In this issue
- Organic Seed Finder Webinar on August 21st
- Recently Published eOrganic Articles and Videos
- NOP Adds Natural Resources Standard to their Accreditation Checklists
- New Publication on GMO Contamination Prevention
- New Book on Breeding for Organic Agriculture
Webinar on August 21st: Learn about the Organic Seed Finder
Sourcing Organic Seed Just Got Easier: An Introduction to Organic Seed Finder. This webinar will be presented on August 21st at 2PM Eastern Time (1PM Central, 12PM Mountain, 11AM Pacific Time). Join Chet Boruff of the Association of Offiial Seed Certifiying Agencies and Kristina Hubbard of the Organic Seed Alliance as they introduce the new Organic Seed Finder database, which will serve as a valuable tool for the organic community by providing reliable organic seed availability information. The webinar is free and open to the public. Advance registration is required. Find out more and register at http://www.extension.org/pages/64782
Recently Published eOrganic Articles and Videos
Soilborne Disease Management in Organic Vegetable Production, by Fulya Baysal-Gurel, Brian McSpadden Gardener, and Sally Miller, of the Department of Plant Pathology at The Ohio State University
Videos on Plant Propagation and Pest Management for Beginning Farmers from Penn State Extension. These farm profile videos, which are directed by Tianna DuPont and produced by Daniel Paashaus, are designed to give new farmers ideas and advice from experienced producers. They feature John Good of Quiet Creek Farm in Kutztown, PA.
NOP Adds Natural Resources Standard to Accreditation Checklists
The USDA National Organic Program (NOP) has updated two sections of their Accreditation Checklists to make sure that all NOP-accredited certification agencies are verifying that organic operations implement conservation practices and protect natural resources.
In the Witness Audit Checklist, the NOP now will verify that the certifiers are effectively implementing the requirement to “Maintain or improve natural resources" - standard §205.200. In the Certification File Review Checklist, the NOP now will verify that certifiers are requiring that their farmers, ranchers, wild crop harvesters, and handlers are addressing standard §205.200 in their Organic System Plans. For more information, see http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs054/1103777415326/archive/1110502812671.html
New Publication on GMO Contamination Prevention
Jim Riddle, Organic Outreach Coordinator for the University of Minnesota Southwest Research and Outreach Center, has released a newly revised and expanded publication, GMO Contamination Prevention – What Does It Take?
The publication describes best management practices for growers of GMO and non—GMO crops, including certified organic crops, to help minimize GMO contamination of non-GMO crops. The 8-page guide contains commonsense steps that producers can take to reduce risks of GMO contamination.
New Textbook: Organic Crop Breeding
The first textbook on organic crop breeding has been published by Edith T. Lammerts Van Bueren and James Myers. This comprehensive text provides readers a review of the latest efforts by crop breeders to develop improved varieties for organic production. The book opens with chapters looking at breeding efforts that focus on specific valuable traits such as quality, pest, and disease resistance, as well as the impacts improved breeding efforts can have on organic production. The second part of the book is a series of case studies from around the globe that look at breeding efforts underway in crops ranging from carrots to corn. Find out more at http://blog.seedalliance.org/2012/07/02/new-textbook-the-first-on-breeding-for-organic-agriculture/
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.
eOrganic Resources
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