Organic farming is gaining traction

A little luck and a bit of trickery got farmer Harold Wilken through his first years growing organic feed without pesticides.

By luck, he planted the red clover next to the corn; Japanese beetles that typically feed on corn silks were more attracted to the clover blossom. A careful rotation -- wheat, alfalfa, corn, soybeans, repeat -- helped too.

"Root-worm beetles learned to lay their eggs in soybean stubble so they would be there for the corn the next year," he said. "We confuse them."

These are the kinds of blessings that farmers rely on during what can be a tumultuous process: a transition to organic farming. Three years ago, Wilken began converting 94 acres of farmland in Danforth, just south of Kankakee, but this harvest is the first time he will see the premium prices that organic feed and vegetables can pull in.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture requires three years without pesticides, herbicides or synthetic fertilizers before it will grant the coveted organic seal. It's a period of trial and error, and the workload can double long before the profits do.
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