Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-4rdpn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-04T04:12:30.249Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Midwestern organic farming: A ten-year follow-up

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 October 2009

William Lockeretz
Affiliation:
Research Associate Professor, School of Nutrition, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155.
Patrick Madden
Affiliation:
Professor of Agricultural Economics, Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802.
Get access

Abstract

A mailed survey was sent to 174 Midwestern organic farmers originally studied in 1977. We obtained information on 133 of this group, 96 of whom are still farming at the same location, although 12 no longer use organic methods. Fifty-eight currently active farmers returned a detailed questionnaire that covered their perceptions of the advantages and disadvantages of organic farming, some of their practices, and their financial status. Most farmers who employed organic farming methods stated they did so out of concern for the health of themselves, their families, and their livestock. Compared to ten years ago, philosophical or religious considerations were less frequently mentioned as an advantage of organic farming. In contrast, some agronomic and management disadvantages of organic f arming were mentioned more often. The farmers now are more tolerant, in principle, of some chemicals not generally accepted in organic farming, but regular use of soluble fertilizers and synthetic pesticides has not increased appreciably. The farmers reported little change in the institutional and social environment for organic agriculture, including available markets, information sources, and the attitudes of their neighbors.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1987

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1.American Society of Agronomy. 1984. Organic Farming: Current Technology and Its Role in a Sustainable Agriculture. ASA Special Publication Number 46. Madison, WI.Google Scholar
2.Dritschilo, W., and Wanner, D.. 1980. Ground beetle abundance in organic and conventional corn fields. Environmental Entomology 9:629631.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
3.Edelman, Mark A., and Olsen, Douglas R.. 1987. 1987 Iowa Farm Finance Survey. Cooperative Extension Service, Iowa State University, Ames, IA.Google Scholar
4.Edwards, Allen L. 1948. Note on the “correction for continuity” in testing the significance of the difference between correlated proportions. Psychometrika 13:185187.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
5.Klepper, R., Lockeretz, W., Commoner, B., Gertler, M., Fast, S., O'Leary, D., and Blobaum, R.. 1977. Economic performance and energy intensiveness on organic and conventional farms in the Corn Belt: a preliminary comparison. American Journal of Agricultural Economics 59:212.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
6.Lockeretz, W., Shearer, G., Klepper, R., and Sweeney, S.. 1978. Field crop production on organic farms in the Midwest. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation 33:130134.Google Scholar
7.Lockeretz, W., and Wernick, S.. 1980. Commercial organic farming in the Corn Belt in comparison to conventional practices. Rural Sociology 45:708722.Google Scholar
8.Lockeretz, W., Shearer, G., Sweeney, S., Kuepper, G., Wanner, D., and Kohl, D. H.. 1980. Maize yields and soil nutrient levels with and without pesticides and standard commercial fertilizers. Agronomy Journal 72:6572.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
9.Lockeretz, W., Shearer, G., and Kohl, D. H.. 1981. Organic farming in the Corn Belt. Science 211:540547.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
10.Lockeretz, W. (ed). 1983. Environmentally Sound Agriculture. Praeger, New York, NY.Google Scholar
11.Shearer, G., Kohl, D. H., Wanner, D., Kuepper, G., Sweeney, S., and Lockeretz, W.. 1981. Crop production costs and returns on midwestern organic farms: 1977 and 1978. American Journal of Agricultural Economics 63:264269.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
12.U.S. Department of Agriculture. 1980. Report and Recommendations on Organic Farming. United States Government Printing Office, Washington, DC.Google Scholar
13.Wernick, S., and Lockeretz, W.. 1977. Motivations and practices of organic farmers. Compost Science 18(6):2024.Google Scholar
14.Wolfson, J. L., and Shearer, G.. 1981. Amino acid composition of grain protein of maize grown with and without pesticides and standard commercial fertilizers. Agronomy Journal 73:611613.CrossRefGoogle Scholar