And if not, what methods do they use to harvest crops?Please state your reference.Thanks
Actually a touch more than other farmers with similar operations. As others have pointed out they use the same tillage, planting, and harvesting equipment, that's usually the same size. Where I say they will use more is in weed control. Organic farms are not allowed to use chemical weed controls (I believe there's a few exceptions if it's a natural chemical such as vinegar, or a bacterial based spray, etc). So most of them will go with mechanical weed control, typically cultivation. Even if the number of passes taken with the cultivator is equal to what would be needed with a sprayer (not always the case), it will burn more fuel to cultivate due to the resistance of dragging a machine through the soil vs rolling on top of it. In the end the machinery use among similar crops between organic and conventional will be similar, with the organic guy likely doing a little more in this department, and likely burning a little more fuel in the process.
Organic farmers use the same equipment as conventional farmers with similar sized farms and crops. For example a farmer who has an orchard will be hand harvesting the apples whether they be conventional or organic. The same is true of wheat farmers they all use combines with a wheat head to harvest and clean the grain.
Gee Levi, I am an organic farmer and I hardly spray my crops at all with pesticides. You do realize that organic pesticides are not persistent in the environment like synthetics that can persist in the soil and water for several years. organic pesticides are generally persistent for a couple of days. Did you know if you have a good balance of beneficial to pest insects you really don't need to spray much at all and you get a marketable crop. I have sprayed zero insecticides this season and so far have sold tons of food to the public. You are also assuming the growing produce is like orcharding-it is not. Apples, peaches etc if grown conventionally get sprayed down with some really nasty chemicals weekly. The organic folks also spray weekly but with things like soap, neem, Bt, lime sulfur, kelp. they also do things like bag each pomme which means almost no insecticide sprays after petal fall. So yes organic growers do use sprays but they are not the toxic sprays conventional growers use-you can eat an organic apple right after organic sprays are applied. Conventional apples cannot be sprayed within 6 weeks of harvest-so you see there is a huge difference in the sprays being used.
