[Market-farming] Dennis Avery article

road's end farm organic101 at linkny.com
Sun Sep 9 23:13:05 EDT 2007


On Sep 9, 2007, at 6:59 PM, Brigette Leach wrote:

>
>  Expressing ourselves on the list can be a therapeutic release, but 
> does little to open the lines of communication between groups with 
> differing perspectives. At some point, the conventional and organic 
> communities need to start talking to each other with respect for the 
> others position.

As there are both conventional and organic growers on this list, I 
think the list is a suitable place to be talking to each other; and I 
think a good deal of this has indeed been taking place, most often with 
respect for the others' position. Certainly I intended no disrespect to 
you when I answered your post about tillage on steep slopes; neither 
did I assume that you meant any disrespect to organic growers when you 
implied that this was normal organic practice.  (I was very tired when 
I posted on this before, and didn't mean "take apart Avery" but "take 
apart his argument". Apologies for the careless phrasing. I agree that 
what's important isn't who says something, but whether it's so.)

You are entirely correct that letters to newspapers, etc., are better 
ways to reach the general public. But if someone on this list posts 
something containing misconceptions, about either organic or 
conventional growing techniques, I think it makes sense for both 
conventional and organic growers to respond.

Jim Riddle did a great job, I thought, of explaining the actual 
situation in Wisconsin and Minnesota, which he certainly knows a lot 
more about than I do; I would have had to research it, and now won't 
bother. I would add to his discussion only that the statement in 
Avery's article that:

> The organic farms already lose about half of their crop potential 
> because they refuse to use nitrogen fertilizer and the more effective 
> synthetic pesticides.
>

is also inaccurate. A number of recent studies (I have some cites if 
you want them) have shown that, in the relatively long term, organic 
methods give crop yields as high as those on conventional farms. 
There's often a drop in production when farms first transition to 
organic agriculture, but yields generally rise again as beneficial 
organisms come back into balance. I address it here, not specifically 
because Avery said it, but because it is such a common misconception.

-- Rivka; Finger Lakes NY, Zone 5 mostly
Fresh-market organic produce, small scale
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