Organic Farming

Analysis:

The article is about a new effort locally called Farms Without Harm. The Press article states “That’s the philosophy behind a newly formed collection of community activists who formed Farms without Harm to educate other farmers and the public about the benefits of small-scale, local and organic farming.” The rest of the article talks with a couple of the group’s representatives about this effort and provides some statistics from the Organic Trade Association in reference to how organic farming has increased around the country.

What was missing from this story and what is somewhat misleading is that the Farms Without Harm coalition is primarily organizing around what are called CAFOs – Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations. There is nothing in the Press article about CAFOs nor the conditions of these factory farms. The Press article leaves readers with the impression that this coalition of groups is only interested in organic farming not animal welfare and what impact the factory farm practices have on communities. Here is an example of how a journalist can use representatives from an organization as sources, and in this case the only sources, and still misrepresent what the organization is trying to accomplish.

Story:

Area group promotes benefits of organic farming

By Rob Kirkbride

The Grand Rapids Press

No farm should cause harm.

That’s the philosophy behind a newly formed collection of community activists who formed Farms without Harm to educate other farmers and the public about the benefits of small-scale, local and organic farming.

The group that includes West Michigan farmers, environmental specialists and animal rights advocates wants people to be aware of the food they eat, how it is produced and where it comes from.

“When you’re trying to grow 100,000 acres worth of tomatoes, you don’t have time to worry about things like the health of the soil,” said Jill Johnson, owner of Crane Dance Farm in Middleville.

Organizers say farming with the environment in mind not only helps the environment. It also adds to the bottom line.
Sales of organic food and beverages have grown from $1 billion in 1990 to an estimated $12.2 billion in 2005 and are projected to reach $14.5 billion in 2005, according to the Organic Trade Association.

Organic sales have grown between 20 percent and 24 percent each year since 1990.

Paul and Nancy Jones Keiser’s farm in Marne goes beyond just using organic farming principles — farming without chemicals or artificial fertilizers.

The couple believes farmers have a spiritual bond to the land.

“We want those people who are waking up to their nutritional needs to know there are possibilities out there to make some shifts and improve their quality of life,” Paul Keiser said.

West Michigan is beginning to ask questions about food and how it is produced, said Tom Cary, director of the Greater Grand Rapids Food Systems Council.

Visitors to Fulton Street Farmers Market now can find four or five vendors that grow organic food and have free-range chickens and pasture-raised beef.

“If you look back five to six years, you wouldn’t have found any of that,” he said.

“The goal is to raise awareness with the broader agricultural community and leaders in agricultural communities that there is significant community interest in finding alternatives to large-scale industrialized farming. These people are organized, informed and this issue isn’t going to go away.”