Organic and Conventional Agriculture: Learning from Each Other to Promote Soil Health and Economic Viability in West Texas

View the project final report

Commodities

• Agronomic: cotton, peanuts

Practices

• Crop Production: conservation tillage, cover crops, crop rotation
• Production Systems: organic agriculture
• Soil Management: soil quality/health

Conventionally tilled monoculture cropping systems are predominant throughout much of the Southern Great Plains. Texas is no exception, where only about 16 percent of cropped acres are under conservation tillage. In semi-arid environments, soil health promoting practices such as cover crops are not well received due to potential soil moisture use and additional input costs. However, organic producers have been successful in these environments using crop rotation and cover crops under irrigated and dryland agriculture. It has been estimated that around half of Texas producers are open to the idea of organic farming and thousands of farms are already using at least some organic methods. The National Center of Appropriate Technology (NCAT) recommended that assistance to transitioning producers be a priority as well as a greater commitment for university research and extension efforts in organic production in order to accelerate the closing of the gap between consumer demand and the supply of Texas grown organic products. While Texas lags in organic production overall, Texas is the leading producer of organic cotton, peanuts, and rice. Texas growers over 90 percent of organic cotton, 95 percent of organic peanuts and 41 percent of organic rice in the U.S. However, organic management practices are not always considered sustainable as tillage is the primary weed control tool. In addition, full benefits of cover crops may not be realized in organic production systems of West Texas as very low seeding rates coupled with early termination via tillage are common. We have teamed with the Texas Peanut Producers Board and Texas Organic Cotton Marketing Cooperative to identify agronomic production limitations in respective organic systems. In addition, the research team has a long history of working closely with farmers using conservation measures in conventional cropping systems. Our long-term goal is to identify management practices that enhance soil health in organic and conventional agriculture and share successful practices that may be incorporated within respective farming operations to improve soil health and economic viability. Organic and conventional cropping systems varying in intensity of cover crop usage, no tillage, crop rotation, and soil texture have been identified, and soil health assessments will be completed and compared on each, assessing soil physical, chemical, and biological properties as well as potential greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, replicated research trials will be conducted to address key research needs as identified by stakeholders and the research advisory panel. Results from this project will empower both organic and conventional growers to make informed decisions on inputs that will result in effective soil health promoted practices and optimum economic options.

• Identify and quantify the effects of soil health promoting practices in organic and conventional cropping systems in semi-arid regions of Texas via on-farm assessments. More specifically we aim to:
  1. Formalize partnerships among collaborating entities.
  2. Identify famers involved in organic agriculture and additional conventional farmers using the following practices: conventional tillage with low crop diversity, conventional tillage with high crop diversity, and no-tillage greater than 10 years.
  3. Engage all participants in project development and implementation and define historical farming practices and reasons for implementing organic and/or conservation practices.
• Evaluate the impact of cover crops (type and seeding rate), crop rotations, and conservation tillage practices in organic and conventional systems on weed control, ecological services (C sequestration, GHG emissions, and N availability) and stored soil moisture in replicated research trials.
  1. Research trials will be implemented after identifying key research needs through discussions with a scientific advisory panel composed of our cooperating farmers and stakeholders. Potential experimental factors include: 1) cropping system (organic vs. non-organic); 2) cover crop termination date; 3) cover crop type (rye vs. radish vs. mix of rye, vetch and radish); and, 4) cover crop seeding rate (30 and 90 lb/ac).
  2. Weed biomass and visual control will be evaluated at planting and at 4-week intervals during each growing season. The Canopeo app will be used to determine the percentage of canopy cover (weeds and cotton) which will then be correlated with soil moisture.
  3. Soil measurements used to evaluate ecological services will include: soil organic C, total N, nitrate, ammonium, phosphorus, water-extractable C, microbial respiration (3-d CO₂), potassium permanganate oxidizable C (POxC), enzyme assays, and living microbial biomass using phospholipid-derived fatty acid (PLFA) analysis. Aggregate stability, infiltration rates, stored soil moisture, and GHG emissions from the soil:atmosphere interface will be determined.
  4. Cover crop above ground biomass production and C and N content will be determined to evaluate the quantity and quality of C (and N) inputs to the soil. Cotton and peanut crops will be harvested to evaluate the effects of management practices on yield.
• Conduct economic analysis of the proposed production systems to evaluate factors limiting adoption of soil health promoting practices in organic and conventional farming.
  1. Partial budget analysis will be used to evaluate the costs and returns of alternative farming methods in organic cotton and peanuts.
  2. Returns above operating and ownership expenses will be calculated for alternative organic prices, and comparisons will be made with conventional cotton and peanut systems.
  3. Input and feedback from producers and members of the organic industry will be essential for validating the accuracy of the economic analysis.
• Compile and disseminate information to growers, researchers, county agents, natural resource managers, and regional public officials on the production potential, financial viability, and ecological impacts of evaluated cropping systems.
  1. Stakeholder participation will be key in this project to facilitate dissemination of the results to organic and conventional farmers and other interested groups.
  2. An active network of University research and Extension personnel and stakeholder organizations is already in place which will enable more rapid dissemination of results.
  3. Information about the impacts of this project will be presented to local organic and conventional cotton and peanut producers, county extension agents, consultants, chemical industry personnel, policy makers and other interested clientele during the annual field day tours that will be held at Lubbock, Vernon, and on-farm locations.
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