New/updated @ eXtension

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

About the Webinar

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

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

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

Additional Information

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

Also see:

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

About the Presenter

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

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

 

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

eOrganic 10809

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

About the Webinar

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

Slides from the webinar as a pdf handout

About the Presenters

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

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

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

 

 

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

eOrganic 10773

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

About the Webinar

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

PDF Handout of the slides for this webinar

Find all eOrganic webinars »

About the Presenters

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

Links from the Webinar

Midewest Cover Crop Council

Organic section on the MSU Weeds website

 

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

eOrganic 10563

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

About the Webinar

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

PDF Handout of the slides for this webinar

About the Presenters

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

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

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

System Requirements

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Required: Mac OS® X 10.6 or newer
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Required: iPhone®, iPad®, Android™ phone or Android tablet

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

 

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

eOrganic 10434

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

About the Webinar

This webinar took place on March 4, 2014.

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

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

Slides from the webinar as a pdf handout

 

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

eOrganic 9852

Webinar 1: Why the Concern about Nitrous Oxide Emissions?

February 25, 2014

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

Topics for this webinar include:

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

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

Slides from this webinar as a pdf handout

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

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

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

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

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

Slides from this webinar as a pdf handout

 

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

eOrganic 10433

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

This webinar took place on February 18, 2014.

About the Webinar

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

About the Presenters

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

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

 

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

eOrganic 10408

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

About the Webinar

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

Find the slides from this webinar as a pdf handout

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

About the Presenters

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

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

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

 

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

eOrganic 10238

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

About the Webinar

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

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

About the Presenter

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

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

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

eOrganic 10407

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

This webinar took place on February 4, 2014

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

About the Webinar

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

Handout of slides from the webinar as a pdf file

 

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

eOrganic 10411

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

About the Webinar

This webinar was broadcast live on January 16, 2014.

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

Slides from the webinar as a pdf handout

About the Presenters

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

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

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

 

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

eOrganic 9833

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

About the Webinar

The webinar took place on January 14, 2014.

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

Slides for the webinar as a pdf handout

About the Presenters

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

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

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

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

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

 

 

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

eOrganic 10239

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

Featuring

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

Audio Text

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.

eOrganic 5979

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.

Video Transcript

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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Webinar Recording

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.

About the 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.

About the Presenter

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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About the Webinar

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

About the Presenters

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.

About the Presenter

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

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 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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About the Webinar

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

About the Presenters

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 »

About the Presenters

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.

About eOrganic

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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About the Webinar

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

About the Presenter

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.

Additional Resources

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

About eOrganic

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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