Southern organic farmers are a rarity because it's a harder way to grow crops, but it may become more common

Keith White is in the process of turning his farm into organic.
(Photo by Stu Boyd II, The Commercial Appeal)

The South has fewer organic food growers than other U.S. regions, and one big reason is organic farming is harder to do in Southern climates "without pesticides or herbicides," reports Todd A. Price of The Tennessean. "And most of the South's organic farms are smaller, and grow vegetables."

Keith White is a Southern farmer "training" his land to produce healthy, organic crops. He is Price's key example: "White invited an older farmer to his land, which sits on the south edge of Memphis next to Highway 61 . . . . White was preparing the 45 acres for soybeans, and the older farmer spotted a weed he had not seen in years: cocklebur. . . . White was working to make this plot organic. The cockleburs had likely been dormant for years, kept from sprouting by the herbicides sprayed on the soil. . . . In April, White checked on his land. . . . What was growing in the field, cereal rye and radish greens, looked no more impressive than weeds. But those plants were the culmination of two years of work. He was building up cover crops, which will lock nutrients into the soil and choke out weeds. . . . He was farming without herbicides or pesticides as part of a five-year program run by the Memphis-based nonprofit AgLaunch. At the end of the third year, he can officially certify the farm as organic through the Department of Agriculture."

While most Southern organic growers stick to planting produce, "White is a row-crop farmer, producing corn, wheat, cotton and soybeans on 1,000 acres. . . . He can't name another row-crop farmer who grows organically, even though organic crops can sell for on average 50% more than conventional crops," Price reports. White told him, "It's definitely up in the air. But if it works, it's going to be very, very profitable."

Smith reminds us of Kermit the Frog's adage: "It's not easy being green. . . . . Growing organically is harder everywhere. Organic farmers cannot use pesticides, herbicides or genetically modified seeds. Organic farming requires more workers. . . . A 2015 USDA study found that the labor cost on organic farms was $37 per acre more than on conventional farms. The three-year waiting period for organic certification also means that in the beginning, farmers are spending more and getting lower yields of organic crops without being able to charge higher prices. . . . In the South, where the weather is warmer and wetter, organic farming is even more difficult."

While organic farming is challenging, AgLaunch President Pete Nelson "believes eventually many farmers will have no choice but to grow organically," Price reports. "Consumers will demand more organic food. He wants farmers in the South to be ready for that change. Nelson told Smith, "The tide has turned. We're sort of betting the farm, if you will, that to be successful long term, you've got to move in that direction."