| Special Edition |
June 20, 2007 |
SCOAR is a collaboration of producers
and scientists whose mission is to plan and promote research
and information exchange for understanding and improving organic
agricultural systems.
Here is some timely information
that we thought you'd like to know about.
Call for Papers for Midwest
Organic Symposium
The Midwest Organic and Sustainable Agriculture
Educational Service (MOSES) and Organic Farming Research Foundation
(OFRF) are organizing a Midwest Organic Research Symposium
to be held in conjunction with the Upper Midwest Organic Farming
Conference Feb. 21-23, 2008, in LaCrosse, Wisconsin.
You are invited to submit papers for presentation
at the symposium and posters to be displayed at the poster
session. Submissions are due July 20,
2007.
This symposium offers a unique opportunity for
students and scientists investigating organic topics to engage
with a knowledgeable audience. The symposium will offer small
group discussions between organic practitioners and researchers,
providing both with an opportunity to discuss research at
a depth rarely achieved at meetings.
The symposium will begin with a mini-symposium
on Day 1 that provides an opportunity for undergraduate and
graduate students who are conducting research on organic topics
to present their work to an informed audience. Days 2 and
3 will be devoted to presentation and discussion of work on
the following topics:
- Weed management in organic row crops.
- Issues in organic vegetable and fruit management.
- Organic dairy production.
- Economic and marketing research in organic
agriculture.
- Organic livestock production (other than
dairy) and crop-livestock integration in organic systems.
- Insect and disease management
strategies on organic farms.
Presentations will be limited to 5 minutes each
followed by small group roundtable discussions of the content.
Each presenter will be expected to interact with a small group
of audience members in a roundtable discussion following their
presentation. This opportunity to engage is just as important
as the presentation of research findings.
For more details on submitting papers, go to
http://ofrf.org/networks/midwest_organic_rsch_symposium.html.
OFRF Releases Two Requests for
Proposals
The Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF)
has released two requests for proposals for submission to
their competitive grants program.
OFRF for the first time is specifically soliciting
proposals for education and outreach projects that are targeted
primarily at organic farmers and ranchers. OFRF will also
continue to fund research to improve organic production systems.
The next deadline for proposals is July 16,
2007.
To read the RFPs, please visit http://ofrf.org/grants/apply.html.
National Organic Research Agenda
is Published
The Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF)
is moving the science of organic agriculture to the next level
with the publication of its landmark document, the 2007
National Organic Research Agenda. The Research Agenda
is the first catalogue of research needs for organic agriculture
ever published in the United States.
The Research Agenda is the key outcome of the
Scientific Congress on Organic Agricultural Research (SCOAR),
which brought organic farmers and ranchers together with scientists
to discuss and analyze top research priorities in organic
production. The goal of the Research Agenda is to inspire
scientific research that will help organic farmers and ranchers
improve the performance of their production systems.
To download the Research Agenda online for free,
please visit http://ofrf.org/publications/pubs/nora2007.pdf.
Printed copies are available for a $15 donation and CD-ROM
versions for $5, to cover costs. To place your order, go to
http://ofrf.org/publications/order.php.
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