I see the subject of Amish has once again come up in the debates. Why is that most assume that Amish are organic, almost organic, or something along those lines? I live in a county with at least 15,000 amish. We have amish that are organic and sustainable. It might actually be a higher percentage than us "English" farmers. But lets not fool anyone! Most amish send the elevator out to spray each year. Most raise their animals in the same style confinement barns as conventional. Most plant gmos, etc.
There is a stereo type that assumes that amish are somehow automatically organic. There is a large chicken integrator in our area that uses this image to their benefit. They sell Millers Amish Country "Natural" chicken. We must remember that natural by usda only means minimally processed. Almost all fresh chicken qualifies (except those that they have injected too much water into). These amish chickens are no different than Tysons. A fair percentage of their growers are Amish but that is even stretching that "claim" on their label.
One thing that I have been told over and over again is that you can pretty much guarantee its the "English" using the Amish name for a marketing gimmick when you see Amish on the package. I've not talked to one that says their religion allows them to use Amish in their products name.
Best wishes,
Greg Gunthorp
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