Organic corn yields world record 454 bu/acre in Virginia

Credits improved soil life for the yield increase. Anyone with any insight into this Biovante outfit?

http://washingtonexaminer.com/record-virginia-takes-worlds-biggest-corn-harvest-from-iowa-and-its-all-organic/article/2541046

J D Horn wrote:Credits improved soil life for the yield increase. Anyone with any insight into this Biovante outfit?

http://washingtonexaminer.com/record-virginia-takes-worlds-biggest-corn-harvest-from-iowa-and-its-all-organic/article/2541046

David Hula is NOT an organic farmer. He's very focused on soil health, but uses all available crop inputs, including synthetically refined fertilizers and pesticides, to grow his crops.

Interesting and kind of disappointing to hear, especially about the GMO part.

I was kind of surprised to read on Biovante's site the part that said you could apply their biologic concoctions at the same time as pre-emergent herbicides. That struck me as unusual.


Quite the journalism failure, none the less. They should redact or edit the story, since it is not based on reality.

The new big-ag thing is organic soil building plus all the chemical weed control. Like you taking probiotic and antibiotic at the same time.

It isn't perfect, but it is way less petrochemical fertilizer, so it is a step in the right direction.

R Scott wrote:
It isn't perfect, but it is way less petrochemical fertilizer, so it is a step in the right direction.

A 'step' in the same way that a drunk 'steps' around under a light post looking for the keys he dropped.

For those that are wondering what that yield is in rational units, 454 bu/acre is equal to 30.6 tons per hectare or 3.06 kg/sq.meter.

More like how a business switches to "green" packaging because it is CHEAPER, but yeah. Doing the wrong thing for the right reasons is still wrong, but what about doing the right thing for the wrong reason?

And to put it in rational imperial measurements, that is 1 1/2 cups per square foot. How does that compare to Mel's sq foot gardens? Or a hugel?

R Scott wrote:
And to put it in rational imperial measurements, that is 1 1/2 cups per square foot. How does that compare to Mel's sq foot gardens? Or a hugel?

I like those units -- really simplifies the transition from garden to kitchen!

the transition from garden to kitchen

Or put like "If the pigs hadn't stepped there, I would have had enough to make a batch of cornbread to go with the BBQ pork roast."

So did anybody try the product?

R Scott wrote:More like how a business switches to "green" packaging because it is CHEAPER, but yeah. Doing the wrong thing for the right reasons is still wrong, but what about doing the right thing for the wrong reason?

And to put it in rational imperial measurements, that is 1 1/2 cups per square foot. How does that compare to Mel's sq foot gardens? Or a hugel?

Personally I'm glad to hear the newest fad is organic-ish soil improvement in big ag. Fact of the matter is baby steps in big ag lead to larger improvements in overall soil health than massive leaps by 50 back yard gardeners can even make.

I find it impressive to see large "set in their ways" industries open to change. That industry sets the standard to the average person of what food production means, so it stands to be possible for it to influence many others.

Blake Wheeler wrote:

R Scott wrote:More like how a business switches to "green" packaging because it is CHEAPER, but yeah. Doing the wrong thing for the right reasons is still wrong, but what about doing the right thing for the wrong reason?

And to put it in rational imperial measurements, that is 1 1/2 cups per square foot. How does that compare to Mel's sq foot gardens? Or a hugel?

Personally I'm glad to hear the newest fad is organic-ish soil improvement in big ag. Fact of the matter is baby steps in big ag lead to larger improvements in overall soil health than massive leaps by 50 back yard gardeners can even make.

I find it impressive to see large "set in their ways" industries open to change. That industry sets the standard to the average person of what food production means, so it stands to be possible for it to influence many others.

I have to agree. Never denigrate the good just because it isn't perfect. One of those conventional farmers that started integrating organic, holistic management, and permaculture into his farm was Gabe Brown. He is now currently down to no artificial fertilizers at all, no insecticides or fungicides at all, and only 1 herbicide application every 3 years. (He is working hard to eliminate herbicides completely) He is experimenting with everything from polycultures to hugelkultur but his main rotations are conventional cash crops and forage raised livestock rotations. Pretty darn close to organic and his soils show it. One field recently reached 11% SOM......and this from a broadacre conventional farmer!

The only thing I disagree with is the idea this is a fad. It's not a fad. It is the slow gradual conversion of the standard industrial models of agriculture in favor of a more biological approach. We are seeing it now because of two main reasons. 1)The industrial model is not sustainable and is already showing signs of failing. 2) The technological advancements in organic and biological models is finally catching up and surpassing the antiquated industrial models..