Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
CHAPTER 4
SUSTAINABILITY OF US ORGANIC
BEEF AND DAIRY PRODUCTION
SYSTEMS: SOIL, PLANT AND CATTLE
INTERACTIONS
AIMEE N. HAFLA, JENNIFER W. MACADAM ,
AND
KATHY J. SODER
4.1 INTRODUCTION: ORGANIC VS. NON-ORGANIC CATTLE
FEEDING PRACTICES
In the United States, organic agricultural systems differ from non-organic
systems in many important ways, most notably in restrictions on the use
of chemical fertilizers and pesticides in all organic farming systems, and in
restrictions on the use of antibiotics, feed additives and growth hormones
in organic animal systems. The availability and cost of certified organic
feeds is a major challenge for US organic dairy and beef producers. In
2011, NASS estimated that 83,989,000 acres of corn were harvested in the
US, with only 134,877 of those certified organic. So little organic corn and
soybean production occurs that limited supply results in prices of certified
organic feedstuffs that are two to three times greater compared to non-
organically grown feeds [1]. The cost of organic supplements for energy
and protein results in more on-farm production of these feeds in organic
