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Pasture, Forage & Sustainable Pasture,Pasture, ForageForage && SustainableSustainable OrganicOrganic ProductionProduction GeorgeGeorge KuepperKuepper NationalNational CenterCenter forfor AppropriateAppropriate TechnologyTechnology ATTRA P.O. Box 3838 Butte, MT 59701 1-800-346-9140 www.attra.ncat.org ATTRA - National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service is created and managed by the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) and is funded under a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture's Rural Business-Cooperative Service. It provides information and other technical assistance to farmers, ranchers, Extension agents, educators, and others involved in sustainable agriculture in the United States. Evolution Of and the Influences On American Organic Farming F.H. King J.I. Rodale Wm. Albrecht OFPANA/ OTA NOP R. Steiner A. Howard E. Balfour Silent Spring Standard USDA’s OFPA oneers Implemented Events L. Bromfield E. Pfeiffer Organic Report Pi Organizations USDA Countercultural Influences Organic National Environmental Consciousness Certification Standard Organic By Neglect & Sustainable Practices Industry from the Asian Standards Continent Certified Organic Production Convertible Husbandry & High Farming (Europe, 1800s) Humus Organic Eco-Agriculture Farming Farming Agri. Improvement (U.S., 1830s) Integrated Production, etc. Agroecology & Permaculture Demeter Biodynamics Certified Production ▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲ 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2006 WashingtonWashington UniversityUniversity OrganicOrganic FarmingFarming StudiesStudies * Funding:Funding: NationalNational ScienceScience FoundationFoundation Timeframe:Timeframe: 19741974––19781978 StatesStates inin study:study: Iowa,Iowa, Illinois,Illinois, SouthernSouthern Minnesota,Minnesota, NorthernNorthern Missouri,Missouri, EasternEastern NebraskaNebraska Enterprises:Enterprises: AgronomicAgronomic cropscrops * Studies summarized in Lockeretz, Wm., et al., 1981. Organic Farming in the Corn Belt. Science, Vol. 211. February 6. p. 540–547. WashingtonWashington UniversityUniversity OrganicOrganic FarmingFarming Studies:Studies: ––EconomicEconomic ResultsResults–– CommercialCommercial OrganicOrganic FarmsFarms producingproducing agronomicagronomic cropscrops andand livestocklivestock werewere aa realityreality NetNet incomeincome perper acreacre onon comparablecomparable organicorganic andand conventionalconventional farmsfarms werewere roughlyroughly equalequal basedbased onon conventionalconventional pricing*pricing* * Comparable findings in the 1990s in SW Minnesota per: Mahoney, Paul R., et al. 2004. Profitability of organic cropping systems in southwestern Minnesota. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems, Vol. 19, No. 1. March. p. 35–46. EnvironmentalEnvironmental BenefitsBenefits ofof OrganicOrganic FarmingFarming ¾ Reduced energy consumption1 ¾ Reduced erosion1 ¾ Higher carbon sequestration1,2 ¾ No depletion of fertility1,3 ¾ Reduced nutrient leaching2 1 Lockeretz, Wm., et al., 1981. Organic Farming in the Corn Belt. Science, Vol. 211. February 6. p. 540–547. 2 Drinkwater, L.E., et al. 1998. Legume-based cropping systems have reduced carbon and nitrogen losses. Nature. Vol. 396, No. 19. November. p. 262–265. 3 Davis, J., and J. Daniel. 2004. Long-term organic farming impacts on soil fertility. OFRF Information Bulletin. No. 14. Fall. p. 19–22. What do Consumers of Organic Food Look For? According to Hartman & New Hope (1997): Characteristic Percent Rating “Extremely “ or “Very Important” Healthfulness 80% Availability in Regular Supermarkets 69% Environmental Friendliness 67% Price 64% Convenience of Preparation 53% From: Dimitri, Carolyn, and Nessa J. Richman. 2000. Organic Food Markets in Transition. Henry A. Wallace Center for Agricultural and Environmental Policy, Policy Studies Report No. 14. ????????????????????????????? From: Kuepper, G. 2004. Organic Crop Production Overview. ATTRA. PerennialPerennial ForagesForages inin OrganicOrganic Systems:Systems: PositivePositive ContributionsContributions toto thethe EnvironmentEnvironment NN--FixationFixation supplantssupplants energyenergy--intensiveintensive syntheticsynthetic nitrogennitrogen CarbonCarbon sequestrationsequestration (extended(extended photosyntheticphotosynthetic period;period; nono tillage)tillage) IncreasedIncreased nutrientnutrient biobio--availabilityavailability (extensive(extensive andand deepdeep rootsroots taptap naturalnatural nutrientnutrient pool)pool) ReducedReduced erosionerosion (close(close growing;growing; nono tillage)tillage) ReducedReduced leachingleaching (perennial(perennial catchcatch crop)crop) From: Kuepper, G. 2004. Organic Crop Production Overview. ATTRA. ATTRAATTRA’’ss GrassGrass FarmingFarming Pubs.Pubs. NutrientNutrient CyclingCycling inin PasturesPastures AssessingAssessing thethe PasturePasture soilsoil ResourceResource MatchingMatching LivestockLivestock && ForageForage ResourcesResources MultispeciesMultispecies GrazingGrazing RotationalRotational GrazingGrazing SustainableSustainable PasturePasture ManagementManagement ConvertingConverting CroplandCropland toto PerennialPerennial GrasslandGrassland NutritionalNutritional NeedsNeeds ofof RuminantsRuminants onon PasturePasture PaddockPaddock Design,Design, Fencing,Fencing, && WaterWater SystemsSystems SolarSolar--poweredpowered LivestockLivestock WateringWatering SystemsSystems ATTRAATTRA’’ss GrassGrass FarmingFarming Pubs.Pubs. GrassGrass--basedbased && SeasonalSeasonal DairyingDairying TheThe EconomicsEconomics ofof GrassGrass--basedbased DairyingDairying RaisingRaising DairyDairy HeifersHeifers onon PasturePasture PasturedPastured PoultryPoultry NutritionNutrition RangeRange PoultryPoultry HousingHousing PoultryPoultry GeneticsGenetics forfor PasturedPastured ProductionProduction GrowingGrowing YourYour RangeRange PoultryPoultry BusinessBusiness NCATNCAT’’ss OrganicOrganic LivestockLivestock WorkbookWorkbook http://attra.ncat.org/attrahttp://attra.ncat.org/attra-- pub/PDF/livestockworkbook.pdfpub/PDF/livestockworkbook.pdf (Developed(Developed withwith fundsfunds fromfrom thethe NOPNOP andand NatNat’’ll SARE)SARE) TheThe firstfirst 3030 pagespages ofof thisthis 9292 pagepage documentdocument dealdeal withwith pasturepasture andand range!range! Another Satisfied ATTRA Client!.
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