The Nutrition Levels in Our Food is Declining

This post is mainly a reference to a new article on the Mother Earth News website.  The article is titled "The Nutrition Levels in Our Food is Declining".  It is an interesting article.  I'm not certain if all the facts of the article are absolutely correct (some of the comments seem very critical), but I do believe the high-level message is accurate.

Why am I posting this? 
Well, people we know seem to be curious about our recent transition from Sturgis Center for the Arts, to Bear Butte Gardens.  Most people can easily understand the reasons why we left Sturgis Center for the Arts (e.g. volunteering seven years at the art center is a long time, it is time for new leadership and new ideas at the art center, our own kids are now in college, etc.).  But people don't really understand why we have started Bear Butte Gardens.  The short answer is that we like to garden.  Most people seem satisfied with that answer.  But there is more.  Much more.  A deep rooted purpose.  A real concern.  A strong desire to contribute to society in a positive manner.  A vision.  What is it?  Food!

I'm developing strong feelings about the current situation of our food sources.  I've always had my concerns, but the more research I do and the more I learn about it, the more concerned I become.  The article I reference above explains why I'm concerned.

There is a better way to produce food.  We don't know exactly how we will do it (e.g. organic, biodynamic, permaculture, a combination, etc.), but we do know why it needs to be done (read the article), and we do know how we don't want to do it (conventional, chemical-based agriculture).  One step at a time.

Rick Grosek
Bear Butte Gardens
Rick@BearButteGardens
http://www.bearbuttegardens.com/

What Kind of Agriculture are We?

As we get deeper into our little agriculture business, I’m doing more and more research into agricultural methods and practices.  So far, I’ve only begun to understand various methods and approaches.  I’ve been studying about conventional, organic, biodynamic, permaculture, and sustainable agricultural approaches.  It is indeed a tangled web.  All approaches have overlapping principles, and stark differences. 

Here are some definitions that I’ve put together:

“Conventional” agriculture is the main-stream method practiced by the majority of producers.  These are generally the big farms and ranches that are probably owned by some big agri-business organization, have lots of land (thousands of acres), use big equipment, use lots of chemicals (e.g. fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, hormones, etc.), use genetically modified seeds, and produce a very high yield.

“Sustainable” agriculture was defined in 1990 by US Public Law 101-624, Title XVI, Subtitle A, Section 1683, as “an integrated system of plant and animal production practices having a site-specific application that will, over the long term, satisfy human food and fiber needs; enhance environmental quality and the natural resource base upon which the agricultural economy depends; make the most efficient use of nonrenewable resources and on-farm resources and integrate, where appropriate, natural biological cycles and controls; sustain the economic viability of farm operations; and enhance the quality of life for farmers and society as a whole.”

“Organic” agriculture is the government’s (USDA’s) attempt to govern specific agriculture practices based on the public’s concern over the use of chemicals in the food chain.  As it turns out, the USDA has made a lot of compromises (influenced by big agri-business), so the rules & regulations are not as strict as you might think.

“Biodynamic” agriculture goes beyond just organic.  It is based on Rudolf Steiner’s work during the early 1900s.  Biodynamic concepts include:

• No artificial chemicals
• Farms are self-contained entities with their own individuality
• Develop interrelationships between soil, plants, and animals (e.g. use of manure, compost, etc.) to establish a self-nourishing system (i.e. use of nine specific “preparations”)
• Consideration for “astronomical” influences (e.g. planting by moon phase, etc.)
• Open pollination of seeds (e.g. farmers grow their own seed)

“Permaculture” builds agricultural systems modeled on the relationships found in nature – where each element supports and feeds other elements.  The main concept is based on observation of how ecosystems interact.

What do I make of all this?  It seems that conventional agriculture is the result of how main-stream farming has evolved, based on the primary goal of producing as much as you can.  However, conventional agriculture has a lot of very negative side effects.  Biodynamic and Permaculture are two alternative approaches that do not place high yields as the primary goal.  Instead, the primary goal is the health of the environment.  Organic and Sustainable agriculture is the result of the US government reacting to the negative side effects of conventional agriculture.

So, what are these negative side effects of conventional agriculture?  Well, I did a little research and tried to summarize it in a timeline of various agriculture revolutions.

Early Industrial Revolution (1760 – 1850)

Key points:

• Crop Rotation
• Farm implements made of metal
• Invention of the Horse Hoe (plow)
• Invention of the Steam Engine

Pros:

• Higher Yields
• Decreased Labor

Cons:

• Higher Cost

Later Industrial Revolution (1850 – 1950)

Key points:

• Invention of the Tractor
• Invention of the Combine
• Invention of the Chisel Plow
• Invention of Refrigeration

Pros:

• Higher Yields
• Decreased Labor

Cons:

• Massive Destruction of the Natural Environment (e.g. Dust Bowl of the 1930s)
• Higher Cost

Chemical Revolution

Key points:

• Invention of Chemical Fertilizers
• Invention of Chemical Pesticides
• Invention of Chemical Herbicides

Pros:

• Higher Yields
• Decreased Labor

Cons:

• Decrease in natural Soil Fertility (e.g. biota, hormones, enzymes, beneficial fungi, bacteria, worms, etc.), resulting in higher dependency on Fertilizers
• Decrease in a plant’s natural ability to fight Diseases, resulting in higher dependency on Pesticides
• Increase in Human Health Problems related to diet
• Higher Cost

Green Revolution (1940’s – 1960’s)

Key points:

• Widespread use of Mechanical Technology, combined with Chemical Technology
• Widespread use of Hybrid Seeds
• Number of Farms decrease; Size of Farms increase

Pros:

• Higher Yields
• Decreased Labor

Cons:

• Even more decrease in natural Soil Fertility, resulting in higher dependency on Fertilizers
• Negative impact on Environment (e.g. DDT effect on Bald Eagles, etc.)
• Negative impact on Water Sources (e.g. fertilizer run-off, etc.)
• Higher cost & increased dependency on Financial Institution Support (e.g. loans), resulting in deceased profit for the first time

Genetic Revolution (1990s - )

Key points:

• Widespread use of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)
• Widespread use of Genetically Engineered (GE) Crops
• Increase in Corporate Farming; Decease in Family Farming

Pros:

• Higher Yields

Cons:

• Continued decrease in natural Soil Fertility
• Increased negative environmental impact (e.g. genetically altered corn effect on Monarch Butterflies, etc.)
• Decreased Crop Nutrition (e.g. studies show 75% drop in nutritional elements critical for human and animal health compared to 50 years prior, etc.)
• Even more Human Health Problems related to diet (top six degenerative diseases are directly related to diet and food quality) – Scientists & Doctors are just now starting to understand impact

In this timeline format, with the key points, pros, and cons listed, it is easy to follow the evolution of higher yields and negative side effects.  The pattern is very clear, and very scary.

This realization is one of the driving forces behind Bear Butte Gardens.  We believe there is a need for food production that does not follow conventional agriculture practices.  Since Bear Butte Gardens is fairly new, we are not entirely sure where our path will lead us.  Organic? Biodynamic?  Permaculture? Some combination?  What I do know, is that we are not conventional.  :o)

Rick Grosek

Bear Butte Gardens

Rick@BearButteGardens.com

http://www.bearbuttegardens.com/

Biodynamic Gardening - What is it?

When I first started hearing my wife talking about "biodynamic gardening", I had my doubts.  What are these crazy ideas?  Who is this Steiner guy?  Planting crops by moon phases sounds silly to me.  If it's so good, then why aren't more main-stream farmers doing it?  You know, the guys with ten thousand acres of farmland and big tractors?  These guys are professional farmers, right?  They should know the best way to grow crops.  Right?

Hmmm... So what exactly is "biodynamic gardening"?  Well, maybe Google will know...  Here is a definition I found on the Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association's web site:

Biodynamics is:

An impulse for deep social change rooted in the practice of farming. Biodynamics calls for new thinking in every aspect of the food system, from how land is owned to how farms are capitalized to how food is produced, distributed and prepared.

A type of organic farming that incorporates an understanding of “dynamic” forces in nature not yet fully understood by science. By working creatively with these subtle energies, farmers are able to significantly enhance the health of their farms and the quality and flavor of food.

A recognition that the whole earth is a single, self-regulating, multi-dimensional ecosystem. Biodynamic farmers seek to fashion their farms likewise as self-regulating, bio-diverse ecosystems in order to bring health to the land and to their local communities.

Hmmm... Well, that kinda makes sense.  But I'm still not sure.  Back to Google...  Here is the Wikipidia definition:

Biodynamic agriculture is a method of organic farming that treats farms as unified and individual organisms, emphasizing balancing the holistic development and interrelationship of the soil, plants and animals as a self-nourishing system without external inputs insofar as this is possible given the loss of nutrients due to the export of food. As in other forms of organic agriculture, artificial fertilizers and toxic pesticides and herbicides are strictly avoided. There are independent certification agencies for biodynamic products, most of which are members of the international biodynamics standards group Demeter International.

Regarded by some as the first modern ecological farming system and one of the most sustainable, biodynamic farming has much in common with other organic approaches, such as emphasizing the use of manures and composts and excluding of the use of artificial chemicals on soil and plants. Methods unique to the biodynamic approach include the use of fermented herbal and mineral preparations as compost additives and field sprays and the use of an astronomical sowing and planting calendar. Biodynamics originated out of the work of Rudolf Steiner, the founder of anthroposophy.

That helps some more, but the descriptive phrase on the Wikipidia site that I like best is:

Biodynamic agriculturalists conceive of the farm as an organically self-contained entity with its own individuality, within which organisms are interdependent. "Emphasis is placed on the integration of crops and livestock, recycling of nutrients, maintenance of soil, and the health and well being of crops and animals; the farmer too is part of the whole." Cover crops, green manures and crop rotations are used extensively and the farms foster bio-diversity. 

Biodynamic farms often have a cultural component and encourage local community. Some biodynamic farms use the Community Supported Agriculture model, which has connections with social threefolding.

The description above makes a lot of sense to me.  This is very much a part of our vision for Bear Butte Gardens.  We are already practicing several methods that directly support this description.

So now, let's proceed a little deeper.  Biodynamic agriculture addresses the following methods:

• Field preparations
• Compost preparations
• Astronomical planting calendar
• Treatment of pests and weeds
• Seed production

Ok.  I can buy into that -- except for the "astronomical" bit.  Planting crops based on the sun, moon, and stars sounds kinda like hippie farming and witch doctor stuff.  So, back to Google again... 
Here is a short explanation of the moon stuff that I found on the Down Garden Services website:

Lunar Effects

The Moon reflects light and has a gravitational effect on the Earth.  Steiner proposed that this affects plant growth.  The Moon has a roughly elliptical orbit so the gravitational pull varies throughout its 28 day cycle.  Root growth is improved when Moon moves further out causing a decreased pull on the Earth and vice versa - this force also causes the ocean tides.

- Planting of flower, fruit and vegetable seeds is best done 2 days before a new Moon because light and gravitational forces are more favourable in the seven days that follow.

- During the next seven days the Moon appears larger each night approaching a full Moon. The increased light stimulates foliage growth, but the gravitational pull increases so root growth is less favoured - young shoots thrive and the roots rest.

- For the seven days following the full Moon the light decreases slowing foliage growth, but so does the gravitational pull and the roots can develop. This is a good time to transplant seedlings as it gives the roots better conditions to flourish.

- In the last seven days of the lunar cycle the light continues to decrease, but the gravitational pull increases so both foliage and roots rest in the run up to the new Moon of the next lunar cycle.

Hmmm...  Does the moon's gravitational pull and moonlight really effect plants?  When I was a young boy and learned about how the moon causes the ocean's tides, I found that pretty hard to wrap my mind around.  Is this really any more far fetched than moving an enormously huge body of water up and down by 50-60 feet?  The forces in play are absolutely huge!  As I understand it, plants use "capillary action" to move water & nutriants throughout the plant.  If the moon can cause tides, then it could certainly impact water & nutriant movement in a vegetable plant.

I don't fully understand the astronomical part yet, but at least I now know it has some basis on science and common sense, instead of "Oh! The full moon is so pretty!  My garden plants like it too!  They are gonna grow so good!" 

So, actually, the more I learn about biodynamic gardening, the more sense it makes to me.  I'm feeling good.   I'm on a roll.  I actually get this stuff!  ...Until I read the details about Steiner's "Biodynamic Preparations" and "Treatment of Pests and Weeds".  Da, da, da, dum!  Come on!  Horn of a cow?  Oak bark placed inside the skull of a domesticated animal?  Deploying ashes of field mice when Venus is in the Scorpious constellation?  Spraying weed seeds with the clear urine of a sterile cow?  Now I'm skeptical again.  This sounds like witch doctor tactics!  I guess I need to do more research, and try to find a more modern interpretation of this information.  There must be a reasonable explanation somewhere.  Oh Google...

If anyone can explain this to me, I'm all ears!

Rick Grosek
Bear Butte Gardens
Rick@BearButteGardens.com
http://www.bearbuttegardens.com/