June 2018

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Reminder: Weed Management Webinar Today June 13th

There are still a few spots left in our webinar today at 11 Pacific, 12 Mountain, 1 Central, 2 Eastern: Weed Management: An Ecological Approach by Mark Schonbeck and Diana Jerkins of the Organic Farming Research Foundation. This is part of our Soil Health and Organic Farming webinar series that started last month. This webinar will focus on integrated organic weed management tools and practices that give crops the edge over weeds, build soil health, and reduce the need for soil disturbance. You can register here. The archive of last month's presentation, on Building Organic Matter for Healthy Soils is available on the eOrganic YouTube channel here. We are recording all the webinars in the series! 

New eOrganic article: Identifying Bird Nests on Farm Structures

This new article by Olivia Smith and William Snyder of Washington State University provides guidance on identifying nests of bird species commonly found nesting in barns, sheds, or other farm buildings. Most bird species included in the article are known to carry bacteria that cause food safety problems, such as pathogenic E. coli and Salmonella. However, some of these birds are also known to eat pest insects or rodents, so promoting nesting in appropriate areas can provide valuable natural pest control. The authors are members of the NIFA OREI funded project: Avian Biodiversity: Impacts, Risks and Descriptive Survey (A-BIRDS). Read the article here

Management Recommendations for Spotted Wing Drosophila in Organic Berry Crops

University of Georgia Extension has published a new extension bulletin on organic management of spotted wing drosophila in organic berry crops that is the result of research by a multiinstitutional NIFA OREI project. Organic management of SWD requires a rigorous, persistent, and diverse management plan. Using as many control techniques as possible on your farm will help to reduce SWD infestation. Download the free bulletin at https://secure.caes.uga.edu/extension/publications/files/pdf/B%201497_3.PDF

NEEOGRAIN webinar recordings and listserve

The NEEOGRAIN Virtual Crop Hour is a new series of webinars which is being done in collaboration with ACORN, Atlantic Canadian Organic Regional Network, and the University of Vermont Extension Northwest Crops and Soils Program. The NEEOGRAIN Network is an organic grain initiative established to increase networking and collaboration among farmers throughout the northeastern US and eastern Canada. NEEOGRAIN stands for Northeast (U.S.) and Eastern (Canada) Organic Grain Network. View the links to their recorded webinars and additional information here. To add your name to their database, send an email to susan.brouillette@uvm.edu and pick what subject/crop area you are interested in: Grains, Oilseeds, Organic Dairy, Hops, Brewer, Dairy, Milkweed, Hemp, or Vegetable (yes you can choose more than one). Send your first and last name, email, mailing address and phone number please. Archived NEEOGRAIN webinars include:

• April 6, 2018 – Exploring soil management for organic field crop producers with organic grain farmer Klaas Martens from Lakeview Organic Grain in Penn Yan, NY. View webinar with Klaas Martens.
• April 20, 2018 – Soil Organic Matter Study and Best Practices webinar with Dr. Judith Nyiraneza.

Call for Preproposals from Northeast SARE

Northeast SARE is currently accepting preproposals for three grant programs--Research and Education, Professional Development, and Research for Novel Approaches—due online by 11:59 p.m. ET on July 10, 2018. Invited full proposals are due on October 30 with projects awards made in late February 2019. For more information, visit www.northeastsare.org/GetGrant.

Growing Organic: A Review of State-Level Support for Organic Agriculture

This report was published in 2017 by Laura Driscoll and Nina Ichikawa of the Berkeley Food Institute, It details the roles that state agencies play in supporting and promoting organic farming, and how this support varies in different regions of the US. Twenty-one states across four distinct regions were chosen as a representative sample for analysis, and the availability of services as well as unique characteristics from each state were compiled through personal interviews, literature reviews, state government documents, and other sources. The report also makes recommendations on how to improve services for existing and prospective organic farmers. Find the report and the executive summary at https://food.berkeley.edu/organicstatebystate/

Organic Management of Vegetable Diseases Photo Galleries and Resources

If you're wondering how to identify or manage a particular vegetable disease this season, the Cornell University Long Island Research and Extension Center has a website with photo galleries, information on efficacy of organic fungicides, information on resistant varieties, disease management guidelines how to find a diagnostic lab, and more!. Find it at http://blogs.cornell.edu/livegpath/organic/organic-management-of-vegetable-diseases/

Upcoming Organic Events and Field Days

This is just a small sampling of some of the many organic field days and events happening this summer and early fall. Check with your land grant university, extension service or small farm program to find out if there are any organic field days in your area. 

• University of Illinois aMAIZEing Organic Field Day: On July 19, in Champaign Illinois, members of a NIFA OREI project on participatory corn breeding invites you to  our the organic corn breeding plots near the U of I campus, learn more about why we need organic seed, and learn how new cultivars are tested. Questions or want to know more about our education network? Read the flyer for the event, and contact Carmen Ugarte at cugarte@illinois.edu if you have questions or are interested in participating in the educational network for this project.
• University of Minnesota Organic Field Day: The Southwest Research and Outreach Center (SWROC) will host its annual Organic Field Day on Wednesday, July 11, beginning at 9:00 a.m. The event will start with a tradeshow and field tour of organic research projects at the SWROC including intermediate wheatgrass, oat fungicide and plant population trials, high tunnels, and cover crops. After lunch, presentations will discuss cropping system diversity and weed management. The afternoon speaker session will feature two sustainable agriculture experts. Matt Liebman, Professor of Agronomy at Iowa State University, will present Cropping System Diversity – Effects on Production, Soil Health, and Profitability. Joel Gruver, Associate Professor of Soil Science and Sustainable Ag at Western Illinois University, will give a presentation on weed management. Cost is $30.00 and includes refreshments, lunch, and handouts. Find out more and register at https://swroc.cfans.umn.edu/ofd2018
• Summer Organic Dairy Series Summer Organic Dairy Series – collaborated events by NOFA-VT, Organic Valley and UVM Extension NWCS. Register online at www.nofavt.org/ows. Cost for each event is $20 for farmers, $30 others and includes lunch from NOFA-VT pizza oven. Register for these and other UVM events here. 
  • Improving Milk Quality and Pasture Systems. Tue, July 24, 10:30-2:30, JASA Family Farm. Join CROPP/Organic Valley staff veterinarian and grazing specialist Dr. Greg Brickner at this workshop focused on milk quality and ways to optimize milk value. We will tour farmer Andy (John) Andrews farm, taking a look at his pastures, discussing grazing systems and how to increase utilization of pasture to reduce feed costs as well as winter outdoor access.
  • Robot Grazing Systems & Forage Harvesting, Wed, July 25, 10:30-2:30, Lambert Farm. Join CROPP/Organic Valley staff veterinarian and grazing specialist Dr. Greg Brickner and farmers Jesse and Jen, on a tour of the Lambert’s farm, taking a look at their robotic milking system and pastures. The Lamberts’ will share how they have changed their pasture management system with the installation of robots.. We will also discuss forage harvesting- looking at management strategies for producing high quality forage and organic corn silage.
  • Pasture Management and Youngstock, Mon, August 6, 10:30-2:30, Ottercrest Dairy. Join farmer and veterinarian Brian Howlett and grazing consultant Sarah Flack on a tour of Brian’s farm, Ottercrest Dairy. We will take a look at his pasture systems and rotational grazing management. Brian will share strategies for parasite prevention in youngstock on pasture and his experience with milking one time a day.
• MOSES On-Farm Workshop Series. Many factors impact crop success, such as field conditions and seed variety. What might grow really well at one farm might fail miserably a few miles away. To help farmers learn how to find the best varieties for their particular growing conditions, the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES) has partnered with the Organic Seed Alliance (OSA) and the University of Wisconsin-Madison for four on-farm workshops this summer.Workshop participants can tour ongoing trials and hear why the farmers chose the crops they did and how they designed the trials. OSA and University of Wisconsin educators will talk about the benefits of conducting on-farm trials and how to design them to meet a farm’s goals without adding unnecessary work.offered free of charge and pre-registration is requested.Find out more and register here
• Culinary Breeding Network Variety Showcase NYC. This year, the Culinary Breeding Network is Partnering with GrowNYC to bring their variety showcase to Project Farmshouse in New York City. This event is an interactive mixer designed to build community between plant breeders, organic farms and eaters, where attendees have the unique experience to taste new and in-development vegetable, fruit and grain cultivars with the breeders that created them, shareopinions, talk about needs and preferences and learn about the importance of organic plant breeding. This ticketed, indoor event takes place at two times on September 24, 2018. Find more information here.

eOrganic Mission and Resources

eOrganic is a web community where organic agriculture farmers, researchers, and educators network; exchange objective, research- and experience-based information; learn together; and communicate regionally, nationally, and internationally. If you have expertise in organic agriculture and would like to develop U.S. certified organic agriculture information, join us at http://eorganic.info

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