Comparison of Organic and Conventional Crops at the Neely-Kinyon LTAR Site, 2001

Sales of organic products reached $8 billion industry in the United States in 2001, continuing a 20% annual growth rate. In Iowa alone, reported acreage for all organic crops increased from 13,000 in 1995 to 100,000 in 2000. With support from the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, Long-Term Agroecological Research (LTAR) sites were established throughout Iowa in 1998 to examine the agronomic, environmental, and economic effects of organic practices over the long term. Neely-Kinyon organic LTAR plots became certified organic in 2000. Results from 2001 represent crop yields after one full rotation