Buxqi > writes
>
>"On page 1694, agronomists report the results of the longest and most
>comprehensive study to date comparing organic and conventional farming,
>measuring many aspects of crops and soil over 21 years.

Unfortunately the details do not seem to be online.
The trial is a swiss one, the swiss are third rank is agricultural
production. Its likely they are majoring on selected vegetables and
fruit. I (and others here) have never argued that selected vegetables
and fruit, *particularly when grown in small plots* can yield as well
organically as conventionally. They don't need weedkillers (small: can
be done by hand), they don't need pesticides (crops are resistant and
small plots are effectively disease resistant) and can easily be
fertilised using organic fertiliser (small amounts in total needed).

Unfortunately none of these transfer to the large scale. You can't hand-
hoe large areas (like 30ac fields need gangs of men and its very hard
work), you can't get enough organic fertiliser because its simply not
available and the large plots mean its much more likely for pests and
diseases to find the field and romp across it uncontrolled.

In my garden I use no pesticides (ok every few years I need to spray for
cabbage caterpillars) but experience of large scale veg production means
I **know** I can't do the same on a field scale, even using the same
varieties, the same fertiliser and grown on the same land. I know this
because I have done it.

>The bottom line:
>Organic farms can be nearly as productive as regular farms for some crops,

Indeed, never in dispute.

http://www.soil.ncsu.edu/publication...cts/AG-439-28/
Undiluted cattle slurry.
22-14-21 lbs/1000gal. = 10-6.4-10 kg/4500L = 2-1.5-2 /ton

To apply (for a cabbage crop for example) 150-100-150 'Ha
I need to apply 75T/Ha, for a 30Ha field that's 2200 T.
That's about 100 max size roadtankers for a poxy 30Ha.

This would not count as organic of course. This slurry would have to be
mixed with straw (at least 2 straw to 1 slurry and composted, losing a
lot of N and increasing the quantity to about 7000T.

Take this countrywide and you will soon realise that all the slurry from
all the livestock, barely covers the UK cabbage crop, let alone the
grassland, cereals, beans etc etc etc.

>and they leave soils healthier.

Depends on the definition of healthier and what rotation was chosen.

>The study also conclusively demonstrates
>that for most crops, organic plots are more energy efficient per unit crop."
>http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/conten...296/5573/1589a

Probably not, but without seeing the data I can't comment.


--
Oz
This post is worth absolutely nothing and is probably fallacious.