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  • From: "Sean Albiston" <lab AT physics.umn.edu>
  • To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Dennis Avery article
  • Date: Fri, 7 Sep 2007 21:35:55 -0500 (CDT)

The below opinion was submitted to the StarTrib and the Sustag list ,
sorry for the=20's and the blatant copy and paste. I had to dig it out of
the archives sean
------------------------------------------------------

> I'll try to take apart Avery again at some point when I'm not getting
ready for a market the next morning. Several things in his article are,
as usual, sheer nonsense.
>
> -- Rivka; Finger Lakes NY, Zone 5 mostly




Jim's Guest Opinion

Organic Practices Conserve Soil and Protect Water Quality

By Jim Riddle

Dennis Avery has used the tragic floods in western Wisconsin and=20
southeastern Minnesota to advance his own cause in the Star-Tribune=20
through his Sept. 6 guest column, "The consequences of organic=20
farming."=A0=A0

Readers would be well-informed to know that Mr. Avery represents a=20
non-profit backed by some of the nation's largest manufacturers of=20
synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and GMOs. Mr. Avery and his son,=20
Alex, are employed to seek to discredit organic farming practices. He=20
has used these events as an opportunity to advance his and his
backers'=20=

agenda.

I live in Winona County. We received over 17 inches of rain in 24=20
hours. Valley fields in the area suffered flooding, organic and=20
conventional. Mr. Avery=92s assertion that organic farming practices=20
accelerated the damage is incorrect and insensitive.=A0

Grassed hillsides that have not been farmed in over 30 years gave way.=20=

Wooded hillsides that have never been farmed collapsed. The massive=20
erosion that occurred had nothing to do with organic practices.

As a matter of fact, the Federal organic regulation requires that=20
organic farmers =93must select and implement=A0tillage and cultivation=20=

practices that maintain or improve the condition of the soil and=20
minimize soil erosion.=94

Contrary to Mr. Avery=92s wild assertion, research shows that organic=20
practices protect soil and water quality. For example, a team of=20
University of Minnesota scientists studied the impact of organic and=20
conventional agricultural practices over three years on subsurface=20
drainage and water quality on corn-soybean farms. (Journal of=20
Environmental Quality, July-August 2007)

The researchers found that organic and sustainable systems reduced the=20=

volume of subsurface drainage water discharges by 41 percent, compared=20=

to conventional. Organic and sustainable systems also reduced the loss=20=

of nitrate nitrogen by about 60 percent, allowing farmers to reduce=20
fertilization rates by nearly half, while protecting water sources
from=20=

nitrate pollution. The improved soil quality on the
organic/sustainable=20=

plots, coupled with more diverse land use patterns, were credited with=20=

improving the efficiency of nutrient uptake and water infiltration and=20=

use, especially in average to wet years.

Further, a nine-year study by USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS)=20=

researchers at Beltsville, MD, has shown that organic farming can
build=20=

up soil organic matter better than conventional no-till farming can,=20
according to results published in the July 2007 issue of Agricultural=20
Research magazine.

Mr. Avery lives in Virginia. I doubt if he has had a chance to visit=20
the flood-damaged region or talk to the farmers who devote their lives=20=

to growing healthy, nutritious food for their neighbors and the
nation.=20=

If he hasn't done so, Mr. Avery should tour the area and volunteer to=20
help the residents repair their properties and restore their lives.=20
While here, I'm confident that he will learn that - unlike his=20
unsubstantiated claims to the contrary - organic farming practices=20
represent the most sustainable and pioneering method for farming in
our=20=

nation today.

Jim Riddle
Organic Outreach Coordinator
University of Minnesota
31762 Wiscoy Ridge Road
Winona, MN 55987
Ph/fax: 507-454-8310
Email: riddl003 AT umn.edu









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