How organic corn triumphed over chemical corn

[jpak]

http://www.energybulletin.net/41244.html

Now Mary mused, out loud. “I wonder if organically-grown corn might out-yield corn grown with artificial fertilizers?”

Hoots all around. “Before fertilizers, farmers were lucky to get 70 bushel to the acre,” Nan said. “Now we get 120 without hardly trying.”

Mary knew, from reading agricultural history, that yields of over 200 bushels per acre had been reported in virgin soils before hybrids, but she did not say so. She knew better than to try to sound learned in Blue Room University where grizzled, no-nonsense farmers were both professor and student. But Ben, her husband, came to her aid. “Well, be careful, Nan. That kid in Mississippi who grew 300 bushel corn in 1955 used a lot of manure.”

“You couldn’t raise 300 bushel corn around here on a whole Rocky Mountain range of manure,” Emmet, Nan’s husband, said.

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[ensho]

1. kick

nt

[PDJane]

2. That's amusing, and interesting...

And true.

I don't ever remember using fertilizer except for manure on our fields at home, and there was always a fallow period. Of course, we also had free-range cows and chickens too. A different kind of life.

[Kittycat]

3. Outstanding Article!!!

Thank you so much for sharing.

Gives me some hope for my little suburban organic garden :) We're seed-starting year 2 in the basement as we speak (Year 3 organic, but purchased plants the first year). We found a company/farm out of MO that grows organic & heirloom varieties for seed.

[mainegreen]

4. History has proved this over and over.

Clones are bad.
Single strains are bad.

What is true for economics is true for farming: diversify.

[jpak]

5. I'm still eating fresh juicy antique "winter" apples I picked last October

They're called Black Oxfords (AKA "the Fourth of July Apple") developed in Oxford County (ME) for overseas export but mostly forgotten now. They're hard as a rock and about as tasty in October but by March they're sweet and juicy - a remarkable "keeper". I planted them 20 years ago, no fertilizer or pesticides and they are all perfect: no scab, no worms...

:thumbsup:

[mainegreen]

6. LOVE Black Oxfords.

Grew up in the town next to Oxford.
Planted a Black Oxford tree on my FIL's property last summer.

Great storage apple.

[Tumbulu]

7. Great post!

Great read as well. Thanks, it brought me back to the old days when everyone said organic farming would never survive.

[JohnWxy]

8. VERRRY INTERESTING!

[druidity33]

9. excellent link. k&r. nt.