| In this Issue What's in Season - New Articles from eOrganic
USDA Publishes New National Organic Program Guide
Study Compares Fruit and Soil Quality on Organic and Conventional Farms
New Publication Summarizes Health and Environmental Benefits of Organic Food Production What's in season - New Articles from eOrganic Fertigation in Organic Vegetable Production Systems by eOrganic Vegetable Production Systems group members Carol Miles, Jonathan Roozen, Tim Coolong, and Liz Maynard. Learn about the application of organic liquid fertilizer through drip irrigation systems, how to calculate how much fertilizer to apply throughout the season, and read about a cost analysis of different liquid fertilizers. Managing Black Rot of Cabbage and Other Crucifer Crops in Organic Farming Systems by Chris Smart of Cornell University. Find out how to identify, prevent, and manage black rot on organic farms. Early Blight Management for Organic Tomato Production by Fulya Baysal-Gurel and Sally Miller of the Ohio State University. Read about the symptoms of early blight and organic strategies for managing the disease. USDA Publishes New National Organic Program Guide
The first edition of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's handbook for the organic sector was published on Sept. 2, 2010. Prepared by the National Organic Program (NOP), the handbook provides guidance about national organic regulations for those who own, manage, or certify organic operations. It is intended to serve as a resource for the organic sector to help participants comply with federal regulations. It is available online at http://www.ams.usda.gov/NOPProgramHandbook Printed copies can be made available upon request to the Standards Division, National Organic Program, 1400 Independence Ave., SW., Room 2646-S, Ag Stop 0268, Washington, D.C. 20250-0268; telephone: (202) 720-3252; fax: (202) 205-7808. The handbook provides guidance on the allowance of green waste and approval of liquid fertilizers in organic production systems; certification of organic yeast; processed animal manures in organic crop production; reassessed inert ingredients; and the calculation of dry matter intake to verify compliance with the NOP's pasture requirements. It also includes instructions concerning organic certification, such as recordkeeping, steps to certification, and organic certificates; accreditation procedures, such as how to apply to become an accredited certifying agent; international procedures, such as how USDA determines equivalence of foreign organic standards to those of the NOP; compliance and enforcement measures, such as how to handle complaints; and appeals procedures for certified operations or accredited certification agents.
The handbook explains the difference between NOP regulations and guidance/instruction documents and outlines their purpose, legal effect, and the process by which the NOP authorizes, reviews, revises and disseminates them to the public.
Study Compares Fruit and Soil Quality on Organic and Conventional Farms
A recent 2 year study of organic and conventional strawberry farms in 13 California agroecosystems found that organic strawberry farms produced higher quality fruit with longer shelf life and greater concentrations of certain nutrients such as ascorbic acid. The researchers, who included eOrganic members John Reganold, Jennifer Reeve, and Lynne Carpenter-Boggs, also found that the organic soils contained more carbon and nitrogen, as well as greater microbial activity and biodiversity. The full text of the study is available online at: http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0012346 New Publication Summarizes Health and Environmental Benefits of Organic Food Production
eOrganic certification group leader Jim Riddle and Bud Markart of the University of Minnesota recently released a 6-page publication entitled What is Organic Food and Why Should I Care? which explains USDA National Organic Program requirements in simplified terms. It also presents footnoted summaries of scientific studies about the health and environmental benefits of organic food and farming. |  Read organic farming articles
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Research-Outreach Groups eOrganic.info (eOrganic's collaborative workspace) provides space and support for the work of organic research/outreach project groups. These groups can be lab groups, project groups (e.g. SARE and NIFA OREI projects), and even graduate courses! All group members can become members of eOrganic.info and participate actively in groups, including farmers, agricultural professionals, students, and non-profit staff. The workspace allows groups to share files and images, make decisions (forums), and collaborate on outreach materials, proposals and manuscripts. Groups are also beginning to use eOrganic's web conferencing tools to hold virtual seminars and field tours. If you are interested in learning more about how to use eOrganic.info to manage your group, contact John McQueen. 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. Contact us! If you are working on something related to eOrganic and would like others in the eOrganic community to know about it, if you would like to find other people to start a new eOrganic initiative, or you have other related needs, please let us know! We can include your ideas/news in the next newsletter. Submissions to the newsletter are due by the end of each month; send your submission to Alice Formiga Ask an Expert If you have a question about organic agriculture, find an answer by using eXtension.org's Ask an Expert Service. |
