Let’s talk manure.
Manure is a key component in organic farming and does wonders for the soil. Synthetic fertilizers give plants each year the minimal nutrients they need to grow, but over time does only harm to the soil. It’s estimated that one inch of topsoil erodes every 28 years under synthetic fertilizer use, whereas it took nature 500 years to create it.
Farming organically, with manure, on the other hand, not only does not strip topsoil but can create one inch of it in just little over eight years. Sounds pretty good!
But how can that be? Manure is used primarily as a source of nitrogen for organic farms in conjunction with, or in place of, legumes that “fix” nitrogen in the soil. (Nitrogen, though plentiful in the atmosphere, can be used by crops only once it’s been “fixed.” Man-made chemical processes can achieve this, but so can nature. Legumes fix nitrogen, and so, curiously, do lightning bolts).
But soil is built up with organic (i.e., carbon-based) matter. Not nitrogen. So, why is manure so effective in building topsoil?
Because, as it’s primarily applied, manure is first composted. Composting allows the manure to mix with organic (carbon-heavy) matter (e.g., straw or woodchips), and be worked upon by microorganisms and earthworms that decompose the manure and the organic materials. What’s left, “composted manure,” is then spread out as fertilizer. Both the nitrogen and the carbon get into the soil (typically with many times more carbon than nitrogen). Over time, this tends to add organic matter to the soil and lead to a buildup of topsoil.
There's No Manure Like Composted Manure
But is manure as effective a fertilizer when it’s composted?
Yes and no. It loses some nitrogen in the composting process. So, that’s bad. The remaining nitrogen also is less quickly available to the plants than in “fresh” manure. (It takes time to free the nitrogen from carbon in the composted manure.) So, that’s bad if the plants need nitrogen now.
But in the long run, the composted manure not only fertilizes plants year after year but improves the soil such that less additional manure is needed each year. So, that’s good. It also prevents the nitrogen runoff that’s possible if too much fresh manure is applied, runoff that can pollute waterways and even drinking water. So, that’s good too. Finally, composting manure produces very high temperatures that kill off harmful bacteria and any other microorganisms that could otherwise taint the crops it fertilizes. So it makes food safer to consume. Another plus.
On the balance, composting manure offers sufficient benefits that it is currently required by organic regulations (with some exceptions; “fresh” manure can still be applied if done sufficiently long before planting and harvesting).
So, when organic farmers talk about using “manure and compost” as fertilizer, the manure itself is really a form of compost as well. Do you feel better knowing that the manure fertilizing your organic food has been through heat-intensive composting?
What I know about composted manure is a friend of mine who has been gardening in the same place for 17 years uses only composted manure and her own compost (w/out manure) to enrich her garden, and the soil is amazing. She lives in an urban area and the original soil was terrible (full of rocks, glass, clay) and she composted for several years to improve the soil before ever planting anything. She actually dug down about 4′ to replace all that soil. She now grows the most amazing fruits and vegetables, and you barely have to dig in order to plant or pull stuff out. The soil is loose, in that it is not compacted, and yet is crumbles just the way they describe it should do in books. It’s black gold.
She also uses composted manure every year to top dress, and I have to say her methods work. The soil is perfect. Things grow like crazy. I’ve eaten plenty of produce from her garden and it never scared me that the soil is enriched by composted manure. The results speak for themselves. I think if you have the chance to look at soil that has been enriched (over the years) by composted manure, you can really see the benefits.
Julee,
I believe it. If you have never read them, I recommend the works of Joel Salatin (the sustainable farmer featured in The Omnivore’s Dilemma). He paints a similarly compelling picture of the wonders of manure. He also says it makes all the difference in the world for the soil. I believe he composts the manure he uses, too.
Best,
Doug
There is a variety of composts and manures that can be used to increase the fertility of the soil. And the wonderful thing is that they can provide a wholesome and complete nutritive base to plants.
Some of the organic manures commonly used in India include Vermicompost, vermiwash, green manures, and indigenous manures like panchagavaya [a combination of cow's milk/ clarified butter/ dung etc] and jeevamrit [a mix of water/ dung/ neem leaves etc].
Nature has provided so much raw material, and if we use it well, we can really avoid pumping our crops and bodies with chemicals and toxins.
I certainly won’t disagree! How widespread is organic farming in India? (And how prevalent did conventional agriculture ever get?) Is there a meaningful movement similar to the one in the U.S.? I would think in my limited knowledge of Indian culture that organic food would catch on faster and stronger in India than here, as here it conflicts with the broader culture’s viewpoints but in India I would think it’s more in line with the way people already view the world.
Hi Doug,
Organic farming in India has taken off in a big way in the last 2-3 years. If by conventional farming you mean the usage of chemicals, then yes, to increase yields, farmers are using even MORE than the required amounts of chemical pesticides and fertilizers. In fact, some farmers have been using carcinogenic chemicals to prevent fruit from bruising easily, or to increase thier shelf life, or to ripen them faster.
While, Organic food started as a fad for the rich, the people who were passionate about cleansing the land have started explaining & spreading the true benefits of non chemical based farming.
There are people in urban areas who are keen to switch to organic, but the difference in costs, and the appearance of Walmart and other chains which claim to have lower than the lowest prices of conventional produce, seem to be deterrants [they make the price difference even more glaring].
However, with more awareness, and hopefully, some reduction the in price difference will help move more people to organics.
Vandana
Vandana,
Thanks so much for sharing you knowledge of the organic food industry in India.
It sounds none-too-different to how things go in the U.S.! I did not know that Wal-Mart was in India; here they have started selling some organic products as well though that clearly is not part of their core offering to consumers. Costs are of course a major issue here as well, and organic food remains somewhere below 4% of the entire U.S. food market. But it does keep growing at a rapid pace, even during the worst years of the recession.
I tend to think the price difference will shrink over time, everywhere, as I think a lot of the higher costs today come from inexperience in organic farming, difficulty finding organic ingredients, and the fact that people have only been trying to make organic farming work in today’s world for a decade or two, and in small numbers, compared to a massive, well-funded industry trying to make conventional agriculture work.
But in any event no need for me to prattle on more, thanks again for filling me in on what’s going on elsewhere in the world. We hear statistic here all the time on what’s happening in the U.S., but it’s tough to get a good read on how the market is progressing in the rest of the world.
Best,
Doug
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