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southern MN | I'm with Ben on this.
The trouble with the organic crowd is they just make stuff up, to put it bluntly.
Like the word 'sustainable'.
How does it apply positively to an organic producer, but a conventional farm is not sustainable?
Makes no sense.
If you raise a crop, haul some of that crop away through grain, meat, or milk, you lose the claim to being sustainable.
Can't be.
Somehow you need to replace the stuff you hauled away. You need to import the fertility you hauled away.
Organic producers can raise some N by adding a legume cover crop, but that uses up time and rainfall so now they lower their yearly possible production. This may add to sustainability, but it decreases efficiency, lowers production per acre.
Organic producers need to import the P and K they use up, they need to balance low soil ph just like a conventional producer. They steal the P and K from other ground, by importing manure, kelp, and biomass from other lands. This is no more sustainable that conventional farming that also imports fertilizer. Many times the organic farms use choice plots of land that are naturally fertile from centuries of good fortune, and they tend to produce a lower yield. So it may appear they are not depleting their soil as fast, but I do not think you can honestly consider that a good, sustainable thing?
Farmers of any type fight for better yields, better efficiencies. I think producing more bushels per acre, and harvesting more bushels with less fuel use per bu is a good, positive, sustainable thing?
Organic methods limit the options available. If their is an insect outbreak, you loose more crop organically. Weeds are harder to control, you need to till the soil more, you need to use more fuel. All this looks -less- sustainable to me, not -more-.
I am very happy there are organic choices and options, and fully support those who choose to buy, and those who shoes r
To grow organic options.
However, call your rusty old Dotsun what it really is. It is less sustainable that good modern farming practices.
Paul | |
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Forbes article on the "Organic Religion".
