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Re: British Beef Situation



 
In article <aquilla.1181173788A@emba-news.emba.uvm.edu>, Tracy Aquilla (aquilla@salus.med.uvm.edu) writes:
>In Article <wVtkvBAghyfxEwCg@chalex.demon.co.uk>, cmb
><cmb@chalex.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>>In article <4lhajd$jmc@news1.exit109.com>, "Nathan D. Justus"
>><nathan@exit109.com> writes
>>>In article <flOojiAmDzexEwd7@upthorpe.demon.co.uk>,
>>>   Oz <Oz@upthorpe.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>Farmers in pre-fertiliser and pre-spray days farmed organically and 
>>>>achieved yields typically less than 1/3 of what we have today (UK). They 
>>>>actually knew what they were doing, were pretty smart and had 2000+ 
>>>>years of experience. If you think that, with much of the knowledge lost, 
>>>>and with little experience you are going to do any better then you 
>>>>merely expose your ignorance. I take it you are a practising organic 
>>>>farmer earning your entire income from it?
>>>>
>>the last sentence shows how we can become blinkered by the constraints
>>of modern western economic theory.  you do not have to be a practising
>>organic farmer or earn your entire income from it in order to contribute
>>both in theory and practice to (a) a more sustainable way of life (b)
>>producing healthy food.
>
>You seem to be making the assumption that: (a) organic = "more sustainable"
>and (b) organic = "healthy", implying that conventionally-grown products
>aren't. Many studies have been conducted to this effect and I'm not aware of
>any which have shown a significant increase in the nutritional/health value
>of organically grown products. This is simply folklore, and is not borne out
>by any reliable data.


Tracy,

Here is an extract of a recent report from Rutgers University
entitled "Variation in Mineral Content in Vegetables" (Firman
E.Bear report).

In this study, the inorganic vegetables were bought at a standard
supermarket and compared with organic vegetables grown in
naturally-fertilised soil. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------
                        |                      |
Percentage of Dry Weight| Millequivalents      | Trace Elements in 
                        | per 100gm Dry Weight | Parts per Million
*(1) Total Ash/ Nineral |                      | (Dry Matter)
     Matter             |                      |
                        |                      |
--------------------------------------------------------------------
             *(1)    P  | Ca    Mg   K     Na    B   Mn  Fe  Cu  Co
--------------------------------------------------------------------
SNAP BEANS
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Organic     10.45  0.36 | 40.5  60.0 99.7  8.6 | 73  60  227 69  .26
Non-Org     4.04   0.22 | 15.5  14.8 29.1  0.0 | 10  2   10  3   .00
--------------------------------------------------------------------
CABBAGE     
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Organic     10.38  0.38 | 60.0  43.6 148.3 20.4| 42  13  94  48  .15
Non-Org     6.12   0.18 | 17.5  15.6 53.7  0.8 | 7   2   20  0.4 .00
--------------------------------------------------------------------
LETTUCE
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Organic     24.48  0.43 | 71.0  49.3 176.5 12.2| 37  169 516 60  .19
Non-Org     7.01   0.22 | 16.0  13.1 53.7  0.0 | 6   1   9   3   .00
--------------------------------------------------------------------
TOMATOES
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Organic     14.20  0.35 | 23.0  59.2 148.3 6.5 | 36  68 1938 53  .63
Non-Org     6.07   0.16 | 4.5   4.5  58.8  0.0 | 5   1    1  0   .00
--------------------------------------------------------------------
SPINACH
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Organic     28.56  0.52 | 96.0 203.9 257.0 69.5| 88 117 1584 32  .25
Non-Org     12.38  0.27 | 47.5  46.9  84.6  0.8| 12  1   19  0.5 .20
--------------------------------------------------------------------

CONCLUSION: Commercially grown, inorganic vegetables are very low in mineral
and trace mineral content.


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Obviously, the way you interpret these results is up to you. 







David Libby:  112 Kedleston Rd, Derby, DE22 1FW, England
Tel: 01332 736775, Fax too but please ring first.





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