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- From: "Kevin Ancell" <kancell AT goodearthgardens.com>
- To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
- Subject: Organic Farming!
- Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2001 06:40:56 -0700
This story appeared on http://www.individual.com April 18,
2001
_________________________________________________________ Organic Farming Can Be Profitable By WILLIAM McCALL Associated Press Writer Organic farming could be healthy for profits as well as the soil, according to a new six-year study of apple orchards. Concerns about pesticides leaching into drinking water have opened a debate over organic farming techniques, which instead of chemicals use natural fertilizers and biological pest controls. Washington State University researcher John Reganold, who conducted the study of apple growing techniques, suggests that organic farming, at least in apple production, can raise profits, improve soil quality and produce sweeter, firmer fruit than conventional practices. ``The health of the trees, apples, soil, fungi, earthworms, how well clods hold together _ we looked at everything,'' Reganold said. The study is in Thursday's issue of the journal Nature. The researchers divided an apple orchard into plots that used organic methods, conventional techniques or a mix of both, called integrated management. The convention plot was treated with chemical pesticides and fertilizers while the organic system used compost, manures, and biological pest controls. Weeds were controlled in the organic plot with cover crops, mulching and mechanical methods, including burning. Each test orchard at the site near the central Washington town of Zillah was measured for impacts on soil quality, fruit quality, profitability, environmental quality and energy efficiency. ``The bottom line is that organic outperforms the others,'' Reganold said. The study indicated the organic orchard would break even on operating cost nine years after planting, compared to 15 years using conventional methods and 16 years for integrated management. Soil quality ratings were much higher for organic and integrated systems, largely due to the addition of compost and mulch, Reganold said. ``We were adding compost and chicken manure to the organic and integrated plots, so it's not rocket science,'' he said. ``But it turns out that organic matter improves almost everything about the soil.'' Reganold's study adds to a small but growing body of evidence that organic farming methods can boost agricultural output while reducing damage to the environment, said Fred Kirschenmann, director of the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University. ``To me, it's not a big surprise,'' Kirschenmann said. ``It's being corroborated in other parts of the world.'' Bill Wilcke, acting administrator of the Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture, said the research shows the need to study other crops to see if organic farming can be applied on a larger scale. Different crops have different problems, he said. Wheat farmers, for example, must till their soil more frequently if they choose organic pest control over conventional spraying, and that raises concerns about soil erosion. ``They've done a good job of demonstrating they were able to get better environmental benefits and better yields and fruit quality,'' Wilcke said. Bob Stebbins, who heads an association of Oregon orchard growers, said the study may be too specific to draw general conclusions about organic farming. Eastern Washington is especially good for apple orchards because the climate is dry, eliminating many apple pests and plant diseases, and there is plenty of Columbia River irrigation water to keep soil fertile. ``It shows you can grow organic apples very well in eastern Washington,'' Stebbins said. ``It may not apply to other places.'' ^___= On the Net: Nature: http://www.nature.com/nature Washington State Apple Commission: http://www.bestapples.com Apple information: http://fruitsandnuts.ucdavis.edu/app2.html |
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Organic Farming!,
Kevin Ancell, 04/19/2001
- <Possible follow-up(s)>
- Re: Organic Farming!, Willie Gibson, 04/19/2001
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