Forage Complete

The dramatic increase in the use of artificial fertilizers and pesticides over the past few decades has caused significant deterioration in soil quality. Though it is an undeniable fact that chemical-based fertilizers increase crops’ yields, one of the downsides is that a portion of residual fertilizer makes its way into the water supply and causes contamination and eutrophication. Eutrophication has severely affected aquatic life in regions across the globe. from this, use of synthetic fertilizers in place of ‘organic’ or ‘green’ manure-cover crops grown into the soil-can deplete nutritional value of the soil after a period of time. The detrimental impact of artificial fertilizers, pesticides and genetically modified crops on the environment and public’s health has escalated the need for organic farming methods. For example, non gmo alfalfa seed is now planted by more and more organic farmers to suppress weeds, reduce surface crusting, add active organic matter to the soil an...

Could organic farming really be the solution to our intensifying global food system challenges? An increasing number of individuals—from farmers and consumers to scientists and international supply organizations—are realizing that organic farming provides both the health and environmental benefits necessary to help usher in an exciting new era of farming. Critics, however, purport that any benefits of organic farming are grossly exaggerated, that it leads to lower-yielding crops and involves higher operating costs and, thus, cannot sustain the world's food supply. Time will tell whether organic farming becomes more mainstream but, in the meantime, it brings up these important questions: How does organic farming benefit the environment? The fundamental attribute of organic farming is that it does not involve the use of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers, which are essential in conventional mass farming methods. Over time, these chemical-based fertilizers not only dimi...