Organic misconception

With my new awareness towards organic and sourcing where my foods come from, I have found that this venture is extremely confusing. No wonder our general tendency is to ignore the source of our meat, vegetables and milk! It is, by far, easier to turn a blind eye at where our food comes from because more often than not, it is an abused system and is prone to disappointment.
Even with the handy logo provided from the USDA that marks our food as organic, it rarely means that the technique is beneficial to the environment or humane in the treatment of the animals. For meat, it solely means that the animals were not given antibiotics and were provided organic corn feed. The animals are not grazing on the prairie, as we'd like to think. They are still overcrowded in their concrete and metal pens, endangering them further by the close quarters which lends itself to sickness.
For vegetables, the organic rating permits the use of organic pesticides. We experienced this with our garden; because the dense population of plants together, pests hopped from garden to garden. Because ours was not bathed in chemicals, it was ravished by aphids and ants. Growers have simply substituted approved chemicals (usually plant based) that still leech into the groundwater and plague our streams and oceans.
Large machinery, packaging and processing plants are used, just as in conventional produce. Organic milking cows are still subject to three milkings a day by machine and cannot be let out to pasture because they are tied down by that schedule. An that frozen organic TV Dinner? Again, the same processing as it's counterpart in the next door over, just approved organic preservatives and stabilizers to prolong shelf life and freezer time.
It's terribly confusing, and the consumer is not the priority. It's still the bottom line for these big producers. I find when I am shopping all the decisions between organic, all natural, cage-free, farm raised... can be seriously overwhelming. Often, I come down to the lesser of two evils when buying anything. Since I am a passionate animal lover, I opt for anything that ensures the animal I eat will be treated with respect and care. Finding that is difficult in a traditional grocery store and a whole other story. If I save money buying conventional produce, but splurge for grass-fed, pastured beef, I have still communicated a message and chose to provide a conscious meal for my family. It comes down to your personal convictions, what you can afford, and what you are willing to sacrifice. Short of having the cow out back, gathering your own produce, and baking your own bread, these are the decisions of getting our food from big multi-chain suppliers.