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48 THE RURAL VOICE
News
Economist wants
to broaden scope
of organic research
Stung by criticism of his study
showing organic farming more
profitable than conventional farming,
a University of Guelph economist
wants to broaden the scope of the
study.
Peter Stonehouse told the fall
conference of the Ecological Farmers
Association of Ontario in Ethel
November 14 that he would like to
find more organic farmers to take part
in the study so that the findings can
be more statistically sound. He
admitted he had come under heavy
criticism from colleagues at the
university and conventional farmers
for the narrow scope of the earlier
survey which included only 27 farms,
nine organic farmers, nine reduced -
tillage farmers and nine conventional
farmers. The organic farm numbers
were further reduced to seven
because two of the farmers didn't
grow the traditional cash -crops of
grain corn, soybeans and winter
wheat that were the basis of the
study.
The study, released earlier this
year, showed that the highest profits
went to organic farmers with
reduced -input farmers second and
conventional farmers last.
"I have to admit the criticism is
valid and I'd like to do a larger
sample of farmers. Twenty-five farms
is too thin on the ground."
He said he'd also like to find a
concentration of farmers all in one
area of the province. Criticism of the
earlier study was that in order to find
his organic farming sample, he had to
go to various parts of the province. It
meant there were different frost -free
growing seasons and different corn
heat -units involved.
He said he would also like to have
all the farms from one sector: dairy,
hogs, poultry, etc. The original study
was to have been on cash -crop
farming but he learned that nearly all
organic farmers keep livestock as part
of their wholistic approach, using the
manure to fertilize crops. He said he
i