Organic weeds! post local pics please

[TraderJoe]

I always wonder why the organic people generally do things the same and expect better results than the feeble efforts most put forth. Many start off using hay as a transition. Fine, Starts them out clean with decent fertility. And then the tillage and mining begins for twenty years.

Why not do a couple years of grain, a diverse cover crop, grazed intensively, back to alfalfa, couple years of grain? Why not sweet clover or alfalfa, or red clover for seed, rather than a plowdown or crazy summerfallow? Why not use a roller crimper instead of mass tillage implements? There are guys in the states using roller crispers following cover crops and no tilling into that mulch organically, why not here? Do better with less land because you can focus on it while a quarter of your land base is in hay?

Use fall rye and winter wheat to your advantage, stop trying to grow more than a couple years of grains with zero inputs.

Of course it’s always easy to look on the outside in, but simple half n half isn’t enough. I have grown some wild crops after alfalfa with no N, and minimal need to spray, often to the point of wondering if I should even spray. Same for rye and winter wheat, which beat most weeds by miles. With a little bit of care, one can keep former hayland wild oat free for many years.

It’s frustrating because I think it CAN be done better than 90% do it. I don’t get it I guess?

The absolute most important thing for success in organic farming is ROTATION. In that rotation you need to have cover crops involved for both weed management and nutrient input, which is also something we are seeing in conventional farming now as well. When you start to talk about regenerative/sustainable/carbon neutral, you are going to see organic production practices being implemented into conventional farming, but really only the ones that are actually working. The organic certifying bodies are supposed to be working with the producers to ensure that they are putting good rotations and practices in place, but all too often they are just there to take their money...
I have been working with both conv and organic over the past 30 years, and there are good and bad producers on both sides... it's just far more apparent when the organic ones are doing a sh** job...
Not saying don't rag on your neighbors that are growing more weeds than crop, just wanted to point a few things out...

[sumdumguy]

Parsley’s organic farm was awesome and I am pretty sure it was very profitable. Everything was row cultivated and beans podded like I’ve never seen and probably never will see again.👍 I’m sure Parsley could fill us in.

[Guest]

“Organic “ oat field !!
Should feed a couple people?

[Sheepwheat]

[ATTACH]10827[/ATTACH]
“Organic “ oat field !!
Should feed a couple people?

Man, hey?

Not too far away there is a guy who ran cows on a half section of Stoney bush. A few years ago he ripped out the bush, and started seeding it. Organically. It is a terrible mess. Like your pictures but worse even. What a waste. He produced far more calories with the cows, used the poor land (grey wooded with nearly zero natural productivity), way better. Trying to eke out nitrogen from a half job of summerfallow, from soil with one or maybe two per cent OM max, is folly.

Further down the road, there is an organic oat crop, following alfalfa. Clean. Looks like it’ll do 80 or so IMO. Same soil type. Different amount of effort.

And it shows. THere is a better way. Too bad 90% don’t seem to realize it. Again, I don’t get it.

[Guest]

Most organic field weed messes are worked up here yet again
Crop ins must be lenient with them ?

[jdg364]

Most organic field weed messes are worked up here yet again
Crop ins must be lenient with them ?

How does Scic work for organic growers. I assume they pay a premium just like the normal conventional farmer, but is there money “pooled” with the conventional growers to keep their payouts coming? Or are their premiums/payout separated?

Just wondering if they are being paid out more than contributing.. more curious than anything.

[SASKFARMER]

organic flax

[jazz]

Lets clear up the organic market illusion once and for all. The only people buying organic anything are urban Karens who watch CNN and CBC. Thats a pretty small market for $50 flax and $30 wheat. Most likely these consumers are anti GMO too, pro climate hysteria, gluten free, anti meat etc.

This is the last group of people I want to fight weeds for.

Most of our production is landing in china, Japan, India, sub saharan Africa, ME, where no Karens are found.

[Partners]

Wife, daughter, and grand daughter are all Gluten intolerant..
We never buy organic..
Many other options ..

[Sheepwheat]

Once in a while we end up with organic produce, simply because we are price conscious and it is at times cheaper than regular.

Our lamb could be certified organic, but we don’t see the advantage of certifying it. A lot of our co-vendors at farmers markets are organic, and do a brisk business. But it’s easier and far more feasible to raise organic garlic on ten acres and do a very good job with the same yields as conventional, than grain farming.

I would wager most of our personal gardens are basically organic.

Don’t confuse organic grain farming with the many other types of farming. Small scale organic is pretty simple, viable, and sustainable.

Remember, one is still a farmer even if one is not a grain farmer with a lot of acres!

I get a kick out of hunters who chat it up about their organic wild game. I didn’t know wild game ate only from organic farmers fields. Ha.

[WiltonRanch]

I swear my crops looked organic before spraying. Would have been a terrible year for organic guys with the amount of thistles and foxtail. Wet year after a drought almost sets you back years of weed control organic or conventional.

[jazz]

I swear my crops looked organic before spraying. Would have been a terrible year for organic guys with the amount of thistles and foxtail. Wet year after a drought almost sets you back years of weed control organic or conventional.

We have used by the book chem this year and we still have some weed issues. Thats what a season skewed by an entire month can do. Cant even imagine fighting weeds without chem this yr.

[Guest]

Wife, daughter, and grand daughter are all Gluten intolerant..
We never buy organic..
Many other options ..

https://doctordavidfriedman.com/blog/glyphosate-the-cause-of-gluten-intolerance

[agstar77]

https://doctordavidfriedman.com/blog/glyphosate-the-cause-of-gluten-intolerance

Also causes global warming and Russia invasion of Ukraine.

[Guest]

Also causes global warming and Russia invasion of Ukraine.

Supply the peer reviewed studies, citations etc or stick your head back up your ãss asstar