Processes of Organic Farming
Organic farmers use three basic principles to ensure
that their farms function with the central goal of organic farming in mind.
First, and perhaps most important, is the principle of
interdependency. The organic
farmer views the farm as an ecosystem, realizing that a change to one part of
the system may disrupt the interrelationships on the farm. An example of this is the way in which
organic farmers will address the problem of high nitrogen levels in the soil which
could stimulate weed growth. Farmers
will solve this problem by planting a crop which will utilize the nitrogen,
thus creating a normal balance of soil nutrients.
The second organic farming principle is diversity.
Organic farmers use complex crop rotation to maintain as natural a habitat as
possible. Most organic farmers will limit their livestock in order to keep a
balance between crops and livestock. The
diversity of crops and livestock gives the farmer both flexibility and a
diverse income, and also creates an ecosystem that helps to prevent one insect,
weed or disease from becoming a problem.
The final principle in organic farming is recycling. Organic farmers work toward self-sufficiency
on the farm by recycling nutrients. All
plant and animal residues are returned directly to the soil.
WEED
CONTROL
Organic
farmers do not use any chemical herbicides. They do their weeding by tractor
and by hand. When the ground is fallow,
they plant a cover crop to suppress weeds and build soil quality.
They also limit weeds by using drip irrigation whenever possible, which
restricts the distribution of water to the plant line. Another tool they
sometimes use is a "flame weeder," a propane device that attaches to
the back of a tractor and directs flames toward the ground. Farmers form beds, irrigate to germinate
weeds, and then "flame" to kill weeds and weed seeds before planting.
Organic farmers try to anticipate in advance where and when different pests
will be present, and adjust their planting schedules and locations as much as
possible to avoid serious pest problems.
Their main strategy to combat harmful pests is to build up a population of
beneficial insects, whose larvae feed off the eggs of pests. The key to building a population of
beneficial insects is to establish borders around fields planted with blends of
flowering plants that the beneficial insects particularly like. These are called "host crops." Farmers periodically release beneficial
insects into fields, where the host crops serve as their home base, and attract
more beneficial insects over time.
When faced with a pest outbreak that cannot be handled by beneficial insects,
farmers sometimes use natural or other organically approved insecticides. The two most important criteria for allowed
organic pesticides are low toxicity to people and other animals, and low
persistence in the environment. These criteria are determined by the USDA's
National Organic Standards.
FERTILIZATION
Organic farmers constantly work to build the healthy
soil that translates into healthy plants.
They plan well in advance of planting time how their plants will be
nourished. They work to make sure their soil is rich in
organic matter and has all the nutrients that the plants will need.
They use several methods to build up their soil fertility. One very effective method is planting cover
crops and tilling them under. The cover
crops — such as Austrian field peas, bell beans, and vetch — not only add
nutrients, such as nitrogen, to the soil, but also help prevent weeds and
increase organic matter to feed soil microorganisms. Soil with high organic matter resists soil
erosion and holds water better, requiring less irrigation.
Organic farmers also add the natural minerals that
plants need to grow and that help improve the soil's consistency. They add lime to adjust the soil's PH
balance. The soil preparation they do
takes care of all the nutrient needs for some of their crops, but other crops
need to be fertilized during their growing cycle.
Most of the fertilizers they use are recycled by-products from other industries
that would otherwise go to waste.
Organic farmers rely heavily on “liquid fish,” a slurry of the parts of
fish left over from the fishing and fish processing industry. This slurry is high in nitrogen, and plants
are able to absorb it rapidly. Kelp and
cottonseed meal are two other fertilizers used by organic farmers. Farmers also make compost out of animal
manures and mushroom compost. Before
compost can be applied to the fields, it is heated and aged for at least two
months, reaching and maintaining an internal temperature of 130°-140° to kill
any unwanted bacteria and weed seeds.
CONTROLLING
DISEASE
One of the biggest rewards of organic farming is healthy soil that is alive
with beneficial organisms. These healthy microbes, fungi and bacteria keep the
harmful bacteria and fungi that cause disease in check. Organic farmers, working with nature, build
soil that protects their crops from disease. They also try to be diligent about
crop rotation. They do not plant the
same crop in the same location time after time because that encourages the
build-up of diseases and pests that plague that particular crop.