Organic farming that could work. Thoughts?

[jamesb]

Two of my organic buddies either plant sweet clover and do a plow down a year after wheat or plant alfalfa and have several years to build organic matter and the nitrogen levels that were severely depleted. In my parts its wild mustard that is the curse of the organic guys and quickly makes a huge weed seed bank for future years.

[checking]

Anyone wish to go gold mining?

I think washing rocks would be a lot more entertaining than cleaning organic grain. Tony Beets has a saying, "sucks to be you "

Yet, in another lifetime, I'd have the same land base, and sow a fifth of it to flax each year. The rest would be seeded to alfalfa/grass, left standing, and waiting for its turn to be flax.

Problem of fertilizer reduction - solved. Problem of weed control - solved. Concern for feeding the world - solved. Now, if only a company would develop a four year terminator alfalfa - grass mix.

Dreaming of another lifetime.

[ajl]

Supposedly the certifiers frown on that practice, of switching acres in and out. Not sure if they have any teeth to enforce it though?

It certainly goes against the spirit of the movement. But when most of the regulations are so ridiculous, assinine and arbitrary, that exploiting the loopholes is a necessity.

The hard core 'organic' cult members don't like this practice but to a certifier an inspection is a fee earned. So long as it meets the rules as written why not? This is likely the only practical way of getting around the problems of 'organic' status as unfortunately to operate otherwise is to believe in the existence of the 'free lunch'. He gave me a copy of the manual put out by the certification agency because I was interested in trying it too. It was an inch thick.

[AlbertaFarmer5]

. Now, if only a company would develop a four year terminator alfalfa - grass mix.

Dreaming of another lifetime.

That and so many other innovations that could potentially make organic viable sustainable and profitable. And about the only way we could potentially accomplish any of them would be by using genetic modification.
Unfortunately, the marketers of the undifferentiable organic products has chosen to demonize GMO as the only way to attempt to differentiate their products in the marketplace. Effectively shooting themselves in the foot to prevent any future progress in the industry.