Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
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locations. These farmers seem tomeet the adversities of American industrial
agriculture head on; they have chosen a distinct path and are proud of it.
They are quick to point out the differences between their operations and
their conventional neighbors: better soil quality, more crop diversification,
lower debt, and unique markets. Organic farmers often show visitors that
the soil on their farm is rich from organic compost and is less compacted.
They growmore types of crops andmore diverse crops that are not common
in their region. It's a challenge to find reliable, distinct organicmarketing av-
enues that will provide the required price premiums on all the various crops
they grow. Many organic farmers do their own on-farm experiments to
compensate for the dearth of relevant government- or university-sponsored
research. And most contact one another, or indeed anyone, who may have
information.
Many studies have investigated the characteristics of organic farmers.
There are, it seems, as many similarities as differences. On-farm research
comparisons help us understand how organic farms “look” and function.
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