Agriculture has been mired in a philosophical war for decades. One, the so-called establishment: multi-generational, legacy farmers, who practice conventional or industrial agriculture (a loaded term if there ever was one). The other, the counterculture, new entrants who espouse the merits of a “rediscovered” concept called organics.

In the propaganda machine, organics and its allies are the de facto media darling. The sympathetic David vs. Goliath underdog. Conventional always seems to be on the defensive.

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I suggest that we retire the terms organic (and even industrial) outright — address the smug superiority and unfair character assassination in a single stroke.

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Bottom line, rigid devotion to ag systems is passé. By siloing, we neglect the merits of practices we might otherwise disregard, for no reason other than the sanctity of our inflexible “religion.” Reconciliation ag is a pragmatic, a la carte fusion that is flexible, site specific, and optimizes environmental, economic, and social outcomes for farmers and consumers alike.

There’s nothing proprietary or exceptional about organics. In this regard, I’m reminded of a well-traveled meme: “Organic farming, or as your grandparents parents called it, ‘farming’.” The only path to peaceful coexistence is to de-differentiate and break down artificial distinctions that pit farmer against farmer.

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