Organic Fertilizer - Converted Organics, Inc.

I was chatting with my friend Amigo recently. Yes, that sounds redundant, but it's the name he goes by: Amigo Bob Cantisano. Considered by many to be the best organic farming adviser in the United States, he was giving me an eye-opening look at his line of work. For more than 30 years, he has helped growers make the transition from chemical to organic practices. (His Web site is at http://www.askamigo.com.)

"Guys who used to be chemical farmers tell me they have fewer problems with pests since they went organic," said Amigo, who lives in North San Juan, Calif. "Crops they once had to spray three or four times now don't need to be sprayed at all."

Fewer pests? What you usually hear is that organic farms and gardens are buggier, that you're supposed to overlook a few blemishes on your veggies in exchange for safer, more wholesome food. But that's not the story Amigo gets from successful chemical farmers who have made the switch. "They're growing healthier plants," Amigo said. He explained how these converts were paying close attention to trace minerals, the quality of their compost and other subtle inputs.

"The biggest mistake made in conventional farming is over-fertilizing, which makes plants more susceptible to pests and diseases," he said. Plants awash with soluble nitrogen may grow impressively large, but by absorbing too much water their cells become less dense. "More cell density leads to better resistance to pathogens. It also leads to crunchier, denser food," Amigo said. To me, that translates as better-tasting food, too.

The one downside, he said, is that weeds require more attention once farmers stop using herbicides. But having fewer pests more than compensates. "A conventional farm is a sterile environment with no beneficials," he said. "When farms become more stable ecologically, you see a diversity of pest-eating insects and birds. And spiders. They're amazing predators and are heavily damaged by pesticides."

Without the need for expensive sprays and fertilizers, organic farming is often more economical than chemical methods. Amigo said one farmer told him that organic farming was so much easier that he would be doubling his production this year and that if the organic market couldn't take all he grew, he'd simply sell the rest on the conventional one.

I've never believed the claim that organic methods can't feed the world. I've seen otherwise, and so have these pros who have done it both ways and are telling each other, friend to friend, that organic is the way to go.