A
Agfa, 78
Agricultural Carbon Sequestration Standard Committee, 9
Agricultural Health Study, 15, 23, 25
Agricultural Research Service (ARS), 160
Agricultural Testament, An, 150, 195
Agricultural workers, 15, 54, 148, 178
Agriculture, 150
Alliance for Abundant Food and Energy, 90–91
American Academy of Environmental Medicine, 34
American Coal Ash Association, 75
American Farm Bureau, 50, 91, 109, 110
Antibiotics
for animal treatment, 21, 22, 95, 100, 168
organic foods free of, 167
role of, in drug-resistant infections, 22, 23
Apples, pesticide-treated, 84
Archer Daniels Midland, 83, 134 Arsenic, 4, 14, 25, 77, 84–85
Asthma, 6, 15, 18, 160, 165, 182
Astra Zeneca, 92
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), 18, 37, 182
B
Balfour, Eve, 150
Baron-Cohen, Simon, 24
Bayer CropScience, 81, 91, 134, 200
Beneficial insects, for pest control, 146
Bhopal chemical disaster, 29
Biodiversity, organic farming increasing, 171
Biofuels, 8, 55, 91, 99, 100–102, 113–14, 115, 116, 117, 148, 162
Biotechnology, 16, 83, 84, 88, 95
Bosch, Carl, 76
Bovine growth hormone, 84
Brockmann, Miguel d'Escoto, 43
Bry, Lynn, 11
Bush, George H. W., 124
Bush, George W., ix, 18–19, 124, 196
Businesses, making positive change, 189–90
C
Cancer
causes of, x, 4, 14, 19, 20, 23, 24–25, 28, 37, 54, 81–82, 85, 165, 187, 196
suppression of research on, 24, 25
Cap-and-trade programs, 8, 129
Carbon
soil organic, 196
stored in organic soil, 12, 111, 149, 157, 159, 166, 179, 184
Carbon dioxide
dairy farms and, 162
stored by organic farming, 159
Carbon monoxide, 7
Carbon sequestration, 8–9, 10, 12, 111, 136, 159, 160, 162, 163, 173, 179
Carson, Rachel, 152
Cascadian Farm, 147
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 181
Charles, Prince, 153
Chemical addiction, origins of, 65–85
Chemical companies. See also specific chemical companies
creating power to change, 190
crop consultants of, 45
false claims of, 38, 61–62, 63–64
“feed the world” mission of, 16, 38, 46, 88, 94, 98, 107, 122
food prices and, 174
government supporters of, 124
illusion of safety provided by, x, 39, 83
influencing agricultural research, 164
influencing public and government, 88–90
portrayal of organic farms by, 64, 141, 155, 156
redirecting research of, 181
research funded by, 88–89, 90, 187
taxing, 185
untested chemicals of, 123, 127, 197
Chemical farmers
attitudes of, 44–46, 58, 123, 141
Chemical farms
oil dependence of, 128
Chemicals, agricultural. See also Fungicides; Herbicides; Insecticides; Pesticides; specific chemicals
American attitude toward, 151
fallacy of safe limits of, 29, 166
farm bill encouraging use of, 111–12
fat-soluble, 33
harmful effects of, 4–5, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 24, 27–31, 36, 165–66, 197
lack of testing on, 19, 123, 125
origin of dependence on, 65–68
proliferation of, 19
Chemical vs. organic paradigm, 141–42
Children
drug-resistant infections in, 21–22
obesity in, 18
pesticide exposure and, x, 4, 19, 20
Climate change, xii, xvi, 16, 92, 94, 160, 163. See also Climate crisis; Global warming
Climate crisis, xvi, 5, 6–7, 17–18, 56, 159, 165–66, 173. See also Climate change; Global warming
Clinton, Bill, 124
Coal ash, 75
Colony collapse disorder, 27, 146
Compost(ing), 144, 148, 150, 161–63
Concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), 52, 56
“Conventional” label, for produce, 82, 83
Co-ops, 45, 129, 132, 143, 147
Corexit, 198
Corn
grown with no-till practices, 160
in Morrow plots, 196
uses for, 55–56, 100–102, 115, 116, 147–48, 157
Corn fields, converted to pastureland, 178–79
Corn sugar, HFCS re-branded as, 199
Cover crops, 145, 148–49, 161, 163
Creekstone Farms Premium Beef, 127
Crookes, William, 97
“Crop protection” label, 83
Crop yields, from organic vs. chemical farms, 156–57
CSA (community-supported agriculture) groups, 130, 147
Cyanide, 77
D
Dairy products, organic, 168
Daminozide, 84
Degesch, 80
Department of Energy, 181
Deregulation, 112, 124, 127–28, 134
Diabetes, 18, 23, 24, 25, 37, 85, 165, 181–82
Dioxin, 26
Disease control, on organic farm, 145–46
Dr. Tatiana's Sex Advice to All Creation, 54
Droughts, xvi, 11, 38, 52, 95, 146, 157, 169, 182
Drug-resistant infections, 22, 23
Drugs, water pollution from, 14
DuPont company, 11, 76, 77, 81, 83, 91, 97, 107–8, 116, 117, 130, 134
E
Earthbound Farms, 111, 132, 133
Economic crisis, 5, 102, 105, 127–28, 186, 190. See also Recession(s)
Economic strength vs. growth, 190–91
Eisenhower, Dwight D., 105
Electric Power Research Institute, 75
Endocrine disrupters, 23, 24, 30, 37, 83
Endocrine Society, 23
Energy issues, 1, 5, 8, 49, 100, 113, 114, 116, 119, 126, 128, 129, 165, 169, 170, 173, 186
Environmental degradation, study on, 197
Environmental Health Perspectives, 166–67
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), ix, 4, 14, 22–23, 28, 29, 30, 31, 33, 75, 89, 90, 118, 123, 125, 180, 198
Epstein, Samuel S., 24
Explosives, manufacture of, 76
F
Farm Aid, 156
Farm bill
organic agriculture and, 108, 109, 110
provisions of, 110–11, 161, 179
Farmers. See also Chemical farmers; Organic farmers
changes required of, for organic society, 187-88
debt of, 49, 52-53, 54, 62, 96, 144, 156
difficulties of, 43
effect of farm bill on, 111, 112
Monsanto and, 201
in 1980s farming crisis, 155-56
Farmers of Forty Centuries, 150
Farming Systems Trial (FST), xv–xvi, 10, 152, 155, 156–57, 163
Farm waste, uses for, 56, 69, 148, 162
Fast Food Nation, 158
FDA. See Food and Drug Administration
Federal Trade Commission, 85
“Feed the world” mission, 16, 38, 46, 88, 94, 95, 98, 107, 122
Fertilizer in America, 72
Fertilizers, 49, 56, 57, 66, 69–72, 73–75, 76, 85–86, 148, 165, 170, 173, 175, 195–96
Fillmore, Millard, 70
Floods, xvi, 11, 38, 52, 58–59, 105, 146, 157, 169, 182, 199
Food allergies, 18
Food and Drug Administration (FDA), 85, 123, 125, 181
Food labeling, 34, 61, 82, 83, 95, 96, 125, 127, 153, 167, 174, 181
Food packaging and storage, increasing availability of food, 98
Food prices
artificially low, 102, 117, 174
decline in, 156
government subsidies lowering, 172
increased by biofuel demand, 116
leading to worldwide hunger, 99
in organic society, 181
Food Quality Protection Act, 20
Food surpluses, 63, 100, 104–7, 156
Fracking, 199
FST. See Farming Systems Trial
Fungicides, ix, 10–11, 23, 28, 56, 164, 165 150
G
Geisel, Theodor, 79
Genetically modified organisms (GMOs), x, xi, 28, 34–35, 38, 47, 51, 53, 55, 58, 61, 63, 84, 94, 98, 101, 102, 107, 109, 111, 124–25, 127, 153, 154, 165, 167, 184, 200. See also GMO corn; GMO seeds
Genetic expression changes, 28
Genital deformities, 28, 37, 182
Germany, ix, 59, 75–76, 77, 78, 79–81
Global warming, 8, 10, 17–18, 94, 195, 199. See also Climate change; Climate crisis
Glyphosate, 32–33, 199. See also Roundup
GMOs. See Genetically modified organisms
GMO seeds, x, 47, 48, 51, 53, 57, 58, 82, 89–90, 91, 92, 110, 117, 200–201. See also Genetically modified organisms
Gore, Al, 101
Government
changes required of, for organic society, 180–81, 184–87
failures of, regarding chemicals, 19, 25, 37
industry supporters in, 124
as late responder to problems, 87, 124
providing incentives to chemical farmers, 164
role of, in effecting change, 136
Government regulations, 51, 74, 77, 82, 123, 134, 149, 166, 175, 185–86
Government subsidies, 46, 50, 55, 62, 63, 100, 104, 131, 147, 157, 172, 184–85, 201
Grant, Hugh, 169
Greene, Alan, 133
Guano Island Act, 71
Gulf of Mexico oil spill, 197–98
H
Haber-Bosch process, 76
Harvesting
on chemical farms, 54
Hell's Cartel, 77
Hepperly, Paul, 10
Herbicides, ix, 17, 26, 30, 32, 47, 48, 51, 57, 154, 161, 164, 173, 199
High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), 55, 177, 199
Hirshberg, Gary, 154
Huffington, Arianna, 133
Hunger
during Depression, 104
I
India, 29, 62–63, 64, 150, 152, 186
Industrial waste, 75
Infant mortality rate, U.S., 18
Infertility, 4, 28, 35, 37, 182
Insecticides, ix, 26, 28–29, 51, 57, 79, 197. See also Pesticides
International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development, 63
International trade, importance of, 170–71
Inverse dose response, to chemicals, 23, 29
Iowa and Illinois Corn Growers Associations, 9
J
Jeffreys, Diarmuid, 77
Jobs
chemical farming eliminating, 172
organic farming creating, 157, 158, 178
Judson, Olivia, 54
K
Karp, Harvey, 24
Kennedy, John F., 105
King, F. H., 150
L
Lal, Rattan, 1
Land
improving yields on less, 98
leasing of, by chemical farmers, 49
regenerating, 16, 151–52, 155, 173–74
Landrigan, Philip, 19–21, 22, 29
Large-scale agriculture, history of, 86
Lead, 4, 20, 24, 29, 39, 66, 77, 84, 171
Leonardo Academy, 109
Liebig, Justus von, 66–68, 73, 75
Life expectancy, U.S., 18
Lincoln, Abraham, 134
Living Soil, The, 150
Lobbying and lobbyists, 8, 24, 38, 57, 85, 90–92, 95, 98, 105, 108, 110, 112, 122, 126, 186, 201
Local foods, xiii, xiv, 92, 98, 119, 169–70, 181
Low-Input Sustainable Agriculture Program (LISA), 108, 109
Lowry, Christopher, 177
M
Manure, 69, 72, 73, 74, 142, 148, 150–51, 162, 164, 196
Marine dead zones, 12, 13, 14, 46, 165, 179, 198
Meats, organic, 168
Mengele, Josef, 80
Milk, pricing of, 95
Miller, Bill, 37
Mississippi State University, 89
Mollison, Bill, 152
Monsanto, x, 9, 31, 32, 33, 43, 53, 57, 58, 81, 83–84, 88–89, 92, 94–95, 95–96, 97, 124, 169, 199, 200–201
Morgan, Lewis Henry, 68
Morrow plots, 196
Mount Sinai Medical Center Children's Environmental Health Center (CEHC), 19
MRSA (methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus), increase in, 21–22, 165
Mulch, for organic weed control, 145
Mulvaney, Richard, 196
Mycorrhizal fungi, 10, 56, 149, 157, 163, 166, 173, 183
N
National Corn Growers Association, 110
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), 26
National Institutes of Health, 15, 25, 181
Natural foods, 167
Natural Resources Defense Council, 84
Nature
connectedness to, 193
cycles of, 191
desire to control, xi, 37, 38, 39, 68, 93, 137
overmanagement of, 158
NIEHS, 26
Nitrogen, 69, 76, 97, 157, 160, 163, 195–96
Nixon, Richard, 106
Northbourne, Lord, 139, 142, 150
No-till farming, in organic farming, 159–61
Novartis, 92
O
Obama, Barack, 118, 120, 133, 134, 136, 180
Obama, Michelle, 153
100,000,000 Guinea Pigs, 84
One-Straw Revolution, The, 160
Organic agriculture
attitudes of chemical farmers toward, 46
declining, in Kentucky, 59
disincentives for switching to, 55
factors preventing support for, 201
Farming Systems Trial on (see Farming Systems Trial)
oil needs of, 128
potential effects of switching to, 126
reasons for global conversion to, 164–77
scientific study on, xv
transitioning to, 55, 96, 109, 155, 158, 164, 178, 181, 185, 188
Organic certification, 129, 130–31, 144, 147
Organic Chemistry in Its Applications to Agriculture and Physiology, 67
Organic farmers
debt avoided by, 144
as embodiment of capitalism, 111
Organic Farming and Gardening magazine, xi, 151
Organic foods
contamination of, 127
demanding, xvi, 40, 122, 192–93, 201
ignorance about, 133
indifference toward, 35
labeling of, 61, 174 (see also USDA Organic seal and rules)
price of, xiii, 35, 103–4, 110, 157
Organic Foods Production Act, 153
Organic Merry-Go-Round, 151
Organic movement
importance of, xii
mindset of, xi
Organic vs. chemical paradigm, 141–42
Organochlorinated pesticides, ix, 23, 26
Organophosphates, ix, 20, 21, 24
Our Choice, 101
P
Parkinson's disease, 25, 37, 165
Patagonia, 189
PCBs, 83
Pest control, on organic farm, 145–46
Pesticides. See also Insecticides; specific pesticides
in antibacterial products, 22–23
biologic effect on plants, 33
crop rotation and, 164
harmful effects of, ix, 23, 24, 25–26, 36–37, 173, 195, 199–200
in India, 63
lack of testing on, 18–19, 123, 125
types of, ix, 20, 21, 23, 24, 26, 84, 165, 173, 175, 177 (see also specific pesticides)
Pharmaceutical industry, 81, 92, 123
Phillpott, Tom, 196
Pickens, T. Boone, 128
Poison gases, used in World War II, ix, 79, 80
Politics of Cancer Revisited, The, 24
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), 83
Prevention magazine, xv
Q
Quayle, Dan, xi
R
rBGH (recombinant bovine growth hormone), 95–96
Recession(s), 60, 99, 102, 104, 135, 191. See also Economic crisis
Reductionism, for conveying doubt, 93–94
Regeneration and regenerative practices, 5, 16, 109, 151–52, 155, 165, 173–74
Research
cancer, suppression of, 24, 25
on curing vs. preventing disease, 14
funded by chemical companies, 88–89, 90
government delay of, 27
prohibited on GMO seeds, 89–90
on synthetic chemicals, 37, 44, 45–46, 59
Rodale, Ardath, xii
Rodale, J. I., xi, xiv–xv, 4, 132, 150, 151, 173
Rodale, Robert, xii, xiv–xv, 4, 108, 132, 152, 153, 156, 173
Rodale Institute Research Center, xv, 10, 111, 155, 156, 173, 200–201
Romney, Mitt, 134
Roosevelt, Franklin, 104
Roundup, 31–34, 51, 83, 89, 154, 199
“Roundup Ready” GMO seeds, 32, 58
S
Saccharin, 83
Safety standards, lax, 197
Saltpeter, 76
Sandler, Dale, 26
Sanofi-aventis, 81
SARE (Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education) program, 108–9
Secret History of the War on Cancer, The, 24, 81
Seeds
GMO ( see GMO seeds)
organic, 143
terminator, 53
Silent Spring, 152
Smith, Adam, 122
SOC, 196
Soil
carbon storage in, 7, 9, 10, 12, 56, 111, 136, 149, 157, 159, 166, 179, 184
chemicals affecting, 10, 14, 49, 59, 165–66, 195
contamination of, 4, 50, 110, 117, 164, 166
depletion and degradation of, 1, 12, 13, 15, 17, 36, 48, 49, 50, 55, 71, 85, 90, 105, 142, 156, 169, 196, 199
interconnectedness of, xi
organic, xvi, 10, 144, 145, 146, 148, 149, 155, 156, 157, 159, 162, 163, 164, 173, 177, 179, 192, 200
Soil Association, 150
Soil erosion, 50, 51, 52, 56, 144, 145, 146, 149, 157, 159, 163
Soil organic carbon (SOC), 196
Soybeans, x, 32, 33–34, 48, 55, 157
Steiner, Rudolf, 150
Steingraber, Sandra, 195
Stonyfield Yogurt, 147
Success, indicators of, 135
Suffocation, from excess carbon dioxide, 12, 13, 166
“Sustainable,” meaning of, 109, 118–19
Sustainable agriculture, 90, 91, 108–11, 118
Syngenta, 30–31, 58, 63–64, 83, 89, 91, 92, 134
T
Taxation, changes required in, 185
Terminator seeds, 53
Tilling, effect on soil, 159, 160
Tobacco companies, 38, 59, 187
2008–2009 President's Cancer Panel, 197–98
U
Uncertain Peril, 124
Union of Concerned Scientists, 22
USDA, 9, 31, 36, 59, 61, 101, 105, 115, 118, 121, 124, 129, 130–31, 133, 134, 160, 174, 181, 186
USDA Organic seal and rules, 129, 149, 153, 186
V
Vetter, Helmuth, 80
Vinclozolin, genetic expression changes from, 28
von Humboldt, Alexander, 65, 69
W
W. J. Myers and Company, 69
W. R. Grace and Company, 70
War on Bugs, The, 66, 75
Water
chemical farming and, 49–50, 52, 165
contaminants in, 4, 13, 14, 17, 23, 29, 30, 31, 56, 110, 117, 177, 184, 198
organic farming and, 144, 146, 157
recycling of, 13
Water pollution, 13–15, 57, 144, 149, 157
Weather, impact on chemical farms, 52
Weed control. See also Herbicides
on chemical farms, 32–33, 50–51, 159, 161
on organic farms, 32, 145, 149, 163
Wegmans, 147
Weiler-ter-Meer, 78
Welshons, Wayne, 29
Wiese, Dan, 58
World food crisis, corporations benefiting from, 43
Z