What is Organic Farming?
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Lady beetles, such as this
one preying on an aphid, are used widely by organic growers
to control pests. See University of California organically acceptable
recommendations pest management guidelines at www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/.
–Photo by Jack Kelly Clark, courtesy of UC Statewide IPM
Program |
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The USDA defines organic agriculture as "a production system
that is managed to respond to site-specific conditions by integrating
cultural, biological, and mechanical practices that foster cycling
of resources, promote ecological balance, and conserve biodiversity."
More specifically, organic farming entails:
Use
of cover crops, green manures, animal manures and crop rotations
to fertilize the soil, maximize biological activity and maintain
long-term soil health.
Use
of biological control, crop rotations and other techniques to
manage weeds, insects and diseases.
An emphasis
on biodiversity of the agricultural system and the surrounding
environment.
Using
rotational grazing and mixed forage pastures for livestock operations
and alternative health care for animal wellbeing.
Reduction
of external and off-farm inputs and elimination of synthetic pesticides
and fertilizers and other materials, such as hormones and antibiotics.
A focus
on renewable resources, soil and water conservation, and management
practices that restore, maintain and enhance ecological balance.
Many organic farmers, including Wende Elliott and Joe Rude of Colo,
Iowa, view organic production as a means to work with the environment
and maintain the balance of their ecosystem. "Natural systems
work hard if you incorporate biodiversity into your operation instead
of fighting it," said Rude, who co-farms 125 acres of pastured
poultry, corn, hay and alfalfa.
Using nature as a model for the agricultural system - recycling
nutrients, encouraging natural predators to manage pests, increasing
plant densities to block weeds - organic farmers don't merely substitute
non-toxic materials for pesticides and fertilizers, but rather consider
the farm as an integrated entity, with all parts interconnected.
When livestock and poultry are incorporated into organic systems,
the potential for diversification and integration is even greater:
Livestock feed on grasses and mixed forages, both of which help
improve soil structure. At the same time, livestock provide manure
to fertilize soil, and can be used to "cull" any non-harvestable
crops.
Elliott and Rude, like many organic farmers, want to raise food
free of hormones, antibiotics and pesticides. For many years, organic
producers and proponents have claimed that organic farming is gentler
on the environment. Research now confirms this:
The
Sustainable Agriculture Farming Systems (SAFS) project at the
University of California-Davis, a 12-year research station experiment
comparing conventional and organic systems, showed water infiltration
rates to be 50 percent higher in the organic system. The project,
supported by a grant from USDA's Sustainable Agriculture Research
and Education (SARE) program, also showed that the organic system
had one-third the amount of water movement into surface and groundwater
as the conventional system. The organic system was more efficient
at storing nitrogen and had positive effects on soil quality,
including higher biological activity and a doubling of organic
matter in 10 years.
An organic
cropping system consumed three to four times less energy than
a conventional system, while also producing six times more biomass
per unit of energy consumed in a South Dakota State University
comparative trial at the Northeast Research Station near Watertown.
A SARE-funded
study evaluating pesticide and nutrient loads in subsurface drainage
on organic and conventional farms in Illinois found less nitrate,
chloride and atrazine in the water draining from the organic fields.
More recent research also shows that organic farming systems can
be equally productive and economically competitive with conventional
systems, and in some cases, more resilient. Consider that:
A
study comparing long-term established organic and conventional
tomato farms in California's Central Valley found comparable yields.
An article
published in the Organic Farming Research Foundation Bulletin
reviewing data from seven universities and two research station
experiments verified that organic corn, soybean and wheat yielded,
on average, 95 percent of conventional.
Many
studies have shown that organic systems perform better than conventional
ones under drought conditions.
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Erica Renaud, farm manager
for the certified organic seed supplier Seeds of Change, shows
off a field of organic comfrey. – Photo by Jerry DeWitt |
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What Makes a Successful Organic Farmer?
The old image of an organic farmer as a small "back-to-the-land"
type is long gone. Some organic operations have been so successful
that they have been gobbled up by large multinationals such as Kraft
and General Mills, which have recognized the powerful market potential
for organic goods. Other organic farmers have organized into successful
cooperatives. The largest organic cooperative in the country, Organic
Valley, has more than 500 organic farmer-members across 13 states
and successfully markets organic dairy products, beef, pork and
poultry.
For many farmers, a driving force to convert to organic production is economic:
Organic crops can fetch a price premium of anywhere from 25 percent to 200 percent
or more over conventionally grown products, according to USDA's Economic Research
Service.
However, most organic farmers produce crops and livestock organically because
they believe their methods are better for the environment. Many seek a safer
food supply. "The main motivation for us going organic is out of a certain
stewardship ethic toward the soil, the earth and ultimately, for mankind,"
said Altfrid Krusenbaum, a Wisconsin farmer who began the transition to organic
corn, soybeans, wheat and alfalfa in 1990. Krusenbaum was profiled in the University
of Wisconsin's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Quarterly.
In fact, switching to organic farming requires a major philosophical shift.
Said Joe Rude, an Iowa poultry and crop farmer, "It's about trying to get
the ecological system harmonious and working with it, rather than overriding
it." Farmers who turn to organic farming solely to capture market premiums
often fail because it does not mean simply substituting one type of inputs for
another, such as replacing a synthetic pest control with Bacillus thuringiensis
or applying organic fertilizers in place of synthetic ones.
"In organic farming, a mind shift is essential," agreed Brad Brummond,
North Dakota State University extension agent from Walsh County, who specializes
in organic production. "You must go from treating problems to treating
the causes of the problems and recognize that every decision you make will affect
other aspects of your system."
When deciding if organic farming might be right for you, consider the list
of characteristics shared by successful organic farmers:
A
commitment to a safer food supply and protection of the environment
Patience
and good observation skills
An understanding
of ecological systems
Good
marketing skills and motivation to spend time seeking out markets
A willingness
to share stories of successes and failures and to learn from others
(information networks are often underdeveloped for organic farmers).
Flexibility
and eagerness to experiment with new techniques and practices
(adapted from a North Dakota Extension publication written by Brummond available
at: www.ext.nodak.edu/extpubs/plantsci/crops/a1181w.htm)
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