How to Read Fertilizer Labels & Myth-Busting Organic Farming

How to Read Fertilizer Labels & Myth-Busting Organic Farming

The following two articles presented dictate a rule I like to follow that states 80% of a company’s content should be educational, interesting, and perhaps even provocative. I read a lot of blogs, and the narcissism gets old. Fast.

The first, ‘How to Read Fertilizer Labels’ is a succinct, straightforward and informative article about what all those numbers mean. It is important; and I have found that often the retail consumer, i.e. homeowner, has little knowledge of the deeper purpose behind what they are buying. This is the basis for why we at BGI produce species specific plant foods – to simplify the buying process and ensure customer success by using the correct fertilizers on the correct plant.

The second article is a provocative, scientific piece discussing the misnomers commonly heard about organic farming, and what it truly entails. I am all for locally grown, and no doubt, organic has so much to offer, but the USDA definition of organic keeps shifting. I have a Life Science background, and much of the organic marketing is hype. On the other hand, if I was President, Heaven forbid, my call to action (like Kennedy’s “to the moon”) would be a victory vegetable garden in every home in America! Talk about reducing your carbon footprint!

It’s your mind, your body, and your food. You decide.

Enjoy, and question everything!

Fertilizers are necessary to feed plants with nutrients that are not available in the growing medium solution or the irrigation water. They are mined (phosphate rock or potash), synthetic (obtained by a chemical process) or organic products (manures, fish, bones, blood and other organic sources). Fertilizers can be liquid, soluble granules, coated pellets or as simple granules…continue reading.

Ten years ago, Certified Organic didn’t exist in the United States. Yet in 2010, a mere eight years after USDA’s regulations officially went into effect, organic foods and beverages made $26.7 billion. In the past year or two, certified organic sales have jumped to about $52 billion worldwide despite the fact that organic foods cost up to three times as much as those produced by conventional methods…continue reading.

Take care!