Chip, head chef for Local Flavors, is a sought after author and recently became the contributing author for a column in The Zone Magazine. He writes a monthly column there called “Local flavors.” In the current edition, Chip weighs in on whether organic gardening from mass organic farms is the most healthy alternative.
Here is an excerpt. You can read the full article at www.thezonemag.com, in the July 2012 issue, page 8.
But Chip, you say, what about the harsh chemicals and hormones? Well, therein lies the rub. I don’t suggest that we go out and snatch up all the non-organics at Wally World. I prefer sustainable agriculture in lieu of organics. Sustainable agriculture is a philosophy and doesn’t come with a set of government guidelines. The philosophy is simple really… preserve the land for future generations through farming practices that don’t cause permanent irreparable damage to our environmental resources.
We see farmers here in the Zone practicing sustainable agriculture every day. Farmers in our area practice strip farming on larger tracts of land. When you pass a large field that has soy beans and corn planted side by side in long bands, you are witnessing strip cropping or strip farming. It is most definitely a sustainable practice, and has been in common use since the middle ages. The strips of crops create natural water dams, and, because
different layers of soil absorb water at different rates, reduce soil erosion.
