Steve Lalonde of Tullochgorum Farms recently sat down with Hugh Maynard of the Farm and Food Podcast to talk about organic cash crops.. Most people think of fruits and vegetables when they think of organic farming, but Lalonde grows grain corn, soybeans, wheat, alfalfa, and two varieties of popcorn on over 220 acres. He is especially known for his organic popcorn, which is quite famous across the Valley and beyond.
Lalonde bought his family farm in 1984. He and his wife, Lorraine Lamb Lalonde, decided to become certified organic in 2000. “At the time when we entered our application for certification, there was no real true premium for organic crops. For us, essentially, it was a bit of a business management decision to try and reduce cost,” Lalonde explains. The cost of fertilizers and herbicides was expensive, and this felt like the right business move.
The transition itself takes years to be official. “Your crop can be certified 36 months from the last use of a prohibited substance,” Lalonde explains. There is an inspection each year to make sure standards are being maintained, and the farm must keep a paper trail of the steps they take to ensure they are still eligible.
Weed control can be difficult on an organic farm, since the use of herbicides is forbidden. Lalonde emphasizes that “Timing is of the utmost importance for weed control. If we were to put our crop in the ground too early when the ground is cold, and it takes a week or two for the crop to emerge, we’ve given the weeds a week or two to get established.” This is especially challenging with grain corn since it grows slowly. Harvesting before the weeds mature also helps as it cuts them off and breaks the cycle before they have time to seed.
When a farm can’t use things like genetically modified seeds or synthetic fertilizer, there is the question of how it can produce enough to make a profit. Lalonde says, “In the beginning, the premiums were modest at best … But over the years, the organic industry has taken off and flourished. For quite a number of years, we were seeing growth rates of 20 per cent, which is – in the grain market – exceptional.”
The market fluctuates all the time, but the place where they have felt the biggest financial impact is with their corn. “Because of the limited amount of manure we’re able to apply, and especially in the last couple of years when we’ve had dry summers, our cover crops have not been what they should have been, so we were lacking a little bit of fertility,” he adds.
Organic farming does come with some financial benefits. For example, he doesn’t have to pay for herbicide or fertilizer, and his seeds are less expensive because they are non-GMO. Plus, organic crops sell for more, so they take less volume to make the same amount of money as a conventional farm.
To anyone looking to start their own organic farm, Lalonde says, “The big thing is you pay attention, look around, do some experiments at home first … If you can’t tell the difference and you don’t see a difference, then you can see where it’s viable and you can expand on that research.” They have learned a lot through trial and error on their farm over the years. All you can do is take it one day at a time and learn as you go.