1. ORGANIC FARMING IAFNR Plant and Soil Sciences Module

2. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE ORGANIC?  Organic farming- pest and nutrient management are achieved with non-chemical methods  Type of sustainable agriculture  Promotes healthy soil by controlling erosion  Some consumers believe that organic product are safer, more nutritious or flavorful, and support the process of organic farming  National Organic Program (1990) USDA  Federal program to certify organic requirements Image retrieved from: http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/ams.fetc hTemplateData.do?&template=TemplateA& leftNav=NationalOrganicProgram&page=NO POrganicSeal&description=The%20Organic %20Seal http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/ams.fetc hTemplateData.do?&template=TemplateA& leftNav=NationalOrganicProgram&page=NO POrganicSeal&description=The%20Organic %20Seal

3. WHY FARM ORGANICALLY?  Organic Farmers claim it provides long-term benefits to people and the environment. Organic Farming aims to:  Increase long-term soil fertility  Control weeds, pests, and diseases without harming the environment  Ensure clean, safe water sources  Utilize resources so that farmer needs less money for farm inputs  Produce Nutritious food, feed for animals, and high-quality crops to sell at a good price

4. THE ARGUMENT AGAINST MODERN AGRICULTURE  Advocates of organic agriculture claim that modern, intensive agriculture cause many problems, including:  Artificial fertilizers and herbicides wash from the soil and pollute water sources  Use of artificial fertilizers leaves soils with a low organic matter, can be easily eroded  Dependency on artificial fertilizers leads to greater need every year to produce same yields  Artificial pesticides stay in soil and enter the food chain, causing health problems  Pests and diseases are difficult to control as they become resistant to artificial pesticides.

5. CROP NUTRITION PRACTICES  Manure  Benefits  A fertilizer rich in nitrogen  Adds organic matter to soil  Longer effects than chemical fertilizer  Organic farmers attempt to use best management practices  Compost  A method of causing decay of organic matter contained in a pile above ground  Benefits  Reduces the weight and volume of organic material  Reduces the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio of materials  Heat kills most plant and human pathogens and weed seeds  Green Manure  Traditional-crops planted to be plowed down  Legumes or cover crops Image retrieved from: http://www.resilienc e.org/stories/2009- 04-09/manure- more-precious-gold http://www.resilienc e.org/stories/2009- 04-09/manure- more-precious-gold

6. CHOICE OF CROPS  Crops are affected by…..  Soil Type  Rainfall  Altitude  Temperature  Nutrients Required  Water Required  Organic farmers grow crops and varieties that are suited to the local conditions, geography and climate  Creating the best possible yield and limiting pests and diseases What are Crops affected by?

7. CROP MANAGEMENT Crop Rotation  Growing crops in same site for multiple years reduces soil fertility  Buildup of pests, disease, and weeds  Crop Rotation allows time for soil to build up fertility instead of removing nutrients from growing crops  Typical Organic farmer’s four year rotation includes  Corn and beans, root crop, cereals  Grass/bush fallow or legume crop Weed, Pest, and Disease Control  Weed control methods  Crop rotation  Hoeing  Mulching  Pest and Disease control methods  Choosing crops with natural resistance  Timely planting  Companion planting  Trapping or picking pests from crop  Allowing natural predators to control pests

8. SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE  Concern for long-term farm productivity and the effects of agricultural practices on the environment  Depleting agriculture’s resource base  Declining soil productivity due to erosion and loss of organic matter and nutrients  Depleting fertilizer sources  Increasing cost and declining availability of energy  Sustainable Agriculture- a philosophy and collection of practices that seeks to protect resources while ensuring adequate productivity  Minimizes off-farm inputs like fertilizers and pesticides  Soil and water management

9. REFERENCES  Parker, R. (2010). Plant and Soil Science: Fundamentals and Applications. Clifton Park, NY: Delmar.