Omnivore's Dilemma - local or organic?

Now that summer time is here, and the sun is calling me to sit around outside in the sun, I am finally beginning to read Michael Pollen's "The Omnivore's Dilemma." I noticed that Washington State University chose the title as their common book for all incoming freshmen (then the pulled it, then they reinstated it, thanks to a big check from a personal injury attorney alum). So far, I am half way through the book and enjoying it. I am most interested in Joel Salatin's east coast Polyface Farm. 

I recognized Salatin's name as the author of a book I was given by my brother, "Everything I Want to Do is Illegal." Salatin's book is one large libertarian rant against The [USDA] Man. Although I sympathized with his desire to transcend bureaucratic rules designed for mega agribusiness, and be left alone to run a sustainable, humane, "beyond organic," farm, and to be allowed to sell his product without harassment, his arguments are sometimes... naive. Maybe naive is not the right word. What I mean to say, is that his arguments don't transfer well to city dwellers who are wanting to use their food dollars to support sustainable farming practices. While it sounds nice that I should be able to know all the people who produce my food, and personally see their animal husbandry and processing practices, that is not practical for most people. I may be able to meet farmers at the many farmer's markets in the Puget Sound area, but I will not be visiting each of them personally. Salatin seems to argue that the government should not impose a bunch of rules on him, because he is an honest farmer and his customers know he will do things in a sanitary and ethical way. Well, okay. But what about all of the others who won't?  

Now that I am reading Pollen's description of a one week stay at Salatin's farm, I am more impressed with Salatin and Polyface farms. What Pollen describes is nothing short of genius. There is something so beautiful in the way that Salatin uses his animals to provide for each other and enrich the land. After reading hundreds of pages about the problems with conventional farming: monoculture crops growing from fossil fuel soaked soil, processed and fed to animals that were never meant to eat their feedlot diets, and who in turn crank out massive amounts of toxic waste "dump". Salatin's harmonious sympthony of farm activity invokes something emotional in me. 

Here, Pollen describes the cyclical relationships on Salatin's land, "Salatin reached down deep where his pigs were happily rooting and brought a handful of fresh compost right up to my nose. What had been cow manure and wood chips just a few weeks before now smelled as sweet and warm as the forest floor in summertime...As soon as the pigs complete their alchemy [turning and aerating the cow manure compost searching for kernels of fermented corn planted there by Salatin], Joel will spread the compost on his pastures. There it will feed the grasses, so the grasses might again feed the cows, the cows the chickens, and so on."  The flocks of chickens, as Salatin explains, follow a few days behind the grazing cows, eating the grass that has been conveniently shaved down to their height by the cows, and picking the larvae and grubs out of their cow pats, effectively sanitizing the pasture and cutting down on infestation and disease. 

Because Salatin's animals are healthy and not full of antibiotics and hormones, their manure is also healthy, and is the only fertilizer used on the farm. This is in sharp contrast to the massive amounts of petroleum based fertilizers sprayed on farms all over the country while piles of toxic manure sits smoldering on feedlots down the road, unusable to the crop farmers. 

All of this reading about food systems got me thinking about the products that I buy. Like most things, the more you learn, the more complicated an issue becomes. Is always buying organic better? Does it "count" to be organics produced on industrial mega-farms that have earned an "organic" label? Is Rosie the organic chicken all she is cracked up to be? 

Pollen makes the point that pollution saved by growing organically is off set by the pollution spent transporting food long distances to your supermarket out of season. He also examines the practices of some well known organic labels and questions if they really are in the spirit of sustainable food production. In light of these considerations, I am of the mindset that my food dollars are best spent this way:

First: Local (and in season)

Second: Organic 

I realize that this is oversimplified. I would still prefer meat raised humanely on pasture in California than conventionally in Washington (I was shocked at Pollen's information about corn feed beef - yuck). However, what sense is there in organic grapes shipped in from Chile, when I can find plenty of locally grown fruits to eat?

Here are a few notes from my research this week:

"Ranger" chickens are grown at Draper Valley Farms in Mount Vernon, Washington. They are vegetarian fed and are "free to roam from yard to barn." While they sound very similar to the "Rosie" chickens grown at Petaluma Farms in California (and criticized in Pollen's book), they have an advantage in that they are cheaper than Rosies and they are grown locally. Additional points go to Ranger for being rated as "extremely clean" of salmonella and other pathogens by Consumer Reports. Cleaner, in fact, than any other organic or free range chicken tested. 

"Country Natural Beef," the brand sold at PCC and Central Market, is a collaborative of 100 or so ranchers, spread across the northwest (mostly Oregon). They pasture graze their cattle for 14 to 18 months before moving them to finishing lots to eat potato, corn and hay for their last 3 months. 

After what I have read in "Ominvore", I am satisfied with this method of mostly grass fed, mostly free range, beef as a cheaper alternative to the holy grail of meats: the "beyond organic" local producers who practice "intensive management" grazing techniques like Salatin at Polyface. Who are these golden calfs of local farmers? Skagit River Ranch, Sea Breeze Farm, and all of the other folks that you will find at your farmers market. For the best choices in meat, I think the University District's Saturday market offers the most variety.  

When it comes to milk, labels can be confusing and misleading. All organic milk is not created equal. Most organic milk comes from one of two companies: Organic Valley or Horizon. Horizon is a former conventional mega-dairy converted to an organic mega-diary. Organic Consumers Association calls it "Grade B Organics" and an article by Salon.com wrote,

"Contrary to genuine organic practices, which entail raising cows on open pastures, where the animals feed on grass, experts say that a substantial percentage of cows at farms like Horizon's are confined to pens, fed a diet of proteins and grains, and produce milk that, while free of hormones, is not as healthy as it could be."

In a 2008 press release, the organic industry watch dog, Cornucopia, wrote that it had, 

"come down hard on [Horizon] for selling-off all their baby calves at birth and then replacing them in their dairy herd with year-old heifers that had been raised on conventional, genetically engineered feed and managed with antibiotics and other drugs banned in organics." 

In contrast, Organic Valley is a co-op of organic dairy farmers. While some of their sources are undoubtedly better than others, overall they are a much better choice. 

Cornucopia, mentioned above, produced a large scale review of organic dairy producers and assigned a rating to each. You can review their full rating report here. They assigned Horizon a Zero ("Ethically Deficient"). 

They gave many store brands - Kirkland Signature (Costco), Haggen (Top Foods), Kroger/Naturally Preferred (Fred Meyer) - a "1" rating ("some or all factory farmed...but better than conventional"). 

My Northern California readers will want to know that Humboldt Creamery and Cowgirl Creamery, were both given an excellent rating of "4", as were Organic Valley, Whole Foods brand 365, and Nancy's from Eugene, Oregon.  

Lastly, I will mention eggs for my Pacific Northwest readers. Both Wilcox Farms and Steibrs seem like acceptable Washington egg producers. Wilcox is organic, but is defiantly a mega producer (1 million hens on 1800 acres). They have been in business for 100 years, 4th generation, and will give you a tour if you stop by. Steibrs seems smaller in size, and has been reviewed well by another blogger. When choosing eggs, I always choose local over any other consideration. 

Oh, the choices!