Showing papers on "Organic farming published in 1981"

Organic Farming in the Corn Belt

Abstract: A small minority of farmers in the Midwest produces crops on a commercial scale without using modern fertilizers and pesticides. On the basis of a 5-year study, it appears that these farmers have more in common with the majority of farmers in the region than with certain stereotypes of organic farmers. Their farming practices (other than chemical use), the size and labor requirements of their farms, and the production and profitability they achieve differ from those of conventional farmers by considerably less than might be expected on the basis of the fundamental importance of chemicals in modern agricultural production. Compared to conventional methods, organic methods consume less fossil energy and cause less soil erosion, but have mixed effects on soil nutrient status and grain protein content.

Biological efficiency in agriculture

Abstract: Although agriculture involves a great deal more than biology, it is nevertheless based on biological processes. It is impossible to conceive of an agriculture or an agricultural system that is not based on one or more biological processes. Indeed, a part of the definition proposed in Chapter 1 was the controlled use of animals and plants.

Crop Production Costs and Returns on Midwestern Organic Farms: 1977 and 1978

Abstract: Increasing costs of energy have had a serious impact on the cost and supply of fertilizers, particularly nitrogen fertilizers. The use of several pesticides has been banned or restricted, and restrictions are being considered for others. For these reasons, a reduction in the chemical and energy intensiveness of agriculture would be desirable, provided that agricultural production would not be reduced seriously or production costs appreciably increased. Organic farming represents a lower bound on chemical intensiveness and consequently is considerably less energy intensive as well. A study of such farms can provide information on the effect of reducing the use of farm chemicals on productivity and economic performance. We have previously reported results of a threeyear comparison of economic performance and energy intensiveness of crop production on fourteen pairs of midwestern mixed grain-livestock farms which do (conventional farms) and which do not (organic farms) use standard commercial fertilizers and pesticides (Klepper et al., Lockeretz et al. 1978). The value of crops produced on organic farms, per unit area of cropland, was about 11% lower than on conventional farms. Operating expenses were also lower on organic farms and net returns about the same. Energy use for each dollar' s worth of crops produced on organic farms was only 40% of that used on the conventional farms. Two major limitations in the three-year comparison restrict the applicability of the results. First, the sample was small and selected in an ad hoc way, essentially by word of mouth, because no listing of organic farms was available when the study began. Second, the data were obtained during three years of relatively unfavorable conditions. On the basis of both agronomic principles and empirical measurements (Lockeretz et al. 1980), relative yields on organic farms compared to conventional farms can be expected to be better under adverse than under favorable growing conditions. Because of these limitations, we extended our analysis of crop production on organic farms by analyzing a different sample for two additional years, 1977 and 1978. The results are reported in this paper.