Happy Autumn!

Autumn is a time for Harvest, Farmer Markets, jumping in leaves, enjoying the fall foliage, and looking forward to the Holidays which are right around the corner. 

But do you really know what you are buying when you buy ‘organic’?  The truth is – it is only slightly better than conventional, the extra money you pay goes mostly to pay for all the bookkeeping involved.  The best produce is VEGANIC, not organic.

Veganic agriculture is a form of sustainable agriculture which uses no animal inputs for soil fertility.  Instead it uses green manures.  This is a method of farming which employs crop rotations, cover crops, veganic compost, and imaginative and creative uses of green manures.  Some are plowed under, some are killed and left on the surface of the soil for crops to be planted into, and some are planted between rows.  Different green manures offer different benefits to the soil. 

Soil fertility is key to nutritious food since crops take their nutritional value from the soil.  Tasteless fruits and vegetables indicate that they have been grown in depleted soil.  Soil that is depleted cannot product crops that have vitamins, minerals, and taste. All elements found on the Periodic Chart of the Elements are needed for the human body.  All except a few are found in soil.  The other few are in the air.  You cannot have good health unless you have healthy soil.

Minerals such as lime and phosphorous are added to amend the soil.  Veganic farming uses no manure, blood, or bone meal from factory farms and slaughterhouses as is typically used in organic farming.  There is e-coli and other deadly organisms in organic as well as conventional agriculture, but not veganic. 

Pests are managed first through crop rotation.  Then the philosophy, “Know your Enemy”, involves diagnosing the pest or disease.  Its life cycle is analyzed to find the vulnerable point.   Next the philosophy, “My Enemy’s Enemy is my Friend”, is employed, and a predator is found that can control situation at that vulnerable point.  This eliminates the need for toxic pesticides, even the “natural” poisons used in organic farming.  Veganic farming relies on the use of harmless soaps and ashes for pest control.     

The end result of veganic farming is produce that is loaded with vitamins and minerals, and has no toxic or poisonous pesticides, no hormones or antibiotics from animal manures and inputs as used in conventional and organic farming, has a light carbon footprint, is globally sustainable, and is totally cruelty free.