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Abstract
Growing small grains organically means using sustainable methods
that exclude the use of standard commercial fertilizers, synthetic
pesticides, preservatives, and growth regulators. Organic farmers
rely on crop rotations, crop residues, animal manures, legumes,
green manures, off-farm wastes, mechanical cultivation, mineral-bearing
rocks, and biological pest control to maintain soil health, supply
plant nutrients, and minimize insects, weeds, and diseases.
This publication
contains references to enclosures that are available in hard
copy only. Please call our toll-free number to receive a copy.
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Table of Contents
Introduction
Growing small grains organically means using sustainable methods
that exclude the use of standard commercial fertilizers, synthetic
pesticides, preservatives, and growth regulators. Organic farmers
rely on crop rotations, crop residues, animal manures, legumes,
green manures, off-farm wastes, mechanical cultivation, mineral-bearing
rocks, and biological pest control to maintain soil health, supply
plant nutrients, and minimize insects, weeds, and diseases.
Federal laws regulating the growing, labeling, and marketing of
organic products require producers to be certified through a private
or state agency. ATTRA has several publications on the topics of
organic certification and production. Organic
Farm Certification & The National Organic Program addresses
the new federal requirements. An
Overview of Organic Crop Production provides a general
introduction to organic farming methods and would be considered
a prerequisite to starting an organic small grain enterprise. NCAT's
Organic Crops Workbook is recommended especially for producers
new to organic farming. These and other relevant ATTRA publications
are available in print and on our Web site.
Details on small-grain production practices—such as planting
dates, seeding rates, varieties, and harvesting methods—vary
widely among regions, but are largely the same for conventional
and organic systems. Such information is generally available from
the local Cooperative Extension Service. A brief discussion of some
special considerations for organic small grain production follows.
Reducing fertilizer and pesticide inputs requires considerable
knowledge and innovation. Organic Wheat Production Handbook,
published in 1999 by Kernal of Life (1), covers
organic certification, principles of organic farming, soil management,
crop rotations, planting practices, crop growth and development,
nutrient management, grain protein, grain yield, irrigation of winter
wheat, disease management, harvest, and storage management. Although
the book has a Southwestern slant, it will be useful to anyone who
wants to grow small grains organically.
There are several publications and organizations that will help
prospective organic farmers learn more about the subject. Two publications
of particular value are Fred Kirschenmann's Switching To A Sustainable
System (2) and a newer publication, Transition
Notebook (3), which covers weed control,
composting, and a list of information for making the transition
to organic farming. Finally, the book Organic Farming by
Nicholas Lampkin covers all aspects of organic farming, including
small grain production. A British book, it is available from a U.S.
publisher in New York (4).
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Soil Fertility
Organic management seeks to maximize the contributions of on-farm
resources such as animal manures, composts, and green manures to
soil fertility. However, purchased off-farm nutrients—including
mineral fertilizers, fortified composts, and plant and animal meals—may
be necessary to ensure adequate nutrient availability during transition
to an organic program. Building soil organic matter enhances nutrient
availability, as well as soil moisture-holding capacity, and can
aid in preventing the buildup of soil-borne plant diseases. A key
part of an organic soil-building program is rotation of crops, coupled
with the use of cover crops and green manures. For more information
on crop rotations, see the enclosure entitled "Planning Crop
Rotations."
Animal manures and legumes are two major sources of nitrogen in
organic systems. Legume cover crops, plowed down to provide green-manure
nitrogen, also contribute to soil tilth and organic matter. During
decomposition, legumes can provide 50 to 150 lbs. of nitrogen per
acre. Small grains can also receive supplemental nitrogen from crop
rotation patterns that include perennial legumes like alfalfa and
clover. For more information about cover crops and green manures,
request the ATTRA publication Overview
of Cover Crops and Green Manures.
Native phosphorus and potassium fertility may be enhanced using
animal manures and conserved through good management of cover crops
and crop residues. Rock phosphate can serve as an alternative or
supplementary phosphorus source when necessary. Application rates
for rock phosphate usually range from 250 to 1000 pounds per acre.
Different sources of rock phosphate have different qualities in
terms of their ability to release phosphorus to plants. To fully
realize the benefit of rock phosphate, the soil pH should be slightly
to moderately acid. Alternative potassium sources include Sul-Po-Mag
and untreated potassium sulfate. For more information on soil fertility,
request ATTRA's Sustainable
Soil Management
and Alternative
Soil Amendments publications.
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Insect and Disease Management
Integrated pest management (IPM) provides a working framework for
insect and disease management in organic production systems. In
conventional or non-organic systems, IPM utilizes cultural practices
and crop scouting to minimize the need for pesticide applications.
Pesticides are applied only when insect populations reach economically
damaging levels. An organic grower might use the cultural practices
and the scouting information but forego the recommended pesticide
applications. Information on crop scouting for the major pest problems
associated with small grains in a given area can be obtained from
the Cooperative Extension Service or private crop consultants. For
an overview of IPM principles and practices, request the ATTRA publication
Biointensive
Integrated Pest Management (IMP).
Some of the techniques used in intensive small-grain production—such
as narrow rows, thicker-than-normal stands, and tram lines (an uplanted
strip used to drive on, which allows precision application of inputs)—also
provide benefits to farmers who do not use synthetic chemicals and
fertilizers. However, these intensive practices may increase disease
incidence.
Some disease problems can be minimized with resistant cultivars
and variety mixing. Variety mixing involves planting several different
small-grain varieties in a mixture, each with a different type of
disease resistance. Mixed fields may lose individual varieties to
specific pests or diseases, but the chance of total crop failure
is greatly reduced. Alternatively, a grower could decide to plant
different fields of separate varieties. Under this system, a specific
pest or disease may ruin one field but not affect the others.
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Weed Management
Weed control strategies in organic small grains include crop rotation
and a limited amount of mechanical cultivation. The narrow-row spacing
associated with drilled grains affords significant crop competition
with weeds. However, rotation to other crops is still necessary
to break weed life cycles. Continuous small-grain cropping creates
a haven for weeds with similar ecological niches (e.g., cool-season
grasses, buttercup, and others). Including a late-spring-planted
crop such as sunflower or proso millet into the winter-wheat fallow
system reduced winter-annual grass weeds such as downy brome and
jointed goatgrass in a Kansas dryland study (5).
Unlike row crops, in which weed control can be obtained through
cultivation, drilled crops are less conducive to mechanical weed
control. Harrowing or rotary hoeing can help reduce weed problems
but it can only be done lightly when the small grain is a few inches
high, and weeds have germinated but not emerged. For more details
on weed management, request the ATTRA publication Principles
of Sustainable Weed Management for Croplands.
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Marketing
Though organic small grains carry significant price premiums (Table
1), marketing them differs in many ways from conventional marketing.
Unlike conventional grain production, where the grower can deposit
a whole harvest at the elevator, organic production is often done
on contract to a specific buyer. The organic market is typically
made up of many buyers who have small individual supply needs. Even
the largest buyers usually cannot take a whole year's supply of
a particular crop all at once, but may need a lesser amount every
month. Consequently, it is often necessary for the organic producer
to have grain storage capacity.
Table
1. Organic small grain prices, February 2003 (7). |
Grain |
Low
($ per bushel) |
High
($ per bushel) |
Durum wheat |
5.00 |
8.00 |
Hard red spring wheat |
5.00 |
7.65 |
Hard red winter wheat |
4.75 |
6.05 |
Soft red wheat |
4.35 |
5.50 |
Soft white wheat |
5.25 |
6.50 |
Rye |
3.50 |
4.50 |
Like all specialty markets, the organic market is small and easily
oversupplied, and premiums are not stable. It's generally worthwhile
for organic farmers to invest in storage facilities. If you can
store it, you can make money by keeping up with the market and selling
when shortages occur and the price rises (as long as you don't store
until quality deteriorates). Since every day of storage costs money,
it's to your advantage to set a date by which the buyer has to accept
the grain or begin paying you for storage. An alternative is to
contract with a buyer who has storage set aside for specialty grains.
Contracting with a trader is often the only way to sell organic
products or alternative crops that lack established market channels.
Both producer and buyer need to carefully consider all terms of
the contract before signing. Understanding the standards and terms
specified is vital. For example, farmers need to understand that
grading standards for grains destined for human consumption are
higher than standards for feed grains, resulting in higher dockage
when cleaned (6). The producer, in particular,
should learn about the legal aspects of contract production and
know what his or her options for legal recourse are in case a buyer
violates the agreement. For more comprehensive details on organic
grain marketing, request the ATTRA publication Marketing
Organic Grains.
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References
- Boone, Nathan (ed.). 1999. Organic
Wheat Production Handbook. Kernal of Life, Santa Fe, NM. 60 p.
Available for $10 ppd from:
Kernel of Life, c/o Tom Seibel
HCR 67, Box 81
Anton Chico, NM 87711
505-427-1132
E-mail: seibel@plateautel.net
- Kirschenmann, F. 1988. Switching
to a Sustainable System: Strategies for Converting from Conventional/Chemical
to Sustainable/Organic Farming Systems. The Northern Plains Sustainable
Agriculture Society (NPSAS). 18 p.
Available for $7.50 ppd. from:
Northern Plains Sustainable
Agriculture Society
9824 79th Street, S.E.
Fullerton, ND 58441-9725
701-883-4304
E-mail: tpnpsas@drtel.net
- Kirschenmann, F. 1997. Transition
Notebook. The Northern Plains Sustainable Agriculture Society.
Available for $27.95 from reference 2 above.
- Lampkin, Nicholas. 1990. Organic
Farming. Diamond Farm Books. Alexandria Bay, NY, 701 p.
Available for $49.95 + $4.50 shipping and handling from:
Diamond Farm Books
P.O. Box 537
Alexandria Bay, NY 13607
613-475-3848
800-305-5138
- Lyon, D.L., and D.D. Baltensperger.
1995. Cropping systems control winter annual grass weeds in winter
wheat. Journal of Production Agriculture. Volume 8, Number 4.
p. 535-539.
- Stearns, Larry, and David L. Watt.
1993. Northern Plains Organic Crops Marketing Analysis: Wheat,
Oats, Sunflower. Agricultural Economics Report No. 293. Department
of Agricultural Economics-Agricultural Experiment Station. North
Dakota State University.
- Organic Food Business News FAX
Bulletin
Hotline Printing and Publishing
P.O. Box 161132
Altamonte Springs, FL 32716
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Enclosures
Anon. 1990. Kingmans farm—making a success of organic cereals.
New Farmer and Grower. Summer. p. 27-28.
Boone, Nathan. No date. Organic Wheat Production Handbook. Kernal
of Life. Santa Fe, NM. 60 p. Title page and table of contents.
Cox, W.J. 1987. Intensive Management of Winter Wheat in New York.
Cornell Cooperative Extension Service Fact Sheet 403.11. Cornell
University, Ithaca, NY. 6 p.
Dobbs, Thomas, and Lisa Carr. 1997. Price comparisons for organic
crop products. Economics Commentator (South Dakota State University).
No. 374. April 16. p. 1-3.
Duval, Jean. No date. Mechanical weed control in cereals. McGill
University EAP Publication - 72. 10 p.
Gerard, Robert. 2001. Making organic wheat work. ACRES USA. March.
p. 1, 9-11.
Meyer, D.W., and M. Badaruddin. 1985. Barley grain yields are increased
by a previous legume crop. Crop Production Guide. North Dakota Agricultural
Association. p. 177-181.
Reznicek, Ed. 1992. Planning Crop Rotations. Sustainable Farming
News. April. 10 p.
Samuel, A.M., and S.J. Guest. 1990. Effect of seed rates and within
crop cultivation in organic winter wheat. p. 49-54. In: BCPC Mono
No. 45. Crop Protection in Organic and Low Input Agriculture: Proceedings
of a Symposium of the British Crop Protection Council. Cambridge,
UK.
Sinclair, Ann, and Britt Eustis. 1991. So you want to sell organic
grains? The New Farm. September-October. p. 28-30.
Weill, A. 1990. Winter wheat: no-till, no-inputs. Sustainable Farming.
Spring. p. 14-15.
Wilheim, H. 1991. Mechanical weed control systems in cereals and
row crops. p. 23-24. In: Weed Management in Sustainable Agriculture.
Proceedings of the Fifth Annual REAP Conference. McDonald College,
Quebec.
Willis, H. 1990. Oats. Acres, U.S.A. March. p. 19-20.
Organic Small Grain Production
By Preston Sullivan
NCAT Agriculture Specialist
Paul Williams, Editor
Cole Loeffler, HTML Production
CT 160
Slot 178
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