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| Lefty11 - 1/10/2013 07:18
If you do it primarily for short term economics, you are done before you start. If you don't 'believe in it', you are also done before you start.
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In my view, the way to fail in organics is to assume that organic production is conventional production without chemicals. We were forced to change our cropping system, embrace green manure/compost, idle a field every year, row crop cultivate very shallow and agressively, and in crop mechanical weed. We also flame weed. Learning curve was vertical. It hasn't flattened out yet, but it sure is fun and rewarding.
Just the same as a vegetarian diet is not normal food without the meat.
Both your remarks are great and absolutely true.
I wonder if there has been comparison between organics and conventional for erosion.
It's the criticism that comes back most often (together with "we would all starve"), even in this post, but my guess is that between the higher organic matter and the use of cover crops or mulching crop residue, there's probably less erosion in organic soils. Non-intensive organic farming will actually increase the depth of top soil, but I don't know what's the status now, as more organic farmers are using increasingly intensive farming which must be more stressful for the soil. | |
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Going organic
