Dear Mr. Helliker,

I remember when it was said that an apple a day keeps the doctor away.  Apples are consumed on a large scale by children in sweeteners and juices as well as through the munching of this fruit in its natural state. Although industry says the use of organic farming to produce apples and bypass the accumulation of pesticide residues in children's bodies is not efficient for society but the study below demonstrates a properly run organic industry can be profitable.  Since pesticides must be registered does the method of organic farming require to be registered with the state government as a method to use it? Or is organic gardening considered a safe "alternative" to using deadly man-made poisonous chemical pesticides?  

To: "Paul Helliker" <phelliker@cdpr.ca.gov> 
Organization: Get Set, Inc. 
From: "Steve Tvedten" <steve@getipm.com>

Dear Mr. Helliker, I thought you might like to read an article entitled: Organic apples win productivity and taste trials - dated August 10, 2001.  

A study in the journal Nature counters arguments that organic farming systems are less efficient and produce lower yields than conventional farming systems. Conducted by researchers at Washington State University from 1994 to 1999, the study compared organic, integrated and conventional apple orchards and found that while all three systems gave similar apple yields, the organic system had the greatest environmental sustainability, profitability and energy efficiency.   

In the study, the organic system did not use synthetic pesticides or fertilizers and relied on compost, mulch, pheromone-mating disruption (PMD), Bacillus thuringiensis and thinning fruit by hand. By contrast, the conventional system used synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, PMD and chemical fruit thinner; the integrated farming system used compost, synthetic fertilizers, mulch and herbicides.   

Cumulative yields were comparable and there were no observable differences in physiological disorders or pest and disease damage across the three apple production systems. However, the study found that the organic apple system had the highest soil quality, profitability, energy efficiency and taste appeal. The organic apple system also had the least adverse environmental impact.   

Although sustainability is a difficult concept to measure, the researchers included both ecological and economic factors in their analysis. They noted that to be sustainable a farm must produce adequate  high-quality yields, be profitable, protect the environment, conserve resources and be socially responsible in the long term. Specifically, the indicators of sustainability used in the study were soil quality, horticultural performance, orchard profitability, environmental quality and energy efficiency.   Organic apples were the most profitable due to price premiums and quicker investment return. The price premiums reflect consumer willingness to pay extra for organically grown produce. Production costs of organic and conventional systems varied by year. In the long term, the organic apple system recovered initial costs faster than the conventional system. 

The study projected that the organic system would break even economically (net returns equaling costs) after nine years, but that the conventional system would break even only after fifteen years.   Despite higher labor needs, the organic system expended less energy on fertilizer, weed control and biological control of pests than the conventional and integrated systems. By using the least amount of inputs overall, the organic system was the most energy efficient of the three systems.   

A consumer taste test found that organic apples were less tart at harvest than both conventional and integrated apples. They were also found to be sweeter than conventional apples after six months of storage.   The study's data indicate that the organic system ranked first in environmental and economic sustainability, the integrated system second and the conventional system last. The authors suggest that perennial food crops such as apples may prove to be more sustainable to produce  over the long term than annual crops. Perennial crops currently comprise a significant portion of the world's agricultural production.  

Organic farming became one of the fastest growing segments of U.S. and European agriculture during the 1990s.   Sources: John P. Reganold, Jerry D. Glover, Preston K. Andrews and Herbert R. Hinman, "Sustainability of three apple production systems," Nature Vol. 410, April 19, 2001; Reuters "Organic Apples Get Top Rating in Comparative Study," April 18, 2001.   Contact: PANNA.  

Well Mr. Helliker, before your POISONS were "registered", every farmer grew organic produce. Since World War II, your "registered" POISONS have been used/misused to "protect" our crops. We now lose more crops to insect damage than we did before we began using/misusing your "registered" POISONS. Our farmers are going broke, our food, water, air and land is contaminated, our people and animals are becoming ill and are dying, the majority of the public does not want any more of your "residues" and our food is no longer as tasty as it was before you "registered" and then demanded we only use your POISONS to "control" pest problems! I have developed, field tested and/or researched over 2300 safe and far more effective alternatives that are either food grade and/or GRAS materials, none of which are POISONS and/or are registered. When will it be "legal" (in your opinion) to use them to actually control pest problems?  

Respectfully, Stephen L. Tvedten    

Help elect me as your public advocate.  I will continue to fight for the way life should be in New York City because I am the only candidate who knows and cares about how good it can be!

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