September 2011

Photo of the Month, by Joanna MacKenzie
A potato blossom opens in the summer sun, while in the background, OACC staff lead a tour of the certified organic Brookside research field. The potatoes are being grown as part of a research trial examining potential wireworm management strategies for organic producers, led by OACC Director Andy Hammermeister and Research Assistant Karen Nelson.

In this issue:

Editor's Note: Organic practitioners may find the information presented in the Newspaper Articles and Extension Information sections to be the most easily accessible and applicable.

• A Note from OACC's Director
• Newspaper Articles
• Extension Information
• Courses
• Research Articles
• Market Information

Newspaper Articles

• Cross Canada Green Manure Use on Organic Vegetable Farms
• The Canadian Organic System: Learning the ABC’s
  

Extension

About Organic

• Economic Analysis Reveals Organic Farming Profitable Long-Term (Science Daily)
  • See the research abstract

Soils and Fertility

• Soil Life: Microbiology on the farm (Rodale)

Horticulture

• Biology and Management of Aphids in Organic Cucurbit Production Systems (eXtension)
• Field vegetable production: Using cover crops for weed management (AAFC)

Field Crops

• Using Ground Covers in Organic Production (Science Daily)
  • See the research abstract

Livestock

• Organic Pig Production in Europe - Health Management in Common Organic Pig Farming (FiBL)
• Calculating Paddock Size on Organic Dairy Pastures Video(eXtension)

Courses

• Sustainable Local Food Certificate - St. Lawrence College
• Everdale’s Farmers Growing Farmers Training Programs
• Organic Horticulture Specialist Certificate - Humber College and Gaia College

Research Articles

Soils and Fertility

• Nitrate leaching from organic arable crop rotations is mostly determined by autumn field management
• Nitrogen Contribution of Legume/Cereal Mixed Cover Crops and Organic Fertilizers to an Organic Broccoli Crop
• Molecular diversity of the Metarhizium anisopliae lineage in an agricultural field

Horticulture

• Integration of Vinegar for In-Row Weed Control in Transplanted Bell Pepper and Broccoli
• Permeability of Fabric Ground Covers to Organically-Derived Nutrients
• Seeding Rate and Planting Arrangement Effects on Growth and Weed Suppression of a Legume-Oat Cover Crop for Organic Vegetable Systems

Field Crops

• Grass–Legume Mixtures and Soil Fertility Affect Cover Crop Performance and Weed Seed Production
• Structuring an Efficient Organic Wheat Breeding Program
• Collaborative Plant Breeding for Organic Agricultural Systems in Developed Countries

Livestock

• Integrating green manure and grazing systems: A review
• Strategies to improve performance and reduce preslaughter Salmonella in organic broilers

Consumers

• Preferences and determinants for organic, conventional and conventional-plus products – The case of occasional organic consumers

Economics

• Economic Performance of Long-Term Organic and Conventional Cropping Systems in Minnesota
• Whole-Farm Profitability Analysis of Organic and Conventional Cropping Systems

Social Science

• Farmers' approaches to organic farming; motivations, barriers and different strategies

Market Information

• The World of Organic Agriculture - Statistics and Emerging Trends 2011
• No Intraprovincial Organic Regulations in Canada: what is the impact on the organic sector development?
  Two years have passed since the implementation of the OPR and the OFC thinks that time has come to assess the impact of the lack of intraprovincial regulation on the Canadian organic sector.
• The “Green” Gap Between Environmental Concerns and the Cash Register (Nielsen)