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Section: Plant & Soil Science Unit: Soil Management Lesson Title: Organic Sources of Fertilizer 1 Organic Farming is….. •Organic food and fertilizers are derived from living organisms •Or come from materials that are natural in origin This causes debate over what really is organic and what is not a lot of fertilizers that would be considered unnatural are derived from natural plants. Therefore several agencies have been set up to determine their own standards of what “organically produced” is. 2 WHAT DRIVES ORGANIC FARMING? Environmental Awareness People are more concerned about the environment Diet and Health conscious people People think organic foods are healthier for their diet Declining cost of organic production Increased demand has increased supply and lowered costs of production but are still higher Mainstreaming of organic consumers, products, and retailers Once considered radical, now is considered the “in” thing Worldwide organic standards Now a producer can sell worldwide under one “organically grown” label Financial backing from investors As demand increases investors now want part of the action 3 Sources of Organic Fertilizer Animal Manure •Must be managed correctly to control; odor, bacteria, weed seeds •Needs to be piled and allowed to COMPOST Internal temps reach 140-210 degrees to kill odor, bacteria and weed seeds 4 Sources of Organic Fertilizer Cover Crops—Winter grasses or legumes Planted following harvest Cover crop over-winters and then is tilled under before the next crop is planted The cover crop decays and creates humus Legumes are used to put nitrogen back into the soil The next slide shows a video about Legumes 5 Legumes fix nitrogen movie 6 Sources of Organic Fertilizer Composting Creates fertilizer and recycles other waste Leaves, grass clippings, and other plant materials are used Items are piled to create anaerobic activity which breaks down original matter Humus is created, then spread as which helps with water and nutrient holding capacity 7 Limitations of Organic Farming •Organically grown foods are still more expensive then conventionally grown foods •Tend to be of lower quality foods and shorter shelf lives •Plants create natural toxins for defense and toxin levels will be higher then foods grown with pesticides •Food spoilage is more harmful than pesticide use •Manure used to fertilizer organic foods can contain e Coli bacteria if not managed correctly 8 Limitations Continued •Organic farming isn’t as efficient as conventional farming More land would have to be cleared This land would come from poor soils and probably rainforest areas •Organic Farming is still best suited for niche markets and small scale farming—and this has created many positive markets for farmers. 9