State of Science :: TOC Reports

Simplifying the Pesticide Risk Equation: The Organic Option
Author: By Charles M. Benbrook, Chief Scientist, The Organic Center
Date: March 2008

• Full Report (49 pages, 13.6MB PDF)
• Report Cover (137KB PDF)
• Executive Summary (8 pages, 2.4MB PDF)
• Pocket Guide (1.7MB PDF)
• Two Page Summary (2 pages, 432KB PDF)

New Evidence Confirms the Nutritional Superiority of Plant-Based Organic Foods
Authors: Charles M. Benbrook, Xin Zhao, Jaime Yáñez, Neal Davies and Preston Andrews
Date: March 2008

• Full Report (53 pages, 19.5MB PDF)
• Report Cover (81KB PDF)
• Executive Summary (8 pages, 1.8MB PDF)
• Executive Summary in Spanish (7 pages, 2.2MB PDF)
• Report CoAuthors (1 page, 169KB PDF)

Do Organic Fruits and Vegetables Taste Better than Conventional Fruits and Vegetables?
Author: Richard C. Theuer
Date: September 2006

• Full Report (19 pages, 1.1MB PDF)
• Report Cover (182KB PDF)
• Executive Summary (5 pages, 557KB PDF)
• Two Page Summary (2 pages, 197KB PDF)

Breaking the Mold: Impacts of Organic and Conventional Farming Systems on Mycotoxins in Food and Livestock Feed
Author: Charles M. Benbrook, Chief Scientist, The Organic Center
Date: September 2006

• Full Report (63 pages, 1.1MB PDF)
• Report Cover (133KB PDF)
• Executive Summary (6 pages, 723KB PDF)
• Two Page Summary (2 pages, 970KB PDF)

Impacts of Organic Farming on the Efficiency of Energy Use in Agriculture Author: David Pimental
Date: August 2006

• Full Report (40 pages, 3.0MB PDF)
• Report Cover (88KB PDF)
• Executive Summary (6 pages, 265KB PDF)
• Two Page Summary (2 pages, 656KB PDF)

Elevating Antioxidant Levels in Food through Organic Farming and Food Processing
Author: Charles M. Benbrook, Chief Scientist, The Organic Center
Date: January 2005

• Full Report (81 pages, 1.6MB PDF)
• Report Cover (156KB PDF)
• Executive Summary (6 pages, 1.1MB PDF)
• Two Page Summary (2 pages, 2MB PDF)

Minimizing Pesticide Dietary Exposure through Consumption of Organic Food
Author: Charles M. Benbrook, Chief Scientist, The Organic Center
Date: May 2004

• Full Report (63 pages, 714KB PDF)
• Report Cover (147KB PDF)
• Executive Summary (4 pages, 457KB PDF)
• Two Page Summary (2 pages, 625KB PDF)

Deeper Shade of Green: Lessons from Grass-based Organic Dairy Farms
Authors: Charles Benbrook, Ph.D.
Date: August 2012

• Full Report (28 pages, 948 KB)

Transforming Jane Doe's Diet
Authors: Charles Benbrook, Ph.D.
Date: September 2011

• Full Report (17 pages, 1.1MB PDF)

Identifying Smart Food Choices on the Path to Healthier Diets
Authors: Charles M. Benbrook, Donald R. Davis
Date: September 2011

• Full Report (17 pages, 1.1MB PDF)

A Dairy Farm's Footprint: Evaluating the impacts of Conventional and Organic Farming Systems
Authors: Charles Benbrook, Cory Carman, E. Ann Clark, Cindy Daley, Wendy Fulwider, Michael Hansen, Carlo Leifert, Klaas Martens, Laura Paine, Lisa Petkewitz, Guy Jodarski, Francis Thicke, Juan Velez and Gary Wegner
Date: November 2010

• Full report (1.3MB, 22 pages)
• Executive Summary (328KB, 9 pages)

What Does Sustainable Agriculture Have to Offer? Conclusions and Recommendations in Two NAS/NRC Reports
Author: Charles M. Benbrook, Chief Scientist, The Organic Center
Date: July 2010

• Full Report (17 pages, 1.1MB PDF)

The Magnitude and Impacts of the Biotech and Organic Seed Price Premium
Author: Charles M. Benbrook, Chief Scientist, The Organic Center
Date: December 2009

• Full Report (17 pages, 840.5KB PDF)
• Report Cover (184KB PDF)
• Executive Summary (7 pages, 372.6KB PDF)
• Seed Prices Database (10 pages, 202KB PDF)
• Seed Prices Consumer Summary (2 pages, 1.85MB PDF)

Impacts of Genetically Engineered Crops on Pesticide Use in the United States: The First Thirteen Years
Author: Charles M. Benbrook, Chief Scientist, The Organic Center
Date: November 2009

• Full Report (69 pages, 2.8MB PDF)
• Report Cover (273KB PDF)
• Executive Summary (15 pages, 839KB PDF)
• Supplemental Tables (19 pages, 203KB PDF)
• The First 13 Years of GE Crops Consumer Summary (2 pages, 2.74MB PDF)

That First Step: Organic Food and a Healthier Future
Authors: Christine McCollum-Gomez, Charles Benbrook and Richard Theuer
Date: March 2009

• Full Report (81 pages, 2.6MB PDF)
• Report Cover (195KB PDF)
• Executive Summary (8 pages, 536KB PDF)
• Two Page Summary - Obesity Revisited, Beyond Exercise and Calorie Counting (2 pages, 478KB PDF)
• Two Page Summary - Fountain of Youth Found? (2 pages, 400KB PDF)

Shades of Green: Quantifying the Benefits of Organic Dairy Production
Author: Charles M. Benbrook, Chief Scientist, The Organic Center
Date: March 2009

• Full Report (30 pages, 862KB PDF)
• Report Cover (245KB PDF)
• Executive Summary (6 pages, 456KB PDF)

Still No Free Lunch: Nutrient Levels in U.S. Food Supply Eroded by Pursuit of High Yields
Author: Brian Halweil
Date: September 2007

• Full Report (48 pages, 5.0MB PDF)
• Report Cover (748KB PDF)
• Executive Summary (8 pages, 2.1MB PDF)
• Two Page Summary (2 pages, 955KB PDF)

Unfinished Business: Preventing E. Coli 0157 Outbreaks in Leafy Greens
Author: Charles M. Benbrook, Chief Scientist, The Organic Center
Date: June 2007

• Full Report (21 pages, 880KB PDF)
• Report Cover (4.1MB PDF)
• Two Page Summary (2 pages, 534KB PDF)
• Press Release (2 pages, 124KB PDF)

Food Irradiation for Fresh Produce
Author: Edward Groth III, Ph.D.
Date: April 2007

• Full Report (32 pages, 3.4MB PDF)
• Report Cover (1.3MB PDF)
• Executive Summary (6 pages, 1.9MB PDF)

Is the FDA's Cloning Proposal Ready for Prime Time?
Author: James Riddle, Organic Outreach Coordinator, University of Minnesota
Date: February 2007

• Full Report (26 pages, 812KB PDF)
• Report Cover (338KB PDF)
• Executive Summary (6 pages, 450KB PDF)

E. Coli O157:H7 Frequently Asked Questions
Author: Charles M. Benbrook, Chief Scientist, The Organic Center
Date: December 2006

• Full Report (30 pages, 1.4MB PDF)
• Report Cover (128KB PDF)

Assessing Soil Quality in Organic Agriculture
Authors: Alan J. Franzlubbers and Richard L. Haney, USDA Agricultural Research Service
Date: October 2006

• Full Report (17 pages, 2.5MB PDF)
• Report Cover (143KB PDF)
• Executive Summary (4 pages, 1.0MB PDF)

Successes and Lost Opportunities to Reduce Children's Exposure to Pesticides since the Mid-1990s
Author: Charles M. Benbrook, Chief Scientist, The Organic Center
Date: August 2006

• Full Report (44 pages, 1.0MB PDF)
• Report Cover (290KB PDF)
• Executive Summary (6 pages, 495KB PDF)
• Two Page Summary (2 pages, 540KB PDF)

"Identifying Smart Food Choices on the Path to Healthier Diets"
Author: Charles M. Benbrook, PhD and Donald R. Davis, PhD
Date: September 2011

• Full Report (44 pages, 1.2MB PDF)

The Organic Center's "Dietary Risk Index" -- Tracking Relative Pesticide Risks in Foods and Beverages
Author: Charles M. Benbrook, Chief Scientist, The Organic Center
Date: September 2011

• Full Report (23 pages, 1MB PDF)

"Shades of Green" User's Manual -- Guide and Documentation for a Daily Farm Management System Calculator
Date: October 2010

• User's Manual (23 pages, 7.7MB PDF)

A Closer Look at What's in Our Daily Bread
Authors: Erin Smith, Charles Benbrook and Donald R. Davis
Date: April 2012

• Full Report: A Closer Look at What's in Our Daily Bread (17 pages, 500KB PDF)
• One Page Summary: Daily Bread: Do You Know What's In Yours? (1 page, 1.3MB PDF)

With the Grain: A closer look at the nutrient quality of grain, grain-based products, and the role of organic agriculture
Authors: Erin Smith, Charles Benbrook and Donald R. Davis
Date: July 2012

• Full Report: With the Grain: A closer look at the nutrient quality of grain, grain-based products, and the role of organic agriculture (30 pages, 1.02MB PDF)