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  • From: Jackie Jameson <jacqueline.jameson AT gmail.com>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Now......GMO sweet corn LARGE organic farms
  • Date: Wed, 21 Sep 2011 09:52:36 -0400

Hi everyone,  I suppose it's not really on topic for "market farming".   There are big organic grain/bean farmers in North Dakota, Montana and the northern plains where farming is done by the hundreds or  thousands of acres. 

I read a profile of an organic farmer working on 1,000 acres but I can't find the information now.  With an internet search, I came across this 2005 study on ND organics working with data from 2003.  It showed that ND had 145 certified organic farms totaling 147,780 acres - an average organic farm size of 1,000 acres, but no mention of the mean farm size.  They are big in growing grains, beans, oilseeds and to a lesser degree, beef.  Read more on "The Status of Organic Agriculture in North Dakota, December 2005"  at  http://www.agdepartment.com/Organic/StatusOrganicAgND.htm

If a person wanted to find out more about large scale organic production, it might be a good place to start.

Thanks,
Jackie

On Tue, Sep 20, 2011 at 3:30 PM, Jay Sleichter <jaysleichter AT yahoo.com> wrote:
Thank you Richard for pointing out large acreage problems.  I was wondering at what scale of produce Rodale was using.  For one acre of organic verses one acre of conventional, I can see that organic would do very well.  However, IMO, organic production of grains can not be "Sized Up" to the scale of many farms here in the midwest.  300, 400 even 640 acre fields.  I don't know about you but I have a hard enough time weeding 1/2 an acre.

Jay

Jay's Jellies, Produce and More
Clay Center, Kansas
www.jaysjellies.com
http://highfarming.blogspot.com/

--- On Tue, 9/20/11, Richard Stewart <rstewart AT zoomtown.com> wrote:

From: Richard Stewart <rstewart AT zoomtown.com>

Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Now......GMO sweet corn
To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Date: Tuesday, September 20, 2011, 7:09 AM


"Additionally, in the Rodale studies previously cited..."

I downloaded Rodale's "Full"  FST Report and I have yet to see the data that backs up their claim.

My experiences planting heirloom corn (Kruggs Yellow and Boone County white) and beans (Black Turtle) on three acres or more is that the yields are far less than conventional and much more highly prone to weather conditions, mainly because of weed and cultivation issues.  Once weeds get in your labor requirements to get them out go through the roof and it becomes, in some cases, more economical to simply plow them under.  Keep in mind that I am selling corn at 25-150.00/bu (based on milling the corn and selling between .50 and 2.50 a pound).  I know that amy sound ridiculous, but its true.  Translate current methods of growing corn these days.  How do you hand cultivate 6000 acres with an unskilled labor pool that demands 10.00 an hour or more?

I will also argue that be it conventional or organic you will deplete your soil resources.  One simply does it faster than the other.  The problem is population.  The math simply does not add.  I have no idea what the solution to that is nor do I want to play "Global Earth Lifeguard" but at some point we will need to do so.  The alternative is continued divide between the "have" and the "have nots".


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  • Re: [Market-farming] Now......GMO sweet corn LARGE organic farms, Jackie Jameson, 09/21/2011

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