Rural Issue

Iowa study is positive for organic farming

Results of a 13-year study conducted by Iowa State University (ISU) show organic crops systems can provide similar yields and much higher economic returns than a conventional corn-soybean rotation.

ISU agronomy and horticulture professor Kathleen Delate, who heads up the research project, says it’s one of the longest running replicated comparisons in the country.

“The yields have been consistently equal, or in some cases greater, for the organic rotations—and then, across the board, we’ve been able to obtain two times–sometimes three times–higher returns with the organic,” says Delate, “and that’s due to both lower costs of production—since we’re not using any synthetic chemicals in the organic rotations—and also the premium price that you get for certified organic.”

Delate says even with the current high prices for conventionally-produced corn and soybeans, the interest in organics remains strong.

“If you base it on how many emails and phone calls I get, I’d say the interest Is stronger than ever,” she says. “The high conventional prices that are going on right now are somewhat of a deterrent to farmers to make the switch.  I think when prices were depressed, there was more interest in looking at alternative systems.”

But can organic agriculture meet the food needs of a rapidly growing global population?  Delate believes it can.

“I have to be honest and say it’s a lot easier to do it here (Iowa)—where we have highly fertile soil—than other places where bringing in your soil fertility is going to be your major constraint.  But there’s been a lot of studies showing that, in developing countries, the difference between organic and conventional is even greater—once people switch to organic, they will get even higher yields.”

The study is supported by the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University.

AUDIO: Kathleen Delate (13:26 MP3)

  • Even with crop rotation, how do you keep up soil fertility with or without animal manure? How do you keep the weeds from taking the crop when they sometimes choke out the soybeans, and the farmer is left with nothing? How do you keep alfalfa weevils from sucking the life out of the alfalfa plant? What keeps the rootworms/beetles/everything else from eating your cornstalk before you ever get an ear? I would dearly love to see that report!

  • Janet, soil fertility was much better 50 years ago before all the farm chemicals. Even nowadays, organic farmers have much better soil fertility than those who use the poison-tolerant GMOs. Those poisons are causing soils to lose fertility because the poisons kill soil bacteria that are extremely important in building soil fertility. Organic farmers use the same kind of cultivation equipment that farmers 50 years ago used to clear weeds from their soybeans. There are natural substances to control rootworms and beetles. Alfalfa weevils effect only one cutting. They can be controlled by flaming or by simply harvesting the cutting they affect. Organic farmers have solutions to every pest problems and have much more fertile soil than those who spread poison. Do you really think that for 4,000 years before Monsanto’s deadly poisons came on the market that farmers were not able to farm?

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