Monday, March 3, 1986
Daily Nebraskan
Page 3
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Beth EmersonDaily Nebraskan
Professor promotes
alternative agriculture
By Kent Endacott
Senior Reporter
Perennial grain crops that do not
require costly annual planting and
replanting are part of Nebraska's agri
culture future, says UNL agronomy pro
fessor Charles Francis. But, he admits,
it's a distant future.
"It's viable within the next 50 to 100
years," Francis said. "It's already been
done in Colorado with wild rye. They've
produced up to 150 pounds per acre,
and we could do even better in Nebraska
because we have more rainfall per year
on the average."
Francis is among the first professors
in the country to bring a movement
known in agricultural circles as "alter
native agriculture" into state land
the Wall Street Journal his aim is to
"put chemical companies out of busi
ness." "Nebraska farmers use too much
nitrogen, which causes groundwater
contamination. They're generally app
lying more fertilizers than are needed,"
Francis said.
"We (American farmers) broke up a
bunch of the sandhills in the (19)20s,"
he said. "We're a little shortsighted
sometimes."
Francis urges Nebraska's farmers to
diversify into crops such as potatoes
and onions and to use soil conservation
techniques.
"It helps farmers reduce their input
costs and get more out of each acre,"
he said. "By making fewer passes over a
field you are reducing equipment costs
"Nebraska farmers use too much nitrogen
which causes groundwater contamination.
They're generally applying more fertilizers
than are needed."
Francis
grant agricultural schools. Last year
Francis took a sabbatical from UNL to
work as a researcher at the Rodale
Research Institute of Pennsylvania,
which is known for its work in the area
of organic farming.
Alternative agriculture is an envir
onmental movement that traces its
roots back to the 1920s Soil Conserva
tion Act. The movement stresses organic
farming and seeks to couple agricul
ture with ecology.
Fundamental to the movement is the
belief that farmers have an ethical
obligation to preserve the environment,
Francis said. The belief runs contrary
to many of the traditional teachings in
agricultural schools.
Nevertheless, Francis said, his teach
ings generally have been well received
among his UNL colleagues.
"It's caused a lot less controversy
(at UNL) than one might think," he
said. "There is a fairly strong coming
together between the mainstreamers
and those who favor organic tech
niques." Leaders of the alternative agricul
ture movement encourage farmers to
practice soil conservation techniques
and to use organic fertilizers such as
sewage sludge and manure, according
to an article in the Wall Street Journal.
They blame conventional farming tech
niques which emphasize production
through the use of heavy machinery
and inorganic fertilizers, for the pres
ent condition of agriculture.
Plant geneticist Wes Jackson of the
Land Institute in Salina, Kansas, told
and cutting down on erosion. Most
Nebraska farmers are overequipped."
UNL agricultural economist Glenn
Helmers said UNL research in Mead
has shown that organic farming is
competitive with conventional farming
techniques in terms of productivity.
"It was somewhat surprising to find
that organic farming was competitive
with conventional techniques," Hel
mers said. "Production does not go
down nearly as much as one might
think."
He said a recent decline in the
energy prices may further reduce in
terest in organic farming.
"The main impetus behind it is
reducing the input costs through lower
equipment costs. The decline in oil
prices makes it less expensive to run a i
tractor and gives farmers less reason to
switch," Helmer said.
Richard Wiese, UNL agronomy pro
fessor and extension services soil spe
cialist, said very few farmers have
switched to organic farming because it
is not practical.
Less than 1 percent of Nebraska's
farmers have switched to non-chemical
agriculture, he said.
"Let me use this analogy," he said.
"How many people wash their cars and
rinse their soap, which contains organic
phosphates, down the storm sewer?
The biggest single pollution element in
groundwater contamination occurs
downstream from towns and cities.
Should everyone stop washing their
cars? Let's be honest and use chemi
cals only when needed."
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