A picture to challenge some preconceptions

[grassfarmer]

Organic Corn - no chemicals, fertilizers or soil amendments applied in over 15 years. Nebraska.

[Taiga]

Slim Jim there must be organic grass fed too.

[AlbertaFarmer5]

I have loads of respect for those making alternative production models work. I recently learned of a farmer half hour further north and west of me ( and I am on the edge) growing organic crops, and they look very good, clean, and good looking yields, including wheat. I plan to be talking to them after harvest, see what I can learn.

As for Nebraska, not sure there are many lessons that can be applied here. They would have enough growing season to grow effective cover crops on both ends. Probably under irrigation, with reliable heat units, when you control the weather, a lot is possible. Much different soils compared to our nutrient deficient grey wooded which are chronically short of OM, Potash, and Sulfur. Does no amendments include no manure?

[jazz]

Photo shop. Fake as F&ck.

[AlbertaFarmer5]

Photo shop. Fake as F&ck.

Over on NewAgTalk there are some posters consistently doing this, it is for real. Likely much easier with a row crop where they can cultivate in row.

[sumdumguy]

i’d have to actually physically see it to believe it. The organic farmer around here has thousands of acres that look super bad!

[wd9]

[ATTACH]3355[/ATTACH]

Organic Corn - no chemicals, fertilizers or soil amendments applied in over 15 years. Nebraska.

Eventually you can no longer withdraw from the bank. The only difference is the account balance to start with.

Grassfarmer, here is the question, why wouldn't the landowner want to replace nutrients while they and energy are extremely cheap today?

And please don't give the answer its regenerating. Its not, its depleting the bank every year.

[AlbertaFarmer5]

Eventually you can no longer withdraw from the bank. The only difference is the account balance to start with.

Grassfarmer, here is the question, why wouldn't the landowner want to replace nutrients while they and energy are extremely cheap today?

And please don't give the answer its regenerating. Its not, its depleting the bank every year.

I've met or read a number of people who indirectly seem to believe that enough foo-foo juice or cover crops, or bacteria will allow plants to fix all nutrients out of thin air, or perform some alchemy and turn one element into another.

That said, what I understand, is that many soils have thousands of years worth of most nutrients in them, but not plant available, and that if you can access them, it is more sustainable than mined nutrients. Certainly not the case on our soil.

And as for sustainability, nothing we do is sustainable in the long term, why worry about the nutrient bank account hundreds of years from now when likely every other input will be exhausted before that?

[sumdumguy]

Many soild have thousands of years of weed seeds, I’ve noticed.

[dalek]

That’s pretty unimpressive corn compared to anything grown conventionally in Nebraska.