grow garbage in bulk.

[Alchemist0011]

I'm really disappointed that the video did not explain that the orgasnic foods have a much more nutrient dense product - more vitamins and minerals and a LOT more taste!

[nnelg6587]

wow, what a load of propaganda, it is not proven at all that conventional farming techniques produce higher yields than organic, there have been a lot of advances in organic techniques over last several decades and if these farmers are saying their yields went down, I challenge to say that they are just not doing it right

[kar3less]

is it just me or is that dude sweating a lot.. either he just came for the interview from copping his field or hes on something.. hes way too tense.. just my opinion

[emberglance]

Good to see a video that just sets out to inform, without pushing an agenda!

What about non-USDA organic designations? Are they regulated at all? What standards must they conform to?

[michaelwtapp]

@emberglance - Thank you for the kind words! I aimed to just deliver the facts.

Conventional agriculture is pretty much a free market and the USDA does not inspect conventional farms.

[oOKuo]

digg.com

[d716agq]

So does this mean that Organic Food results in higher CO2 emissions given that the yields are lower?

[ifeelforgaza]

@d716agq Yields are lower when CO2 is lower.  Plants consume CO2.

If yields are lower, more plants must be grown to keep up with the demand for food, meaning more CO2 is absorbed into plant matter. Probably not the answer you were looking for, but it seems ironic to me that CO2, made out to be a villain by world leaders, is actually one of the most important resources for farmers to grow our food.

No worries... water vapor is more of a greenhouse gas than CO2.

[d716agq]

@ifeelforgaza Well i was referring to the CO2 emissions from the energy used to farm the food (is this more or less than the CO2 absorbed by the food? I don't know)

[ifeelforgaza]

@d716agq I respect you for asking questions and admitting when you are unsure. My answer would be that CO2 is not an "emission" you need to fear. The real emissions that we should ask about are the ones that cause disease and cancer. Powerful people are distracting the public from poisonous emissions mostly from the oil industry, aluminum processing, pesticides and herbicides on GMO farms, etc. CO2 is harmless and should be respected as a building block of life.

[Smeggers08]

na mayte