New/updated @ eXtension

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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This webinar was recorded on March 24, 2015.

Watch it on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gUYbMAGQxA

The Carrot Improvement for Organic Agriculture (CIOA) project is a breeding effort to addresses the critical needs of organic carrot farmers by developing orange and novel colored carrots with improved nematode and disease resistance, improved weed competitiveness, and improved nutritional value and flavor. The project is also comparing the relative performance of varieties in organic versus conventional farming systems through replicated trials in four states and exploring the response of various genotypes to soil microbial environments. Join us to hear project results from the first three years, learn about advancements in breeding for nematode resistance, and gain insights into the genetic component of plant response to beneficial microbiota and implications for organic farming systems.

SLIDES FROM THE WEBINAR AS A PDF HANDOUT

Philipp Simon, USDA, Agricultural Research Service and Department of Horticulture, University of Wisconsin - Madison

Phil Simon holds a B.S. in Biology from Carroll College, and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Genetics from the University of Wisconsin. He is a USDA, ARS Research Geneticist and faculty member of the Department of Horticulture at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. Phil's research includes vegetable genetics and breeding with a focus on carrot improvement. His carrot breeding targets nematode and disease resistance, and improved flavor and nutritional quality. He has developed carrot germplasm with high carotene content, mild fresh carrot flavor, purple color, and root-knot nematode resistance.

Micaela Colley. Executive Director, Organic Seed Alliance

In addition to being the Executive Director, Micaela Colley manages participatory plant breeding, research and education projects with farmers, university researchers and other seed professionals. She has authored several educational publications covering topics on organic seed production, on-farm crop improvement and variety trailing, and teaches workshops on seed related topics.

 Jared Zystro, Research and Education Assistant Director, Organic Seed Alliance

Jared Zystro has a master’s degree in plant breeding and plant genetics from the University of Wisconsin and has worked in the organic seed industry for over 10 years, managing seed production at two farms and conducting research and education projects with OSA. In his work at OSA, he manages OSA's regional development in California, conducts participatory breeding projects and variety trials, and teaches farmers about seed production and plant breeding at workshops, conferences and field days.

 Philip Roberts, Professor and nematologist, University of California - Riverside

Philip Robert's research focuses on genetics of resistance and tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses of vegetables and agronomic crops, and the deployment of resistance through plant breeding and integrated pest management strategies. In particular, resistance to nematodes and fungal pathogens of carrots, cowpea and other grain legumes, cotton, and tomato has been a major focus.

Lori Hoagland, Assistant Professor, Specialty Crop Production Systems, Purdue University

Dr. Hoagland’s research focuses on soil microbes and their interactions with plants to increase crop productivity and reduce negative impacts of farming systems on the environment. Current projects include efforts to identify management practices that stimulate the activity of microbes that efficiently cycle nutrients, suppress soil-borne pathogens, and/or help plants tolerate drought stress, and select carrot and tomato varieties that actively recruit and host beneficial microbes that help plants resist pathogen infection.

Cathleen McCluskey, Communications and Outreach Associate, Organic Seed Alliance

Cathleen McCluskey supports OSA's communications, leads the organization’s design work, and organizes the biennial Organic Seed Growers Conference. She is a graduate of The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington where she studied Agricultural Systems Analysis, coordinated food sovereignty campaigns, and organized for federal-level public engagement regarding issues of market concentration in the agriculture sector.

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 webinar was recorded on March 3, 2015. Watch it on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6O3YEHX26g

Beginning in 2010, the Northern Organic Vegetable Improvement Collaborative (NOVIC) has been conducting participatory vegetable variety trials on a network of organic farms across the northern U.S. While critical for producing findings that accurately reflect working farms, participatory research poses unique challenges in terms of data quality and analytical methods. Alexandra Lyon, a PhD student who has been working for NOVIC since 2010, will discuss a straightforward, graphical approach that uses the NOVIC variety trial data to assess the stability of variety performance across variable environments. From this work, future participatory breeding and variety trial efforts can be better informed and made more efficient and effective. This webinar is meant for an audience of researchers, farmers, and other professionals interested in farmer collaboration and participatory research.

Slides from the webinar as a pdf handout

Alexandra Lyon studies how participatory plant breeding and variety trials can help meet the needs of organic vegetable growers in the Upper Midwest, as part of the Organic and Sustainable Research Program run by Dr. Erin Silva at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is a PhD candidate in the Nelson Institute for Environmental Science and a founding organizer of the Student Organic Seed Symposium, an annual event aimed at supporting graduate student involvement in organic seed and plant breeding.

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 webinar was recorded on February 17, 2015. Watch it on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggc_Es3bo6U

This webinar will provide an introduction to the concept of weed management with air-propelled abrasive grits, or "weed blasting", in organic cropping systems. We will present information about the design of the first abrasive-grit applicator and initial field studies in corn, soybean, tomato, and pepper crops. Lastly, we will outline ongoing and future research objectives recently funded by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture Organic Research and Extension Initiative.

Dr. Sam Wortman is an assistant professor in the Department of Crop Sciences at the University of Illinois. He studies urban and local food production and the goal of his research is to develop cropping systems and cultural practices that maximize productivity and profitability with minimal environmental impact.

Dr. Sharon Clay is a weed scientist with a 20% teaching/80% research position at South Dakota State University. Over her career, she has worked in many aspects of weed biology and weed control including cover crops, resistant weeds, biocontrol, crop/weed interactions, and exploring critical weed free periods in many types of crops.

Dr. Daniel Humburg is an Agricultural Engineer and Professor in the department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering at South Dakota State University. He has 23 year of experience teaching engineering design of agricultural machines, and oversaw the design and fabrication of the first abrasive weed control system to be mounted on a tractor.

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.

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This broadcast took place on Friday, February 6, 2015, from the Organicology Conference in Portland, Oregon. Watch them as a YouTube playlist at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZMuQJAj6rOpCbyVNOxJacexaLZ0STf1f

This workshop will present and discuss key crop rotations that include high demand/low supply crops that can be grown in the Pacific Northwest. This session will build on the Growing the Market Intensive and the work Oregon Tilth is doing to identify these crops and create a concrete picture of supply gaps and market opportunities. It will include a brief overview of the market analysis findings, and cover key considerations for producers to integrate these crops into current rotations, including acreage needs, variety selection, planting schedules, equipment, etc. The buyer will discuss how farmers can work with wholesalers to plan production and the producer will discuss the challenges and benefits of integrating new crops and her experiences working with buyers.

Speakers: James Henderson, Farm Liaison, Hummingbird Wholesale; Michael McMillan, Sourcing Manager, Organically Grown Company; Nick Andrews, Senior Instructor, OSU Center for Small Farms & Community Food Systems; Pete Postlewait, Co-Owner, Nature Fresh Farms

This discussion features experts from Washington State University and Rodale Institute who will present new research focused on improving soil health in organic systems. Participants will learn about soil health principles and practices for building healthy soils such as no-till and minimized tillage, cover crops, and crop rotations. This workshop will help organic and transitioning farmers identify soil health issues and improve soil health management on their farms. The workshop will also provide an overview of common soil health challenges for organic farmers and discuss the latest information on the topic from the National Organic Program and National Organic Standards Board. The session will cover information on federal conservation programs that provides financial and technical assistance for conservation projects.

Speakers: Mark “Coach” Smallwood, Executive Director, Rodale Institute; Doug Collins, Small Farms Educator & Soil Scientist, Center for Sustaining Ag & Natural Resources, WSU; Ben Bowell, Organic Education Specialist, Oregon Tilth & NRCS 

View selected recordings from this workshop here or on this YouTube playist:

• Considerations in Organic Seed Production: Jared Zystro, Organic Seed Alliance
• The Yearly Seed Production Cycle: Rowen White, Sierra Seeds
• Seed Cleaning: Beth Ragourshek, Canyon Bounty Farm
• Economics of Seed Growing: Steve Peters, Organic Seed Alliance; Andrew Still, Adaptive Seeds and Rowen White, Sierra Seeds

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 webinar by Dr. Yong-Lak Park of West Virginia University was recorded on January 22, 2015. Watch it on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spRyLe8AmL4

Brown marmorated stink bugs (BMSB) have caused considerable economic damage in the Mid-Atlantic states, and biological control agents against BMSB are not readily available for growers yet. In this webinar, the efficacy and utilization of the spined soldier bug as a native biological control agent will be presented and discussed. This webinar is for a mixed audience including researchers, extension specialists and agents, and growers seeking information on biological control of stink bugs.

Slides from the webinar as a pdf handout

Dr. Park is an associate professor in the entomology program at West Virginia University. His research team has been working on a state-wide brown marmorated stink bug and natural enemy survey, organic stink bug management, and mass rearing of the spined soldier bug.

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 webinar was recorded on January 13, 2015. Watch it on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuArxCxG_A8

Imported cabbageworm, vegetable loopers, and diamondback moths can be serious pests of brassicas and other crops. Using many years of information from four farms, we have characterized successful whole-farm management systems. Our analysis suggests paths to success for other farms who have, or anticipate, cabbageworm outbreaks.

Slides from the webinar as a pdf file

Jake Asplund is a Ph.D. student in entomology at Washington State University. His work focuses on examining arthropod community interactions in agriculture.

Doug O'Brien owns and operates Doug O’Brien Agricultural Consulting, providing on-site technical advice, field monitoring, and research for clients involved in fresh produce growing, harvesting, cooling and marketing. He is an adjunct professor at Cabrillo College, in Santa Cruz, CA and teaches classes in organic farming. Previously, Doug was a co-owner of an organic produce brokerage company, a crop production manager, and an assistant farm advisor.

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Java needs to be installed and working on your computer for you to be able to join the webinar. If you have concerns, go to 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.

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This webinar took place on December 18, 2014. Watch it on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgS3twVZ-HA

All organic dairy farmers know the importance of pasture as the primary feed source for their cattle. But part of managing pastures well is honing our observation skills to assess what the plants and animals are telling us about their health. In this webinar, presented by grazing and organic certification specialist Sarah Flack, we will review the key grazing principles that help your cattle maximize dry matter intake from pastures and avoid potential problems. We will also look at examples of how to observe the livestock, their manure, soils and pasture plants to determine how well your pasture management system is working.

Sarah Flack is a consultant specializing grass based and organic livestock production. Since the early 1990's, she has been teaching workshops and providing practical, technical grazing and organic management education for farmers, organizations, institutions and individuals working on farms and in rural communities. Sarah has authored a book on organic dairy production, co-authored a second book on the subject, written articles and facts-heets on grazing and organic production, and has produced videos and webinars. Sarah also provides consulting services as an organic certification inspector for several agricultural organizations nationwide. She has degrees in Environmental Agriculture and Biology, and Plant and Soil Sciences from the University of Vermont. Sarah grew up on a grass-based livestock farm in northern Vermont where she still lives.

 Slides from the webinar as a pdf handout is available at www.eorganic.info/sites/eorganic.info/files/u461/SFlack_PastureMonitoring_12182014.pdf

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 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.

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This webinar was recorded on December 4, 2014. Watch it on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOAI5NV-N3I

Radishes can provide two benefits to the organic dairy pasture: 1) to extend the grazing season with a high energy feedstock, and 2) to provide “bio-drills” by utilizing the tap roots of these plants to address soil compaction. In this webinar, Fay Benson and Liz Burrichter will describe their on-farm research with brassicas, including no-till seeding Daikon Radish into grazing swards.

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 South Central NY Dairy 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.

Elizabeth Burrichter is a program assistant with New York’s Organic Dairy Initiative and is an organic dairy educator with Cornell Cooperative Extension.

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 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.

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This webinar was recorded on December 2, 2014. Watch it on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94pZYsu7kj8

In this webinar, the presenters will discuss the identification and crop damage of the yellowmargined leaf beetle, as well as trap cropping, attractants, and biological control. They will share relevant outcomes from a NIFA-OREI funded project: Development and Participatory Implementation of Integrated Organic Pest Management for Crucifer Vegetable Production in the South, and highlight IPM resources for producers and educators.

Slides from this webinar as a PDF handout

Dr. Rammohan Balusu is Research Fellow II at Auburn University. He works on ecologically-based pest management tactics in fruit and vegetable crops. He has been working on Yellowmargined leaf beetle problem in organic crucifer production since 2006.

Dr. Ayanava Majumdar is Extension Entomologist with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System and his work focuses on developing vegetable IPM recommendations for a variety of crops. He is also the SARE program coordinator at Auburn University and has established a strong organic educational program for small producers in Alabama.

Dr. Ronald D. Cave is a Professor of Entomology and Nematology at the University of Florida Indian River Research and Education Center. He received his PhD from Auburn University, his MSc from the University of California-Berkeley, and his BSc from the University of California-Davis. He was a Peace Corps volunteer in El Salvador and Paraguay and a professor for 15 years at the Panamerican School of Agriculture in Honduras, where he taught courses, conducted research on biological control, pest management, and biodiversity, and directed the Center for Biological Control in Central America. His research at the UF Hayslip Biological Control research and Containment Laboratory at the Indian River Research and Education Center in Ft. Pierce focuses on biological control of invasive arthropods, particularly the importation of exotic insects as candidate biological control agents, assessment of commercial natural enemies, and study of the biology of parasitoids and predators. Current projects target the cycad aulacaspis scale, the Mexican bromeliad weevil, and the yellowmargined leaf beetle. He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses and mentors graduate students. He is author or co-author of more than 100 peer-reviewed papers, 20 non-refereed publications, and 20 books or book chapters.

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 webinar was recorded on November 20, 2014. Watch it on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdpUExSfpLg

Out-wintering cattle involves keeping livestock outside for some or all of the winter. In this webinar, Dr. Brad Heins will describe a study that evaluated the effect of two winter housing systems on organic dairy production, somatic cell counts (SCC), body weight, body condition scores (BCS), and dry matter intake (DMI). The study included cows that were housed outdoors on a straw pack and indoors in a compost-bedded pack barn at the University of Minnesota’s West Central Research and Outreach Center in Morris, MN. Heins will also describes some basic considerations when out-wintering organic dairy herds, including access to adequate feed, water, and shelter.

PDF of Dr. Heins' presentation

Brad Heins is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Animal Science at the University of Minnesota, focusing on organic dairy production. Dr. Heins received his M.S. and Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. Currently, Dr. Heins conducts his research at the University of Minnesota’s West Central Research and Outreach Center (WCROC). The Center has a 100-head herd in a certified organic system, and a 130-head herd in a conventional grazing system. He also serves on the Minnesota Organic Advisory Task Force.

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 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.

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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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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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=f0sw4aHGKhI

Gary Gemme, Harvest Farm. Whately, MA.

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.

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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=kPquNqimV1Y

Gary Gemme, Harvest Farm. Whately, MA.

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.

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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.

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 as a pdf handout
Ron Revord's PowerPoint with live links

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

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.

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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

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

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.

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

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

• 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.

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

Original air date: June 6, 2014

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 »

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.

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