Comments on: Organic Farming

By: RBK

RBK — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 19:22:19 +0000

Oops!!! I meant “carcenogenic”. Hate it when I misspell

By: RBK

RBK — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 00:35:33 +0000

I find this exchange very interesting but having worked exclusively for years on tobacco litigation especially during the years when almost all the states went after the tobacco companies, I just cannot see any virtue in tobacco organic or otherwise due to its carcenogic effect.

Having said that I do believe in personal responsibility especially since the Surgeon-General warnings have been on cigarettes since the 60s…

By: Jay

Jay — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 09:11:39 +0000

I think it would be odd if they used the carefully cultivated organic tobacco to make cigarettes. That would be like taking filet mignon, rolling it through the garbage and mixing it with old expired 70% lean ground beef.

Next time you’re out here we’re going to buy the best cigars we can afford (in our case they won’t be that great) and have a puff on the porch, then we can answer your question appropriately.

By: Tom

Tom — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 04:01:42 +0000

This is slightly off topic but I have somewhat conflicting views on organic farming in general. I do think all the chemicals we consume every day between pesticides and smog and strong cleaning chemicals and preservitives are what give the US one of the highest cancer rates in the world. But on the other hand, As the population gets bigger and farmland increasingly gets taken over for housing it begs the question, If organic farming cannot produce nearly as much food per acre as modern agriculture arent we really shooting ourselves it the foot. All the chemicals and fertilizers are what allow farms to produce at rates completely unobtainable a hundred years ago. Mybe I should save this topic for my own blog buts its an interesting question.

By: Red

Red — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 00:31:38 +0000

When I was a young boy I knew some farmers who used tobacco to treat bloat in cattle. I don’t know if it was really effective or just a folk remedy.

Could using tobacco as toothpast have the same negative consequences as chewing?

By: Inger-Lis

Inger-Lis — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 23:27:12 +0000

ok, curiosity led me to do more research- apparently the Native Americans used tobacco for all sorts of things from poultices for rheumatism to mixing it with chalk for toothpaste (a practice that is still used today in some parts of the world). And I can’t believe I didn’t remember this, but nicotine is quite often used as an organic pesticide. Which is why I sometimes scoff at organically grown foods…

By: Inger-Lis

Inger-Lis — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 23:19:50 +0000

I don’t know if they still do this today, but people used to use tobacco for bruises and I think for something to do with cattle as well.

By: Tija Spitsberg

Tija Spitsberg — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 20:28:16 +0000

According to Wikipedia there are no other uses for the tobacco plant, whatsoever. I think nicotine patches are a chemical version made in a lab, not extracted form the tobacco plant, but I could be wrong.

By: Red

Red — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 18:28:48 +0000

That is true. And are there other uses for tobacco that might not be associated with what we normally think of in regards to tobacco?

By: Tija Spitsberg

Tija Spitsberg — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 18:11:02 +0000

yes, absolutely; however, the farming practices, while not outweighing tobacco ills, might be better, since the soil and air would not be contaminated by chemicals.