National Ag Week Packet -- Organic Farming

Contacts:
Kathleen Delate, Horticulture, (515) 294-7069
Ed Adcock, Agriculture Information, (515) 294-2314

GOING ORGANIC EXPLORED BY IOWA FARMERS AND ISU STUDENTS

AMES, Iowa -- The potential for Iowa to produce organic grain, fruit and vegetable crops is as high as it is in California, says Iowa State University's organic crops specialist.

"We can grow anything California can grow," says Kathleen Delate. "They have a head start on organic markets, so we may need to work harder to enter them or start our own. But we can grow some of best organic soybeans in the world and have direct markets to Japan."

Delate, who has a dual appointment in the departments of horticulture and agronomy, has found that more Iowa farmers are interested in going organic. Organic acreage was an estimated 100,000 in 1997, up from 13,000 acres in 1995. That mirrors a national trend toward organic sales, which are growing at 20 percent a year to about $4.2 billion in '97.

She says yields compare favorably to conventional production, but price premiums can range from 20 to 400 percent. For example, Iowa producers growing organic soybeans can sell them for $16 a bushel, more than twice the price of commodity beans. She says costs are similar, if not lower, because fertilizer is free for those using manure from their livestock, and no pesticides are used.

Iowa growers are interested in organic production for the additional income or because of philosophical or environmental concerns, Delate says. Her work is geared to helping farmers switch some or all of their land into organic production, and providing information on the best management practices for organic systems. She oversees three on-farm research projects at eight sites that include work on organic soybeans, vegetables and herbs. The largest project includes long-term research on raising organic soybeans, oats, alfalfa and corn.

ISU students are learning about organic production in a three-year project to establish an economically self-sufficient organic farm on ISU land near campus. Students raise vegetables on about six acres and agronomic crops on the rest, says Ricardo Salvador, an agronomy professor who, with Delate, advises the students.

"It is a major commitment for the students," Salvador says. "But they learn about all aspects of organic farm management --business, production and marketing -- in a way that could never be taught as effectively in a classroom."

News Releases Agriculture in Action Ag Online Communications Skills Home