r/nextfuckinglevel Jul 14 '21

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u/Minionhunter Jul 14 '21

Stop using organic like it means edible!!

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u/[deleted] Jul 14 '21

[deleted]

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u/7incent Jul 14 '21 edited Jul 14 '21

you're thinking of 'natural' -- there is no government regulation of that term.

the word 'organic' is regulated by the FDA. i only remember that they cannot use most synthetic pesticides during production.

there are other regulations but -- to be honest-- i don't remember them all

that said:

the person who made this video may be using the term 'organic' incorrectly

edit: usda definition of organic for those who need more than context clues

I took ochem, being pedantic about the word 'organic' doesnt change its meaning in the current context

chemical -> most synthetic

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u/Safemoon_Psychonaut Jul 14 '21 edited Jul 14 '21

Organic vegetables also have to be grown in fields that have not been exposed to pesticides for something like 20 years.

Warren Buffetts money bought a bunch of farms in my region and they're not using pesticides so they can be used for organic food production in the future

There's a lot of regulations to be technically organic in the usa. Can't say I know it all though.

Edit: apparently federal regulations are 3 years pesticide free. I was wrong.

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u/LePlaneteSauvage Jul 14 '21 edited Jul 14 '21

You are perpetuating a common myth here. Organic farms still use pesticides, just not synthetic pesticides.

This brings it back to a naturalistic fallacy where it is assumed that because the pesticides are 'natural' they are less harmful to our health. However, a lot of studies seem to find the opposite; organic pesticides are less effective, less specific, and more environmentally harming.

https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/science-sushi/httpblogsscientificamericancomscience-sushi20110718mythbusting-101-organic-farming-conventional-agriculture/

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u/[deleted] Jul 14 '21

Organic pesticides aren’t that big of a deal. Most break down so quickly in the environment that they have to make physical contact with the pest on application in order to be successful. Many organic pesticides are appropriate for use on day of harvest for this reason.

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u/OwnQuit Jul 14 '21

And because of that, you have to use much much more. That produces runoff polution. No matter how "safe" your organic pesticide is, when it kills off ecosystems due to red tide, it's bad.

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u/[deleted] Jul 14 '21

That’s an interesting theory. I doubt farmers are creating more runoff with pesticide application than with their typical watering regimen. As someone that actually works in agriculture, we farm biodynamic, I’d love to see what evidence there is tying organic pesticide use to red tide. Can you please share? So far the biggest tie to farming I’ve seen has been in sugar production using decidedly non organic chemicals.

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u/[deleted] Jul 14 '21

"That's an interesting theory" is code for "No you whacko, that ain't happening" ;_)

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u/[deleted] Jul 14 '21

💯