
Study debunks myths on organic farms - ph0rque
http://www.thestarphoenix.com/business/Study+debunks+myths+organic+farms/5462520/story.html
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eridius
I have a hard time taking this at face value. If organic farming is so much
better than "conventional" farming, why did farmers ever start using these
toxic chemicals and other non-organic processes? There must be a reason for
this. I might imagine that switching to a chemical-based approach produced
better yields initially, but production slowly decreased over time (such that
people didn't notice) until dropped below the yields of the original "organic"
farming methods. But this is just a theory, and I'd love to know the reality.

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Caerus
I read through their "full report"
(<http://www.rodaleinstitute.org/files/FSTbookletFINAL.pdf>), which is barely
more than a press release, and the only mention of how they conducted the
study tells me it was a poorly controlled experiment:

 _"The crop rotations in the organic systems are more diverse than in the
conventional systems, including up to seven crops in eight years (compared to
two conventional crops in two years)."_

Also, be sure to keep the source of this study in mind:

 _"Rodale Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to pioneering organic
farming through research and outreach. For over sixty years, we’ve been
researching the best practices of organic agriculture and sharing our findings
with farmers and scientists throughout the world, advocating for policies that
support farmers, and educating consumers about how going organic is the
healthiest option for people and the planet."_

For me, a poorly conducted experiment by a very biased source, who doesn't
publish any details on said experiment, and which contradict most conventional
wisdom should be met with great skepticism.

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pbhjpbhj
Excerpt:

" _In fact, studies like the Rodale trials
(www.rodaleinstitute.org/fst30years) show that after a three-year transition
period, organic yields equalled conventional yields. What is more, the study
showed organic crops were more resilient. Organic corn yields were 31 per cent
higher than conventional in years of drought._

 _These drought yields are remarkable when compared to genetically modified
(GM) "drought tolerant" varieties, which showed increases of only 6.7 per cent
to 13.3 per cent over conventional (non-drought resistant) varieties._ "

