Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
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three years of comparative data, results show that organic farming is more
profitable than conventional production (Delate et al. 2003). A conventional
corn-soybean rotation was compared with two organic rotations: corn-
soybean-oat and corn-soybean-oat-alfalfa. In each case, the organic and
conventional yields were similar, but the input costs of organic farming
were lower. Overall, the organic methods proved to be substantially more
profitable than the conventional methods.
Dealing with similar crops, the Illinois Stewardship Alliance published
a report on their farming systems study that compared the economics of
conventional, no-till, three-crop, and organicmethods onfive hundred acres
of adjacent fields in east-central Illinois (2002). The study ran for six years
and provided a wealth of information and examples about the complexity
of comparisons. Comparing the average annual net return per acre, the
organic system earned the highest in five of the six years and had some
of the lowest average costs. Organic crops earned price premiums, and
organic methods kept input costs low. The organic crop rotations were
diverse: blue corn, white corn, wheat, soybeans, and rye cover crop. The
cost figured for labor in the organic system decreased over the six-year
study, which underscores how farmers often gain more knowledge about
organic management through experience (or, as the report notes, perhaps
the farmer became somewhat more tolerant of weed occurrence). Overall,
these studies in Iowa and Illinois showed that organic methods are quite
competitive with conventional methods in the Corn Belt. This surprised
many people in this region where (conventional) corn is king (Pollan 2002).
A specific study of corn roots was based on samples from low-input and
conventional farms and found that root length density was significantly
greater in the organically fertilized corn (Pallant et al. 1997). It follows
that the greater root density would allow corn to absorb more nutrients
and water, even in drought conditions. This may explain why organic corn
yields tend to be more stable in adverse growing conditions, while conven-
tional crops fluctuate greatly. We may also question how this could affect us
when the global climate changes. Although we can only theorize now, it is
possible that currently fertile areas may become significantly warmer. Or-
ganic methods, if fine-tuned, could help us withstand these adverse growing
conditions.
A comparative study of economic and yield data from California crop
production was based on eight years of information (1989-96)fromafarm-
ing systems project in the Sacramento Valley that included conventional
(four- and two-year rotations), low-input, and organic management (Clark
et al. 1999). The key factor in profitability was the frequency of tomato
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