You can read the whole letter at the La Vida Locavore link. It’s heavy on generalizations and carefully crafted language, but light on honesty and openness. And no wonder. If they said what they really were and what they were really about, they’d never get a hearing.“CropLife Ambassadors” is their cute euphemism for pesticide industry lobbyists and shills. “Crop protection products” is their cute euphemism for pesticides. Presumably things grow better when covered with toxic, carcinogenic crap. Well, I know one thing that grows better that way: Big Chem’s profit margin. But veggies? Pppppfffft. It’s amazing how much you can do without that extra outlay (and without poisoning anyone or anything.) I grow my own veggies–and enough to give away to family and friends–without any pesticides, herbicides or chemical fertilizers. All I put on them is mine own humble compost (and the occasional tinfoil wrapper around my tomato stems, to baffle the cutworms). They grow like weeds. And the weeds? Well, some are edible, and those that aren’t, are still compostable. Not only that, but when you don’t dump pesticides on your plants, you actually encourage insects to control the pests. Stands to reason: How’s a praying mantis gonna eat your pests if it’s getting poisoned? And what about the honeybees (and other pollinators, such as bumbles, flies, wasps, butterflies, etc.)?And there is ample scientific evidence to support the idea that organic is the right way to go, be it for healthfulness, flavor and even–gasp–output. Yes, it’s true–organic crops produce better, all around. Who’da thunk? Us organic gardeners, that’s who. My full freezer and pantry don’t lie. By the time I finish using up last year’s frozen ORGANIC tomatoes, I’ll have started harvesting this year’s new crop!I’m pretty sure Michelle O. will give this inane missive a quick, polite read-through (perhaps narrowing her pretty eyes with skepticism), and then toss it like the smart lady she is. And then she’ll go back to her organic garden, confident in the knowledge that she’s growing a better crop. In every sense. PS: Things just got worse for Monsanto and Co. Germany just outlawed their Frankencorn.Did you hear the news? The White House is planning to have an “organic” garden on the grounds to provide fresh fruits and vegetables for the Obama’s and their guests. While a garden is a great idea, the thought of it being organic made Janet Braun, CropLife Ambassador Coordinator and I shudder. As a result, we sent a letter encouraging them to consider using crop protection products and to recognize the importance of agriculture to the entire U.S. economy.
