New Fire Blight Management Article
This new eOrganic article contains the most up-to-date information on managing Fire Blight organically in the western U.S. Learn how to identify the disease, how it spreads on fruit trees, which cultivars of apple and pear are more or less susceptible, and how to manage the disease with an integrated program. This article was produced by members of a NIFA OREI funded research project entitled Implementation of Non-Antibiotic Programs for Fire Blight Control in Organic Apple and Pear in the Western United States. Read the article here.
New Video on Identifying Syrphid Fly Larvae
A new eOrganic video can help you identify syrphid flies and distinguish the larvae of these important aphid predators from caterpillars. It will also give you some tips on how to make your farm more hospitable to syrphids (also known as hoverflies), each of whom can consume hundreds of aphids. This video was created as part of the NIFA OREI funded project entitled Biodiversity and Natural Pest Suppression (BAN-PestS) led at Washington State University. Watch the video here.
New Webinar Explains Different Types of Corn
On September 27th at 10AM Pacific Time, eOrganic will host a webinar entitled Hybrid, F1, Double Cross, and Open-pollinated Corn: What Does it All Mean? Intended Audience: Anybody with an interest in different types of corn varieties and their relative merits. In the webinar, presenters Margaret Smith of Cornell and Richard Pratt of New Mexico State University will explain what different types of corn varieties are, how uniform or variable each type is, and highlight the relative advantages and disadvantages of the different variety types.This presentation is part of the NIFA OREI funded project Breeding Non-Commodity Corn for Organic Production Systems. Register for the webinar here.
Survey on Post-harvest Quality and Food Safety of Organic Produce
A group of researchers from Purdue and other U.S. universities is conducting a project to study best management practices for enhancing post-harvest quality and safety of organic produce/vegetables. The goal of this study is to identify the needs and issues associated with organic produce/vegetables and their quality and safety. Subsequently, this will help identify the research and extension priorities associated with safety and quality of organic produce. This work is supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, grant project #1007457. This information will not only be useful to you and your business entity, it will also be useful to other organic stakeholders including researchers and policymakers. This study has been approved by Purdue’s Institutional Review Board. The entire survey is designed to take approximately 25 - 30 minutes. Your participation is strictly voluntary and your response to the survey will be anonymous. Responses to the survey will be aggregated to prevent the disclosure of organization or farm specific data. Please visit this link below or scan the QR code to go to the survey. If needed, you may also copy and paste the link in your web browser. https://purdue.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_01hJsknL95IIgM5
Submit Your Ideas for the Organic Seed Growers Conference Today
The Organic Seed Alliance invites you to help shape the 9th Organic Seed Growers Conference by providing proposals for content. This is your opportunity to share important research and ask timely questions related to organic seed. The conference is the largest organic seed event in the U.S. and provides two days of presentations, panel discussions, and networking events. We welcome your proposals for presentations, workshops, posters, panels, and roundtables. The deadline is today July 24, 2017. The conference will take place from February 14-17, 2018 in Corvallis, Oregon. Find out more information here.
Bee Better Certification Program
The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation has partnered with Oregon Tilth to develop and launch the Bee Better Certified™ program, a new certification program that enables agricultural producers to let consumers know they are farming in ways that benefit bees. Bee Better Certified™ works with farmers and food companies to conserve bees and other pollinators in agricultural lands. Our work advances more resilient pollinator populations and sustainable crop production. The Bee Better Certified seal identifies and celebrates farmers and businesses that adopt farm management practices that support pollinators, and gives consumers confidence that their purchasing decisions benefit pollinators and the farmers working to protect them.To find out more about this program, visit the Bee Better Certified website.
Organic Certification Cost Share Still Open
You can still apply for 2017 Organic Certification Cost Share funds until October 31, 2017 if your organic operation is in the United States and you applied for organic certification from October 1, 2016 and September 30, 2017, you may receive up to 75 percent of certification costs, not to exceed $750 per certification scope.Find out more about this program by contacting the responsible agency in your state which you can find here.
NOSB Web Meeting on Hydroponics
The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) will meet via conference on August 14, 2017 from 1:00pm - 3:00pm Eastern to discuss hydroponics in organic food production. The NOSB will not be voting on a recommendation during this web conference. A transcript will be available approximately two weeks after the event. The NOSB is a federal advisory committee established by the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 and administered through the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS). The NOSB recommends whether substances should be allowed or prohibited in organic production, handling, and processing, and advises the Secretary of Agriculture on other aspects of the organic regulations.Register for the web meeting at: https://cc.readytalk.com/r/3itgag2r7btt&eom
Recent Organic Research Articles
Kissing Kucek, L. et al. 2017. Evaluation of wheat and emmer varieties for artisanal baking, pasta making, and sensory quality. Journal of Cereal Science Volume 74, March 2017, pp. 19–27. Available online at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcs.2016.12.010.
Lehnhoff, E.; Z. Miller, Z., P. Miller, S. Johnson, T. Scott, P. Hatfield, F. D. Menalled. Organic Agriculture and the Quest for the Holy Grail in Water-Limited Ecosystems: Managing Weeds and Reducing Tillage Intensity. Agriculture 2017, 7, 33. Available online at: http://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/7/4/33?utm_source=TrendMD&utm_medium=cpc&u...
Martina, L. S. Symanczik; P, Mäder, G. de Deyn, and A. Gattinger. 2017. Organic farming enhances soil microbial abundance and activity: A meta-analysis and meta-regression. PLoS ONE, 12 (7), pp. 1-25. Available online at https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0180442
Silva, E.M.; K. Delate. 2017. A Decade of Progress in Organic Cover Crop-Based Reduced Tillage Practices in the Upper Midwestern USA. Agriculture 7, 44. Available online at: http://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/7/5/44/htm
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