This paper is an historical analysis of how global pressures and aspirations have affected US farm bill debates over time, from the first farm bill in 1933 to the current debates over a 2018 farm bill. It focuses in particular on how nationalist and patriotic arguments have been used to support the USA's desired place in global agricultural markets over time. For example, debates over the 2008 farm bill reflected strong international concerns around both trade and energy, with early discussion focusing on keeping the USA ‘competitive’ as an agricultural exporter alongside emerging agricultural powerhouses, and later debates focusing on increasing domestic bioenergy production to ‘protect’ the USA from what were seen as risky energy imports. In other words, debates over trade and energy in 2008 provide insight into how stakeholders positioned the USA with respect to the rest of the world and how that positioning changed over the course of debates. But such questions about the USA's global aspirations—whether to maximize US production for export or protect US agriculture from global rivals—have been part of the farm bill since its earliest days. This analysis will examine how concerns over such national agricultural prominence in a globalizing context have played into and influenced the contours of domestic farm policy over time, with implications for the 2018 farm bill debates.

Green manure and compost-enriched in phosphorus can promote the sustainability of cropping systems by increasing soil fertility over the long term. They can also be used to manage crop/weed interactions, a key element in guaranteeing an appropriate level of satisfactory crop yields. We studied how green manuring with hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth.) and the application of different types of phosphorous-enriched compost affect weed/maize (Zea mays L.) interactions in an organic stockless Mediterranean agroecosystem for two consecutive dry years. Green manure stimulated the expression of maize traits related to a higher competitive ability against weeds, such as early growth, height and leaf area index, while the effect of compost was less clear. Regarding crop/weed competition, both green manuring and a phosphorus-enriched compost application gave a significant advantage to maize. Neither green manure nor compost increased total weed density and biomass compared to the control. Green manuring significantly affected the weed community composition. The relative density of ruderal and competitive-ruderal species (according to Grime's classification) was higher in plots where the green manure was applied. The use of green manure, together with novel composting techniques, significantly affected crop/weed competitive interactions, favoring maize, but also creating favorable conditions for unwanted weed species such as competitive-ruderals. Increasing nitrogen availability in the early growth stages of maize through green manuring can increase crop competitive ability. However, this may not suffice to preserve the system from future weed problems, should potentially detrimental species be selected. Dedicated strategies for the control of emerging weed species may thus be needed.

Legumes such as white lupin (Lupinus albus L.) provide a valuable nitrogen source in organic agriculture. With organic farming hectarage increasing and white lupin interest increasing in the southeastern USA due to newly released winter hardy cultivars, non-chemical weed control practices in lupin are needed. A two-year experiment was established at two locations in Alabama. Five weed control practices were evaluated: one pre-emergence (PRE)-applied herbicide (S-metolachlor), two mechanical (hand hoed) and two cultural (living mulch utilizing two black oat cultivars) weed control treatments. Fourteen weed species were encountered. S-metolachlor provided above 80% control of most weed species present in this experiment. The cultivation treatments and black oat companion crops also provided good weed control of many of the weeds encountered. Crop injury of all treatments was low on a 0 to 10 scale with 0 representing no injury: <2.0, <1.3 and <1.2 by S-metolachlor, the cultivation treatments and the black oat companion crops, respectively. Grain yield of cultivars ABL 1082, AU Alpha and AU Homer were 1540, 1130, 850 kg ha−1, respectively, when treated with the conventional treatment, S-metolachlor. Grain yield in the organic treatments was equivalent. The cultivation treatments and black oat companions were successful alternative weed control practices in white lupin production.

With the advent of confined feeding systems and associated herd size increases, dairy farms have had to import more feed from off the farm, leading to on farm nutrient surpluses. Management-intensive grazing (MIG) is an alternative to confined feeding. Under MIG, the herd is rotated among small paddocks every 12–24 h for efficient conversion of forage into milk using grass pasture to provide most of the herd's nutritional needs. Previous research on MIG reported high concentrations of nitrate under grassed monolith lysimeters and grazed pastures. However, because of the high levels of nitrogen (N) fertilization and ponding of cow urine in lysimeters, these previous studies may have overestimated nitrate leaching losses from MIG systems as practiced in the mid-Atlantic region. To determine the extent of nitrate losses to groundwater under MIG in the mid-Atlantic, we sampled shallow groundwater biweekly for 3 yrs on six watersheds in three Maryland dairy farms, one confined and two MIG-based farms. Transects of nested piezometers and ceramic tipped suction lysimeters were installed in each watershed. Seasonal mean nitrate-N concentrations under the four grazed watersheds were generally lower than under the confined feeding farm watersheds and were generally below the widely used drinking water standard of 10 mg L−1. Average nitrate-N concentrations for all four grazed watersheds were between 4 and 7 mg L−1, while the two confined feeding farm watersheds averaged 7 and 11 mg L−1, indicating that the MIG system did not cause excessive nitrate leaching.

Our global food supply becomes more vulnerable as we continue to lose diverse genetic resources. The Ossabaw hog is a feral breed that is unique to North America, a distant relative to the renowned Iberian hog and is considered an endangered swine breed. The objective of our farmer participatory project was to examine the meat and fat characteristics of Ossabaw hogs raised in alternative management systems for niche-market application. At one farm, eight Ossabaw pigs were randomly assigned to a grass pasture and fed a free choice corn–soy (CS) ration or placed in a mixed hardwood forest plot and provided free choice peanuts in the shells (P), alfalfa pellets (A) and mast from the mixed hardwoods (diet collectively referred to as PAM). The two diets had no effect on Ossabaw production data or pork quality characteristics; however, fat profiles were altered. Ossabaws weighed approximately 70 kg when harvested at 400 days and produced chops with small loin eyes (21–23 cm2) and minimal evidence of intramuscular fat deposits (1%). The unsaturated fatty acid (USFA) to saturated fatty acid (SFA) ratio improved from 1.6 to 2.6 (P<0.01) as a result of feeding the PAM diet. Forest-finished Ossabaw pork was considered more flavorful by food critics and renowned chefs than that of conventionally fed animals. Mast from hardwoods offers the possibility of enhancing pork flavor for niche markets and using a renewable forest resource as a food source. For farm two, eight Ossabaw gilts and eight crossbred progeny (from European breeds) were randomly assigned to one of the two dirt-lots and fed free choice a CS ration or PA diet (same ration as mentioned above with no mast). Ossabaw hogs grew nearly one-third as fast as the crosses and weighed approximately 80% of the crosses' harvest weight at twice their age. Loin eye areas of the crosses were nearly twice as large as the Ossabaws while the subcutaneous back fat deposition was nearly half. Compared to the CS diet, the PA ration decreased SFA by 23% while polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) increased by 60%. The USFA to SFA ratios improved from 1.5 to 2.2 (P<0.01) when PA diets were fed. Differences (P<0.05) in USFA profiles were observed for breed effects; Ossabaws had 8% higher levels of monounsaturated fatty acids and 18% lower PUFA levels than the crosses. When adjusted for breed effects, no differences in sensory characteristics for the CS versus PA diets were detected by a trained panel. Ossabaws were more flavorful than the crosses (2.3 versus 1.6); (P<0.05).

Agricultural enterprises that are run on ecological principles receive, in some countries, higher levels of financial support from the European Union (EU) than other agricultural businesses. The aim is to provide an incentive for businesses to adopt organic farming systems, a change desired by both politicians and society. However, with a fixed system of support payments based on land area, increasing the proportion of farms being run organically leads directly to higher costs of subsidies for the EU and the individual countries. This becomes especially true if enterprises with large land areas, high turnover and high income are converted to organic farming methods. Because financial resources within the member states are in very short supply, a modification of the current system of subsidies would seem to be necessary in the near future. The aim of any new system should be to reduce profit windfalls without making a drastic reduction in the incentive effect of the current system. At the same time, businesses that can run along these lines on a sustainable basis should be especially supported. This requires an increased level of individual assessment of the potential of the subsidized enterprises in relation to their cost–performance ratio for organic agricultural production. In this connection, a partial change to profit-based tax systems can be used as an effective instrument for co-financing. The method used to calculate profits for tax purposes, which varies from state to state, can be used to assess the performance and success of the organic farmer. Tax-free allowances or reductions in tax rates could be used to provide a selective subsidy method. The ability to relate subsidies to performance, thereby reducing windfall profits, is not the only advantage of using the tax system for this purpose. Another advantage is the low transaction costs. Using the example of the offsetting of profits between time periods, it will be shown here that the tax system can be used as an additional instrument for subsidization. The existing methods of subsidy can only be supported in this way, not completely substituted.

Nearly all commercial sweet corn fields contain weeds that escaped management and, therefore, sweet corn often suffers yield losses due to weed competition. For this reason, field trials were conducted from 2009 to 2011 near Prosser, WA and Urbana, IL to evaluate the responses of weeds and four sweet corn hybrids to three levels of weed management; weed free, high intensity cultivation (HC), and low intensity cultivation (LC). Weed management level had the greatest impact on early season weed densities and HC reduced final weed biomass more than LC in 2 of 4 site-years. Two taller sweet corn hybrids with greater leaf area suppressed final weed biomass more than two shorter hybrids with less leaf area in 3 of 4 site-years. When grown with less intense weed management that resulted in more weeds, taller sweet corn hybrids with greater leaf area maintained yields better than shorter, less competitive sweet corn hybrids. Utilizing hybrids with greater tolerance to weeds and greater ability to suppress weeds could be a valuable component of an integrated weed management system.

Conservation practices in agricultural landscapes can greatly mitigate biodiversity loss. However, agricultural landscapes are embedded in complex, social-ecological systems and therefore require a strong social-ecological approach for effective conservation measures. The Galapagos Islands are globally recognized for their high levels of biodiversity. Nevertheless, in recent years, Galapagos landbirds have suffered rapid declines, specifically in the agricultural zone. Our study is the first to examine the farmers’ perception of landbirds in the agricultural zone of Santa Cruz, Galapagos Islands. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 38 farmers to characterize the relationship between farmers and landbirds including how landbirds affect farmers and farmers’ perceptions of landbirds. The interviewed farmers managed a diverse array of farm types including coffee in agroforestry settings (23.7%), small-scale fruit and vegetable (60.5%) and livestock production (15.8%). We found that 86.9% of farmers had a positive or neutral perception of birds despite 52.6% of farmers finding finches bothersome. The most common techniques farmers employed to deter birds were putting out food and water, using nets to protect seedbeds and crops and using protective tubes around young plants. Our results suggest a positive potential for future conservation work targeted on farmland biodiversity. Future conservation projects should also address disservices and the mitigation of crop raiding by landbirds, the uninformed use of pesticides and other pest issues such as ants and rats.

The presence of pollinating insects in crop fields is an essential factor for agricultural production and pollinator conservation. Agricultural intensification has been identified as a driver of pollinator decline over the last decades and challenges the efficiency of pollination. Several approaches are used to support pollinators and their ecosystem services, notably reward-based wildflower strips. ‘Farming with Alternative Pollinators’ (FAP) aims to attract and sustain pollinators using marketable habitat enhancement plants (MHEP) in the field borders instead of wildflowers. These MHEP are selected in conjunction with farmers. We tested here whether the FAP approach increases diversity and abundance of flower visitors in melon fields in a semi-arid landscape in Morocco. Moreover, we examined whether MHEP increase flower-visitor abundance in melon flowers. We recorded a total of 1330 insect specimens including 573 specimens of wild bees. Lasioglossum malachurum was the major flower visitor in melon and several MHEP. As flower-visitor abundance and diversity in FAP fields were higher than in control fields, we conclude that FAP can be a valuable approach for pollinator protection in agro-ecosystems; 16.5% of wild bees and wasps showed spillover from the field borders to the melon fields.

Current agricultural and food systems literature suggests multiple opportunities for improving systemic sustainability. Especially in the popular press, many authors have conceptualized a return to smaller scale diversified production as a strategy to feed America sustainably. This study explores this notion for components of our meat supply using approaches reported in one of the most popular of these books, Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma, as a touchstone. We examine the land footprint and number of farms required to produce beef, chicken and eggs for the state of Michigan (a population just under 10,000,000) using similar production strategies to those outlined in Pollan's book. To feed Michigan's population at a scale of production demonstrated on the highlighted farm in Pollan's book, and an average level of Midwest intake for beef, chicken and eggs would require approximately 3600 farms and 6.5 million acres of farmland to produce 100% of the beef, 100% of the eggs and about 50% of the broiler chickens for this population. The strategy is discussed in reference to existing farms and acreage in Michigan and put in the context of sustainability within our food supply.

Soil suppressiveness which is the natural ability of soil to support optimal plant growth and health is the resultant of multiple soil microbial components; which implies many difficulties when estimating this soil condition. Microbial benefits for plant health from repeated digestate applications were assessed in three experimental sites surrounding anaerobic biogas plants in an intensively cultivated area of northern Italy. A 2-yr trial was performed in 2017 and 2018 by performing an in-pot plant growth assay, using soil samples taken from two fields for each experimental site, of which one had been repeatedly amended with anaerobic biogas digestate and the other had not. These fields were similar in management and crop sequences (maize was the recurrent crop) for the last 10 yr. Plant growth response in the bioassay was expressed as plant biomass production, root colonization frequency by soil-borne fungi were estimated to evaluate the impact of soil-borne pathogens on plant growth, abundance of Pseudomonas and actinomycetes populations in rhizosphere were estimated as beneficial soil microbial indicators. Repeated soil amendment with digestate increased significantly soil capacity to support plant biomass production as compared to unamended control in both the years. Findings supported evidence that this increase was principally attributable to a higher natural ability of digestate-amended soils to reduce root infection by saprophytic soil-borne pathogens whose inoculum was increased by the recurrent maize cultivation. Pseudomonas and actinomycetes were always more abundant in digestate-amended soils suggesting that both these large bacterial groups were involved in the increase of their natural capacity to control soil-borne pathogens (soil suppressiveness).

Green manures are a promising alternative for achieving the sustainable production of maize in the face of low soil fertility and increasingly long canicule periods, particularly in rainfed systems associated with the reproduction of local agrobiodiversity. However, it is necessary to investigate what are the advantages and disadvantages associated with different species of native and exotic pulse, as well as their overall contribution to the sustainable production of maize landraces. In order to do so, we followed the MESMIS method to assess five species of pulse (three native and two exotic) grown with maize in two plots with different soil conditions. This was done in the seasons of 2017 and 2018 the municipality of Villa de Zaachila, Oaxaca, a site with remarkable biological, agricultural and cultural diversity. A fully randomized complete block design was implemented with 11 treatments and three repetitions in the two plots. The output variables of the experiment were: land equivalence ratio, interspecific aggressiveness, content of soil organic matter, decomposition rate, plant survival rate and plant dry biomass. We also evaluated quantitative or qualitative indicators of cost, adaptability and contribution to food security. For all the possible maize-pulse combinations, except for one, polyculture outperformed maize and pulse monocultures. Exotic pulses (Crotalaria junscens spp. and Dolicho lablab) had a better performance in biomass, reincorporation of organic matter and possible nitrogen fixation, as well as greater resistance to drought in the second cycle. The native pulses (Phaseolus vulgaris and Phaseolus coccineus), however, had a greater acceptance and economic output and are important for the food security in our study site. Our results provide quantitative and qualitative elements to design combined schemes of green manures associated with maize that would help tackle current challenges regarding maize productivity, food security and response to climate change.

Cover crop residue retention on the soil surface can suppress weeds and improve organic no-till soybean (Glycine max) yield and profitability compared to a tilled system. Appropriate cereal rye (Secale cereale) fall planting date and termination methods in the spring are critical to achieve these benefits. A plot-scale agronomic experiment was carried out from September 2018 to October 2021 in Kutztown, PA, USA to demonstrate the influence of cereal rye planting date (September or October) and mechanical termination method [no-till (I & J roller-crimper, Dawn ZRX roller, and mow-ted) and tilled (plow-cultivate)] on cover crop regrowth density, weed biomass, soybean yield, and economic returns. In one out of three years, the September rye planting accumulated more cover crop biomass than the October planting, but the regrowth of the rye after roller-crimping was greater with this planting date. Cover crop planting date had no effect on total weed biomass and demonstrated varying effects on soybean grain yield and economic returns. The Dawn ZRX roller outperformed the I & J roller-crimper in effectively terminating cover crops, while the I & J roller-crimper demonstrated more uniform weed suppression and led to greater soybean yields over a span of three years. Organic no-till strategies eliminated the need for tillage and reduced variable costs by 14% over plow-cultivated plots, and generated ~19% greater net revenue across the study period (no-till vs tillage = US $845 vs US $711 ha−1). Terminating cereal rye with roller-crimping technology can be a positive investment in an organic soybean production system.

The purpose of this study was to predict Hispanic consumer's willingness to buy ethnic produce grown on local farms. Specifically, this result analyzes and compares the effects of Hispanic consumers' socio-economic characteristics and their expressed value judgments on their willingness to buy locally grown ethnic fruits and vegetables. The survey instrument asked respondents whether they were willing to buy ethnic produce grown on local farms, and based on this, an ordered probit model was developed to predict the willingness to buy ethnic produce grown on local farms. The model has significant explanatory power with 80% overall model prediction success. According to the survey results, overall, 80% of the Hispanic respondents were willing to buy locally grown ethnic produce, 13% of them were indifferent and only 7% of them were less willing to buy. The high positive percentage indicates the intensity of consumers' interest toward willing to buy locally grown produce. The study results indicated that growing demand for Hispanic ethnic produce provides a potential opportunity for farmers in the region.

The scientific community and most mainstream agriculturalists typically design fertilizer recommendations to provide a ‘sufficient level of available nutrients’ to meet the annual N, P and K requirements of common field crops. Soil balancing is another approach to managing soil fertility that focuses on the levels of Ca, Mg and K to achieve a desired base cation saturation ratio (BCSR). Soil balancing is believed to be practiced frequently by organic and other alternative farmers but is viewed skeptically by conventional agricultural scientists due to a lack of support for the idea in the published scientific literature. This study represents a pioneering effort to collect systematic data on the extent of soil balancing, how it is practiced and the types of outcomes reported by organic farmers. Our survey of over 850 farmers who grow certified organic corn in Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania found that over half report using a soil-balancing approach based on BCSR. Their practice of soil balancing frequently includes more than management of base cations, but also uses a wide range of soil amendment products (such as purchased organic NPK fertilizers, micronutrients, microbial stimulants and soil inoculants) other than those applied specifically for cation balance. Farms that rely on vegetable and dairy production for most of their income, and Amish farmers who rely on horses for fieldwork, were more likely to report using a soil-balancing program. Self-described soil balancers perceived positive agronomic outcomes from the use of a BCSR program, including improvements in soil physical and biological properties and improved crop health and quality. Although farmers in our study report extensive use and positive perceived outcomes from soil-balancing methods, the scientific research literature has been unable to reproduce evidence that manipulating soil base cation levels has any systematic effect on crop yield. Future research could consider the interacting effects of BCSR with other field management practices to more closely approximate the actual practices of farmers.

Green roof technology can partially mitigate the adverse effects of urbanization by controlling stormwater runoff, pre-filtering water, minimizing climate change outcomes and reducing heat island effects. However, improvements to current green roof systems and innovative approaches are paramount to advancing environmental benefits and consumer acceptance of this technology. Regular green roofs are hindered by high cost and mass, as well as the incorporation of large amounts of polymers. Hydroponic green roofs (HGRs) require specific setups, maintenance and frequent replacement of plant-growing substrate, with limited energy savings in the heating and cooling load of the building due to the space between the roof surface and the hydroponic setup. In this review, a comparison of regular and HGRs is provided, and research into the environmental benefits of these technologies, including stormwater control, water purification and lifecycle assessment, is summarized. Following this, the prospect of porous concrete (PC), as a combined plant-growth substrate and structural layer in a novel extensive hydroponic green roof (EHGR) design is proposed, through a compilation and analysis of recent studies reporting the feasibility of this construction material for different applications. The mechanical, hydrological and vegetative properties of PC are discussed. Finally, a new green roof system that incorporates both PC and hydroponics, termed the EHGR system, is presented. This new green roof system may help offset the effects of urbanization by providing stormwater and pollution control, runoff delay and physical and thermal benefits, while concurrently producing biomass from a reusable substrate.

Replacing tillage with cover crops (CC) for weed management in corn (Zea mays L.)-soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] systems with mechanical weed control has many soil health benefits but in the western Corn Belt, CC establishment after harvest is hampered by cold temperatures, limited labor and few compatible CC species. Spring-planted CC may be an alternative, but information is lacking on suitable CC species. Our objective was to evaluate four spring-planted CC with respect to biomass production and weed suppression, concurrent with CC growth and post-termination. Cover crop species tested were oat (Avena sativa L.), barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), brown mustard [Brassica juncea (L.) Czern.] and yellow mustard (Brassica hirta Moench). They were compared to no-CC treatments that were either tilled pre- and post-planting of soybean (no-CC tilled) or not tilled at all (no-CC weedy). CC were planted in late March to early April, terminated 52–59 days later using an undercutter, and soybean was planted within a week. The experiment had a randomized complete block design with four replications and was repeated for 3 years. Mustards and small grains produced similar amounts of biomass (1.54 Mg ha−1) but mustard biomass production was more consistent (0.85–2.72 Mg ha−1) than that of the small grains (0.35–3.81 Mg ha−1). Relative to the no-CC weedy treatment, mustards suppressed concurrent weed biomass in two out of 3 years, by 31–97%, and small grains suppressed concurrent weed biomass in only 1 year, by 98%.

Six weeks after soybean planting, small grains suppressed weed biomass in one out of 3 years, by 79% relative to the no-CC weedy treatment, but mustards did not provide significant weed suppression. The no-CC tilled treatment suppressed weeds each year relative to the no-CC weedy treatment, on average 87%. The ineffective weed control by CC reduced soybean biomass by about 50% six weeks after planting. While spring-planted CC have the potential for pre-plant weed control, they do not provide adequate early season weed suppression for soybean.

Aroma-Home, an artist-initiated community garden in Villetaneuse, just outside Paris, France, originated as a way to poeticize damaged urban locations by creating small communally-created pockets of unexpected natural beauty. In 2013, Sarah Harper of Friches Théâtre Urbain joined forces with local inhabitants to reclaim public spaces marred by construction and neglect. Together, they began to alter the urban landscape with whimsical plant-based interventions that sprouted up behind construction fences. This guerrilla gardening soon led to the sowing of a community garden that wove together food-growing, story-telling and place-making and fashioned its particular identity through cultural practices around growing, preparing and sharing food of the multi-ethnic participants. The horticultural-culinary conversations became inextricably connected to gardening activities: edible stories involving food memories and horticultural skills that nourished those who prepared and consumed them. This ‘From the Field’ paper looks at how the community garden/art-making processes of Aroma-Home transformed a bleak construction site into a mini-urban agricultural ‘commons’ where imagining, planting and harvesting the garden and its edible stories were all shared.

Brazil has the largest market for organic products in Latin America, but only 1.04% of its agricultural land is utilized for organic production (OP). We compared organic and conventional production (CP) in economic and productivity terms using data from a randomized survey of 86 organic and conventional strawberry growers (response rate 85.2%) in Brazlândia, Federal District, Brazil. Probit model selection estimates showed that the use of technical assistance from rural extension and producer gender had no effect, but growers with greater age, higher indebtedness, smaller strawberry production area, more education and less experience on growing strawberries were more likely to produce organically. For growers with more than 5.6 years of education and less than 13.54 years of experience, more education and experience make them less likely to produce strawberry organically. Thus, we expect growers’ probabilities of conversion for strawberry OP will remain about the same over time in the study area. The average treatment effect for the treated (ATT) was estimated using nearest neighbor/propensity score matching and endogenous switching regression (ESR). These showed that producing strawberry organically had no effect on productivity or total cost per box, but increased revenue and profit per box, probably as a result of the price premium for organic strawberries. As only 4.8% of farmers had converted to organic production, conversion costs and non-economic factors, such as psychological factors and social capital, may be barriers to conversion.

Information about the costs and labor requirements of experimental organic farming systems designed to restore highly degraded soils in the southeastern US are needed. Enterprise budgets were prepared for the production of okra, hot pepper and a corn/winter squash intercrop under 10 different production systems, nine of which were based on organic conservation tillage. A stochastic dominance analysis was conducted to determine the relative risk efficiency of the 10 systems over the course of the experiment in terms of productivity, profitability and carbon sequestration potential. Organic conservation tillage treatments had lower tractor labor and fuel costs than conventional treatments, due to the extensive tillage required in conventional vegetable farming. The subset of organic treatments receiving compost addition without additional mulches also demonstrated increases in soil carbon, an important driver of system productivity. Organic treatments had little pest and pathogen pressure, with the exception of Fusarium wilt in some treatments receiving straw mulch. Weed suppression by straw mulches reduced labor requirements by an average of 23%. Yields in all treatments were lower than conventional yields from other studies in the region, due to the degraded nature of the soil on the study site. However, net returns on high-labor, organic crops were over US$30,000 ha−1 in some treatments. The results of this work indicate that organic, conservation tillage systems can restore soil productivity and command high returns per hectare if labor requirements can be met.