You'll note once again US doesn't have the balls to respond.

Beach Runner wrote:
> Top posting, notice that USUAL Subjects ignores this research that
> doesn't fit into his limited opinion.
>
> The big difference comes after a few years because the soil remains better.
>
>
> Beach Runner wrote:
>
>> Organic farming produces same corn and soybean yields as conventional
>> farms, but consumes less energy and no pesticides, study finds
>> By Susan S. Lang
>> July 13, 2005
>>
>> http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/...other.ssl.html
>>
>> ITHACA, N.Y. -- Organic farming produces the same yields of corn and
>> soybeans as does conventional farming, but uses 30 percent less
>> energy, less water and no pesticides, a review of a 22-year farming
>> trial study concludes.
>>
>> David Pimentel, a Cornell University professor of ecology and
>> agriculture, concludes, "Organic farming offers real advantages for
>> such crops as corn and soybeans." Pimentel is the lead author of a
>> study that is published in the July issue of Bioscience (Vol. 55:7)
>> analyzing the environmental, energy and economic costs and benefits
>> of growing soybeans and corn organically versus conventionally. The
>> study is a review of the Rodale Institute Farming Systems Trial, the
>> longest running comparison of organic vs. conventional farming in the
>> United States.
>>
>> "Organic farming approaches for these crops not only use an average
>> of 30 percent less fossil energy but also conserve more water in the
>> soil, induce less erosion, maintain soil quality and conserve more
>> biological resources than conventional farming does," Pimentel added.
>>
>> The study compared a conventional farm that used recommended
>> fertilizer and pesticide applications with an organic animal-based
>> farm (where manure was applied) and an organic legume-based farm
>> (that used a three-year rotation of hairy vetch/corn and rye/soybeans
>> and wheat). The two organic systems received no chemical fertilizers
>> or pesticides.
>>
>> Inter-institutional collaboration included Rodale Institute
>> agronomists Paul Hepperly and Rita Seidel, U.S. Department of
>> Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service research microbiologist
>> David Douds Jr. and University of Maryland agricultural economist
>> James Hanson. The research compared soil fungi activity, crop yields,
>> energy efficiency, costs, organic matter changes over time, nitrogen
>> accumulation and nitrate leaching across organic and conventional
>> agricultural systems.
>>
>> "First and foremost, we found that corn and soybean yields were the
>> same across the three systems," said Pimentel, who noted that
>> although organic corn yields were about one-third lower during the
>> first four years of the study, over time the organic systems produced
>> higher yields, especially under drought conditions. The reason was
>> that wind and water erosion degraded the soil on the conventional
>> farm while the soil on the organic farms steadily improved in organic
>> matter, moisture, microbial activity and other soil quality
>> indicators.
>>
>> The fact that organic agriculture systems also absorb and retain
>> significant amounts of carbon in the soil has implications for global
>> warming, Pimentel said, pointing out that soil carbon in the organic
>> systems increased by 15 to 28 percent, the equivalent of taking about
>> 3,500 pounds of carbon dioxide per hectare out of the air.
>>
>> Among the study's other findings:
>> # In the drought years, 1988 to 1998, corn yields in the legume-based
>> system were 22 percent higher than yields in the conventional system.
>> # The soil nitrogen levels in the organic farming systems increased 8
>> to 15 percent. Nitrate leaching was about equivalent in the organic
>> and conventional farming systems.
>> # Organic farming reduced local and regional groundwater pollution by
>> not applying agricultural chemicals.
>>
>> Pimentel noted that although cash crops cannot be grown as frequently
>> over time on organic farms because of the dependence on cultural
>> practices to supply nutrients and control pests and because labor
>> costs average about 15 percent higher in organic farming systems, the
>> higher prices that organic foods command in the marketplace still
>> make the net economic return per acre either equal to or higher than
>> that of conventionally produced crops.
>>
>> Organic farming can compete effectively in growing corn, soybeans,
>> wheat, barley and other grains, Pimentel said, but it might not be as
>> favorable for growing such crops as grapes, apples, cherries and
>> potatoes, which have greater pest problems.
>>
>> The study was funded by the Rodale Institute and included a review of
>> current literature on organic and conventional agriculture
>> comparisons. According to Pimentel, dozens of scientific papers
>> reporting on research from the Rodale Institute Farming Systems Trial
>> have been published in prestigious refereed journals over the past 20
>> years.