office

About office

This author has not yet filled in any details.
So far office has created 241 blog entries.

New Varieties Show Promise

October 25, 2019 – In 2018, OFRF provided a grant to Edmund Frost of Common Wealth Seed Growers to assess resistance to both Bacterial Wilt and Cucurbit Downy Mildew among selected cucumber and muskmelon seedstocks. The project is aimed at helping organic farmers throughout the Eastern U.S., where those diseases pose a particular challenge.

In his recently submitted final project report, Frost says the four trials he completed yielded useful and actionable results. The trials were done on certified organic land at Twin Oaks Farm in Virginia. Read all about the methods, data, and conclusions for each element of the project. View the grant.

OFRF provided a second grant to Frost in 2019 to continue the project. This year, Frost is focused on evaluating and advancing cucumber seedstock lines that performed well in his 2018 trials, working with farms and research sites throughout the Southeast and beyond to more broadly assess the selected lines. If the 2019 trial results show these lines have good resistance, they plan on releasing varieties from the project in late 2020.

Outreach is an important component of Frost’s research. He uses field days and speaking engagements to share project results with vegetable farmers. You can learn more about his research and varieties on the Common Wealth Seed Growers website.

By |2020-01-08T18:12:21+00:00October 25th, 2019|News|

Crager Hager Farm

October 23, 2019 – Crager Hager Farm is located in Northern Carroll County, Georgia, a community on the periphery of metro Atlanta. Bryan and his wife Wendy grow over 100 different varieties of fruits and vegetables on the 123-year old farm that Wendy originally purchased as a rural retreat in the 1980’s. They soon expanded their large organic garden into a small diversified organic farm to help serve a community that had lost many of its farmers in the 1960’s.

“We decided in 2006 to try making a living by farming and jumped in. It was a wonderful experience and the most challenging thing I have ever done. I had no idea what I was getting into. It’s totally different when you scale up. I had to figure that out and this was early in the urban/small farm movement and there wasn’t much support out there.”

An avid gardener and outdoor enthusiast since childhood, Bryan adopted organic practices early. “My grandmother got me gardening when I was eight. When I was a teenager, I was spraying malathion for pests when the wind changed and blew it right back in my face. I started coughing and thought this can’t be good for me, I wonder what it’s doing to the environment. I started reading about what it does to bees and other living things. This was known back in the 70’s.”

Wendy and Bryan did not go through the organic certification process right away. “We didn’t feel like we needed it from a marketing perspective because we were selling at the farmers’ market and to a local co-op. After a while though, we decided we needed to put our money where our mouths were. We were very fortunate to have the cost share program to help pay the fees.”

Bryan says to be a successful farmer, you’ve got to keep good detailed records. You have to know what’s worked and what hasn’t and you can’t do that just by watching. “The certification process has pushed me to be more consistent. You have to have the input records, what you’ve put on the land and your plants throughout the year. It actually helped me improve my productivity and how I do my farming.”

Their “crop insurance” program is based on diversification, which helps them manage the challenges of changing weather patterns, pests, and diseases. “The weather is so variable here. Right now, we’re entering a moderate drought stage and different crops do better or worse in different environments. So, given the variability, we grow at least two to three different varieties of any particular crop, whether it’s green beans, tomatoes, or corn. I’ll go through 15 varieties of lettuce over the course of the year because there are cool season lettuces, summer lettuces, and lettuces I start in the fall. If we get a particular pest, disease, or weather-related issue, some of those varieties will do better than others.

One change Bryan has seen over the last 15 years is a warmer winter. “We still get some cold snaps but the average for December, January, and February is getting warmer. Spring is starting earlier and the fall is continuing longer. The impact is that we have to shift our planting schedule. And some of our perennial crops, such as apples and berries, are more likely to get hit by a late freeze when we’ve had a warm winter, which can affect production. We have huge frost blankets that we spread over the berries and we may have to run heaters.”

Another strategy they’re using is growing more crops in hoop houses and greenhouses. “We’re working to manage environments so we can manage the amount of rain and solar heat. With a lot of the crops we grow like tomatoes and peppers, it gets too hot in July and August if you don’t have some kind of shade over them. We’re doing a lot to create microclimates that are conducive to our crops.”

There’s also been a shift in rainfall patterns. “We’re getting less rain during the growing season—May through September—and more in the fall and winter. That means you have to have everything on irrigation and can’t rely on natural rainfall. Even the perennial crops need to be irrigated to prevent drying out in the summer.”

Bryan says right now, as far as they can tell, they are climate neutral if not somewhat climate restorative, primarily because the young forest they’re managing is still sequestering carbon. About a third of the electricity on the farm is provided by their solar electric system and they’re looking to expand that. “Every year we look at trying to do things more efficiently so we can get off the dead dinosaur diet.”

That means managing soil health. “We’re working to build the soil organic matter. We run a small landscaping service in the fall and collect leaves and spread them over about a ½ acre of the farm as mulch. We buy a lot of hay from growers in the area who produce spray-free hay for us. We also do a lot of cover cropping. We’ve been able to build the soil organic matter from the 1-2 percent range, which is typical for pasture soils around here, up to about 4-5 percent. We’re very proud of that and it’s actually higher in our hoop houses.”

Their tillage practices have been evolving as well. “We were tilling a couple of times a year and using plastic mulch to control weeds and hold the moisture in the ground. But we were becoming more concerned about the plastic waste we were generating and it made it very hard for us to keep up the soil organic level. So, we started working on some other systems. A grower in North Carolina named Alex Hitt started using landscaping fabric instead of plastic mulch, which allowed him to mulch his crop without having to do the heavy tilling because you can lay it over the top of the land and you don’t have to bury the edges. Then we developed a system where we don’t have to do any tillage. We grow the cover crop, mow it short, add some nutrients, lay the landscape fabric over it, and plant through the landscape fabric. That allows us to cut the tilling down to once every two or three years for most of our field area.”

They also do a lot of trials. “I’m in search of the perfect red tomato for Georgia. We’ve also been doing our own breeding program for tomatoes, beans, kale, and broccoli. We select for crops that work best in our environment. One of the problems organic farmers face is that there are few breeding programs for vegetable crops that are targeted at organic, so it’s been left to the farmers to do their own.”

Why is it important to breed specifically for organic? Because it’s a totally different growing system says Bryan. “We are not using the water-soluble fertilizers. We need crops that have a more robust root system to break down and use the organic nutrients we are providing. We need crops that are more resilient to various pests because we are not going to be using fungicides and insecticides.”

And, there’s the changing weather, which demands a high level of adaptability. “In the southeast, the climate zones are shifting north an average of 15 miles per year. In the last two decades, we’ve shifted almost a full climate zone. That’s like moving us 200 miles south, so we are constantly having to trial different crops. We’re facing two things, the challenge of farming organically and the shifting climate. The work that we are doing as organic farmers to build the health of our soil gives us some protection. We are not as prone to disease outbreaks that you’ll see on conventional farms. But we do have the continual pressure, and as that shifts due to climate change, we have to constantly recreate and fine-tune our systems.”

In closing, Bryan offers this. “In my opinion, organic agriculture is the foundation for developing a sustainable food system, one that is both good for the environment and good for people. Right now, that means you’ve got to spend more on labor to manage things. If you do have a pest problem, you’re going to be using more expensive inputs to control it. You’ll probably have a yield loss because in order to have the good bugs around you’ve got to have some of the parasitic bugs they feed on. You’ve got to be willing to accept some damage to your crops in order to maintain that diverse ecosystem. By building a diverse ecosystem instead of killing everything with pesticides, you’re not in a continual arms race with pests that adapt to the pesticides. You sacrifice a small percentage but you keep the beneficials around. All of those things add to the cost of producing but they provide these huge community benefits.”

By |2020-03-26T19:30:36+00:00October 23rd, 2019|Farmer Stories, News|

Tips to Enhance Carbon Sequestration

October 23, 2019 – Research shows that building soil health through sustainable organic management practices can mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and lessen the impacts of climate change on production. OFRF’s series of guidebooks and webinars for building soil health help farmers and ranchers select the best management practices for their particular circumstances, while leading the way to more sustainable agricultural systems.

In the guidebook titled, “Organic Practices for Climate Mitigation, Adaptation, and Carbon Sequestration,” lead author Mark Schonbeck offers ten tips to enhance carbon sequestration.

  1. Implement conservation practices such as diversified crop rotations and reduced tillage.
  2. Consider regenerative cropping systems that integrate multiple conservation practices with judicious use of compost or other organic amendments.
  3. Incorporate agroforestry practices such as silvopasture, alley cropping, and hedgerows.
  4. Implement management-intensive rotational grazing systems.
  5. Plant marginal cropland to perennial sod or trees.
  6. Plant deep-rooted cover crops, such as forage radish or cereal rye, to enhance root biomass.
  7. Diversify crop rotations by adding deep-rooted and perennial crops.
  8. Use diverse organic inputs that vary in their C:N ratio.
  9. Combine the use of compost and cover crops.
  10. Divert food and yard waste from landfills to amend cropland.

The entire Soil Health and Organic Farming series is available to download for free at ofrf.org. Printed copies are available upon request for a suggested donation.

Links to the free on-demand webinar series.

By |2020-01-08T18:12:21+00:00October 23rd, 2019|News|

NIFA and ERS Relocation Delaying Farm Bill Implementation

October 18, 2019 – The House Agriculture Committee’s Biotechnology, Horticulture, and Research Subcommittee held a hearing on October 17th to review the implementation of USDA Farm Bill research programs. The hearing centered on discussion of the agency’s move to Kansas City and the deep loss of expertise and experience that is resulting from the relocation.

For organizations like OFRF, a 2019 recipient of USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) grants awarded through NIFA’s Organic Research and Extension Initiative, a particular concern is the reimbursement process for work already completed. OFRF has developed the survey for its project titled A National Agenda for Organic and Transitioning Research and is in the process of testing it with a select group of farmers before launching nationally. When Congressman Panetta presented the issue, Deputy Secretary Hutchins committed to following-up on the implementation of the grants.

House Agriculture Subcommittee on Biotechnology, Horticulture and Research Chair Stacey Plaskett of the U.S. Virgin Islands addressed the issue head-on in her opening comments. “At a time of continued farm stress, it should be USDA’s top priority to support research efforts that directly benefit farmers.

“. . . Unfortunately, I believe my fears are becoming true. This week, I received updates on staffing levels and the status of Fiscal Year 2019 funding. ERS has appropriated funding to support 329 employees, but currently, a total of 214 positions are vacant – a vacancy rate of 65%. To put it bluntly, NIFA is in even worse shape. Out of 344 appropriated positions, 264 are currently vacant – a vacancy rate over 76%.  I was told these extreme staff shortages mean some grant recipients will not receive their funds until March 2020.

“These gaps in service reinforce the notion that this relocation was hurried, misguided, and mismanaged. ERS and NIFA have been undermined at the very time these agencies require knowledgeable staff to implement Farm Bill changes, administer grants, and complete critical economic reports. Our farmers and ranchers deserve better, and so do the valued career public servants who have left their positions within ERS and NIFA for other opportunities.”

 

By |2020-01-08T18:12:21+00:00October 18th, 2019|News|

Evaluating the Effects of Seeding and Inoculant Rates on Weed Suppression, Nodulation, and Soil Health on Organic Lentil Production in the Northern Great Plains

Evaluating the Effects of Seeding and Inoculant Rates on Weed Suppression, Nodulation, and Soil Health on Organic Lentil Production in the Northern Great Plains

Photo of a field of flowering lentil plants

Jed Eberly, Assistant Professor, Montana State University

Lentils are important for diversifying wheat-based cropping systems and are also beneficial in enhancing soil health. These benefits have contributed to the exponential growth in pulse crop acreage in The Northern Great Plains (NGP). However, little is known about the optimum seeding and appropriate inoculation rates to improve crop growth, nutrient acquisition, weed management, and yield potential for lentils in organic systems. The goals of this project are to evaluate effects of seeding rates on lentil yields and weed competition. These goals will be achieved through a multi-site replicated trials on grower’s fields in three different lentil growing areas of Montana. Three lentil varieties would be selected based on seed sizes; large, medium, and small and will be seeded at four different rates.

 

Impact: Improved lentil yields, nutritional quality, and better returns on investments for organic lentil growers.

 

By |2022-12-01T20:21:37+00:00October 17th, 2019|Grant Award|

Join Us for the 2020 Organic Agriculture Research Forum

Graphic from the Organic Agriculture Research Forum flyer announcing the Jan 23, 2020 forum in Little RockOctober 15, 2019 – OFRF and Tuskegee University are pleased to announce the 2020 Organic Agriculture Research Forum (OARF) to be presented in partnership with the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (SSAWG). The Forum takes place on Thursday, January 23, 2020 in Little Rock, Arkansas, as part of the 2020 SSAWG Conference.

Farmers, students, and researchers who would like to apply for a scholarship of up to $600 to attend the forum should fill out the scholarship application no later than November 22nd, 2019.

The day-long forum will bring together scientists, organic farmers and ranchers, extension agents, non-profit organizations, and more to explore the latest research and science-based grower education, particularly as it relates to production in the southeast. Topics will range from assessing the impact of organic agriculture on climate change, to soil health, and pest and disease management.

The forum will feature many opportunities to learn from fellow attendees and presenters, beginning with oral presentations focused on research that addresses production, economic, and social challenges in organic farming and ranching. After the presentations, there will be a series of facilitated roundtable discussions, followed by a poster session and reception held in conjunction with SSAWG. The poster session will include a “People’s Choice” award and an award for “Best Research Poster” juried by a small panel of judges. Voting will take place during the Thursday evening reception.

The conference and scholarships are supported by Ceres Trust and the Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI) grant no. 2019-51300-30250 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) is a non-profit foundation that works to foster the improvement and widespread adoption of organic farming systems. OFRF cultivates organic research, education, and federal policies that bring more farmers and acreage into organic production.

Southern SAWG facilitates the development of a more sustainable food and agriculture systems across 13 states in the Southern U.S. Since 1992 they have provided high quality educational materials and training opportunities on sustainable and organic production, marketing strategies, farm management, and community food systems development. Each year the Southern SAWG Conference brings together over 1,000 farmers, researchers, educators, and others in the sustainable agriculture field to share practical tools and information and strengthen their working relationships. The 2020 Southern SAWG conference will take place in Little Rock, Arkansas on January 22-25, 2020.

Tuskegee University has initiated an organic farming program for over 10 years to educate Alabama residents on the health benefits of organic vegetables. The program has grown in recent years to include site specific organic farming research on various vegetable crop varieties and integrated pest management throughout the Southern United States to provide recommendations to organic growers. Dr. Kpomblekou-A has served as director of the program at Tuskegee University since 2016.

Contact:
communications@ofrf.org

By |2023-12-12T17:23:15+00:00October 15th, 2019|Press Release|

OFRF is Turning 30! Save the Date!


October 9, 2019 – We’re celebrating a very significant milestone at our annual benefit luncheon at Expo West and we want you to join us! This must-attend event for organic industry leaders, market innovators, and brand-conscious consumers is the ideal place to network before the big show, and the all-organic lunch is always amazing!

Sponsorships are available now.

Individual tickets go on sale December 1, 2019.

By |2020-01-08T18:12:21+00:00October 9th, 2019|News|

NIFA Awards Grant for National Organic Survey to OFRF and OSA

October 7, 2019 – The Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) and Organic Seed Alliance (OSA) are pleased to be among the recipients of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) awards announced last week. The grant was awarded through NIFA’s Organic Research and Extension Initiative (OREI).

Through the competitive grant process, the organizations have been jointly awarded funding for their proposal titled A National Agenda for Organic and Transitioning Research. This funding will allow OFRF and OSA to combine their considerable expertise in conducting national surveys of organic producers to put forth an updated and comprehensive roadmap for future research investments.

“OFRF is committed to advancing the research needed to meet the current challenges of organic farming, with the goal of creating a more resilient and ecologically sustainable agricultural system,” said OFRF’s Executive Director, Brise Tencer. “We are honored by OREI’s investment in this important work and believe this collaboration with OSA will both increase grower participation and strengthen the impact of our updated findings.”

OFRF’s 2016 National Organic Research Agenda (NORA) report is a frequently cited resource that has helped ensure research funding is relevant and responsive to the needs of organic producers, while also identifying gaps where additional investment is necessary.

“With demand for organic products continuing to outpace domestic production,” Tencer explains, “the organic industry needs more research that helps existing organic farmers scale up, diversify, and increase profitability, and also encourages more farmers and ranchers to transition to sustainable organic practices that are better for the environment and people.”

“Organic farmers produce food differently, and that means they need different seed for the crops they grow—seed developed to thrive without synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, and adapted to their local climate and soil conditions,” says Kiki Hubbard, who co-leads OSA’s State of Organic Seed (SOS) project.

SOS is an ongoing project that monitors the status of organic seed in the U.S. and provides a roadmap for increasing the diversity, quality, and integrity of organic seed available to farmers.

“Understanding the research needs of organic farmers, including in the area of seed and plant breeding, is critical to the ongoing growth and success of organic agriculture,” Hubbard adds. “OSA is privileged to have the opportunity to partner with OFRF on this critical project with strong support from the USDA’s OREI program.”

OFRF, OSA, and a broad coalition of organic champions were instrumental in securing an increase in federal funding for organic research from $20M to $50M in the 2018 Farm Bill. This increase provides an unprecedented opportunity for researchers to tackle the challenges that inhibit the growth of organic production. Updated NORA and SOS reports will ensure this increased funding is allocated in a way that reflects the needs of organic farmers and ranchers.

By |2020-01-08T18:12:48+00:00October 7th, 2019|Press Release|

Tim Schultz

Principal, LeadershipOne

Board Member

Tim Schultz is a Principal with LeadershipOne, where he works with multi-generational family businesses as they transition from one generation to the next. His specialty focus is in Governance and Strategic Planning. Tim also directs the Center for Family Business at Cal State Fullerton.

Prior to joining LeadershipOne, Tim served at Lundberg Family Farms for 18 years in various roles, including Board Member, Treasurer, Chair of the Governance Committee and Executive VP of Operations.

Tim has been a long-time supporter of OFRF and served on its board since 2016. He received his bachelor’s degree from Cal Poly, Pomona and his MBA from the Drucker School of Management.

By |2024-03-07T22:12:11+00:00October 5th, 2019|Board|

A Visit to Lakeside Organic Gardens

October 4, 2019 – Every once in a while, you’ve got to get out from behind the computer and stick your feet in the dirt to remember why you do what you do and how that beautiful organic salad got on your plate. The team at OFRF had a chance to visit Lakeside Organic Gardens in Watsonville this week and talk with owner Dick Peixoto and his team.

Even working in the organic sector, it is still awe inspiring to see the hard work and dedication that it takes to be a successful organic farmer. It was a treat to see so many different types of crops growing in the rich soil and to learn about Lakeside’s process. They are true stewards of the land, building up the soil year after year through cover cropping and other organic management practices such as planting flowers to attract beneficials.

Born and raised in Watsonville, Dick Peixoto has been farming since high school. Today, Lakeside is the largest family-owned and operated solely organic vegetable grower/shipper in the USA. Some of the employees have been working there for decades. Dick says, “We farm the soil and the soil grows the crop.”

Watch the video to learn more.

Thanks for the fun and informative tour and the healthy organic vegetables we get to eat!

Photo of tractor at Lakeside Organic Gardens

Tractor on the farm at Lakeside

Photo of bunches of celery at Lakeside Organic Gardens

Celery harvest at Lakeside Organic Gardens

Photo of OFRF staff with staff members at Lakeside Organic Gardens

L-R: Brise Tencer, Executive Director, OFRF; Lola Dannehl-Schickman, Development & Partnerships Manager, OFRF; Dick Peixoto, Owner, Lakeside Organic Gardens; Haley Baron, Education & Research Program Associate, OFRF; Marliese McWherter, Creative Marketing Manager, Lakeside; Juan Gonzalez, Operations Manager, Lakeside; Vicki Lowell, Communications Manager, OFRF; Lauren Snyder, Education & Research Program Manager, OFRF

By |2020-01-08T18:12:48+00:00October 4th, 2019|News|
Go to Top