Geoff of Perth,

Hat's off to you....and the best of luck with your smallholding : )

Thanks Poirot,

I can only say I enjoy every minute of it, and to all the wowser's out there, perhaps they have a lot to learn and appreciate

Appreciate the positive feedback, finally.

Geoff

In my retail experience, organic food is something that is often taken for granted.

What I mean is, as long as the label says organic, many people believe it.

It is for this reason why I didn't sell or promote organic meats, because they were too easily substituted.

In fact, I lobbied the organic federation, as a mamber, for changes in the way they promoted organic, especially when it came to packaging.

My point was that organic meat came in a box fit for a king, yet the cry o vac package was plain. I suggested they had this back to front but this fell on deaf ears.

I started selling organic chickens, however, after being abused several times, and being accused of being a rip off I stopped selling them.

I would have people coming to me saying they could buy organic chickens for $6 per kilo, yet I paid more than this, but they were organic.

I also knew a shop that sold corn fed chicken breasts, made a fortune, but simply took plain CB and soaked them in creamed corn for a few days so they turned yellow.

There were others who sold anything in fruit or veg with a blemish, as organic, and people fell for it.

My suggestion is, that if you truly want organic food, you must grow it yourself, or pay for it.

BTW, we ate the remaining organic chickens and my kids didn't like them, however, they reminded me of the chickens we raised, killed and ate as a kid.

So my suggestion is that if you try organic chicken and don't find much difference, then you have been ripped off.

The difference in OR beef is less distinctive.

I sold Tasmanian beef and lamb, although it was not organic, it was guaranteed hormone and steroid free, as these are banned in TAS.

for the record, hormones and steroids in chicken have been banned in AU for about 15+ years, but don't let the truth get in the way of a good story when it comes to marketing.

Geoff,

It's inspiring to hear of someone having a go.

I'm all for the simplicity amidst the clamour of modern life. We have chickens who meander around the garden all day, and a sizable vegie patch, compost bins and the like. I think it's possible to loosen the shackles imposed by modern society, to stand back and take a breath and do something simple and meaningful - great therapy in a rushed, time poor society.

Cheers.

Poirot,
You make good sense and I’m not knowledgeable on the subject, but. First, I’m not against organic farming, indeed the phrase “husband resources” is a constant refrain of mine on OLO, in the larger context, and I didn’t say “all organic efforts are part of the boutique industry”; I was alluding to organic fastidiousness and “lifestyle choices” catered for in the wealthy West, and in the larger context of wealth production. It’s pleasing that organic farming is making a comeback in the third-world and looks like being more productive and less expensive and damaging in dry and impoverished countries like Africa and India, though there are downsides associated with the problem of sheer scale, which was my real point: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_farming#Research.2C_analysis_and_commentary
I also don’t say the problem should “stop people from having a go at organic production and good husbandry of the land”, and I completely endorse this: “When life comes down to individual experience, why not seek a more authentic way of finding some meaning?” Indeed I said essentially the same thing recently: http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?article=13804#238630
The truth is though that in OZ very few organic consumers grow their own produce or live the sustainable lifestyle. For most, organics is just another trendy indulgence that helps them feel good about themselves. And it’s mostly a marketing angle for producers and entrepreneurs. Even for genuine down-to-earth enthusiasts the danger is, like the Amish, being in denial of the harsh realities that make a mockery of such escapism—indeed grant the indulgence!
For me it’s the engine that drives growing demand and destructive practices that has to be reformed, and not the practices within that dispensation. The drive for profit is the problem. Profit comes from growth. Organic farming is like the drive to make the State secular and “idealistically” inclusive; it does nothing to address the real problem—the State itself and the “material” inequities it perennially fosters. We’re ‘subjective’ creatures—confined and parochial in our habits of body and mind—and just cannot see beyond our normalised horizons. To paraphrase Chesterton, the most obtuse part of a painting is the frame.

Squeers,

I appreciate that it's the enveloping system that needs reform. But how can we even begin to "address the real problem" without a fundamental shift in mindset - which seems impossible, and will only come about when needs must.

Organic cultivation draws on wisdom and bygone knowledge. Perhaps, at least, those who are learning, practicing and perpetuating this art will serve as a repository for future generations (who will probably need it)....while enhancing their own lives with meaningful concepts and purposeful toil.