Crop protection racket

Agrichemical industry steps up pressure on White House organic garden 6

mafiaUse our pesticide, or the spinach gets it.I’m no expert on the mafia, but I have seen the first two Godfather movies and Goodfellas, oh, a few times. One thing I’ve learned: “protection” is a major mob racket. It works like this: a thug drops by your shop monthly and makes small talk. You hand him some cash, and your shop runs smoothly. You refuse to pay, and ... things go wrong.

I’ve been thinking about protection rackets ever since an agrichemical industry group chided Michelle Obama for not using “crop protection” products on her White House garden. The group famously wrote a letter (intercepted by Jill of La Vida Locavore) urging the First Lady to do so back in March.

I just found out that Croplife.org, the industry’s Web site, also launched a “letter writing campaign” among members. “The garden is a great idea and the photo op of the First Lady and local elementary schoolchildren digging up the ground was precious,” the campaign informs Croplife readers. But ... “did you realize that it will be an organic garden?”

An organic garden—one that fails to utilize the agrichem industry’s products? That simply won’t do:

What message does that send the general public about the agriculture industry that the majority of you are so proud to serve? What message does that send to the non-farming public about an important and integral part of growing safe and abundant crops to feed and clothe the world—crop protection products?

So Croplife urges members to drop a line to Ms. Obama:

I hope that you will take a moment to consider how important that message is to your livelihood, your passion for agriculture, and your growers’ future—and send your own letter, sharing the benefits of modern, conventional agriculture. Help allay any fears by providing a specific example of how what you do on a daily basis, including custom application and/or the sale of crop protection products and fertilizers, has saved a crop and/or improved yields to benefit more Americans.

So far, the First Lady seems to be holdiing out on using “crop protection.” Does that mean that some really scary insects are going to come eat her spinach?

 

Grist food editor Tom Philpott farms and cooks at Maverick Farms, a sustainable-agriculture nonprofit and small farm in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Follow my Twitter feed; contact me at tphilpott[at]grist[dot]org.

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  1. Delay And Deny's avatar

    Delay And Deny Posted 7:40 pm
    20 May 2009

    Does it make sense to use the deroguatory term "Mafia" when most of these organizations are run by blue bloods?Or is this the new Grist where you "strongarm the science" and call people names?   

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  2. dtrom4 Posted 6:34 am
    21 May 2009

    Yeah, I've got to say, this post is kind of a stretch.  It's amusing (and kind of ridiculous) for the agrichem industry to take offense to organic home gardens, but I wouldn't call it sinister. Hopefully this is mostly a joke, but sometimes it's hard to tell dry humor from bad commentary.

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  3. PermieWriter's avatar

    PermieWriter Posted 12:11 pm
    21 May 2009

    Croplife bugging Mrs. Obama about her garden is their equivilant of anti-abortion nutjobs heckling President Obama at Notre Dame. Both are clearly the dying gasps of bad ideas heaving their last. I hope.The real question is: If Mrs. Obama doesn't cave and buy the Round Up, is she going to wake up next to a snail head? I wouldn't put it past the M -- I mean, Croplife.

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  4. Jim Goodman Posted 8:07 pm
    21 May 2009

    In my experience, most farmers are not opposed to organic farming, they just can't believe it can work. They cannot believe one can farm without using Roundup. Seriously, they really cannot grasp it, They think Roundup must be allowed under organic standards because how could you farm without it? As to the mafia, I think it is an appropriate comparison. You must work with the Mafia, pay the protection money, or sign the garbage collection contract. Chemical companies seem to reguard all of agriculture as theirs. Any holdout is a threat. If you allow a chink in the armor, you are in trouble. In the case of the White House garden, it is so high profile, it is a big chink.

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  5. tanabutler Posted 2:20 pm
    01 Jun 2009

    A friend has a brother-in-law who works for Monsanto. She tells me that you are NOT allowed to speak of organic ANYTHING in his presence. They are dead serious, those folks.@CO2 Sharkey: "Blue bloods"?! Chemical warfare on food that goes into the bodies of innocent children somehow creates "royalty"?I think I'll send you my medical bill: my jaw broke when it hit the floor.Keep hitting them out of the park, Tom. You clearly have your eye on the ball.

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  6. Jim Goodman Posted 7:56 pm
    01 Jun 2009

    The truth hurts, but the truth shall make you free.

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