I have just two things to add to this conversation.

When you are considering buying produce - there are 4 types that you should ALWAYS buy organic because of the way the produce absorbs pesticides. By buying these organic (and obviously local, if possible), you cut out about 85% of all potential pesticide ingestion: strawberries, peppers (of all types), spinach and celery.

Also - buyer beware when it comes to the term 'free-range'. Eggs and chickens that are labeled 'free-range' are allowed to be labeled that way if the animal has access to free range (whether or not they ever go there). Chickens raised in huge warehouses with a tiny door on one end that is open to them only after they reach full maturity are considered free range. A chicken that spent its whole life in a warehouse has no interest in going out that little door - and all their nutrition came from pellets anyway - organic or not...and that is NOT free-range. This is true of layers as well as broilers. If you really want to know the practices of the farms from which you are buying your food - you need to research them yourselves. This is another critical benefit to buying locally (or raising your own).

If you really want an earful about the actions of the USDA and how they are destroying our nation's health through their practices (designed to protect the big corporate farms), then read "Everything I Want To Do is Illegal" by Joel Salatin. It's an eye-opener!