Hawaii Organic Farmers Association

Increasing public demand for organic products attracts premiums for the certified organic farmer, causing hard-pressed conventional farmers to consider going organic.

In the US, a 20% annual growth rate caused sales of organic produce to reach $8 billion in 2001; and incentives to farmers to go organic are offered in the 2002 Farm Bill, including cost sharing, and direct payments for conservation practices, such as longer crop rotations.

Scientists Kathleen Delate of Iowa State University and Cynthia A. Cambardella of the US Department of Agriculture assessed the agroecosystem performance of farms during the three-year transition it takes to switch from conventional to certified organic grain production. Strategies for lowering the risk of yield loss during this period have been researched, as productivity has been found to decrease initially when fertilizer and pesticide applications are withheld. But productivity generally improves in successive years under organic management to equal that in conventional farms. The study found that organic grain crops can be successfully produced in the third year of transition and that additional economic benefits can be derived from expanded crop rotation.

The experiment, lasting four years (three years transition and first year of organic certification), tested the hypothesis that organic systems relying on locally derived inputs are capable of providing stable yields while maintaining soil quality and plant protection compared with conventional systems with less diverse crop rotations and greater levels of external, fossil-fuel based inputs. The experimental design involved a completely randomized four replications of four different cropping system treatments.

The researchers looked at the effects of organic farming practices, including crop rotation, cover cropping, compost application, and non-chemical weed control on soil fertility, crop yield, and grain quality compared with the conventional system. They assessed pests and plant response under various crop rotations, and determined which certified organic crop rotations reduced the risks from low yield and improved soil properties and economic returns.

Organics performed as well or better.

During the four-year period, corn yield in the organic system averaged 91.8% of conventional corn yield and soybean yield in the organic system averaged 99.6% of conventional soybean yield. By year three, there was no significant difference between organic and conventional yields; and both organic corn and soybeans exceeded conventional yields in the fourth year (the first year after certification).

In the initial year of transition, an economic advantage could be gained by planting legume hay crops or crops with a low nitrogen demand in fields with low productivity, to increase fertility for the following corn crop. In the second year, yield differences were mitigated by rotation effects and compost application, providing sufficient nutrients for the organic grain crop. The yields in year three were similar, but the importance of a soil-building cover crop, or legume grass mixture such as the oat-alfalfa mixture used in this study was apparent in the fourth year when organic corn and soybean yields out-performed the conventional crops.

Other benefits

The researchers thought that timely weed management and sufficient levels of nitrogen, phosphate and potassium in the organic system contributed to good yields during transition. Yield increases were obtained after three years because of available nitrogen due to organic amendments, such as composted pig manure and the inclusion of forage legumes and other green manures in extended crop rotations.

Soil fertility depends on the constant renewal of biologically available nitrogen to replenish the organic nitrogen pools for plants to absorb. Total nitrogen levels showed an increase of 457 kg per hectare in organic soil over four years, or an average increase of 114 kg N per ha per annum, sufficient to maintain organic nitrogen pools in this system. Total organic calcium increased 9% in organic soil over the transition period, with no significant increase in non-organic soil.

The researchers found weed pressure in the organic corn and soybean systems was manageable, and that it was less in organic soybean than in corn plots where rye was not used as a cover crop. In the soybean-rye rotation, weed densities were equivalent to conventional systems in the first two years, and significantly less in the third year. Grass and broadleaf weed populations varied between the organic and conventional systems each year, but the impact on yield was considered negligible. Corn borer and bean leaf beetle populations were similar between systems, again with no effect on yield.

Economic returns in the organic corn-soybean-oats/alfalfa and the organic corn-soybean-oats/alfalfa-alfalfa rotations were significantly greater than those in the conventional corn-soybean rotation, as organic soybean commands premium prices in the organic rotation due to increased demand.

A previous study had found enhanced soil fertility and higher biodiversity were correlated with less dependence on inputs in the organic systems, reducing fertilizer and energy inputs by 44% and pesticide by 97%.

The study continues

This study is ongoing, and will continue to examine the effect of crop sequence and length of rotation on long-term pest disruption and attraction of beneficial insects into the organic systems. Earlier work by Miguel Altieri at University of California, Berkeley, showed that greater biological control should occur in organic systems that maintain diverse biota through minimal pesticide use (see "Agroecology vs ecoagriculture", ISIS report www.i-sis.org.uk).

Potential food quality changes will also be monitored over time, so that assessments of the advantages of organic production over conventional systems can be brought more to the foreground of the debate on organic versus conventional production. As organic farmers produce high quality food without conventional inputs from agribusiness, agribusiness has a vested interest in denigrating organic systems on any account. This research is essential in countering the corporate disinformation campaign.

This article is an Institute of Science in Society press release dated 9/12/04

For more information check: http://www.i-sis.org.uk/

ORGANIC MINDS WANT TO KNOW

Dear HOFA:

What does the Federal Organic Rule say about using raw animal manure? Does it have to come from an organic livestock operation?

The use of raw manure, from any source, is an acceptable organic input as long as it is used to maintain or improve soil organic matter content and does not contribute to contamination of crops, soil, or water by pathogenic organisms, heavy metals, or residues of prohibited substances.

Section 205.203(c)(1)

Raw animal manure, which must be composted unless it is:

(i) Applied to land not intended for human consumption,

(ii) Incorporated into the soil not less than 120 days prior to the harvest of a product whose edible portion has direct contact with the soil surface or soil particles; or

(iii) Incorporated into the soil not less than 90 days prior to the harvest of a product whose edible portion does not have direct contact with the soil surface or soil particles.

Dear HOFA:

Do blended fertilizers that contain manure fall under the same requirements as raw manure?

Yes. Unless the manufacturer can supply documentation stating that the manure has been composted according to the Federal Organic Rule, all blended, pelletized, and “composted” manure products are considered raw manure and should be applied and documented as such.

Dear HOFA:

My neighbor has a mountain of horse manure that has been left for over one year. It is warm to the touch and appears broken down. Is this considered composted manure?

No. All manure sources are considered raw unless composted according to Section 205.203(c)(2) of the Federal Organic Rule.

For more information about the Federal Organic Rule go to: www.ams.usda.gov/nop

The Rodale Institute® Launches

The New Farm Organic Price Index™

First-Ever Price Listings of Organic Foods Will Bolster the Industry

Kutztown, Pennsylvania -- The Rodale Institute®, a publicly supported nonprofit organization and the country’s leading advocate for regenerative, sustainable agriculture and organic foods, today launched the first-ever wholesale price index of certified organic foods-The New Farm Organic Price Index™ (OPX™).

Announced last month, the OPX™ today goes live on The Rodale Institute’s Website for farmers, NewFarm.org, free of charge. With the help of the OPX, organic farmers will be able to market their products competitively by using the index as a pricing guide, comparing the prices of similar goods - both organic and conventional.

“We created the ™ because we listen to farmers,” said Anthony Rodale, chairman of The Rodale Institute. “Through our surveys, farmers told us they needed a pricing guide to help them track prices for their products. We’ve responded with the ™. We’re very excited that organic farmers and buyers will now have access to this much-needed information source.”

Immediately, the OPX™ will track select items in the categories of produce, grains, dairy and meats that are organically grown or raised in the U.S. Additional items will be added to the index over time. Seasonal items will be tracked when available. The price data will be updated on a weekly basis, and will be compiled from government and private sources in the Pacific Northwest, Midwest and the Northeast.

The index will provide:

* Price transparency— Prices of organically grown and conventionally grown foods are seen side by side for easier comparison.

* Competitive information— Buyers and sellers of certified organic food will now know what certain items should and do sell for around the country.

* Fair information for insurers—Organic farmers, who have traditionally had to insure their crops according to conventional pricing, will now have better documented price information for their goods, resulting in more appropriate coverage.

* Helping retail consumers—™ will help to educate retail consumers with a better understanding of organic vs. conventional pricing while further solidifying the traditionally strong relationship between organic farmers and retail consumers.

Organic Food: A Maturing Industry

While conventionally grown or raised foods have been tracked with market reports for many years, the organic community has historically been marginalized and has lacked access to pricing information. But today, the organic food industry is rapidly evolving to become a far more formidable segment of the food industry. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, “The organic industry is growing between 20 and 25 percent annually, and has been for the last several years. U.S. retail sales of organic foods reached approximately $7.8 billion in 2000, with global sales topping $17.5 billion.” The ™ will aid the further maturing of the organic food industry.

The Rodale Institute works with people worldwide to achieve a regenerative food system that renews environmental and human health working with the philosophy that "Healthy Soil = Healthy Food = Healthy People® For more information: www.rodaleinstitute.org

Hawaii Organic Farmers Association (HOFA)
P.O. Box 6863, Hilo, HI 96720
Phone: (808) 969-7789 Toll Free: (877) 674-4632 Fax: (808) 969-7759
Email: hofa@hawaiiorganicfarmers.org
Copyright 2002