Editing Organic farming (section)

====Long term studies====
A study published in 2005 compared conventional cropping, organic animal-based cropping, and organic legume-based cropping on a test farm at the [[Rodale Institute]] over 22 years.<ref>Pimentel DP et al. (2005) [http://www.ce.cmu.edu/~gdrg/readings/2007/02/20/Pimental_EnvironmentalEnergeticAndEconomicComparisonsOfOrganicAndConventionalFarmingSystems.pdf Environmental, Energetic, and Economic Comparisons of Organic and Conventional Farming Systems] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130601032933/http://www.ce.cmu.edu/~gdrg/readings/2007/02/20/Pimental_EnvironmentalEnergeticAndEconomicComparisonsOfOrganicAndConventionalFarmingSystems.pdf |date=1 June 2013 }} Bioscience 55(7): 573-582.</ref> The study found that "the crop yields for corn and soybeans were similar in the organic animal, organic legume, and conventional farming systems". It also found that "significantly less [[fossil energy]] was expended to produce corn in the Rodale Institute's organic animal and organic legume systems than in the conventional production system. There was little difference in energy input between the different treatments for producing soybeans. In the organic systems, synthetic fertilizers and pesticides were generally not used". As of 2013 the Rodale study was ongoing<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://rodaleinstitute.org/science/farming-systems-trial/|title=Farming Systems Trial}}</ref> and a thirty-year anniversary report was published by Rodale in 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://rodaleinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/FSTbookletFINAL.pdf |title=The Farming Systems Trial Rodale 30 year report|access-date=March 7, 2017}}</ref>

A long-term field study comparing organic/conventional agriculture carried out over 21 years in Switzerland concluded that "Crop yields of the organic systems averaged over 21 experimental years at 80% of the conventional ones. The fertilizer input, however, was 34 – 51% lower, indicating an efficient production. The organic farming systems used 20 – 56% less energy to produce a crop unit and per land area this difference was 36 – 53%. In spite of the considerably lower pesticide input the quality of organic products was hardly discernible from conventional analytically and even came off better in food preference trials and picture creating methods."<ref>Fliessbach, et al. ([[Research Institute of Organic Agriculture]]), [http://www.soilace.com/pdf/pon2004/1.Fliessbach.pdf "D-O-K (Biodynamic-Bioorganic-Conventional): Results From 21 Year Old Field Experiment"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120710044051/http://www.soilace.com/pdf/pon2004/1.Fliessbach.pdf |date=10 July 2012 }}.</ref>