ould You Trade Our Planet’s Genetic Heritage
~ToSave 12% On Your Grocery Bil

so] understand that

es, ~ agribusiness is about money,
es ® and to save a few cents on

- My groceries I’m willing to, let billions of ©
“-gallons’ of pesticides be sprayed on

farmland every year.

Why pay more? Chemical weed killers are
cheap afid easy to use. It’s five times cheaper’
to keep'an acre of corn free.of weeds with
“chemicals than itis without.

Farmworkers should be cheap te too. In North |
America, $3.50 an hour average is more.than
enough: In other places, if it means I save,
money,: let’s pay them a few pennies a day.

- Let them be strafed with toxic sprays from .

: planes, from. ground sprays, and from i iniga-
tion systems. ‘Just because pesticides and:
chemical fertilizers pose a risk for contracting

“eancer, birth defects; genetic mutations and
sterility for farm families doesn’t mean i

“should | pay more at the checkout. ,

»And who cares about the birds. and the ani. ;
_ mals and genetic diversity and. billions of tons .
of lost topsoil? To heck with the ducks, qT

o want to ‘save some i¢ bucks.

Pd rather pay a little more
now than pay. big time’
later. For my money, I

No. :

‘support orgame agriculture.

I've heard organic agriculture defined as: “an
ecological pr oduction management system

that promotes and enhances ; biodiversity, bio-’

logical cycles and’soil biological activity. Jtis

» based on minimal use of off-firm inputs and
_Management practices that restore, maintain

and enhance ecological harmony.”
For my money, I want a good relationship .

with farmers, farmworkers and the land my ©”

food is yrown on. IT find it much more eco-
nomical i in the long run to buy my food from

~ local farmers and local companies who care
{about loving and feeding people...

The price of third party organic certification

is well worth the few cents it costs to protect |

the health of my family, the health of the
region I live in and the common biological

‘heritage of our common planet.’

It takes’ plain, ordinary common sense to see

* that what we choose in, the market today

determines What we get back i in our, environ-

, ment tomorrow.

“If we want the |

human species. ue

to survive,
maybe we can t attora to nave short term.
business interests running our planet's S:
food production systems... :

If the Cornell University estimare is right,
then retail food’ prices would tise dnly "2
percent if farmers abandoned pesticides. That:
means we're trading ‘our.planet’s genetic:
heritage | to save 12% on our grocery bills.

Maybe I'll start buying : more organic food.

Maybe Pil start now.