Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-xbtfd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-11T07:20:44.052Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Organic farmer perceptions of reduced tillage: A Michigan farmer survey

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 July 2017

Carolyn J. Lowry  and
Daniel C. Brainard
Carolyn J. Lowry*
Affiliation:
Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824.
Daniel C. Brainard
Affiliation:
Department of Horticulture, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824.
*
*Corresponding author: Carolyn.Lowry@unh.edu
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

A common critique of organic farming is that it is very tillage intensive, and therefore deleterious to soil quality. However, little information is available on the tillage practices currently employed by organic farmers, as well as organic farmers’ attitudes toward reduced tillage (RT). To address these knowledge gaps, a detailed written survey of Michigan organic field crop and vegetable farmers was conducted to investigate their current tillage practices, as well as their perceptions of the barriers and benefits to adoption of RT. Respondents reported a wide range in tillage frequency and intensity, both across and within production of specific crops, with operations split evenly between field preparation and cultivation. Compared with field crop growers, vegetable growers were generally smaller scale and relied more heavily on a limited set of tillage (e.g., rototiller) and cultivation tools. Interest in adoption of RT practices among respondents was low to moderate with median Likert scale ratings (0–7 scale with 0 representing no interest and 7 extreme interest) of 4 or less for all forms of RT. Vegetable growers were most interested in permanent beds, rotational tillage and strip tillage, whereas field crop growers were most interested in rotational tillage and strip tillage. The greatest perceived benefits to adoption of RT were improved soil quality and fuel savings. Both groups ranked weeds, impacts on yields, residue management and crop establishment as high barriers to RT adoption. Vegetable growers also cited lack of scale appropriate equipment as a major barrier. Survey results suggest that future research efforts should focus on overcoming key barriers to adoption, such as weed management and access to low-cost adaptable RT equipment rather than reiterating relatively well-known soil quality benefits. Our results also suggest that promotion of incremental reductions in the frequency and intensity of tillage operations on organic farms may be more realistic and equally valuable compared with promotion of more extreme forms of RT such as no-till.

Keywords

organicreduced tillagesurveyconservation tillage
Type
Research Paper
Information
Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems , Volume 34 , Issue 2 , April 2019 , pp. 103 - 115
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2017 

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

Ahnström, J., Höckert, J., Bergeå, H.L., Francis, C.A., Skelton, P., and Hallgren, L. 2009. Farmers and nature conservation: What is known about attitudes, context factors and actions affecting conservation? Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 24:38–47.Google Scholar
Awadhwal, N.K. and Thierstein, G.E. 1985. Soil crust and its impact on crop establishment: A review. Soil and Tillage Research 5:289–302.Google Scholar
Bailey, K.L. and Lazarovits, G. 2003. Suppressing soil-borne diseases with residue management and organic amendments. Soil and Tillage Research 72:169–180.Google Scholar
Baumgart-Getz, A., Prokopy, L.S., and Floress, K. 2012. Why farmers adopt best management practice in the United States: A meta-analysis of the adoption literature. Journal of Environmental Management 96:17–25.Google Scholar
Bhardwaj, A.K., Jasrotia, P., Hamilton, S.K., and Robertson, G.P. 2011. Ecological management of intensively cropped agro-ecosystems improves soil quality with sustained productivity. Agricultural Ecosystems & Environment 140:419–429.Google Scholar
Bingen, J., Osborne, C., and Reardon, E. 2007. Organic Agriculture in Michigan: 2006 Survey Report. Available at Web site http://www.moffa.net/f/MI_Organic_Agriculture_Report_March_2007.pdf.Google Scholar
Bowman, G. 1997. Steel in the Field: A Farmer's Guide to Weed-Management Tools. Sustainable Agriculture Network, Beltsville, MD.Google Scholar
Brainard, D.C., Haramoto, E., Williams, M.M., and Mirsky, S. 2013. Towards a no-till no-spray future? Introduction to a symposium on nonchemical weed management for reduced-tillage cropping systems. Weed Technology 27:190–192.Google Scholar
Carr, P.M., Anderson, R.L., Lawley, Y.E., Miller, P.R., and Zwinger, S.F. 2012. Organic zero-till in the northern US Great Plains Region: Opportunities and obstacles. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 27:12–20.Google Scholar
DeDecker, J.J., Masiunas, J.B., Davis, A.S., and Flint, C.G. 2014. Weed management practice selection among Midwest U.S. organic growers. Weed Science 62:520–531.Google Scholar
Delate, K., Cwach, D., and Chase, C. 2011. Organic no-tillage system effects on soybean, corn and irrigated tomato production and economic performance in Iowa, USA. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 27(1):49–59.Google Scholar
Dou, Z., Fox, R.H., and Toth, J. 1994. Tillage effect on seasonal nitrogen availability in corn supplied with legume green manures. Plant and Soil 162:203–210.Google Scholar
Fleiβach, A., Oberholzer, H.R., Gunst, L., and Mäder, P. 2007. Soil organic matter and biological soil quality indicators after 21 years of organic and conventional farming. Agricultural Ecosystems & Environment 118:273–284.Google Scholar
Franzluebbers, A.J. 2002. Water infiltration and soil structure related to organic matter and its stratification with depth. Soil and Tillage Research 66:197–205.Google Scholar
Fuglie, K.O. 1999. Conservation tillage and pesticide use in the Cornbelt. Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics 31:133–147.Google Scholar
Grandy, A.S. and Robertson, G.P. 2006. Aggregation and organic matter protection following tillage of a previously uncultivated soil. Soil Science Society of America Journal 70:1398–1406.Google Scholar
Grandy, A.S., Robertson, G.P., and Thelen, K.D. 2006. Do productivity and environmental trade-offs justify periodically cultivating no-till cropping systems? Agronomy Journal 98:1377–1383.Google Scholar
Grubinger, V.P. 1999. Sustainable Vegetable Production from Start-Up to Market. Natural Resource, Agriculture, and Engineering Service, Ithaca, NY. Cooperative Extension-104.Google Scholar
Hoyt, G.D., Monks, D.W., and Monaco, T.J. 1994. Conservation tillage for vegetable production. Horttechnology 4(2):129–135.Google Scholar
Karlen, D.L., Wollenhaupt, N.C., Erbach, D.C., Berry, E.C., Swan, J.B., Eash, N.S., and Jordahl, J.L. 1994. Long-term tillage effects on soil quality. Soil and Tillage Research 32:313–327.Google Scholar
Karlen, D.L., Tomer, M.D., Neppel, J., and Cambardella, C.A. 2008. A preliminary watershed scale soil quality assessment in north central Iowa, USA. Soil and Tillage Research 99:291–299.Google Scholar
Knowler, D. and Bradshaw, B. 2007. Farmers’ adoption of conservation agriculture: A review and synthesis of recent research. Food Policy 32:25–48.Google Scholar
Krupnik, T.J., Santos Valle, S., McDonald, A., Justice, S., Hossain, I., and Gathala, M.K. 2013. Made in Bangladesh: Scale-appropriate Machinery for Agricultural Resource Conservation. CIMMYT, Mexico, DF.Google Scholar
Jabbour, R., Zwickle, S., Gallandt, E.R., McPhee, K.E., Wilson, R.S., and Doohan, D. 2013. Mental models of organic weed management: Comparison of New England US farmer and expert models. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 29:319–333.Google Scholar
Johnson, R.A. and Wichern, D.W. 2007. Applied Multivariate Statistical Analysis. Pearson Education Inc., Upper Saddle, NJ.Google Scholar
Leech, N.L., Barrett, K.C., Morgan, G.A. 2005. SPSS for Intermediate Statistics: Use and Interpretation. 2nd ed. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah, NJ.Google Scholar
Llewellyn, R.S. 2007. Information quality and effectiveness for more rapid adoption decisions by farmers. Field Crops Research 104:148–156.Google Scholar
Luna, J.M., Mitchell, J.P., and Shrestha, A. 2012. Conservation tillage for organic agriculture: Evolution toward hybrid systems in the western USA. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 27:21–30.Google Scholar
Malhi, S.S. and O'Sullivan, P.A. 1990. Soil temperature, moisture and penetrometer resistance under zero and conventional tillage in central Alberta. Soil Tillage Research 17:167–172.Google Scholar
Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD). 2012. Michigan's Food and Agriculture Industry. Available at Web site https://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdard/1262-AgReport-2012_2_404589_7.pdf (accessed 1 November 2015).Google Scholar
Mirsky, S.B., Ryan, M.R., Curran, W.S., Teasdale, J.R., Maul, J., Spargo, J.T., Moyer, J., Grantham, A.M., Weber, D., Way, T.R., and Camargo, G.G. 2012. Conservation tillage issues: Cover crop-based organic rotational no-till grain production in the mid-Atlantic region, USA. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 27:31–40.Google Scholar
Mirsky, S.B., Ryan, M.R., Teasdale, J.R., Curran, W.S., Reberg-Horton, C.S., Spargo, J.T., Wells, M.S., Keene, C.L., and Moyer, J.W. 2013. Overcoming weed management challenges in cover crop-based organic rotational no-till soybean production in the Eastern United States. Weed Technology 27:193–203.Google Scholar
Mohler, C.L. and Teasdale, J.R. 1993. Response of weed emergence to rate of Vicia villosa Roth. and Secale cereale L. residue. Weed Research 33:487–499.Google Scholar
Morrison, J.E. and Gerik, T.J. 1983. Wide beds with conservation. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation 38:231–232.Google Scholar
O'Connell, S., Grossman, J.M., Hoyt, G.D., Shi, W., Bowen, S., Marticorena, D.C., Fager, K.L., and Creamer, N.G. 2015. A survey of cover crop practices and perceptions of sustainable farmers in North Carolina and the surrounding region. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 30:550–562.Google Scholar
Papadopoulos, A., Bird, N.R.A., Whitmore, A.P., and Mooney, S.J. 2009. Investigating the effects of organic and conventional management on soil aggregate stability using X-ray computed tomography. European Journal of Soil Science 60:360–368.Google Scholar
Peigné, J., Ball, B.C., Roger-Estrade, J., and David, C. 2007. Is conservation tillage suitable for organic farming? A review. Soil Use and Management 23:129–144.Google Scholar
Phillips, R.E., Blevins, R.L., Thomas, G.W., Frye, W.W., and Phillips, S.H. 1980. No-tillage agriculture. Science 208:1108–1113.Google Scholar
Pimentel, D., Hepperly, P., Hanson, J., Douds, D., and Seidel, R. 2005. Environmental, energetic, and economic comparisons of organic and conventional farming systems. BioScience 55:573–582.Google Scholar
Posner, J.L., Baldock, J.O., and Hedtcke, J.L.. 2008. Organic and conventional production systems in the Wisconsin integrated cropping systems trials: I. Productivity 1990–2002. Agronomy Journal 100:253–260.Google Scholar
Price, A.J. and Norsworthy, J.K. 2013. Cover crops for weed management in Southern reduced-tillage vegetable cropping systems. Weed Technology 27:212–217.Google Scholar
Prokopy, L.S., Floress, K., Klotthor-Weinkauf, D., and Baumgart-Getz, A. 2008. Determinants of agricultural best management practice adoption: Evidence from the literature. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation 63:300–311.Google Scholar
Pulleman, M., Jongmans, A., Marinissen, J., and Bouma, J. 2003. Effects of organic versus conventional arable farming on soil structure and organic matter dynamics in a marine loam in the Netherlands. Soil Use and Management 19:157–165.Google Scholar
Rahm, M.R. and Huffman, W.E. 1984. Adoption of reduced tillage: The role of human capital and other variables. American Journal of Agricultural Economics 66:405–413.Google Scholar
Reicosky, D.C. 2015. Conservation tillage is not conservation agriculture. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation 70(5):103A–108A.Google Scholar
Saltiel, J., Bauder, J.W., and Palakovich, S. 1994. Adoption of sustainable agricultural practices: Diffusion, farm structure, and profitability. Rural Sociology 59:333–349.Google Scholar
Teasdale, J.R., Coffman, C.B., and Mangum, R.W. 2007. Potential long-term benefits of no-tillage and organic cropping systems for grain production and soil improvement. Agronomy Journal 99:1297–1305.Google Scholar
Teasdale, J.R., Mirsky, S.B., Spargo, J.T., Cavigelli, M.A., and Maul, J.E. 2012. Reduced-tillage organic corn production in a Hairy Vetch cover crop. Agronomy Journal 104:621.Google Scholar
Triplett, G.B. and Dick, W.A. 2008. No-tillage crop production: A revolution in agriculture! Agronomy Journal 100:S153–S165.Google Scholar
USDA-NASS. 2012. Census of Agriculture—Michigan. Available at Web site http://www.agcensus.usda.gov/Publications/2012/Full_Report/Volume_1,_Chapter_1_State_Level/Michigan/miv1.pdf (accessed 9 April 2017).Google Scholar
USDA-NASS. 2014. Census of Agriculture—Organic Survey. Available at Web site http://www.agcensus.usda.gov/Publications/2012/Online_Resources/Organics/ORGANICS.pdf (accessed 9 April 2017).Google Scholar
USDA-NRCS. 2008. The soil tillage intensity rating (STIR). Available at Web site http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb1119754.pdf (accessed 9 April 2017).Google Scholar
Van Doren, D.M., Triplett, G.B., and Henry, J.E. 1975. Influence of long term tillage, crop rotation, and soil type combinations on corn yield. Soil Science Society of America Journal 40:100–105.Google Scholar
Wickham, H. 2009. ggplot2: Elegant Graphics for Data Analysis. Springer, New York.Google Scholar
Wilson, R.S., Hooker, N., Tucker, M., LeJeune, J., and Doohan, D. 2009. Targeting the farmer decision making process: A pathway to increased adoption of integrated weed management. Crop Protection 28:756–764.Google Scholar
Supplementary material: PDF

Lowry and Brainard supplementary material

Lowry and Brainard supplementary material

Download Lowry and Brainard supplementary material(PDF)
PDF 1.3 MB