Comparison of the production, economic returns, and energy intensiveness of corn belt farms that do and do not use inorganic fertilizers and pesticides

Abstract

This report compares crop production on a sample of 16 mixed crop-livestock farms in the Corn Belt on which no inorganic fertilizers and almost no pesticides are used, to that of a matched sample that uses conventional fertilization and pest control practices. In the 1974 crop year, the market value of the crops raised per acre was slightly higher on the conventional sample (an average of 8 percent), but this difference was not statistically significant at the 90 percent probability level. There was no difference between the two groups' crop production returns, that is, value of production less operating costs. The operating costs on the conventional farms were greater for fertilization and pest control, but other costs were about equal for the two samples. The energy intensiveness (defined as energy input divided by value of production) on the farms that do not use fertilizers is an average of one-third as much as that of the conventional group. This difference arises almost entirely from the latters' use of energy-intensive fertilizers, primarily anhydrous ammonia and other forms of nitrogen. (auth)