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This presentation was recorded on November 18, 2014. Watch it on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjrpVU6K_zs

Presenters: Brian Baker, Nigel Tudor, Frank Kutka, and Elizabeth Dyck.

About the Webinar

One roadblock to the increased production of the “ancient” grains einkorn, emmer, and spelt is the need for dehulling capacity, since these grains do not thresh free of the hull in the combine. This webinar will provide an overview of the methods used to dehull grain and the components needed in a dehulling system. One focus will be on the current dehulling options for both larger-scale and small-scale growers, including custom dehulling, new and used dehullers, modification of milling/cleaning equipment to dehull, and building one’s own dehuller. The webinar will also focus on the economics of dehulling, including consideration of ancient grain yield, dehulling efficiency and costs, and prices for hulled and dehulled grain.

About the Presenters

Brian Baker grew up on a small farm in Upstate New York and has a Ph.D. in agricultural economics from Cornell University. He has been working with organic farmers for over 30 years.

Frank Kutka studied plant breeding with Margaret Smith at Cornell University and currently serves as a co-coordinator of the Farm Breeding Club organized among members of the Northern Plains Sustainable Agriculture Society. Kutka lives and breeds maize and other crops in western North Dakota.

Elizabeth Dyck, coordinator of the Organic Growers’ Research and Information-Sharing Network (OGRIN), has conducted research in organic cropping systems for over 20 years, primarily through collaborative on-farm trials with growers. Her current research includes work with modern and heritage wheat and the ancient grains.

Nigel Tudor grows and mills certified organic grains at Weatherbury Farm in southwest Pennsylvania; the farm also raises grass fed beef & lamb and offers overnight farm vacation stays. Trained in machining and architectural blacksmithing, he finds those skills useful in repairing, modifying and building farm equipment.

Slides from the webinar as a pdf handout

Grain dehuller worksheet

 

 

This is an eOrganic article and was reviewed for compliance with National Organic Program regulations by members of the eOrganic community. Always check with your organic certification agency before adopting new practices or using new materials. For more information, refer to eOrganic's articles on organic certification.

eOrganic 12837

This webinar was recorded on December 16, 2014. Watch it on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUiyXFwGQ0w

About the Webinar

We will describe our experience with an organic-certified winter nursery for corn breeding. This is part of a cooperative effort to produce available corn varieties tailored to meet the needs of organic farmers. The intended audience is corn breeders, but others who are interested in learning more about corn breeding or organic production systems may find value as well.

Slides from the webinar as a pdf handout

About the Presenters

Bryan Brunner is a Professor a the University of Puerto Rico in Mayaguez. He carries out research and communicates information about organic agriculture in tropical farming systems. 

Kevin Montgomery is a consultant in central Illinois. His expertise spans corn breeding with emphasis on yield limiting factors such as plant diseases and insects.

Paul Scott is a Research Geneticist with the USDA ARS in Ames Iowa where he has worked for the past 18 years. His work focuses on improving corn for niche markets such as organic corn.

 

 

 

 

This is an eOrganic article and was reviewed for compliance with National Organic Program regulations by members of the eOrganic community. Always check with your organic certification agency before adopting new practices or using new materials. For more information, refer to eOrganic's articles on organic certification.

eOrganic 12866

This is a Vegetable Farmers and their Weed Control Machines video clip.

Watch the video clip at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0sw4aHGKhI

Featuring

Gary Gemme, Harvest Farm. Whately, MA.

Audio Text

After we go through with the Buddingh cultivators, we then leave the crop alone pretty much until it gets to a stage of growth where we can just sneak in one last time and that’s when we come in with this tractor with the big sweeps on it and we adjust them, the cultivating shanks, they’re adjustable so that the teeth are tipped down not as they are now, but they’re pointed more towards the ground, and we go through and hill them up and top dress them at the same time.

Now so far with the use of the Buddinghs, we’ve achieved weed control between the rows. Once we come in with these particular cultivators, we achieve weed control within the row because we hill up the dirt around the plants - we can bury weeds up to about two inches in height. We do that just prior to the canopy filling in and usually when we go in we also add fertilizer to give the crop enough food to carry it to maturity.

This video project was funded in part by the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (USDA).  

This is an eOrganic article and was reviewed for compliance with National Organic Program regulations by members of the eOrganic community. Always check with your organic certification agency before adopting new practices or using new materials. For more information, refer to eOrganic's articles on organic certification.

eOrganic 5981

This is a Vegetable Farmers and their Weed Control Machines video clip.

Watch the video clip at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPquNqimV1Y

Featuring

Gary Gemme, Harvest Farm. Whately, MA.

Audio Text

So this tool here is the basis of our establishing a clean field from very early on and this combined with making a bed to get a smooth surface gives us the capability of doing a good job to start with. Once we get a little weed pressure and our transplants are still small enough, we run through with this Cub tractor and the Buddingh cages, we slide right in between the plants and do a nice job cleaning every thing up except what’s in between the rows or in the rows, and that serves us as our first cultivation and after that we go in with a different tractor.

We can do an acre in about a half an hour with this and my goal is to always go as fast as I can. Speed seems to really make a big difference with this thing if the plants are tall enough and the ground is firm enough, I’ve gone in road gear with it and really been pleased with the results. You also like to get your work done quickly but you wanna do a good job and that’s the primary goal.

When we find conditions are particularly clumpy such as after heavy rains, before we go in for the hilling we go in with these small teeth with these little wires attached to them to break up the clods, so that when we hill we don’t throw clods all over the plants and do more damage than good. These we found hangin' around in an old barn and we put them to use. They work quite well for fracturing the soil.

The key to doing a good job is to have a nice straight flat bed that the cultivators can follow to a T. This system works well enough that the tractor virtually does it itself, in fact one time I was chased by some mean bees and I jumped off the tractor and it caught up to me at the end of the row and it had cultivated perfectly all the way along without me on it.

This video project was funded in part by the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (USDA).  

This is an eOrganic article and was reviewed for compliance with National Organic Program regulations by members of the eOrganic community. Always check with your organic certification agency before adopting new practices or using new materials. For more information, refer to eOrganic's articles on organic certification.

eOrganic 5980

This webinar was recorded on December 9, 2014. Watch it on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZVx3HJU3so. Links mentioned in the webinar by presenters and participants are listed below.

About the Webinar

Lots of people are talking about permaculture, but there is very little information about how it could be applied to commercial farming in the US. In this webinar we'll help remedy that gap by providing an overview of farm-scale permaculture, focusing on opportunities and challenges of diversification, perennial crop development, and market development for perennial crops. For each topic we'll draw on our own ongoing research projects as well as existing literature, and refer participants to resources for learning more or getting involved.

Slides from the Webinar

Slides from the webinar as a pdf handout
Ron Revord's PowerPoint with live links

Resources Mentioned in the Webinar

Note: Some of these resources mentioned in the webinar may not be about certified organic production. Before applying ANY product, be sure to 1) read and understand the safety precautions and application restrictions, and 2) make sure that the brand name product is listed in your Organic System Plan and approved by your certifier. For more information see Can I Use this Product for Disease Management on my Organic Farm?

Chestnuts:

• http://chestnuts.msu.edu/
• http://www.chestnutgrowersinc.com/about.shtml
• http://www.acf.org/index.php
• http://www.centerforagroforestry.org/pubs/chestnutpubs.php
• http://ecosystems.psu.edu/research/chestnut/breeding

Currants:

• http://www.ars.usda.gov/NEWS/docs.htm?docid=11353
• http://www.plant.uoguelph.ca/adale
• http://www.fruit.cornell.edu/mfruit/gooseberries.html

Hazelnuts:

• http://agproducts.rutgers.edu/hazelnuts/
• http://www.extension.oregonstate.edu/yamhill/hazelnuts-filberts
• http://www.midwesthazelnuts.org
• http://www.arborday.org/programs/hazelnuts/consortium/
• http://www.ontariohazelnuts.com

Permaculture

• liberationecology.org
• www.savannainstitute.org
• http://www.permacultureactivist.net/
• http://permaculturenews.org
• http://farmingthewoods.com
• http://farmhack.net/shop/appleseed-permaculture-open-enterprise-budgets
• Goats in the Woods Workbook, Cornell

About the Presenters

Rafter Ferguson, Ron Revord, and Kevin Wolz, are graduate students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. You can contact Rafter or learn more about his work at liberationecology.org. You can contact Ron and Kevin or learn more about their work at www.savannainstitute.org.

 

This is an eOrganic article and was reviewed for compliance with National Organic Program regulations by members of the eOrganic community. Always check with your organic certification agency before adopting new practices or using new materials. For more information, refer to eOrganic's articles on organic certification.

eOrganic 12871

This webinar by Joyce Parker and William Snyder was recorded on November 11, 2014. Watch it on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqbsX5LVFzw

About the Webinar

Diverse plantings bring many benefits for agroecosystems. This webinar explores the use of diverse trap crops, stands of plants grown to attract pest insects away from your target crop, as an approach to manage flea beetles in broccoli. The audience targeted are small farms, home gardeners and anyone interested in learning more about trap cropping.

Find the slides for the presentation as a pdf here

About the Presenter

Joyce is an entomologist with a background in agroecology and sustainable agriculture. She received her MS in Ag biology from New Mexico State University and her PhD in Entomology from Washington State University. Her doctoral research broadly explored organic pest management strategies (e.g., trap cropping and companion planting) that enhanced pest control and improved crop yields. Currently Joyce is an AAAS Science Policy Fellow at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in the Design for the Environment Branch.

Find all upcoming and archived eOrganic webinars on organic farming and research topics at http://www.extension.org/pages/25242

 

 

 

This is an eOrganic article and was reviewed for compliance with National Organic Program regulations by members of the eOrganic community. Always check with your organic certification agency before adopting new practices or using new materials. For more information, refer to eOrganic's articles on organic certification.

eOrganic 12833

Watch the webinar on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VymsPJXlwXo

About the Webinar

The presenters will discuss the use of cover crop “cocktails” or mixtures to achieve multiple goals on the farm, including weed suppression, nitrogen scavenging, nitrogen provisioning, and attracting beneficial insects and pollinators. Results from a study of winter cover crops in a grain and forage research project at the Penn State Rock Springs Research Farm and from several Pennsylvania farms will be shown. We will also review issues of cover crop timing, termination, and general management to aid in farmer insight and adoption of cover crop mixes.

A pdf handout of the slides is available here

About the Presenters

• Mary Barbercheck, Professor of Entomology, Penn State University. Mary Barbercheck researches soil entomology and ecology, biological soil quality and biological control of soil-dwelling pests, and soil arthropod diversity and function as it relates to sustainable organic cropping systems. She is a co-PI of the Cover Crop Cocktails project and leads its entomological research.
• Jason Kaye, Associate Professor of Soil Biogeochemistry, Penn State University. Jason Kaye is the project director of the Cover Crop Cocktails project at Penn State. He leads measurements of soil organic matter quality, soil erosion, and nutrient cycling at the PSU and on-farm sites.
• Dave Mortensen, Professor of Weed and Applied Plant Ecology, Penn State University. Dave Mortensen works in applied plant ecology and ecologically-based pest management to improve the sustainability of land resource management. He is a co-PI of the Cover Crop Cocktails project and leads evaluations of weed suppression.
• Charlie White, Extension Associate, Sustainable Agriculture, Penn State University. Charlie White’s extension and research work focuses on improving soil health, managing nutrient cycling, and monitoring agroecosystem functioning.
• Mitch Hunter, PhD Candidate, Agronomy, Penn State University. Mitch Hunter is a PhD candidate in agronomy working with Dr. David Mortensen. He is investigating how diverse cover cropping can contribute to ecological weed management and drought resilience in annual cropping systems.
• Jermaine Hinds, PhD Candidate, Entomology, Penn State University. Jermaine Hinds discovered his interest in entomology during his undergraduate studies at the University of Maryland, College park where he studied the influence of cover crops on pest insects. At Penn State, he continues by investigating the role that cover crops and non-crop resources have on impacting beneficial insects on farm.
• Jim LaChance, Project Coordinator, Ecosystem Science and Management, Penn State University. Jim LaChance is the project coordinator of the Cover Crop Cocktails research project at Penn State. He manages the project’s farm operations and coordinates field sampling across the CCC project team.

Find all eOrganic webinar recordings at http://extension.org/pages/25242

 

This is an eOrganic article and was reviewed for compliance with National Organic Program regulations by members of the eOrganic community. Always check with your organic certification agency before adopting new practices or using new materials. For more information, refer to eOrganic's articles on organic certification.

eOrganic 11961

Watch the webinar on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RaYiY3uKuY

Original air date: June 6, 2014

About the Webinar

The webinar will cover the availability of organic seed, as well as the National Organic Program's 2013 guidance that aimed to clarify the organic seed regulatory requirement. Presenters will share their perspectives on challenges in enforcing this requirement, and recommendations for encouraging increased sourcing of organic seed. Finally, participants will be introduced to tools and resources that support organic seed sourcing and production. This webinar is supported by a contract from the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service’s National Organic Program.

View a pdf of the slides for this webinar

Find all upcoming and archived webinars »

About the Presenters

Kristina Hubbard is the director of advocacy and communications for Organic Seed Alliance (OSA), a national organization that delivers research, education, and advocacy that advances the ethical development and stewardship of seed. Her work includes the promotion of policies that expand organic seed systems, and improve the availability, quality, and integrity of organic seed. She's a contributing author to OSA's State of Organic Seed report (2011).

Emily Brown Rosen has been at USDA’s National Organic Program in the Standards Division since April 2010, as an agricultural marketing specialist, working on regulations and guidance for organic producers. She has an M.S. from Rutgers University in horticulture, and over 20 years of experience in the organic sector, including as policy director/technical support for Pennsylvania Certified Organic, the Organic Materials Review Institute, and the Northeast Organic Farming Association of NJ.

Zea Sonnabend is an organic farm inspector and materials policy advisor for California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) and serves on the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB). She helped write the first certification handbook and materials list for organic farming in California, is a founder of the Organic Materials Review Institute, and has worked for the USDA and NOSB as a contractor to develop the National List. She is a lifetime member of the Seed Savers Exchange, board member of Organic Seed Alliance, and has taught classes in seed saving at the UC Davis Student Farm and at the UCSC Farm and Garden since 1986. She has an M.S. in Plant Breeding from Cornell University.

Cullen Carns-Hilliker is a Certification Specialist at the Midwest Organic Services Association.

This is an eOrganic article and was reviewed for compliance with National Organic Program regulations by members of the eOrganic community. Always check with your organic certification agency before adopting new practices or using new materials. For more information, refer to eOrganic's articles on organic certification.

eOrganic 10831

Watch the webinar on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CB1fQAk1VhY

About the Webinar

This webinar took place on May 15, 2014. The inclusion of highly digestible legumes like birdsfoot trefoil (BFT) in pasture plantings can increase the productivity of grazing livestock. Because forage legumes produce their own nitrogen, they can meet their own fertility needs. In addition, since BFT and other tannin-containing forage legumes are non-bloating, they can be planted as 50% or more of mixtures with no risk of bloat.

In this webinar, Dr. Jennifer MacAdam will describe a multiple year research project, funded by the USDA Organic Research and Extension Initiative (OREI), that is partnering with established organic dairy producers in the Mountain West to determine the impact of supplementing and/or replacing grass pasture with birdsfoot trefoil (BFT) on milk production and milk quality. The study is looking at feed nutrients from organic BFT versus grass, the effects these forages had on soil organic matter, omega-3 fatty acid concentrations in milk and cheese from BFT-fed cows, and the economic risks and benefits for organic dairies of converting grass pastures to BFT pastures.

The slides from the webinar are available as a PDF here.

Additional Information

• Bulletin: The Benefits of Tannin-Containing Forages (September 2013)
• Bulletin: Irrigated Birdsfoot Trefoil Variety Trial: Forage Nutritive Value (March 2013)
• Bulletin: Irrigated Birdsfoot Trefoil Variety Trial: Forage Yield (March 2013)
• Bulletin: Annual Costs to Establish and Maintain Birdsfoot Trefoil Pastures in Northern Utah, 2012 (February 2013)
• Bulletin: Rancher Adoption Potential of the Birdsfoot Trefoil Pasture Beef Production System in the Intermountain West (August 2012)

Also see:

• PennState Extension Agronomy Facts 20 bulletin: "Birdsfoot Trefoil"
• North Central Regional Extension Publication 474: "Birdfoot Trefoil for Grazing and Harvested Forage"

About the Presenter

Dr. Jennifer MacAdam is a Forage Plant Physiologist at the Utah State University. She has been on the faculty at Utah State since 1991, where she teaches courses on plant physiology and anatomy. Her research has centered on management of seeded, irrigated pastures for livestock production, plant responses to salinity and drought stress, and the growth and development of grass forages.

Find all upcoming and archived eOrganic webinars at http://www.extension.org/pages/25242.

 

This is an eOrganic article and was reviewed for compliance with National Organic Program regulations by members of the eOrganic community. Always check with your organic certification agency before adopting new practices or using new materials. For more information, refer to eOrganic's articles on organic certification.

eOrganic 10809

This webinar took place on April 8, 2014. Watch it on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RScwnXuEN1A

About the Webinar

The Reduced-tillage Organic Systems Experiment (ROSE) was initiated by a team of researchers at Pennsylvania (Penn State University), Maryland (USDA-ARS), Delaware (University of Delaware) and North Carolina (NC-State) in 2010 to identify integrated pest management (IPM) strategies for managing weeds and early season insect pests while transitioning to an organic rotational no-till grain/silage system using a corn-soybean-wheat rotation. This webinar will draw upon the results from three years of research in ROSE and illustrate practical issues involved with reducing tillage in an organic grain/silage system, such as cover crop termination using a roller-crimper, technical aspects of crop establishment in a rolled cover crop, the potential for volunteer cover crops in the rotation, and the importance of initial weed seedbanks for weed management during an organic transition, and the potential for using high residue inter-row cultivation to supplement weed control with cover crop mulches. The objective of the webinar will be to share lessons from the ROSE with farmers, researchers, extension personnel and government agency staff.

Slides from the webinar as a pdf handout

About the Presenters

William Curran: Bill is a Professor of Weed Science in the Plant Science Department at Penn State where he has a research-extension focus in agronomic crops. Bill’s statewide extension program focuses on providing agricultural constituents with the latest weed management information and his research focuses on basic weed biology, integrated weed management, weed management in conservation tillage system including managing cover crops, and managing weeds in organic crop production systems.

Ron Hoover: Ron is Coordinator of On-Farm Research at Penn State University where the focus of this program has been to increase rates of adoption of new and underutilized technologies related to field crop production and soil management. In addition to those research and extension activities, he is also an instructor for a Field Crop Management course.

John Wallace: John is a Post-Doctoral Research Associate in the Plant Sciences Department at Penn State where he serves as a project manager for the Reduced-Tillage Organic Cropping Systems Project.

 

 

This is an eOrganic article and was reviewed for compliance with National Organic Program regulations by members of the eOrganic community. Always check with your organic certification agency before adopting new practices or using new materials. For more information, refer to eOrganic's articles on organic certification.

eOrganic 10773

Watch the webinar on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUJCb4ow5v4

About the Webinar

Michigan is the number one producer of organic dry beans in the nation. This webinar will share what we have learned at Michigan State University regarding dry bean breeding, variety selection, and cover crop influence on organically produced dry beans. The learning objectives of this webinar include understanding how variety selection may be a part of nitrogen fertility management, with some market classes being better suited to organic production than others, and how cover crop selection impacts soil fertility, weed management and dry bean yields.

PDF Handout of the slides for this webinar

Find all eOrganic webinars »

About the Presenters

Jim Heilig and Erin Hill are both PhD students at Michigan State University in the Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences. Jim’s research focuses on the genetics and enhancement of biological nitrogen fixation. Erin’s research focuses on weed ecology and management in conventional and organic dry bean production systems.

Links from the Webinar

Midewest Cover Crop Council

Organic section on the MSU Weeds website

 

This is an eOrganic article and was reviewed for compliance with National Organic Program regulations by members of the eOrganic community. Always check with your organic certification agency before adopting new practices or using new materials. For more information, refer to eOrganic's articles on organic certification.

eOrganic 10563

Watch the webinar on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0_jHpm45Ps

About the Webinar

The learning objectives of this webinar include the impacts of weeds on blackberry growth and yield; methods for weed control; fertigation for planting establishment; the effects of post-harvest irrigation on productivity, plant water status and soil moisture; and root growth in blackberry. While this webinar focuses on trailing blackberry, grown predominantly for a machine-harvested, processed market, the outcomes of this study are also of importance in the production of other types of blackberry.

PDF Handout of the slides for this webinar

About the Presenters

Dr. Bernadine Strik is a Professor of Horticulture and Extension Berry Crops Specialist at Oregon State University. She does research on whole plant physiology and production systems of all berry crops. Dr. Strik’s areas of focus include improving yield and quality, machine harvest efficiency, alternative production practices, plant nutrition, pruning and training, season extension or manipulation, and organic production systems.

Dr. David Bryla is a Research Horticulturist at the USDA-ARS Horticultural Crops Research Unit in Corvallis, Oregon. He does research on variety of small fruit crops, including blueberry, blackberry, raspberry, strawberry, cranberry, and wine grape. The overall goal of his research is to understand the physiological response of these crops to environmental limitations and to use the information to develop improved and sustainable production practices.

Dr. Luis Valenzuela is a postdoctoral research associate at Oregon State University. He got his PhD in Horticulture at Penn State in 2008. Since then he has been working studying the root dynamics of several berry crops in the Pacific Northwest.

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Java needs to be installed and working on your computer to join the webinar. If you have concerns, please test your Java at http://java.com/en/download/testjava.jsp prior to joining the webinar. If you are running Mac OS X 10.6 with Safari, please be sure to test your Java. If it isn't working, please try Firefox (http://www.mozilla.com) or Chrome (http://www.google.com/chrome). The webinar program will require you to download software before connecting you to the webinar, so if you don't have administrative rights on your computer, you may not be able to do this, although you can listen in by phone. If you'd like to test your connection to gotowebinar in advance, go here.

 

This is an eOrganic article and was reviewed for compliance with National Organic Program regulations by members of the eOrganic community. Always check with your organic certification agency before adopting new practices or using new materials. For more information, refer to eOrganic's articles on organic certification.

eOrganic 10434

Watch it on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1wztPM6cEg

About the Webinar

This webinar took place on March 4, 2014.

Alex Stone explains what white mold is, and how to diagnose it on the farm. She discusses the life cycles of the biocontrol agent, Contans (Coniothyruium minitans), and the white mold pathogen (Sclerotinia sclerotiorum). Farmers will learn how to incorporate Contans into an integrated white mold management program.

Alex Stone is a Vegetable Cropping Systems Specialist at the Oregon State University Department of Horticulture. She formerly worked as an organic vegetable farmer in Massachussetts.

Slides from the webinar as a pdf handout

 

This is an eOrganic article and was reviewed for compliance with National Organic Program regulations by members of the eOrganic community. Always check with your organic certification agency before adopting new practices or using new materials. For more information, refer to eOrganic's articles on organic certification.

eOrganic 9852

Webinar 1: Why the Concern about Nitrous Oxide Emissions?

February 25, 2014

Presenters: Ann-Marie Fortuna, North Dakota State University; Craig Cogger and Doug Collins, Washington State University-Puyallup. Watch on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vcJub_p0gU

Topics for this webinar include:

• Source and properties of N2O as a greenhouse gas, its relative contribution to global
• warming, and the role of agriculture in N2O emissions
• Review of the nitrogen cycle and the production of N2O
• The relationship between organic practices and N2O production
• How we measure N2O emissions

Intended audience is extension faculty and farmers who want a big picture perspective on why we’re interested in nitrous oxide emissions.

Slides from this webinar as a pdf handout

Webinar 2: Management to Reduce N2O Emissions in Organic Vegetable Production Systems

Recorded February 27, 2014
Presenters: Ann-Marie Fortuna, Douglas Collins, Craig Cogger. Watch on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26UIx6mx1Mw

This is the focus of our current research. How do different organic vegetable production systems affect N2O emissions, and how do other outcomes of those systems affect theirpotential for adoption?

• Systems include full tillage with high-carbon amendment (compost), full tillage with low carbon amendment (broiler litter), pasture-vegetable rotation, and reduced tillage cover crop mulch.
• Measurements include N2O and CO2 emissions, soil N, microbial ecology focused on denitrification organisms, crop yield, and soil quality. Measurements are focused on key times during the season, including amendment application and tillage, irrigation, and freeze-thaw.

Intended audience is other researchers, and interested extension faculty and farmers.

Slides from this webinar as a pdf handout

 

This is an eOrganic article and was reviewed for compliance with National Organic Program regulations by members of the eOrganic community. Always check with your organic certification agency before adopting new practices or using new materials. For more information, refer to eOrganic's articles on organic certification.

eOrganic 10433

Watch the webinar on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7phq_p2JQk

This webinar took place on February 18, 2014.

About the Webinar

We will briefly review the development and use of anaerobic soil disinfestation (ASD) techniques for control of soil borne pathogens in various crops and regions around the world, and then focus on the current state of knowledge and use of ASD in California primarily for strawberry production. We will discuss the latest research findings relating to the efficacy of the technique, mechanisms underlying disease suppression, and our experience with growers using the technique in their own operations.

About the Presenters

Dr Carol Shennan is a professor in the Environmental Studies Department at the University of California Santa Cruz. She has been working on issues of agricultural sustainability for many years in the US and abroad, focusing most recently on crop rotation, soil fertility and disease management in organic strawberry and vegetable production systems in coastal California.

Dr. Joji Muramoto is an associate researcher at the Department of Environmental Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz. He is a soil scientist/agroecologist specializing fertility and soilborne disease management in organic strawberries and vegetables in coastal California.

 

This is an eOrganic article and was reviewed for compliance with National Organic Program regulations by members of the eOrganic community. Always check with your organic certification agency before adopting new practices or using new materials. For more information, refer to eOrganic's articles on organic certification.

eOrganic 10408

Watch the webinar on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVo0AXkRVOs

About the Webinar

The webinar will cover the biology and management of spotted wing Drosophila, a recent pest of berry and cherry crops across the United States, and the unique challenges and approaches that are relevant for organic producers. The presenters will provide the latest research-based information on what is known about its life-cycle and ability to survive in a range of climates; the current knowledge of biological and cultural controls that can be employed to reduce the pressure from SWD; and the efficacy of certified organic approaches for its control.

Find the slides from this webinar as a pdf handout

Find all upcoming and recorded eOrganic webinars at http://www.extension.org/pages/25242

About the Presenters

Vaughn Walton of Oregon State University focuses on resolving  key entomological industry needs in the Pacific Northwest with a current focus on Spotted Wing Drosophila, Brown Mamorated Stink Bug, mealybugs and sustainable pest management in hazelnut orchards. He aims to provide environmentally sustainable and minimal impact pest management strategies for agriculturalists in Oregon and further afield.

Hannah Burrack of North Carolina State University studies  the biology and management of insect pests and pollinators in blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, grapes, and tobacco.  The main goal of her research is to determine how insects select host plants and to develop strategies to prevent or reduce their feeding. She and her colleagues work with a wide range of growers and Extension agents to deliver recommendations based on the results of their work.

Dr. Rufus Isaacs contributed slides to this webinar. He is a Professor of Entomology at Michigan State University and is also the berry crops extension specialist for the state. He directs an applied research and extension program aimed at improving insect management in the many small fruit farms of the state. His lab works on projects related to insect pests, beneficials, and pollinators, and research results are extended to growers through various on-farm, online, conference, and print venues.

 

This is an eOrganic article and was reviewed for compliance with National Organic Program regulations by members of the eOrganic community. Always check with your organic certification agency before adopting new practices or using new materials. For more information, refer to eOrganic's articles on organic certification.

eOrganic 10238

Watch the webinar on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65uiJkiwyDk

About the Webinar

The objective of this webinar is to educate the audience on the ongoing organic leafy greens research at the University of Arizona. This webinar will cover the following: Attachment and biofilm formation of bacteria on organic leafy greens and leafy green wash water equipment surfaces; plant antimicrobial/organic sanitizer washes for organic leafy greens; edible films as interventions in bagged salads; and survival of pathogenic bacteria in organic composts and compost teas. Some of the outreach activities for leafy green producers will also be discussed.

Intended audience: Fresh produce growers and industry professionals; Extension agents/Outreach personnel; research scientists; academic faculty; students; regulatory personnel; consumers/general public and others interested in leafy greens research.

About the Presenter

Dr. Sadhana Ravishankar is an Assistant Professor at the department of Veterinary Science and Microbiology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ. Currently her research focuses on controlling foodborne pathogens using various technologies and natural plant antimicrobials; improving the safety and quality of organic leafy greens; understanding the survival of foodborne pathogens on fresh produce, composts, and compost teas; attachment and biofilm formation of pathogens; ecology of foodborne pathogens in fresh produce growing environments; reducing pathogens and carcinogenic compounds in meats using plant antimicrobials; and stress response in foodborne pathogenic bacteria. She also teaches courses on Food Microbiology (MIC 430/530) and General Microbiology (MIC 205) to both graduate and undergraduate students at the University of Arizona.

Find all upcoming and archived webinars at http://www.extension.org/pages/25242

This is an eOrganic article and was reviewed for compliance with National Organic Program regulations by members of the eOrganic community. Always check with your organic certification agency before adopting new practices or using new materials. For more information, refer to eOrganic's articles on organic certification.

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Watch on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRX2pRqPcy0

This webinar took place on February 4, 2014

Presenters: Sandra Diaz Lopez, Irene Hanning-Jarquin, University of Tennessee

About the Webinar

The webinar will cover basic microbiology with respect to poultry production with a focus on foodborne pathogens. Pre-harvest, processing and post-harvest intervention methods will be discussed. The objective is for the intended audience to gain familiarity with the aspects of food safety and an understanding of approaches that can be used as intervention practices

Handout of slides from the webinar as a pdf file

 

This is an eOrganic article and was reviewed for compliance with National Organic Program regulations by members of the eOrganic community. Always check with your organic certification agency before adopting new practices or using new materials. For more information, refer to eOrganic's articles on organic certification.

eOrganic 10411

Watch the webinar on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2GDUxyeF1Y

About the Webinar

This webinar was broadcast live on January 16, 2014.

Through the Environmental Quality Incentives (EQIP) Program’s Organic Initiative, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) provides technical assistance to certified organic, transitioning to organic, and exempt from certification producers. The Initiative also provides financial assistance for organic producers to address natural resource concerns related to organic production. This can include support developing a grazing plan, assistance with pollinator habitat and buffers, and manure management assistance. This webinar provided information on the Organic Initiative and how organic dairy farmers can use this program on their operations.

Slides from the webinar as a pdf handout

About the Presenters

Sarah Brown is a Organic Conservation Specialist with Oregon Tilth where she is working with NRCS under a contribution agreement. Through this national position, she delivers trainings and develops technical information for use by NRCS staff and organic professionals to better support conservation work on organic farms. In addition, Sarah and her husband are  beginning organic farmers in Oregon’s Willamette Valley.

Kevin Kaija is an agronomist and grazing specialist with USDA NRCS in Vermont.

Find all upcoming and archived eOrganic webinars at http://www.extension.org/pages/25242

 

This is an eOrganic article and was reviewed for compliance with National Organic Program regulations by members of the eOrganic community. Always check with your organic certification agency before adopting new practices or using new materials. For more information, refer to eOrganic's articles on organic certification.

eOrganic 9833

Watch the webinar on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skFrW6qfNaU

About the Webinar

The webinar took place on January 14, 2014.

This devastating disease has been occurring more often in the USA recently, especially on tomatoes. Beginning and experienced growers need to understand changes in the pathogen that account for this change and other facts about recent occurrences in order to manage late blight effectively. Another objective is to share information among researchers and growers about managing late blight with copper, biofungicides, and resistant varieties, and utility of the USABlight monitoring program and the Decision Support System.

Slides for the webinar as a pdf handout

About the Presenters

Margaret Tuttle McGrath, Department of Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology, Cornell University, Riverhead, New York. Meg McGrath conducts research. gives talks, and prepares extension materials on managing diseases of vegetable crops organically with biopesticides, resistant varieties and other cultural practices. She also works with growers to diagnose problems developing on their farm and to identify suitable management programs. She is located at the Long Island Horticultural Research and Extension Center where she has been working since 1988.

Christine Smart, Department of Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology, Cornell University, Geneva NY. Chris studies primarily bacterial and water mold pathogens of vegetables, working with growers to combine cultural practices and resistant varieties for disease control. She has been working at Cornell University’s New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva since 2003.

Beth K. Gugino,  Department of Plant Pathology and Environmental Microbiology, Pennsylvania State University,  University Park,  PA, Beth is the vegetable extension plant pathologist at Penn State. She works with growers,  extension educators and other ag service personnel to identify,  monitor and forecast disease outbreaks as well as develop and evaluate innovative,  sustainable disease management strategies that can be cost-effectively incorporated into IPM programs by growers for increased yield and profitability.

Amanda Gevens is an Assistant Professor of Plant Pathology at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wisconsin.  Her extension-research program focuses on diseases of potato.

Pamela D. Roberts,  University of Florida. Pam conducts research and extension programs on the diagnosis, pathogen characterization, epidemiology, and integrated management of diseases on vegetable and citrus.  She has been working at the University of Florida since 1997 and is located at the Southwest Florida Research and Education Center in Immokalee, Florida. 

 

 

This is an eOrganic article and was reviewed for compliance with National Organic Program regulations by members of the eOrganic community. Always check with your organic certification agency before adopting new practices or using new materials. For more information, refer to eOrganic's articles on organic certification.

eOrganic 10239