...Lucas Miguez Mr. Sucena Biology 2 November 2015 Organic Agriculture The human population is growing rapidly and is expected to reach its limit somewhere around nine billion (J. Foley "The other inconvenient truth" ). We are already using more than forty percent of the world’s land for agricultural purposes and agriculture is the single biggest contributor to climate change (J. Foley "The other inconvenient truth" ). Some people want to convert the land that we aren't using to grow more food, but that would greatly affect the world’s biodiversity by causing even further deforestation and would only contribute to climate change. Therefore, researchers are working to find a solution to increase the output of food while not further damaging the environment and biodiversity or significantly increasing costs. Many possible solutions have been raised with different advantages and disadvantages. One such idea is organic agriculture, which focuses on minimizing agriculture’s effect on the environment. Like all of the much-hyped solutions, however, there are drawbacks to this approach (J. Foley "The other inconvenient truth" ). The main goal of organic agriculture is the minimization of farming’s effect on the environment, but there remains a need for more crops to feed our growing population (J. Foley "The other inconvenient truth"). Because of this, the organic agriculture advocates are encouraging the practice of precision agriculture. As stated by McGinnis:...
Words: 1479 - Pages: 6
...Organic Farm Business Plan Freedom Farm Submitted for Commerce 492.3, University of Saskatchewan 2001 Rosalind Ball Heather Hack Murray Nelson Myles Thorpe Executive summary Introduction Organic farming in Canada, and Saskatchewan in particular, has steadily increased especially in recent years. Reasons for the increase in organic food production are: market premiums of 2 to 2.5 times the conventional market price; an expansion in the consumer sector willing to pay the higher prices demanded by organic food; an expansion of markets in the developed world where Saskatchewan farm exports traditionally are targeted; and lower input prices due to organic production. This document is a proposed business plan, with a financial model, for setting up and operating an organic grain farm in Saskatchewan. The business is new, and is named Freedom Farm. Financial performance is projected for a ten-year period from 2002 to 2012. To sell organic produce at premium, Freedom Farm will obtain organic creditation from the Organic Crop Improvement Association (OCIA). The mission statement of Freedom farm is: To provide quality organic produce to suit customer demand while maintaining soil fertility and crop productivity. Operations Plan The proposal is for the establishment of a new organic grain production business in Kipling, South East Saskatchewan. The proposed business is a sole proprietorship...
Words: 1414 - Pages: 6
...burgers and 627 million pounds of bacon. Contrary to popular belief, all this meat is not raised on Old McDonald's farm ("Factory-Farming.com", 2010-2015). As arable land has declined over the last 100 years along with farmers as a percentage of the U.S. population, factory farms have taken their place ("How is Land in The United States Used? A Focus on Agricultural Land", n.d.). However, while factory farms produce more food optimizing economies of scale, modern technologies, and genetic engineering, factory farming more often than not incorporate abusive treatment to the animals. Factory Farming is an inhumane way of producing meat and dairy products due to its common practices of confined living conditions, wide usage of antibiotics and genetic engineering, and slaughterhouse practices. One of the most common forms of animal cruelty in factory farms is the overcrowded and confined living areas of the animals. Chickens are the most confined animal in Factory Farming with up to 120,000 birds on one farm. (Madhani, 2015). Both egg-laying hens and fryer chickens are housed in “battery cages”. Battery cages hold between five and ten hens with each hen allotted between 67 - 76 sq. inches (less than the size of a standard sheet of letter paper). Being confined to such a small area creates multiple physical and mental problems for the chickens. Among the more common noted problems is the inability to spread their wings, standing up, nesting, perching, and dust bathing. (“The Humane...
Words: 1383 - Pages: 6
...Why the government should Subsidize Organic Farming Organic farming is a farming method focused on advancing environmental and ecosystem benefits, as opposed to the external output in farming. It promotes the health of the ecosystem, biodiversity, and the soil biological activity. Government subsidies farmer receive are aimed at promoting healthy and beneficial and responsible farming. To understand why it is crucial for the government to subsidize organic farming, it is good to evaluate the benefits that accrue from organic farming. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the gains achievable if the government was to subsidize organic farming. One of the focuses of most governments is the reduction of greenhouse gases (GHG). A UN framework for climate change is now a key focus for most governments. One way of achieving this is the subsidizing farmers to do organic farming. The aim of doing that is that, by the use of organic farming methods, the increase in greenhouse gases reduces. The essence of this is to reduce the number of energy intensive farming that have a negative impact on farming. In addition, using less energy intensive methods means more saving on the inputs and additional benefits to the farmers. This is important since, over the years, the gains and benefits for farming have reduced. That is because, of among other things, bad weather, and scares of public health. Therefore, promoting a method that will directly benefits the farmer and the environment should...
Words: 928 - Pages: 4
...December 2015 Should Factory Farming Be Acceptable in Our Society? Since the past fifty years, farming operations in the United States have developed from individualized production to mass production, which is known today as factory farming. Factory farming is a method of food and fiber production which exploits animals in a confined environment (Marcus). As the demand for meat continues to increase, the modern agricultural practice of factory farming also continues to increase to meet the food consumption of humans. Factory farms consist of a large number of animals confined in small spaces to minimize operation costs; this mass production has decreased the price of meat as the factories produce an excess amount of meat to satisfy the demand. However, although Americans are fulfilled with the abundant amount of cheap meat, the practice of factory farming causes serious consequences for animals, humans, and the environment. This unhealthy practice has led to problems such as pollution, inhuman animal treatment, and human illness. Therefore, for all these reasons, many people have stated that factory farming is morally and ethically wrong. Since factory farms wield tremendous power in our society, they have become a controversial topic, with many people questioning whether they are detrimental or beneficial to our society. While opponents believe that the costs of factory farming outweigh the benefits, supporters rather believe that factory farming is needed in our current society...
Words: 3860 - Pages: 16
...Fish farming Fish farming or pisciculture is the principal form of aquaculture, while other methods may fall under mariculture. Fish farming involves raising fish commercially in tanks or enclosures, usually for food. A facility that releases juvenile fish into the wild for recreational fishing or to supplement a species' natural numbers is generally referred to as a fish hatchery. Worldwide, the most important fish species used in fish farming are carp, salmon, tilapia and catfish.[1][2] There is an increasing demand for fish and fish protein, which has resulted in widespread overfishing in wild fisheries, China holding 62 percent of the world's fish farming practice.[3] Fish farming offers fish marketers another source. However, farming carnivorous fish, such as salmon, does not always reduce pressure on wild fisheries, since carnivorous farmed fish are usually fed fishmeal and fish oil extracted from wild forage fish. The global returns for fish farming recorded by the FAO in 2008 totalled 33.8 million tonnes worth about $US 60 billion.[4] In 2005, aquaculture represented 40% of the 157.5 million tons of seafood that was produced, meaning that it has become a critical part of our world's food source even though the industry is still technically in its 'infancy' and didn't really become well known until the 1970s. Because of this rise in aquaculture, there has been a rise in the per capita availability of seafood globally within the last few decades.[5] Major categories of...
Words: 4225 - Pages: 17
...Fish Farming | Benefits and Costs | Hailey Devitt 3/28/2011 | English 160 Module # 4 & 5 Assignment # 5 Formal Report North Island College Section: Distance Submitted To Derek Hanebury March 28, 2011 Submitted by: Ms. H. Devitt Table of contents Executive Summary…………………………………………………………………………………………….Page 1 Introduction & Background……………………………………………………………………………………Page 2 Major Issues…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..Page 2 & 3 Benefits………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….Page 3 & 4 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………………………………Page 4 Works Cited……………………………………………………………………………………………….………….Page 5 Executive Summary Fish farming in Canada has recently taken quite the spotlight, for good or for worse that is the question that needs to be addressed. I feel the negatives greatly outshine the positives at this point in time; the wild salmon stocks are currently in danger and fish farming is taking double the amount of wild salmon to produce half the amount of farmed fish. The fish coming from the farms are dubious to say the least; they produce a chemical, disease ridden product that is not beneficial for consumption. There are many issues around the benefits of the actual fish, and what it might do to the wild if they are interbred and mixed among the wild salmon. However like everything along with the negatives come some benefits of these farms. There is a major industry with fish farming which...
Words: 1609 - Pages: 7
...Benefits of Factory Farming What are the benefits of factory farming? Factory farming or industrial agriculture involves the exploitation of animals so as to ensure profits, particularly in the dairy and meat industries. As such, engaging in this kind of farming not only offers high profits, but it also guarantees more productivity. Cheap food production: Due to the use of technology and “economies of scale,” they produce food at less cost than smaller farms, thus enabling customers to save money on food purchases (1). Efficiency: The ability to efficiently produce and distribute huge quantities of food to feed large cities (1). Employment: Factory farms provide employment to nearby communities (1). Capital: Supporters argue that factory farms do invest in the communities in which they operate (1). In today’s technology factory farming and also applying chemical products, food is produced at lower costs as compared to smaller farms. A cheaper production that benefits the producers and the consumers. Meaning producers will have better profits. Consumers can enjoy on the lower priced products. The capability of providing large amounts of food is vital in huge cities. This high efficiency will benefit the people in those particular cities ensuring they always have food. Stopping food shortages is a major factory farming benefit. The produced food product can be quickly distributed to its consumers, thus supporting better overall health. Employment of factory farming requires lots of...
Words: 345 - Pages: 2
...Freedom Lost, Factory Farming With Egg Laying Chickens Katelyn Felix Upper Iowa University Filth, confinement, disease, mutilation, and deprivation are a few things that come to mind when factory farming is mentioned. It is a rapidly growing problem in the United States. Factory farming first started in the 1930’s on a low scale. New kinds of incubators lead to chickens being able to be produced in larger quantities in large scale operations. After World War II the increased demand of eggs led to specialized breading and an increase in factory farming in the United States. Soon following suit between the 1960’s and 1970’s was the boom of fast food chains thus increasing the demand for cheap, fast products (Safe for Animals, 2012). Mass production swept the nation at the expense of the animals and our health. This movement cannot be stopped unless people can get informed with what is happening in these factory farms, and possible alternatives to better our nation’s moral standing. Factory farming of egg laying hens is when they are kept under strict guidelines with intensive methods in order to achieve mass production, in this case, of eggs. These hens are deprived of life, they are only used as means of production and might as well be categorized as machines. First let’s discuss the killing and disposal of chickens in this industry. In the egg industry obviously hens are the only useful chicken to these business owners, seeing as males cannot produce eggs, because of that...
Words: 2393 - Pages: 10
...Today’s farms not only abuse the animals but also produce harmful diseases and environmental hazards to each and every one of us, regardless whether you consume these animals of not. The U.S. government should ban the use of factory farming animals Factory farming should be illegal in the United States because the food produce is poor quality food. The meat from the animals in factory farms is mechanically removed, which means it it ripped from the bone and other parts of the body by a machine(Hurst). Factory farms even use parts of the body that most people wouldn't use such as: lips, eyes, testicels, and anal tracts are included in sausage and patties(Hurst). The excess meat is then blended up and added in with the other meat to make a larger profit. The food from factory farms may be cheaper the nutritional foods. Organic food continues to cost on average several times more than food from factory farms, but no one goes to farmers’ markets for bargains. But not all costs can be measured by a price tag. Once you become sick with health problems due to the poor quality of the food and have to pay for treatment. The animals are injected with a variety of drugs and hormones to increase growth and production ("Natural resources defense council"). Which is then passed onto the consumer in the food or meal making the food unhealthy for your body ("Natural resources defense council"). The drugs and hormones that are in the food that you ingest can disrupt the human hormone balance...
Words: 770 - Pages: 4
...friendly way to feed the rapidly increasing populations of cities worldwide. Green Spirit Farms (GFS) of New Buffalo, Michigan is the world’s largest vertical farm is ready to open up shop in Scranton. It is a single storey covering 3.25 hectares, but with racks stacked six high it will house 17 million plants. And it is just one of a growing number. A vertical farm enables to grow food year round in high rise urban buildings, reducing the need for the carbon emitting transport of fruit and vegetables. Vertical farming will reduce water consumption; plants in vertical farming can be fed by soil-free hydroponic systems and lit by LEDs that mimic sunlight. We can control supply of nutrients like light and water by using control software. By using this software a farmer can monitor the whole apparatus from a smart phone. This will increase the number of crops per year. United Nations predicts that 86% of developed world’s people will live in urban areas by 2050. vertical farming can make food supplies more secure because it can continue producing even during extreme weather conditions. And they don’t need...
Words: 492 - Pages: 2
...Topic: Factory Farming Organizational Pattern: Monroe’s Motivated Sequence Specific Purpose: To persuade the audience that factory farms are dangerous and abusive and therefore need to be banned. Primary Audience Outcome: I want the audience to join or support national organizations that protest against factory farms. Thesis Statement: The government should ban factory farms and require the meat industry to raise animals in their natural environments. The process of preparing the project: I start with information finding in week 3 by referring to youtube suggested by the lecturer. Then I choose a topic: Factory Farming. I prepare the script for the speech by referring to a few website that I got from google search. I narrow down the main ideas that I want to include in my topic: 1) disadvantages/ danger of factory farming; 2) suggestion to replace factory farming; 3) action that need to be done. Apart from that, I prepare the material supporting my presentation that include the visual for factory harming so that audience can give full attention to the topic, arouse their interest to know more and continue listening to my speech. The Script guideline: I. Attention: Close your eyes and step into the world of an individual. You are born into a world where nights and days are never constant (attention getter). You are fed three to five times a day, but no one is there to nurture you. Not even the numerous others crammed into your living space. You grow...
Words: 948 - Pages: 4
...Organic Farming Project 1 1 Introduction PT. Rumah Perubahan (RP) and PT. Kampung Kearifan Indonesia (Javara) has agreed and signed an MOU on the 11th July 2014. The first step was for Javara to create a business plan. We have gathered expertize from our Marketing, Business Development and Urban Farming departments to create a business plan that will be marketable and produce optimized profits The purpose of this document is to give the first step of planning of plants that will be developed for produced to be sold for processing to artisanal products. 2 Potential Products 1. Organic Tomato Sauce 2. Organic Chili Sauce 3. Organic Vegetable Soup Stock 4. Basil Pesto 3 Calculation of Needs 3.1 Tomato Sauce TOMATO tumpang sari Spring Onion | | | INCOME | | | | | m2 lahan | 1000 | m2 lahan | | lahan efektif | 600 | m2 lahan efektif | | bedeng | 60 | bedeng | | tanaman/bedeng | 40 | tanaman/bedeng | | kg output/tanaman | 2 | kg/output tanaman | | kg output/siklus 6 bulan | 4800 | kg output | | siklus per tahun | 3 | siklus/th | | kg output/tahun | 14,400 | kg output/tahun | | Harga/kg | 6,000 | /kg | | | 86,400,000 | income/tahun | EXPENSES | | 13 | bulan orang kerja @ Rp 1.5juta | 19,500,000 | | 2400 | Lanjaran | 1,200,000 | | 3 | botol pestisida nabati | 150,000 | | 720 | sack pupuk @ 10ribu | 7,200,000 | | 3 | botol pupuk cair...
Words: 751 - Pages: 4
...Organic Farming The organic industry has become popular in recent years, but some do not know there is a difference between organic and natural. The word "organic" refers to the way farmers grow and process agricultural products (mayoclinic.com). Organic farming methods encourage soil, water conservation, and reduce pollution; farmers who grow organic produce and meat don't use conventional methods to fertilize, control weeds or prevent livestock disease (mayoclinic.com). With consumers looking for healthier options, organic seems like it would be a perfect option. However, with so many guidelines farmers need to follow the price for buying organic exceeds that of non-organic. Demand for organic milk and dairy has grown universally since the society has become more aware of what hormones and genetically modified organisms (GMO) have gone into the items we eat and drink. For example, in the case of GMO’s food is altered to a form that does not occur naturally in nature (livestrong.com). Plants repel insects, resist viruses while others are treated in a way that allows herbicides to be sprayed without harming the crop itself (livestrong.com). Although demand for organic is on the rise buyers have to do research on the items they are buying is truly organic and not just labeled as natural. In order for a farm to be natural all they have to do is put a label on their products. In the United States neither the FDA nor the USDA has rules or regulations for products...
Words: 1178 - Pages: 5
...use resources. Organic farming can be profitable and organic food appeals to consumers as both a healthy and ethical choice. Beyond money and ethics though, organic farming practices result in numerous environmental benefits. Organic Farming Builds Healthy Soil. To grow healthy food, you must start with healthy soil. If you treat soil with harmful pesticides and chemicals, you may end up with soil that cannot thrive on its own. Natural cultivation practices are far better than chemical soil management. Organic farming helps combat erosion Not only does organic farming build healthy soil, but it helps combat serious soil and land issues, such as erosion. A major study comparing adjoining organic and chemically treated wheat fields showed that the organic field featured eight more inches of topsoil than the chemically treated field and also had only one-third the erosion loss. If you aren't concerned about erosion; you should be. Erosion issues are extremely serious, affecting the land, food supply and humans. However, organic farming practices do help discourage erosion from occurring. Organic Farming Fights the Effects of Global Warming. According to the Rodale Institute, Farming Systems Trial is America’s longest running, side-by-side comparison of conventional and organic agriculture. The trial, running since 1981, has shown that a healthy organic agriculture system can actually reduce carbon dioxide and help slow climate change. Also, organic farming supports water conservation...
Words: 808 - Pages: 4
