100-Year Drought Is No Match for Organic Soybeans

100-Year Drought Is No Match for Organic Soybeans.

Scientific Trials at The Rodale Institute Give Hope to Farmers Everywhere

KUTZTOWN, Penn., (November 8, 1999) -After one of the worst droughts on record, the harvest for many farms in the U.S. has been a disaster. One farm is celebrating, however. "Despite a 100-year drought, the yield from our organic soybeans is outstanding," says Jeff Moyer, Farm Manager at The Rodale Institute's Farming Systems Trial®) (FST) in Kutztown, Pennsylvania. Using replicated plots the trial compares highly productive, intensive soybean systems under conventional and organic management. Figures just released show yields of 30 bushels per acre from legume-based organic soybeans compared to only 16 bushels per acre from conventionally-grown crops. Improved soil quality under organic management is credited for the high performance of Rodale's organic crops during this year's unusual drought.

"These are very significant findings for farmers around the world," says Moyer. "Our trials show that improving the quality of the soil through organic practices can mean the difference between a harvest or hardship in times of drought," he said. Pennsylvania was just one of fourteen states declared drought disaster areas by the U.S. Dept of Agriculture Secretary, Dan Glickman this summer. With only 4.4 inches of rain in Kutztown from June through August compared to an average of 13.4 inches in normal years, The Rodale Institute's organic soybean yield is even more impressive.

Initiated in 1981, the FST® is currently funded by the Rodale Institute in cooperation with United States Department of Agriculture - Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS.) The trial's manure-based organic soybean plots also performed well above the level of conventional plots, achieving 24 bushels per acre. In a non-drought year, yields for both conventional and organic would be expected to be 40 bushels per acre. "Over time, organic practices encourage the soil to hold on to moisture more efficiently than conventionally managed soil," says Moyer. "The higher content of organic matter also makes organic soil less compact so that root systems can penetrate more deeply to find moisture." In addition, organic practices reduce nitrate leaching and erosion.

As Tennessee farmers abandon their worst soybean crops since 1956, and communities in Kenya and Somalia brace themselves for a drought-based famine, The Rodale Institute's results are a positive indication that adopting organic practices can help avert future crop failures around the world.

The Rodale Institute is a nonprofit charity located in Kutztown, Penn. The Institute shares its expertise on organic/regenerative farming methods with people worldwide to achieve a regenerative food system that renews environmental and human health. 'Healthy Soil, Healthy Food, Healthy People®' has been the Rodale Institute's message for the past fifty years. Funded in large part by donations from individuals, government agencies, private foundations and corporations, the Rodale Institute continues to promote soil quality practices to farmers worldwide.