Join eOrganic for a webinar on June 3 about leveraging soil microbiomes for resilient organic farms! It takes place at 11AM Pacific, 12PM Mountain, 1PM Central and 2PM Eastern Time. It's free and open to the public, and advance registration is required!
Register now at https://oregonstate.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_LVbvmxuqQdG7Cg_92tmy7g
About the Webinar
Farmers are grappling with increased average temperatures, heavier precipitation, periodic droughts, and new pest pressures. Evidence indicates plants attract beneficial microbes that reduce the negative impacts of climate change and suppress insect pests. This webinar will feature presentations by two NY organic farmers who will describe their approach to organic seed production and climate change challenges. Accompanying the farmers will be Cornell University researchers presenting soil microbiome studies. One study will detail how drought, locally produced seeds, and soil microbiomes interact to suppress insect pest populations. Results will also be shared on how different soil microbiomes respond to commercial compost applications, which can have unintended consequences for pest suppression.
About the presenters
Lia Babitch is the co-general and garden manager at Turtle Tree Seed. At Turtle Tree, Lia grows, breeds and sells 100% biodynamic, organic, heirloom, open-pollinated vegetable, herb, flower and farm seeds. Turtle Tree is committed to stewarding the highest quality seeds for home, market, CSA and commercial growers, and contributing to the health of the Earth. Their team includes people of diverse abilities and backgrounds, and their mission includes helping people to learn about seed saving and to become seed stewards. Lia has been with Turtle Tree since 2009.
Steven Crist manages all aspects of Four Fold Farm the organic seed production wing of the Hudson Valley Seed Company. As Farm Director, Steven stewards a plethora of organic, heirloom and open pollinated flowers, vegetables, and herbs, as well as a variety of mixed alliums, sunchokes, and over fifty unique dahlia tubers. Steven writes: “We do this so you all can do this! And we do it with gratitude for the stories our seeds tell and the connection we are granted to our shared past, present, and future. We hope that labor of love that is seed farming is imparted to all who grow with us.”
Dr. Elias Bloom and Ethan McAnally are researchers at Cornell University working in Dr. Clare Casteel’s Lab. Eli investigates an emergent pest management tactic; the use of soil microbes to promote plant defenses and reduce insect pests under climate change conditions. Ethan is currently studying the relationship between farming practices such as composting, agricultural soil microbiomes, and their combined effect on insects.
Funding
This webinar is based on the NIFA ORG project "Leveraging soil microbiomes to promote climate change resilience and adoption of organic agriculture" award #2022-51106-38007. It was organized in collaboration between eOrganic, Cornell University, and seven organic farmer stakeholders in New York state. Further support includes a USDA AFRI Postdoctoral Fellowship (#2021-67012-35042), a NIFA-USDA Hatch Multistate Grant (#7000327), and a NIFA-USDA Hatch Grant (#7003512). The findings and conclusions in this webinar have not been formally disseminated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and should not be construed to represent any agency determination or policy.
