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America may export more grain to feed cattle, pigs and poultry than any other country, but it’s losing share in its own backyard.
Because most of the corn and soybeans harvested across the Midwest come from genetically modified seed and use crop chemicals shunned by the organic industry, an increasing amount of specialty grain used to produce organic milk, eggs and meat is being imported from places like Romania and India. Purchases more than doubled last year and are rising again this year, government data show.
While organic feed remains a tiny portion of the U.S. grain market, it is growing rapidly. . . .
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. . . . As of 2014, only 0.2 percent of domestic corn and soybean fields were devoted to organic varieties. That’s partly because of the costs associated with ditching GMO seeds as well as many of the fertilizers and crop chemicals most growers use.
Related on the SLP
Average yields for organic crops tend to be lower, and there’s increased risk of damage from pests, diseases and weeds. It also takes three years to transition from conventional crops to organic. . .
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“In the past, there has been trouble getting feed and having a consistent, affordable supply,” said Miranda Leis, feed-program operations manager for Organic Valley, a La Farge, Wisconsin-based cooperative. . .“Prices have come down, which is beneficial for the livestock members purchasing the feed, but it’s harder for the grain farmers who are trying to make a living selling that. . . .”
Read full, original post: Organic Feed Boom Means U.S. Cows Feast on Romanian Corn Instead
