Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

Great topic for discussion - "Is Organic Food Really What You Think It Is?"

This is a great topic for discussion and created alot of interest on Twitter.  Watch the video interview and let us know what you think.....

Views: 408

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by That Guy on November 3, 2010 at 1:47pm
I do not understand the constant attack on organic farmers by their conventional bretheren. Different consumers want different things and there is zero wrong with that. You don't see Toyota attacking Ford- what they do is provide a product consumers want more.

As well, this guys speel is very misleading. Our farm operation has an organic and conventional stream over about 650 acres of crops. There has simply not been a watering down of CANADIAN standards. He is also pure and simple a liar with his stupid comments about communists. I vote Conservative, I am a Christian and have been farming organicly and conventionally for 35 years in total. Some of the strongest advocates of organic farming come to it through their belief in God and respecting His creation.
Popoff is also completely misrepresenting how organic standards are enforced and administered in Canada. This guy is a joke and why anyone would take him seriously is a mystery.
Buying from Canadian farmers -conventional or organic - is the answer. The problem is off-shore food entering our country, both organic and convential. That is the problem. The exact same problem exists in conventional food on our grocery store shelves. It is not an organic vs conventional issue. It is a lack of leadership by government on ALL food entering Canada.

There is nothing new here. Quit attacking other farmers they are not the enemy.

This Popoff is a jerk and has zero credibility.
Permalink Reply by Rob Wallbridge on November 3, 2010 at 3:14pm
So it appears that I'm not the only one seeing this as an attack on organic farmers! "Thay Guy" makes a number of excellent points. Mr. Popoff's perspective is not an "inside" view of the organic sector, and organic food is far more than what Mr. Popoff or Mr. Haney (RealAgriculture.com) seems to think it is.

As someone who is involved in the organic sector at a number of levels, including the formation of the Canadian Organic Standard, I can definitively state that Mr. Popoff is completely inaccurate in his perspective on the certification system, the intelligence of organic consumers, the integrity of organic farmers, and the history and present state of the organic movement.

Perhaps the most alarming aspect of this whole thing is that in this day and age RealAgriculture.com and OntAg/Farms.com are so shockingly misinformed and uneducated about the organic sector that they would lend Mr. Popoff any credibility whatsoever. It points to a desperate lack of communication and respect between the organic and non-organic sectors of the agricultural industry. Hopefully this discussion will help to start bridging that gap.
Permalink Reply by Bristow on November 7, 2010 at 2:19pm
No there is no conspirsy, because they now do it openly, right in front of you now. The frog in the pot, your the frog in the cold water, as it gets warm you don't know you are being boiled alive. One set of food for the rich and the processed for the poor. Longer life for the rich and shorter for the slaves. Mr Popoff is right about one thing farmers being dictated by the city socialist with capitalist tastes. Who are only tools of the mega rich. Mr Popoff is selling a book and has his own agenda, classific scare must read. As my opion on regulation and rules, you should be able to farm according to the market wants and your own skills and merrits, not government, orginations, associations or multi nationals. Heres my product take or leave it. The market will soon tell you.
Permalink Reply by OntAG Admin on November 19, 2010 at 9:55am
The Canadian Organic Growers Respond to Mischa Popoff’s Book Entitled “Is It Organic”
Permalink Reply by Colin Lundy on November 25, 2010 at 8:47am
Every since I first listened to this interview I have been getting SPAM messages from Popoff encouraging me to buy his book. By listening to this interview did I give him permission to send me emails? Who is the dishonest person here?

Regardless, I have many comments to make.

Popoff claims to be within the organic sector; when did he last inspect a farm? When has he last communicated with people within the Canadian Organic sector, farmers included? And what is the relevance of making correlations with communism? He sounds like a fear-mongerer from the 1950s. It's irrelevant. I am an organic farmer and an employee at Canadian Organic Growers, and I am a small "c" conservative too. I farm organic, and work with organic and transitional farmers, because I believe it is the better way: for farmers, for consumers, for the environment, for communities, for the ag industry,etc. By the way, being a social activist does not make someone a communist - it is flawed logic and only exposes Popoff's ignorance and/or own agenda.

Popoff seems to think that he is part of some kind of elite because his farm was one of the first to certify as organic, and then anyone who certified after him is illegitimate. Actually, organic agricultural practices have developed, evolved and improved a lot since the 1980s. Organic farms now are probably much more sustainable and ecologically sound then they were 30 years ago.

Regarding Popoff's statements about genetic engineering, there is also evidence that widespread use of GMO crops for pesticide and herbicide resistance has INCREASED chemical application, apart from all of the other problems such as crop contamination, superweeds, and the appearance of weeds and pests resistant to Round-up and Bt. There is also as much scientific evidence supporting that organic is more ecological and healthier and safer as there is evidence denouncing it (so the jury is out). See this link for some examples: http://www.organic-center.org/science.tocreports.html.

The GE industry has its own celebrities cheerleaders. Bill Gates comes to mind. Everything is sold through celebrity endorsement these days it seems. And Monsanto is certainly not afraid to file lawsuits against organic farmers whose canola crop happens to be exposed to pollen from a distant GE canola field.

GMOs are the only thing in organic inspections that can be realistically tested for because it is a simple and inexpensive test. Does he have any idea of how many different pesticides, fertilizers, hormones, antibiotics, herbicides, fungicides, and dangerous cleaning chemicals are used in ag today? Hundreds at least. Practically each one would require a separate test in order to identify if was or was not present if there is even a test at all. Even at just $50 per test (though it is probably a lot more), it is an outrageous.

Most of the time, farmers know when their organic inspector is coming, but each year a certain percentage of farmers receive an unannounced inspection. An organic inspection reviews and analyzes records. The certifying body looks for inconsistencies in records that might suggest the use of prohibited substances. It is not perfect, but it works pretty well. And by the way, farmers are not certified organic for just keeping records. The records have to prove that they are following a strict regulation. In other words, farmers have to follow the organic standards and then be able to prove that they follow them with records.

Corporate interests have very little control over the organic standards, in Canada at least. The standards were developed with multi-stakeholder input, yet the influence is weighted heavily in favour of farmers rather than retailers, packers or processors. That was planned in order to curtail corporate lobbying. Furthermore, the standards are a living document, which means the constant new input of stakeholders is making the standards better on a continual basis.

Finally, Popoff draws the card that 80% of organic food sold in Canada is imported. Actually, this is true for ALL FOOD SOLD IN CANADA. So his argument has no credence. Furthermore, he does not mention the amount of Canadian grown organic food and fibre that is EXPORTED from Canada. Regardless, the high amount of imports does not mean that the organic industry does not support organic farmers. Loblaws has a policy to purchase from Canadian farmers first, if they can find it. The problem is that there is not enough organic production in Canada to meet the demand. The "industry" would probably buy it if they could get it. Therefore, it should be up to the provincial, territorial and federal governments to either support the organic ag industry the way they support the conventional ag industry, or to stop supporting the conventional industry the way they do not support the organic industry.

This is not a communist rant against any statements that do not laud organic. It is an attempt to reveal the faults in Popoff's arguments, including how he cloaks those faulty arguments, and to increase the understanding of how the organic industry works.
Permalink Reply by Bristow on November 25, 2010 at 9:02am
Here here totally agree label makers with agandas. Collin. The last person I would like to support my product is Bill Gates who's father and his self supporter and promotor of Eugecs.

▶ Reply to Discussion

RSS

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

Saskatchewan produced record crop in 2025

Saskatchewan produced a record 41.9 million tonnes of grains and oilseeds in 2025, up 13.7 per cent from the previous year, the agriculture ministry said Dec. 19. The record is also 24.1 per cent above the five-year average. Agriculture minister David Marit said resilient and innovative producers were able to overcome challenges such as drought to grow this amount. Records were set for canola production, at 12.2 million tonnes, and lentils at 2.9 million tonnes. By volume for other crops, the province’s producers grew 12.7 million tonnes of spring wheat, 5.4 million tonnes of durum, 3.5 million tonnes of barley, and 1.8 million tonnes each of dry peas and oats. The ministry said Saskatchewan saw significant production growth in lentils, up 37 per cent, canola 16.7 per cent, barley 16 per cent, durum 8.5 percent and spring wheat 5.3 per cent. The estimates provided by Statistics Canada are based on a post-harvest survey of 7,198 farmers from Oct. 3 to Nov. 6. The province has a ta

Canadians called slow to embrace biofuel policy

Canadians farmers have had a hard time embracing biofuel policy the same way that producers south of the border have, says Shaun Haney, founder of RealAgriculture. He told the MNP Ag Connections Conference in Medicine Hat in November that as Canada continues to struggle to get its agriculture commodities into China, a shift of outlook is needed. At one time, scientists, agronomists and growers were extremely worried clubroot would spread across the Prairies and devastate Canada’s canola industry. “Canadian farmers have a hard time totally getting their head around and supporting it because people will often say, ‘I want the government out of stuff, I don’t want industrial policy, I don’t want nation building. We can’t create demand through government policy’,” he said. “But, that is exactly what the (Renewable Fuel Standard) is in the Untied States.” The U.S. sees 40 to 45 per cent of its corn crop going into ethanol, from which Canada has benefited. While Canada continues to focu

Team Alberta Crops Breakfast – Through the Eyes of an Intern

As the new communications intern at Alberta Canola, the Team Alberta Crops breakfast was my first time at an agriculture policy event. I come from an urban background with limited exposure to farming. Insights from presenters Milt Poirier, from QGI Consulting, and Neil Blue, a provincial Crop Market Analyst with Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation, fundamentally changed my understanding of the agricultural industry. I no longer see Canadian agriculture as simply the production of farm products. Instead, I now view farming in the context of globally interconnected systems. These systems encompass the inputs that farmers rely on, the production processes, and the networks of processing and logistics. All of these systems are further shaped by external forces, including national and provincial policies, international trade rules, climate patterns, and technological innovations. Global Competition and Climate Challenge From Neil Blue’s talk, I learned that agriculture is a competit

The Future of Agriculture is Collaborative: A Vision for Stronger Partnerships

Taking on the role of Western Product Specialist at FP Genetics has been an exhilarating journey thus far. As someone passionate about agriculture since childhood, I’m excited to be part of an industry that combines science, relationships, and practical problem-solving. My primary focus will be to understand the connections between farmers, retailers, and the crops we nurture together. In my early days here, I dove into the fascinating world of epigenetics to uncover the secrets of how genetic traits impact plant performance. Each seed carries a narrative shaped by environmental factors and stress, and I’m dedicated to helping farmers understand their choices and the potential they hold. Working closely with Colin and Colette, my Saskatchewan and Alberta territory managers, has been both educational and transformative. We collaborate to first understand and then bridge the gap between our products and the retailers we support. Each retailer presents unique challenges and opportuniti

Women Farmers Drive Growth in Canadian Agriculture

Women are taking the reins in Canadian agriculture like never before. Statistics Canada reports nearly 90,000 female farm operators nationwide—up from 80,000 in 2021.

© 2025   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service