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

Watch the video clip at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9d-HVGc00lA

Lockwood 'Pooh' Sprague, Edgewater Farm. Plainfield, NH.

This tractor, like the other Kubota, is an offset high wheel tractor and with it came this set of sweeps and shanks, a full set of sweeps and shanks. We have a couple of disks we use for hilling. We use this to go after weeds when they get out of control in crops like beans. You can see here’s a red root pigweed you can imagine it was a pretty good sized beast. These shovels are good at doing just that. They bury, they root out. They’re very very aggressive. Although we use them to cultivate the edges of our plastic. On the front here I have a half sweep which is basically a sweep with one side cut right off. I can get right up close to the plastic. I can side dress it at the same time along the edges and I can also throw dirt in with the rear sweep back on top of the fertilizer in one pass. So it’s pretty versatile even though it’s quite a chunk of iron. But when things get that bad this is the kind of heavy artillery you really want to have.

These can be set up in many different configurations just by taking these off and as I say I may take this sweep off and put on a hiller and hill potatoes getting the weeds farther out between rows of potatoes. I used it in beans this morning cultivating a crop of beans. I’ll set this up differently with a side dresser on the other side and side dress and cultivate two rows of corn at time. These shanks and sweeps are a little rough for doing the kind of work that we use the Lely with and Buddingh baskets. But for your larger crops - pumpkins, vine crops, things on plastic, beans after they get to about three or four inches - I’ll go in there and use this kind of tillage tool quite effectively.

One of the things I like about the sweeps and shovels when doing beans or things you would have in a line in bare soil whether it’s peppers, if you’re growing them on bare soil, small tomatoes and pumpkins and winter squash. One of the things that those sweeps do is they actually throw a little soil back on the plant and it’s pretty well demonstrated in this situation. The outer sweeps will kick out, roll over pigweed and stuff in the middle - it will actually hill in and throw soil on top of the weed. Here’s some crabgrass that is covered up by soil, it’s going to restrict the growth of that plant. Crabgrass will come along obviously but it can be set back a great deal more than the bean and anything that’s smaller than that will obviously be smothered. You not only get the action of destroying the weeds in cases but also smothering new growth under the canopy of the plant which I like.

You’ll notice at the front here there’s a half sweep which means that it doesn’t have this half of the cultivator at all. That’s a very handy tool to get up close to the plant. We also use that in cultivating the edges of our plastic. Our tomatoes our peppers our melons squash cucumbers eggplant are all on black plastic and when we put them out at transplant time we cover them with hoops and reemay. So at the time we take the reemay off we have an awful mess of crabgrass and broad leaves growing along the edge of the plastic and it has also been nurtured in that environment along with the desired plant species: we’ve also have got a lot of weeds in there to deal with. When we first started farming for several years that just meant an interminable amount of hand labor; of hand weeding.

With this particular - not the way the machine is set up here - but now we cultivate after taking the Reemay off and by taking these two chisels off, these two sweeps off we move these half sweeps out, we reverse them so that the sweeps are out here just inside the tire tread. We can go right down along the edges of the plastic, right underneath them just barely. Sometimes it will even throw the dirt off the plastic but what it will do is - any of the weeds growing in that area will be flipped out and rolled over, almost in a plow-like fashion. And then behind we have a set of duck feet cultivators that we put the point right on the center of the tire and that will come along and throw soil right on top of the weeds. So we can really minimize the cultivating of the edges of the plastic which is a great labor saver for us.

As far as the middle of the row we seed that down to a cover crop of clover so we don’t have to cultivate out there.

We were talking just a minute ago about cultivating the edges of the plastic. Here’s an example of some plastic that was just recently cultivated. We pulled the Reemay off over a week ago and because it’s strawberry season we didn’t get in here and cultivate immediately like we should have. And so yesterday I came in here and we were dealing with as you can see some pretty large weeds here. And here again, despite the size and the thickness of the weeds on the edges we were still able, that front shoe was able to, chisel these things out and we were able to throw some calcium nitrate (not allowed for use on organic farms) in at the edge and the rear sweep was able to come through and bury a lot of the weeds and cover a lot of the calcium nitrate (not allowed for use on organic farms) on the edges of the plastic and this is the end result.

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.

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Watch the webinar on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3M9dnGTC4Q

This video, from the University of Maine Weed Ecology Group, highlights the results of four years of research on weed management in organic spring cereals. Lauren Kolb discusses the limitations of the widely-used spring-tine harrow for weed management, which has a short window of opportunity for effectiveness. Weeds quickly outgrow the white thread stage, when they are most susceptible to being either uprooted or buried. Delays in tine harrowing, due to precipitation or soil condition, can result in unacceptably low rates of control and unnecessary crop damage.

The researchers evaluated the use of increased seeding rates in barley (200 versus 500 plants m-2) and wheat (400 and 600 plants m-2) for increased weed suppression. Elevated seeding rates reduce gaps in the crop row, provide a buffer against tine harrow damage, and increase the rate of canopy formation, leading to greater weed suppression than typical planting rates. This method was compared to sowing cereals in wider rows and cultivating between the rows with sweeps, as is common in row crops like corn and soybean. Yield, weed growth and seed production, and economics were evaluated.

Elevated seeding rates, while providing greater weed suppression than standard seeding rates, did not show a yield benefit. In general, the number of weeds and their competitiveness will dictate how much emphasis needs to be placed on managing weeds. If growers expect their fields to be very weedy, based on what weeds went to seed the previous year, wide rows with inter-row cultivation provide the most economical choice for organic weed management for growers in Northern New England.

Weeds are a constant reminder of previous years’ weed management failures. Without the use of herbicides, organic farmers often see their weed problems increase every year both in number and in diversity of species. Although cereals are quite competitive because of their initial seed size advantage over weed seeds and quick canopy growth, yield reductions due to weeds are common. Grain quality can also be adversely affected, as weeds can harbor insect pests and diseases and compete for essential nutrients. Wet weed seed in the harvested grain can also cause spoilage.

Why are weeds so prevalent in organic cereals? The fundamental agronomic practices used by most organic grain growers―methods developed over the last fifty years of input-intensive production―are poorly suited to organic production, where weed pressure is often very high. These practices―relatively low seeding rates of 120 pounds per acre and wide rows of 7 inches―work in conventional production because herbicides are used to eliminate weeds, thus minimizing the emphasis on crop-weed competition.

Many growers rely on spring-tine harrowing to reduce weeds in organic small grains such as wheat and barley. This cultivating implement uses flexible metal tines to uproot weeds, which then desiccate on the soil surface. Given ideal conditions of dry soil and very small weeds, harrowing can kill over 90% of weeds in the field. However, a wet spring makes timely spring-tine harrowing nearly impossible. Delaying harrowing until field conditions improve reduces efficacy, as weeds are larger and less susceptible to uprooting. Furthermore, spring-tine harrowing treats the entire field uniformly, wherein the tines also harm the crop through uprooting, burial, and foliar damage. Studies in barley have shown an average 10% yield reduction per spring-tine cultivation event. So, although use of the spring-tine harrow can achieve high levels of weed control, there is a trade-off with yield losses due to crop damage.

Organic farmers can achieve modest improvements in crop-weed competition by switching to competitive cultivars that are tall, emerge quickly, and have horizontal leaf carriage; or, they can choose species like oats. Increasing seeding rates to 290 pounds per acre can also increase yield and suppress weed growth. However, this strategy may not be cost-effective due to the high cost of organic seed. 

More selective weed control may be achieved using an inter-row hoe and wider row spacing, as seen in row crops like corn or soybeans. The Schmotzer EPP cultivator is one example of a weed management tool designed specifically for controlling weeds within the crop row in small scale organic production. Mounted on a 3-point hitch, the unit is controlled by hydraulic-assisted manual steering. Depending on the size of the crop, working speed can reach 6 miles per hour. Larger-scale cultivators with automated guidance systems can operate at much higher speeds―up to 10 miles per hour―and still maintain accuracy. 

Each sweep is mounted to the toolbar with a parallel linkage, allowing the precise depth control essential for variable field surfaces. Weeds are controlled between the row by undercutting or burial, making the efficacy of inter-row hoeing less reliant on soil conditions or weed size. With greater efficacy against larger weeds, inter-row hoeing can be performed multiple times in a season, allowing for control of weeds that would be unaffected by spring-tine harrowing. Because inter-row hoeing selectively targets weeds, crop damage is minimal. Furthermore, inter-row hoeing with the Schmotzer shows promising results for control of creeping perennials like quack   grass, which cannot be controlled in-season by spring-tine harrowing or herbicides. 

With reduced weed density and weed pressure, cereal grain yield increases. At a cost of $7.52 per acre, inter-row hoeing is a less expensive weed management option than doubling the seeding rate, while providing equivalent yields and weed suppression. 

When weed pressure is low, cereals are sufficiently competitive as to not require increases in seeding rate or physical weed control to manage weeds. However, most organic farms have ample weed pressure to merit consideration of this new technology.

 References and Citations

• Lötjönen T., and H. J. Mikkola. 2000. Three mechanical weed control techniques in spring cereals. Agriculture and Food Science Finland 9:269. (Available online at: http://ojs.tsv.fi/index.php/AFS/article/view/5668) (verified 3 July 2013)
• Rasmussen, J. 1991. A model for prediction of yield response in weed harrowing. Weed Research 31(6):401. (Available online at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3180.1991.tb01780.x) (verified 3 July 2013)
• Rasmussen J., J. I. Kurtzmann, and A. Jensen. 2004. Tolerance of competitive spring barley cultivars to weed harrowing. Weed Research 44(6):446. (Available online at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3180.2004.00419.x  (verified 3 July 2013)

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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Unfortunately, due to a technical glitch, the recording for this webinar failed and is not available. However, the slides used in the webinar are available below. 

Handout of the slides for this webinar.

Investigation of bovine milk fats has been and continues to be of interest to farmers, dairy scientists, and consumers alike, especially in light of how milk contributes to our health. For example, one fatty acid found in milk fat--conjugated linoleic acid (CLA)--has been well researched and is widely recognized for its anticarcinogenic properties. Omega-3 fatty acids may prevent Type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease. These and other milk fatty acids have been the subject of research by Gillian Butler and her team at Newcastle University. Milk composition is dynamic and varies with stage of lactation, age, breed, nutrition, energy balance and health status of the udder, Butler has been examining these attributes, particularly the impact of different feeding under organic and conventional production systems. In this webinar, she will share some of her results and how they may affect the organic dairy community. Generally organic milk has a ‘better’ fat profile but not in all cases, and there is scope for further improvement. The webinar took place on December 18, 2012.

Gillian Butler is a Senior Lecturer and Livestock Project Manager at the Nafferton Ecological Farming Group at Newcastle University in the United Kingdom (UK). In addition to teaching undergraduate and post grad students a range of dairy and livestock production topics, she has worked with livestock farmers for more than 30 years primarily on feeding, forage production and quality. Her research interests consider management under organic and low input dairy production and their effect on milk quality. Gillian is also a member of the UK's Soil Association (an Organic Charity and largest organic certification body in the UK) Farmer Grower Board and a committee member of Northumberland Organic Producers Group.

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.

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Grazing dairy farmers have long noticed the health benefits of turning cows out to spring grass. Some even call it "Dr. Green." The reasons for these health benefits are complex but is largely due to the function of the rumen on living plant material. Feeding barley fodder or sprouts is another way to get a living plant material into the rumen, even in the winter. Barley fodder can have the nutrient density of grains without the detrimental aspects of starch. 

Organic dairy farmer John Stoltzfus has worked over the past few years to perfect his method of growing barley fodder on his New York farm. In this webinar, John and Cornell's Fay Benson will discuss the benefits and challenges of growing and feeding fodder to dairy animals. Other animals (from horses to chickens) also have benefited from the practice and their owners may be able to adopt the principles addressed in this webinar.

This webinar was presented on November 27, 2012.

Slides from the webinar as a pdf handout

Fay Benson is the project manager of New York's Organic Dairy Initiative and small dairy support specialist with Cornell University's Small Farm Team. Fay has been working with grazing and organic dairy farmers for 10 years and also operated his own dairy farm for more than 20 years.

John Stoltzfus and his wife, Tammy, operate their certified organic dairy farm in Whitesville, NY. Since he began feeding sprouted barley, John has eliminated the grain ration from his 40-head herd’s diet.

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.

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Watch a recording of the "Using the eOrganic Organic Seed Production Tutorial" webinar below or on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JE9v0PKbHac

About the Webinar

Webinar participants can expect to learn about the Organic Seed Production tutorials, and how to most effectively access in-depth organic seed production information available through this new eOrganic course created by Organic Seed Alliance. Find the tutorials at http://campus.extension.org/course/view.php?id=377.

Jared Zystro is the California research and education specialist for Organic Seed  Alliance. Jared designed the eOrganic Organic Seed Production Tutorials.

eOrganic is the Organic Agriculture Community of Practice at eXtension.org. Our website  at http:www.extension.org/organic_production contains articles, videos, and webinars for farmers, ranchers, agricultural professionals, certifiers, researchers and educators seeking reliable information on organic agriculture, published research results, farmer experiences, and certification. The content is collaboratively authored and reviewed by our community of University researchers and Extension personnel, agricultural professionals, farmers, and certifiers with experience and expertise in organic agriculture.

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.

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Understanding how farmers make decisions, not just what decisions they make, can improve our communication with farmers and our ability to provide relevant information that builds upon their existing knowledge, perceptions, and values. Sarah Zwickle and Marleen Riemens will discuss their research on organic farmers’ weed management beliefs, perceptions and behaviors, and how it can contribute to our research and extension efforts with organic farmers. This webinar was recorded on November 13, 2012.

Watch the webinar on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkmB6WqGQps

Slides from the webinar as a pdf handout

http://create.extension.org/sites/default/files/CanWeTalkWebinar.pdf

Sarah Zwickle is a research assistant in the School of Environment and Natural Resources at the Ohio State University. Her master’s research on the weed management decision-making process of organic farmers has served as the foundation for the extension and outreach efforts of the OREI project “Mental Models and Participatory Research to Redesign Extension Programming for Organic Weed Management”.

Marleen Riemens is a weed scientist at the Netherlands’ Wageningen University & Research Centre. For the past few years, her research has extended its scope to include the relationship between weed pressure on organic farms and organic farmers’ weed management behaviors and beliefs.

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.

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Watch the webinar on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPrqXsa4QSU

Find all eOrganic upcoming and archived webinars »

Chet Boruff is the Chief Executive Officer of the Association of Official Seed Certifying Agencies (AOSCA). AOSCA provides seed certification and related services to the global seed industry, and it will manage the Organic Seed Finder.

Kristina Hubbard is the director of advocacy and communications for Organic Seed Alliance. She is facilitating the Organic Seed Finder project.

eOrganic contains articles, videos, and webinars for farmers, ranchers, agricultural professionals, certifiers, researchers and educators seeking reliable information on organic agriculture, published research results, farmer experiences, and certification. The content is collaboratively authored and reviewed by our community of University researchers and Extension personnel, agricultural professionals, farmers, and certifiers with experience and expertise in organic agriculture.

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.

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What's in your herd health tool box? In this webinar, recorded on July 16, 2012, Dr. Hubert Karreman discusses organic dairy herd health considerations, approaches to organic dairy cattle treatment currently allowed by the National Organic Program, and how best to work with your local veterinarian.

Watch the webinar on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TR2tBVLwoTk

Handout of the slides for this webinar

Dr. Hubert Karreman, VMD, is nationally recognized expert in organic dairy health care, and author of “Treating Dairy Cows Naturally: Thoughts and Strategies” and “The Barn Guide to Treating Dairy Cows Naturally.” His veterinary practice, Penn Dutch Cow Care, in Lancaster, PA has served predominantly certified organic dairy farms for more than 15 years. Dr. Karreman received his veterinary medicine degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He is a member of several professional societies, including the American Association of Bovine Practitioners, the Veterinary Botanical Medicine Association, and the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association. In addition he served on the American Veterinary Medical Association's Task Force on Complementary and Alternative Medicine as well as the National Organic Standards Board from 2005 to 2010.

• Video: Healthy Cow Check-Up--How to Perform a Physical Exam

eOrganic contains articles, videos, and webinars for farmers, ranchers, agricultural professionals, certifiers, researchers and educators seeking reliable information on organic agriculture, published research results, farmer experiences, and certification. The content is collaboratively authored and reviewed by our community of University researchers and Extension personnel, agricultural professionals, farmers, and certifiers with experience and expertise in organic agriculture.

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.

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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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Weeds in the organic pasture can reduce the quantity and the stand life of desirable forage plants. These unwanted plants can be more aggressive than existing or desired forage species and compete for light, water, and nutrients. Weeds may also diminish the quality and palatability of the forage available for livestock grazing, and certain weed species are potentially poisonous to grazing animals. In this webinar, Dr. Sid Bosworth will address several approaches to organic weed management, including weed species identification and their lifecycles.

Handout for this webinar

Sid Bosworth is an Associate Extension Professor in the Plant and Soil Science Department at the University of Vermont (UVM) and serves as a specialist in agronomy for UVM Extension. Dr. Bosworth teaches courses at UVM in Forage and Pasture Management, Turf Managment and Weed Ecology/Management, and has conducted applied research in the areas of alfalfa/grasss management and quality, nutrient and manure management of cool season grasses and corn for silage, pasture management, organic wheat production, and the evaluation of perennial grasses for biomass production for thermal energy. His Extension programs focus on crop and pasture management and utilization, integrated crop management, low input turf management, and grasses for biomass energy. He developed and maintains the Vermont Crops and Soils Homepage (http://pss.uvm.edu/vtcrops). He has a Ph.D. in crop physiology from the University of Kentucy and an M.S. in agronomy and a B.S. in animal science from Auburn University.

eOrganic contains articles, videos, and webinars for farmers, ranchers, agricultural professionals, certifiers, researchers and educators seeking reliable information on organic agriculture, published research results, farmer experiences, and certification. The content is collaboratively authored and reviewed by our community of University researchers and Extension personnel, agricultural professionals, farmers, and certifiers with experience and expertise in organic agriculture.

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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The workshop was held on April 19, 2012 in Essex, Vermont. Nationally known entomologists shared their research and experience on fly control management strategies for organic dairy farms. The workshop was hosted by the University of New Hampshire, with help from University of Vermont Extension and eOrganic. It was funded by the USDA NIFA Organic Research and Extension Initiative (OREI) planning grant #2010-01932.

Roger Moon teaches and conducts research in veterinary entomology at University of Minnesota. He and his students have studied dung beetles, biological control with parasitic wasps, and effects of weather on filth flies around grazing cattle. J. Keith Waldron is a Cornell University Senior Extension Associate who serves as the Livestock and Field Crop IPM Coordinator with the NYS Integrated Pest Management Program. Wes Watson is a professor of entomology at North Carolina State University. Dr. Watson’s program is focused on the management of livestock and poultry pests.

http:www.extension.org/organic_production contains articles, videos, and webinars for farmers, ranchers, agricultural professionals, certifiers, researchers and educators seeking reliable information on organic agriculture, published research results, farmer experiences, and certification. The content is collaboratively authored and reviewed by our community of University researchers and Extension personnel, agricultural professionals, farmers, and certifiers with experience and expertise in organic agriculture.

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 the webinar on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pVp5fm1rFo

In its fourth year, the NRCS Environmental Quality Incentives (EQIP) Program’s Organic Initiative, aims to provide technical and financial assistance to certified organic, transitioning to organic, and exempt from certification producers. The agency has made many improvements in how the program is implemented and numerous changes are in place for the 2012 sign-up.

Handout of the webinar slides as a pdf file

NRCS website for the EQIP Organic Initiative

Sarah Brown manages Oregon Tilth’s Organic Conservation Program which aims to bring organic technical assistance to the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS). When she is not working with NRCS and providing outreach to producers, Sarah is also a beginning organic farmer in Oregon’s Willamette Valley.

http:www.extension.org/organic_production contains articles, videos, and webinars for farmers, ranchers, agricultural professionals, certifiers, researchers and educators seeking reliable information on organic agriculture, published research results, farmer experiences, and certification. The content is collaboratively authored and reviewed by our community of University researchers and Extension personnel, agricultural professionals, farmers, and certifiers with experience and expertise in organic agriculture.

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 the recordings on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-3TnnQlLho

Click the links below to view the recordings:

Part 1: Prospects and Challenges for Plant Breeders, Philipp Simon, University of Wisconsin, Madison

Part 2: Breeding Tomatoes for Increased Flavonoids, Jim Myers, Oregon State University

Part 3: Breeding Corn for Nutritional Value, Walter Goldstein, Mandaamin Institute

Full version of the webinar with all three speakers and discussion

Organic eaters want nutritious food, but some modern breeding programs may be increasing yields at the cost of nutrition. Learn about breeding programs working with classical breeding methods (non-GMO) to breed nutritionally superior crops.

About the Presenters

Philipp Simon is a USDA Agricultural Research Service Geneticist, and a Professor of Horticulture at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His research on carrot and garlic genetics and breeding is conducted to improve these crops for growers and consumers. Some of his key areas of interest include carrot and garlic genetics and the development of genomic tools and genetic improvement of carrot root-knot nematode resistance, crop diversity and origins, and the nutritional quality and flavor of both carrots and garlic.

Jim Myers holds the Baggett-Frazier Endowed Chair of Vegetable Breeding and Genetics in the Department of Horticulture at the Oregon State University. He works on a number of crops, including dry and snap bean, edible podded pea, broccoli,
tomato, winter and summer squash, and sweet corn. His main interest has been to improve vegetable varieties for disease resistance and human nutrition while maintaining quality and productivity in improved varieties. Jim is also breeding tomatoes,
broccoli, and summer squash for organic systems. His latest variety release is the high anthocyanin tomato ‘Indigo Rose’.

Walter Goldstein grew up and received his education in Washington State but now lives in Wisconsin. He has bred corn under organic conditions since 1989. He was Research Director of Michael Fields Agricultural Institute for 25 years. He has recently
begun a research and education organization called the Mandaamin Institute for breeding nutritionally valuable crops and promoting healthy farming practices.\

Additional broadcasts from the Organic Seed Growers Conference can be found at http://www.extension.org/pages/61925

About eOrganic

The eOrganic website at http:www.extension.org/organic_production contains articles, videos, and webinars for farmers, ranchers, agricultural professionals, certifiers, researchers and educators seeking reliable information on organic agriculture, published research results, farmer experiences, and certification. The content is collaboratively authored and reviewed by our community of University researchers and Extension personnel, agricultural professionals, farmers, and certifiers with experience and expertise in organic agriculture.

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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In this webinar, recorded on March 20, 2012,  Alex Stone of Oregon State University gives an overview of the research on the use of cover crops in vegetable cropping systems to suppress soil borne fungal diseases. 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

eOrganic is the Organic Agriculture Community of Practice at eXtension.org. Our website at http:www.extension.org/organic_production contains articles, videos, and webinars for farmers, ranchers, agricultural professionals, certifiers, researchers and educators seeking reliable information on organic agriculture, published research results, farmer experiences, and certification. The content is collaboratively authored and reviewed by our community of University researchers and Extension personnel, agricultural professionals, farmers, and certifiers with experience and expertise in organic agriculture.

Title: Cover Crops for Disease Suppression
Date: Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Time: 2:00 PM - 3:15 PM EST

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 the webinar on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59_-51AT2Fk

About the webinar

The National Organic Program has proposed a 2014 phase out of antibiotics from the approved a materials list for control of fire blight in apple and pear. A effective systems approach to fire blight management without antibiotics will be presented.

About the presenter

Dr. Ken Johnson is Professor of Plant Pathology at Oregon State University, Corvallis. At OSU, he teaches plant pathology and has researched fire blight control for over 20 years.

Slides from the webinar as a pdf handout

About eOrganic

eOrganic is the Organic Agriculture Community of Practice at eXtension.org. Our website at http:www.extension.org/organic_production contains articles, videos, and webinars for farmers, ranchers, agricultural professionals, certifiers, researchers and educators seeking reliable information on organic agriculture, published research results, farmer experiences, and certification. The content is collaboratively authored and reviewed by our community of University researchers and Extension personnel, agricultural professionals, farmers, and certifiers with experience and expertise in organic agriculture.

Title: Organic Pome Fruit Systems: Fire Blight Control under the Proposed Non-Antibiotic Standard
Date: Tuesday March,13, 2012
Time: 2:00 PM - 3:15 PM EST

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 the webinar on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfLkLGat5zw

About the Webinar

The transition to organic certification can take different paths. In this webinar, the relative value and benefits of cover cropping during the transition to organic vegetable production will be discussed.

Slides from the webinar as a pdf handout available here.

Dr. Brian McSpadden Gardener works as plant pathologist and microbial ecologist at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, where he also directs the  the Organic Food Farming Education and Research program. His research focus on the influence of microorganisms on soil and plant health particularly in organic systems. Find his website at http://plantpath.osu.edu/mcspadden-gardener-lab/

About eOrganic

eOrganic is the Organic Agriculture Community of Practice at eXtension.org. Our website at http:www.extension.org/organic_production contains articles, videos, and webinars for farmers, ranchers, agricultural professionals, certifiers, researchers and educators seeking reliable information on organic agriculture, published research results, farmer experiences, and certification. The content is collaboratively authored and reviewed by our community of University researchers and Extension personnel, agricultural professionals, farmers, and certifiers with experience and expertise in organic agriculture.

Title: The Role of Cover Crops in Organic Transition Strategies
Date: Tuesday, March, 6, 2012
Time: 2:00 PM - 3:15 PM EST

System Requirements

PC-based attendees
Required: Windows® 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server
Macintosh®-based attendees
Required: Mac OS® X 10.5 or newer

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 10.5 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).

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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The presenter will discuss optimizing and understanding the benefits of hairy vetch in organic production. The emphasis will be on the vegetable crop work of the Sustainable Agricultural Systems Lab in Beltsville, MD, but some information on roller-crimper management in grain crops will be included.

Slides from the webinar as a pdf are available here.

John Teasdale is a retired Plant Physiologist from the USDA-ARS Sustainable Agricultural Systems Lab, Beltsville, MD, and currently conducts research as a Biological Sciences Collaborator with the same unit. His research has spanned many topics in sustainable agriculture including integrated weed management, cover crop management, and cropping system performance in long-term experiments.

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

eOrganic is the Organic Agriculture Community of Practice at eXtension.org. Our website at http:www.extension.org/organic_production contains articles, videos, and webinars for farmers, ranchers, agricultural professionals, certifiers, researchers and educators seeking reliable information on organic agriculture, published research results, farmer experiences, and certification. The content is collaboratively authored and reviewed by our community of University researchers and Extension personnel, agricultural professionals, farmers, and certifiers with experience and expertise in organic agriculture.

Air Date: February 28, 2012

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 the webinar on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cdrb0h88ozc

About the Webinar

This webinar was recorded on February 21, 2012. In this webinar, Dr. Russell Mizell of the University of Florida discusses aspects of stink bug biology, ecology and behavior  as they relate to implementation of monitoring and suppression tools with emphasis on trap cropping. Dr. Mizell has 42 years of experience in developing IPM strategies and tactics for deciduous fruit, pecan, forest and ornamental arthropod pests. He is the inventor of the yellow pyramid stink bug trap, a deer fly trap and has made numerous other contributions to sustainable pest suppression.

Handout for this webinar

About eOrganic

eOrganic is the Organic Agriculture Community of Practice at eXtension.org. Our website at http:www.extension.org/organic_production contains articles, videos, and webinars for farmers, ranchers, agricultural professionals, certifiers, researchers and educators seeking reliable information on organic agriculture, published research results, farmer experiences, and certification. The content is collaboratively authored and reviewed by our community of University researchers and Extension personnel, agricultural professionals, farmers, and certifiers with experience and expertise in organic agriculture.

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

Title: Stink Bug Management with Trap Crops
Date: Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Time: 2:00 PM - 3:15 PM EST

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 the webinar on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jKIOnfGi3U

Download the slides from the webinar

Find out more about Veggie Compass at http://www.veggiecompass.com/

Find all upcoming and recorded webinars from eOrganic »

About the Webinar

Veggie Compass is a comprehensive financial spreadsheet designed to facilitate the analysis of farm records. Using farmer provided cost, sales and labor data, the spreadsheet calculates the cost of production for each crop and the profitability of each market channel (e.g., CSA, farmer’s market, wholesale, retail).

Erin Silva is an Organic Production Scientist and the Associate Director of the Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems at the University of Wisconsin. She conducts research and outreach on topics such as variety adaptation for organic systems, no-till production, cover crops, and whole-farm management.

Rebecca Claypool is a Research Specialist at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, and a small scale vegetable grower. She received her Master’s degree from UW-Madison in Agroecology and studied cost of production for diversified fresh market vegetable growers through the development of the Veggie Compass tool.

About eOrganic

eOrganic is the Organic Agriculture Community of Practice at eXtension.org. Our website at http:www.extension.org/organic_production contains articles, videos, and webinars for farmers, ranchers, agricultural professionals, certifiers, researchers and educators seeking reliable information on organic agriculture, published research results, farmer experiences, and certification. The content is collaboratively authored and reviewed by our community of University researchers and Extension personnel, agricultural professionals, farmers, and certifiers with experience and expertise in organic agriculture.

Date: Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Time: 2:00 PM - 3:15 PM EST 

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 the webinar on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ove2sNEMS5A

About the Webinar

Cultivation is the foremost practice used to manage weeds on organic farms, but it becomes challenging with increasing weed populations. There are, however, tools and techniques that can improve cultivation efficacy, and more importantly, practices that can reduce the weed seedbank and thus the initial density of weed seedlings and surviving weeds.

About the Presenter

Eric Gallandt is Associate Professor of Weed Ecology and Management, and Chair of the Department of Plant, Soil and Environmental Sciences at the the University of Maine. His research is focused on understanding weed population dynamics and improving weed control on diversified organic farms.

About eOrganic

eOrganic is the Organic Agriculture Community of Practice at eXtension.org. Our website at http:www.extension.org/organic_production contains articles, videos, and webinars for farmers, ranchers, agricultural professionals, certifiers, researchers and educators seeking reliable information on organic agriculture, published research results, farmer experiences, and certification. The content is collaboratively authored and reviewed by our community of University researchers and Extension personnel, agricultural professionals, farmers, and certifiers with experience and expertise in organic agriculture.

Title: Cultivation and Seed Bank Management for Improved Weed Control
Date: Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Time: 2:00 PM - 3:15 PM EST

System Requirements

PC-based attendees
Required: Windows® 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server
Macintosh®-based attendees
Required: Mac OS® X 10.5 or newer

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 10.5 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).

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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