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APRIL 2002 |
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Reduced Inputs Inputs for crop production are reduced on the Cada farm. It would be a major cost savings if they didn’t have to make up for it with increased costs in machinery and some very intensive labor. Weeds are the organic farmer’s greatest enemy. Cada battles weeds with extensive tillage and cultivation. He sometimes discs cornstalks in the fall to get a jump on spring tillage. In preparation for planting, he discs twice and field cultivates once. “If you don’t get the weeds with tillage,” he said, “you’ll have weeds all year. “I also try to plant a little later to keep weed pressure under control,” he said. So, four days after planting a row crop, Cada heads to the field with his 24-foot-wide rotary hoe. Traveling through the field at more than 18 miles an hour, he can hoe 30 acres in one hour. Hitting Those Weeds Typically he hoes row crops one to three times through the growing season, depending on soil moisture and weed pressure. “Last year it didn’t rain, and I hoed everything once,” he said. “Timing is 90 percent of it. Equipment is also important.”
Finding Organic Fertilizer Composting was too time consuming. Cada said he stockpiled chicken manure and spent an hour every day turning it and adding carbon in the form of straw, old hay, and other waste. He prefers to build up organic matter and fertility with crop rotations that include nitrogen-building legumes and by planting more clovers as plowdown crops that add fertility. His efforts at increased fertility have been rewarded with crop yields that rival conventionally farmed fields in his region. While many organic farms depend on their own livestock for a continuous supply of fresh manure fertilizer, Cada admits, “That’s the weakness of our farm. We don’t have much livestock.” The increasing popularity of genetically modified organism (GMO) grain with conventional farmers has created new challenges for Certified Organic Growers. They are prohibited from planting GMOs and must coordinate their plantings with neighbors so an organic field is not beside the neighbor’s GMO crop. Buffer Strips Needed Cada plants buffer strips of 25 feet along adjacent fields. These buffers must be harvested separately and cannot be sold as organic grain. The buffers prevent spray and pollen from drifting into certified fields.
Earning Quality Premiums “Quality is a problem,” Cada said. Weather, insects, and plant diseases all take their toll. “I’ve sold soybeans in the teens (price) every year,” he said, “but it’s getting harder and harder to sell bad soybeans.” He tries to raise food-grade corn as well, but even if his corn isn’t food-grade quality, it may still be sold for a solid premium as organic livestock feed. Organic growers prefer small storage bins to handle several different types of crops from various fields. Many farmers would view Cada’s 10,000-bushel bin as a great asset. He wishes it were much smaller. He even uses 400-bushel and 200-bushel bulk tanks to store organic grain. A specific lot number follows grain from each field to the buyer. Maintaining quality and integrity with buyers is extremely important to organic growers, he said. “I want the buyer coming back to me because of my product,” he added. Markets Find You Cada said many farmers who may be considering organic production worry too much about markets. But once the farm is certified, he said, buyers often come looking for the grower. Cada sells his grain mostly to Nebraska buyers who ship it to the east or west coasts and even to Japan. Many organic contracts pay for transporting the grain. Plus, most organic contracts are for production from a specific number of acres instead of for bushels. That protects the grower from weather disasters. |
