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  • From: "Tradingpost" <tradingpost@gilanet.com>
  • To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [Livingontheland] Study backs operating efficiency of organic sector
  • Date: Sat, 16 Jul 2005 09:54:17 -0600

Organic farming

Study backs operating efficiency of organic sector
Organic production produces the same corn and soybean yields as
conventional farming, but consumes 30 percent less energy and uses no
pesticides, according to a revealing new study.
7/15/2005

http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/news/ng.asp?n=61293&m=1fnu715&c=qdrhr
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David Pimentel, a Cornell University professor of ecology and
agriculture, concluded that the 22-year Rodale Institute Farming
Systems Trial, the longest running comparison of organic vs.
conventional farming in the United States, showed that "organic
farming offers real advantages for such crops as corn and soybeans."

Pimentel used the report to analyze the environmental, energy and
economic costs and benefits of growing soybeans and corn organically
versus conventionally.

"Organic farming approaches for these crops not only use an average
of 30 percent less fossil energy but also conserve more water in the
soil, induce less erosion, maintain soil quality and conserve more
biological resources than conventional farming does," he said.

These findings could help further bolster the US organic sector,
which has been breaking through into mainstream food production. This
year, retail sales of organic foods are expected to exceed $15
billion, with more than $32 billion projected by 2009.

While the conventional food industry still dwarfs the organic sector
with $550 billion in yearly sales, it is only growing by 2 to 3
percent annually, while the organic industry enjoys annual growth
rates of 17 to 20 percent.

There a number of restraints on the organic sector however. Pimentel
says that although the study shows that organic farming can compete
effectively in growing corn, soybeans, wheat, barley and other grains
it might not be as favorable for growing such crops as grapes,
apples, cherries and potatoes, which have greater pest problems.

In addition, there are worries that a district court ruling in Maine
banning all synthetic ingredients in products labeled organic could
slow the sector’s growth. US District Judge D. Brock Hornby’s
decision to ban such ingredients and oblige dairy farmers to feed
their cows 100 percent organic feed during the transition to organic
could make the industry prohibitively expensive.

“My concern is that if food makers are no longer about to label their
products as organic because they use, say, sugar that has been
produced synthetically, they might be tempted to use less organic
material,” George Siemon, chief executive of organic food maker
Organic Valley told FoodNavigator-USA.com recently.

Nonetheless, things look good overall fro the sector. The Rodale
study, which compared a conventional farm that used recommended
fertilizer and pesticide applications with two organic systems with
no chemical fertilizers or pesticides, found that corn and soybean
yields were the same across all three systems.

Although organic corn yields were about one-third lower during the
first four years of the study, over time the organic systems produced
higher yields, especially under drought conditions.

The reason was that wind and water erosion degraded the soil on the
conventional farm while the soil on the organic farms steadily
improved in organic matter, moisture, microbial activity and other
soil quality indicators.

The fact that organic agriculture systems also absorb and retain
significant amounts of carbon in the soil has implications for global
warming, Pimentel said, pointing out that soil carbon in the organic
systems increased by 15 to 28 percent, the equivalent of taking about
3,500 pounds of carbon dioxide per hectare out of the air.

The study was funded by the Rodale Institute and included a review of
current literature on organic and conventional agriculture
comparisons. According to Pimentel, dozens of scientific papers
reporting on research from the Rodale Institute Farming Systems Trial
have been published over the past 20 years.







  • [Livingontheland] Study backs operating efficiency of organic sector, Tradingpost, 07/16/2005

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