All eOrganic webinar recordings now available on YouTube
In case you missed any of our webinars this past winter and spring from our recent series of presentations on soil health, as well as other recordings on organic grass-fed dairy production, identifiying birds on the farm, Organicology conference recordings, diversifying crop rotations in high tunnels, organic corn breeding or new modules for teaching students about organic agriculture, you can find them all on our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/eOrganic/videos.
Organic Seed Conference Call for Proposals
The Organic Seed Alliance invites you to help shape the 10th Organic Seed Growers Conference by submitting a proposal for the agenda. This is your opportunity to share important research and ask timely questions about organic seed. The call for proposals will be open through July 28, 2019, and they are particularly interested in proposals that include farmers and underrepresented groups.
The Organic Seed Growers Conference is the largest organic seed event in the U.S. and provides a two-day agenda of presentations, panel discussions, roundtables, scientific posters, variety tastings, networking events, and community celebration.
Mark your calendar to join us in Corvallis, Oregon, February 12–15, 2020, to celebrate 20 years of the Organic Seed Growers Conference and envision the future of the organic seed movement. Where have we been, where do we want to go, and how can we get there? Find out more and submit a proposal at https://seedalliance.org/2019/cfp-10th-organic-seed-growers-conference/
Barley Day in Madison, Wisconsin: June 28
If you are in Madison, Wisconsin on Friday, June 28, please join us in celebrating our favorite ancient grain! The event takes place at the West Madison Agricultural Research Station, 8502 Mineral Point Road, Verona, WI from 9am to 2pm (lunch provided for those that register by June 25). This educational + festive day will include field tours, an update on the exciting new national organic, hull-less barley project, a barley-centric lunch, guest speakers, and more! Come learn, meet new friends, visit with fellow grain movers & shakers and enjoy a delicious lunch from JOON. There is no cost to attend, but you must register by June 25 to receive lunch at https://barleyday2019.bpt.me. Download a flyer about the event here.
New Organic Tomato Foliar Disease Management Article
Members of the NIFA OREI funded Tomato Organic Management and Improvement (TOMI) project and their collaborators have published a new article on tomato disease management in the journal Crop Protection. In their field and greenhouse trials on the efficacy of different products for tomato foliar diseases, the researchers found that a copper product reduced severity of early blight, Septoria leaf spot and bacterial spot; Prestop, Gliocladium catenulatum, was an effective alternative to copper for early blight; and Sil-Matrix and Regalia applied alone and in combination were generally ineffective. Highlights of the findings and the abstract of the article are available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cropro.2019.04.022. You can learn more about the TOMI project on their website at https://eorganic.info/tomi.
Summer Organic Dairy Workshop Series
UVM Extension, NOFA-VT, and Organic Valley are collaborating to offer several organic dairy related workshops this summer. Workshops are offered in July, August and September and are in Vermont, New Hampshire and New York. Online Registrations for the UVM Extension Organic Dairy Series hosted events include:
- Production and Land Reclamation, July 11, Evermint Dairy, Constable, NY - https://organicdairyseriesevermintdairy.eventbrite.com
- Overcoming Grass-fed Dairy Production Challenges, August 12, Brookfield Farm, Walpole, NH - https://organicdairyseriesbrookfieldfarm.eventbrite.com
- Dairy & Forage Production and Nutrient Management, August 28, Choiniere's Dairy, Highgate, VT - https://organicdairyserieschoinieresdairy.eventbrite.com
Find additional events on raising youngstock and barn design, grass-milk production systems, pasture management and annuals for summer grazing, pasturing calves and heifers, and climate resilience and pasture management here.
USDA Organic Certified Operations Increased in 2018
USDA recently announced the number of certified organic operations in the United States reached 27,494 in 2018, up by 1,093 over the 2017 count. The number of international operations certified was up 713 to just over 15,500. Together these totals represent a 4.4 percent increase, bringing the total USDA Certified Organic Operations to just over 43,000. A complete list of certified organic farms and businesses is available in the Organic Integrity Database and you can see current reports by country, state, certifier and scope at https://organic.ams.usda.gov/Integrity/Reports/Reports.aspx
Funding Opportunities for Conservation and On-farm Trials
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is accepting proposals through July 30, 2019 for national Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG). CIG supports the development and field testing, on-farm research and demonstration, evaluation, or implementation of conservation technologies, practices, and systems and approaches to incentivizing conservation adoption. Grantees must match the CIG investment at least one to one. The national 2019 CIG priorities are: Increasing the pace and scale of conservation adoption, water quantity, pollinator habitat and urban agriculture. The complete funding announcement information can be accessed through the Conservation Innovation Grants webpage. The National CIG program supports early pilot projects or demonstrations of promising conservation approaches.
National CIG program is distinct from the $25 million announced on May 15 for On-Farm Conservation Innovation Trials. That program is open to private entities whose primary business is related to agriculture, non-governmental organizations with experience working with agricultural producers and non-Federal government agencies. Find out more about the On-Farm trials program here.
eOrganic Mission
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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