Organic Agriculture and the Quest for the Holy Grail in Water-Limited Ecosystems: Managing Weeds and Reducing Tillage Intensity

Erik Lehnhoff, Zachariah Miller, Perry Miller, Stephen Johnson, Tessa Scott, Patrick Hatfield and Fabian D. Menalled
Additional contact information
Erik Lehnhoff: Department of Entomology, Plant Pathology and Weed Science, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM 88003-8003, USA
Zachariah Miller: Western Agricultural Research Center, Montana State University, Corvallis, MT 59828-9721, USA
Perry Miller: Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717-3120, USA
Stephen Johnson: Western Agricultural Research Center, Montana State University, Corvallis, MT 59828-9721, USA
Tessa Scott: Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717-3120, USA
Patrick Hatfield: Department of Animal and Range Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717-2900, USA
Fabian D. Menalled: Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717-3120, USA

Agriculture, 2017, vol. 7, issue 4, 1-16

Abstract: Organic agricultural production has become a major economic and cultural force. However, in water-limited environments the tools used for weed control and nutrient supply, namely tillage and cover crops, may not be environmentally or economically sustainable as tillage damages soil and cover crops use valuable water. Thus, a major challenge has been finding appropriate ways to minimize tillage and terminate cover crops while still controlling weeds and obtaining cover crop ecosystem services. One approach to achieve this is through the economically viable integration of crop and livestock enterprises to manage weeds and terminate cover crops. In this article we (1) review research needs and knowledge gaps in organic agriculture with special focus on water-limited environments; (2) summarize research aimed at developing no-till and reduced tillage in organic settings; (3) assess approaches to integrate crop and livestock production in organic systems; and (4) present initial results from a project assessing the agronomic and weed management challenges of integrated crop-livestock organic systems aimed at reducing tillage intensity in a water-limited environment. The goal of eliminating tillage in water-limited environments remains elusive, and more research is needed to successfully integrate tactics, such as cover crops and livestock grazing to increase organic farm sustainability.

Keywords: cover crops; crop-livestock integration; no-till; northern Great Plains; reduced tillage; weed management; zero till (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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