Tip of the Week

I am the fiancee of a PhD Animal Scientist who has a broad background in Agriculture. I am constantly hearing him argue that organic farming is worse for the environment than the modern advances in conservation agriculture. I have a link to an article that I would like to share to increase the breadth of information in the topic. http://www.cgfi.org/pdfs/nofollow/beef-eco-benefits-paper.pdf Katie

I am agriculral scientist of good knowledge of agriculture. Yes organic farming has some benefits. However the feel gooders do never tell what the problems are. They are insufficient yield per acre even with the best systems, europeans have been trying for several decades to fix this, increased build up of pests and diseases, even bio pestcides and biological control agents are not very good at this, increased soil borne diseases, more area needs to be cleared for agriculture as yield is 40% less on organic manures. So please understand that what world needs is a combination of both.

I am agriculral scientist of good knowledge of agriculture. Yes organic farming has some benefits. However the feel gooders do never tell what the problems are. They are insufficient yield per acre even with the best systems, europeans have been trying for several decades to fix this, increased build up of pests and diseases, even bio pestcides and biological control agents are not very good at this, increased soil borne diseases, more area needs to be cleared for agriculture as yield is 40% less on organic manures. So please understand that what world needs is a combination of both.

From the UK's Soil Association Annual Conference of 2007, the amount of greenhouse gases produced per ton of production is higher in organic than non-organic. http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:-0YnGoxuJasJ:www.soilassociation.org/Web/SA/saweb.nsf/cfff6730b881e40e80256a6a002a765c/902f12def991d13a80256f9c005e300e/%24FILE/conference_melchett.pps+organic+farming+and+carbon+footprint+comparison&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=10&gl=us&client=firefox-a

Furthermore, not all published science is rigorously evaluated. Here is a link to a critical discussion of a Rodale study discussing some of the pitfalls Rodale's research. http://www.agbioworld.org/newsletter_wm/index.php?caseid=archive&newsid=2391

This topic should be based more on facts than consumer emotion.

I'd like to see a definition of "insufficient yield" from those who claim this as a problem with organic agriculture. As a former organic farmer, I would argue that the yields generated in conventional row cropping are inflated well beyond what the land can withstand. One simply can't grow food with that kind of yield without dousing the soil with a cocktail of chemical inputs and choosing varieties designed for fortitude rather than taste, nutritional content, shelf life, etc.

Regarding the development of pest & disease cycles: Yes, organic agriculture done poorly can create pest cycles. But I guarantee you'll find more earthworms, more beneficial insects, more biodiversity in general in a field that's been in organic production for five years than you will in any conventional corn field. Managed properly, this biodiversity works as a check-and-balance system on pests, and I for one think that's a better system than simply throwing some Roundup at the problem and wiping out anybody who happens to be growing in the wrong field at the wrong time.

Finally, I think it is important to distinguish who's doing the farming, particularly as the organic movement becomes more mainstream. Sure, factory-scale organic farming is going to require more tractor trips across the field than conventional farming. That's the tradeoff for choosing to control weeds mechanically rather than chemically, and that may or may not be a trade-off that people are willing to make. The smaller the scale of the farm, though, the more likely it is that the mechanical weed control is human-powered, rather than carbon-powered. Moral of the story: the best answer is to buy from a local farmer whose operation is small enough that you know how he does business. And volunteer to go out there and weed for him a few afternoons during the season!

I actually took my spring break to try and find ways to improve the mpg of my truck and I wrote about it on a blog @ greenergas.blogspot.com... I hope some of the information is helpful, it was a really fun side project and I think a lot of people could use it to their advantage.

Cheers, Justin