Soil Health

An Organic Approach to Increasing Resilience

Few farmers need official reports to tell them that “increasing weather volatility” and climate change threaten their livelihoods and the resilience of their farming and ranching operations. With historic droughts, wildfires, flooding, and hurricanes in recent years, more farms are facing variable yields, crop losses, increased weed, pest, and disease pressures, and intensifying soil degradation, erosion, and compaction.

By utilizing organic and sustainable practices to build soil health, farmers and ranchers can improve their resilience and reduce risk as our climate changes. While practices can vary depending on your operation, establishing optimum soil organic matter (SOM) and biological
activity will help your operation through the difficult times to come.

By |2026-01-16T11:26:29-05:00December 18th, 2025|Climate Change, Cover Crops & Crop Rotation, Insects & Diseases, Livestock, On-Farm Research, Plant Breeding & Variety Selection, Resource, Soil Health|
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Crop-Livestock Integration Panel with Organic Farmers

Are you an organic farmer that is interested in using your livestock in your crop rotation? Are you wondering how others have overcome some of the complexities of integrating your farm system? Would you like to hear directly from farmers who have experience in this topic? If so, then this webinar is for you.

This Seeds of Success farmer-to-farmer networking session was an engaging opportunity where farmers came together to ask questions and share their lived experience in integrating crops and livestock in their production systems.

This session features three farmers that have built resilience and a dynamic organic system:

OFRF has partnered with the Organic Farmers Association (OFA) and National Organic Coalition (NOC) to lead a series of virtual farmer-to-farmer networking sessions. These facilitated events will be engaging opportunities for farmers to share their challenges and successes, and will be accompanied with relevant resources you can use.

Funding for this series is provided by a cooperative agreement between OFRF and USDA- NIFA to highlight research investments made through both OREI and ORG grant programs.

Seeds of Success Webinar Crop and Livestock Integration
By |2025-12-15T14:48:08-05:00December 15th, 2025|Cover Crops & Crop Rotation, Crop Livestock Integration, Livestock, Resource, Soil Health|
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Farmer-Led Trials Program Spotlight: The Woven Trifecta

Testing the Impact of Anaerobic Ferments on Crop Health

Written by Mary Hathaway, OFRF’s Research & Education Program Manager, and Samantha Otto, FLT Program participant

Samantha Otto is the founder and farmer of The Woven Trifecta, a 10-acre farm in western Michigan. Currently in transition to organic, the farm focuses on diversified vegetables for a CSA, local farmers market, as well as farm-to-school sales throughout the school year. Samantha raises Jacob sheep for fiber as well as assorted poultry for meat and eggs. The livestock is rotationally grazed on just over 3 acres of pasture, with 2 acres of no-till beds in production.

Samantha has a decade of hands-on farming experience and is a graduate of Michigan State University’s Agricultural Technology program. Since she started the farm, her primary focus has been on cultivating no-till organic vegetables and cut flowers. But as a curious farmer, she is continuously exploring innovative approaches to sustainable agriculture. Last year, as a participant in the Midwest GRIT program, she began integrating grains into her system, and  she has also recently incorporated livestock into her rotations to create a closed-loop system to help improve soil fertility.

From Waste Product to Resources: Building Fertility and Reducing Reliance in Off-Farm Inputs

One of the main goals of The Woven Trifecta is to reduce reliance on off-farm inputs, and to transform the farm waste products into a resource. Samantha has experimented with different anaerobic fermentation, and was interested in scaling up and fine-tuning its use as a soil amendment. She is particularly interested in incorporating waste from her livestock and compost into anaerobic ferments to improve soil fertility and plant health.

With the help of OFRF’s Farmer-Led Trial (FLT) Program, Samantha hopes to understand how anaerobic ferments impact the health of her crops. When considering which vegetable to test, the team landed on artichokes – a promising crop that her CSA members love and that has yielded well in past seasons. As a long-season vegetable with a short harvest window, the Tavor Artichoke was an ideal crop to trial.

Farm Trial Plan

To answer Samantha’s question, ‘Does an anaerobic compost tea impact yield or plant nutrition in artichokes?,’ she will weigh all harvested artichokes from each plot. Marketable artichokes will be weighed and counted separately. In addition to weights, leaf tissue samples will be collected prior to flowering stalk emergence. 10 representative samples will be taken from each plot, with one leaf collected per plant.

There are two treatments in the trial: a control with no ferment spray, and the anaerobic ferment foliar drench. Samantha will plant in 8 plots to provide sufficient replication. The trial is in a 30′ x 90′ space, in 3′ wide no-till beds, with each row containing 10 plants spaced 36’ apart. Buffer plots will be added on each side, planted with sunflowers.

plot map for on-farm trial at Woven Trifecta Farm

The recipe for the anaerobic fermentation is 60/40 with vegetation scraps and rabbit manure. Samantha brews a fresh batch every two weeks, beginning in early June and applies the fermented drench application biweekly.  A 5-gallon bucket will be suitable for each batch.

Recipe for Anaerobic Fermentation Fertilizer

Using 5-gallon buckets, mix: 

  • 60% vegetation scraps from on-farm and/or compost club program 
  • 40% manure from our rabbits.  
  • 4 cups of soil. 

These will be well mixed, with scraps being chopped into small pieces, and will fill about 3/4 of the 5-gallon bucket.  This mix will then be submerged in water (from well), covered with a lid and stored in the pump shed. The bucket will be fitted with a fermentation lid with spout to release any built-up gases over the course of the fermentation process. 

Ferment will be checked at 7, 14, and 21 days; ready to use at  21 days. Solids are then strained, and the liquid is bottled for use.  

Application: 1 part recipe to 20 parts water every 14 days, and apply it as a soil drench via backpack sprayer.

Samantha is excited to see how the ferment impacts the health and yield of her plants. The process of testing her application of the anaerobic ferment is something she hopes can impact her farm system, and possibly provide sustainable answers for other small farms like The Woven Trifecta.

Sunset over a crop field at The Woven Trifecta

“Working with OFRF has been an amazing opportunity for our farm! Closing the loop in our production is a long-term goal of ours, and this project has provided the opportunity to take the time to explore a potential process for making that happen. It has been especially delightful to work with OFRF on creating the foundation of our project, making a once-intimidating idea very fun and feasible to trial! It has been a thrill to find on-farm solutions that support both our livestock and vegetable production. While we are a ways away from harvest, our on-farm ferment is visually showing benefits in our test plot. I look forward to collecting further data as the season progresses! This data will help us make decisions on how to incorporate ferments in our wider production in the future so that we can continue to grow beautiful, healthy, thriving vegetables for our community.”

– Samantha Otto, The Woven Trifecta

One of the livestock that Samantha integrates into her crop rotations

This is part of a series of blogs highlighting farmers who are participating in OFRF’s Farmer-Led Trials program. Farmers receive technical support to address their production challenges through structured on-farm trials. To learn more about OFRF’s Farmer-Led Trials Program, visit our website page at https://ofrf.org/research/farmer-led-research-trials/ 

To learn more about The Woven Trifecta, visit their website at https://thewoventrifecta.com/

By |2025-12-17T17:31:56-05:00September 2nd, 2025|Farmer Stories, Livestock, News, On-Farm Research, Soil Health|
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What’s Happening with Organic Farming Research in Pennsylvania

Written by Brian Geier, OFRF Communications Manger. This article was originally published in Pennsylvania Certified Organic’s (PCO) Organic Matters publication. See the article in PCO’s Winter/Spring 2025 edition.

Before diving into the importance and impact of organic research in Pennsylvania, let’s start with some national context. Nationwide, certified organic produce now makes up more than 15% of total produce sales in the United States. Organic dairy and eggs now constitute more than 11% of the total market. And overall, organic sales have doubled over the last 10 years and in 2024 made up about 6% of the total US food market. By most measurements, organic food is trending upward. Most notably, the growth of organic sales is consistently outpacing the growth of the overall food market. To say it another way, we might be heading into a future that is more and more organic! 

But will we get there? 

Despite the growth of the organic sector, organic agriculture research funding makes up less than 2% of the total research at the USDA, and less than 1% at the Agricultural Research Service (ARS). Additionally, much of the research focused on conventional agriculture relates to chemical applications or genetic traits—technologies that organic producers do not, and if certified, can not, use. To put it another way, organic research benefits all farmers, including conventional ones, but not the other way around.

In order to sustain the growth in organic acreage, producers, and products, it is crucial that more USDA funding be organic and applicable to all farmers. National policy priorities identified by the Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) include:

  • Increasing USDA’s research funding for organic research through both competitive grant programs at the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and intramural research at ARS to reflect its market share and growth trajectory.
  • Fully funding the Organic Data Initiative to provide the necessary market analysis of a rapidly sophisticating sector. 
  • Expanding the accessibility and applicability of technical and financial assistance programs for organic farmers. 

To learn more about this policy work that supports organic nationwide and in Pennsylvania, visit OFRF’s advocacy page.

Organic Research in the Keystone State

Pennsylvania is a powerhouse of organic agriculture. It ranked 4th in the nation with over 100,000 certified acres and 1,200+ farms generating $1 billion in sales in 2021, according to the latest organic survey by the National Agricultural Statistics Service.

The USDA’s NIFA has awarded over $28 million in grants to the state’s research institutions for organic research. Penn State University has played a crucial role, investing $12 million. The ARS has historically funded 17 projects in the state researching organic topics, but currently has no active projects. 

Organic farmers in the state and region have identified three key research concerns (according to the 2022 National Organic Research Agenda): 

  • Climate adaptation and resilience. 
  • Pest management.
  • Soil health.

Active Research Projects in Pennsylvania

Recent NIFA investments, through programs like the Organic Research and Extension Initiative (OREI) and the Organic Transitions Program (ORG), have provided nearly $12 million over the past four years to ongoing projects with an organic focus in Pennsylvania. Key projects at Penn State focus on intensifying production and improving resilience of organic grains, developing a nitrogen decision support tool, testing anaerobic soil disinfection (ASD) in fields and in high tunnels, tracking foraging patterns of organic bees, evaluating perennial crop rotations, and developing parasite resistance in dairy cattle. Another project looking at immersive experiential education of urban educators is underway at Drexel University.

Front cover of OFRF's Organic state Factsheet for the state of Pennsylvania

OFRF’s State-By-State leave-behinds provide data on the organic industry and organic research in states, and can be used to help farmers, researchers, and advocates when articulating needs for proposals or advocating for policy.

Source: Penn State Weed Science

OREI-funded research on organic grain production (led by Dr. John Wallace) builds on previous research on reduced and no-til strategies, including planting into high-residue cover crops. Credit: Penn State Weed Science.

Besides providing new knowledge to organic growers, each of these research projects have other direct and indirect benefits worth noting. The Economic Research Service estimates that every $1 spent on agricultural research generates an additional $20 in benefits to the economy. In Pennsylvania, that means the $28 million for organic research translates to $560 million in economic activity. This effect can be seen given the growth of the value in Pennsylvania’s organic production between 2019 and 2021. In 2019, Pennsylvania had 1,039 organic farms with over $740 million in farmgate sales. In 2021, those numbers grew to 1,123 organic farms generating over $1 billion. Research provides real economic opportunities to farms looking to maximize both their economic return and their ecological impact.

Additionally, organic research provides professional training opportunities for undergraduates, graduates, and postdoctoral fellows on organic systems, and promotes symbiosis between up-and-coming researchers and the organic community. As Dr. Ajay Nair, newly appointed as the Department of Horticulture Chair at Iowa State University explained in a recent interview with OFRF, OREI “is the foundation for several of the organic projects that happen across the country. It serves as a good platform for us to reach out to organic growers and for organic growers to reach out to us and say, ‘Hey, can we address this particular issue that is coming up?’ These OREI grants,” he explains, are “actually helping to build our network…to help us build teams across the country.” 

How Pennsylvania Research Benefits Growers Across the Eastern US

Just as organic research can be applicable to all farmers, multi-state projects led in Pennsylvania are bringing new findings to organic farmers facing similar challenges across regions. For example, the OREI-funded project assessing ASD in field, led by Dr. Gioia at Penn State, includes similar research plots led by Dr. Xin Zhao at University of Florida. Results from Pennsylvania may provide insights for growers in the Northeast who face challenges managing soil borne diseases, while the plots in Florida reflect conditions faced by organic growers in the Southeast, but results from each region might inform growers who face similar challenges to similar cropping systems. Growers interested in managing soil health with ASD in the Upper Midwest or the Southeast might find the eOrganic webinar from Dr. Zhao valuable. The webinar focuses on selecting the right carbon source for the organic practice of ASD, which includes insights from the trials on Pennsylvania farms. All growers who want to use ASD to support their transition period to organic farming may be interested in the additional grant awarded to Dr. Gioia and his team to assess the economic viability of using ASD during the transition to organic to control pests and weeds. Additionally, any grower using or considering using ASD can share their story and contribute to the project. “The survey,” Dr. Gioia explains “is part of the bottom-up approach our team have been using to improve the ASD application method and make sure that our research is relevant to growers and meets their needs.”

Source: Francesco Di Gioia/Penn State

Research at Penn State evaluates the impacts of cover crop residues combined or not with wheat bran and molasses as a carbon source for ASD applications on lettuce. The project supports similar research being conducted at the University of Florida. Credit: Francesco Di Gioia/Penn State.

Completed Projects Provide New Resources for Organic Growers

Aside from the active projects above, several NIFA-funded organic research projects have been completed in Pennsylvania. While they may be concluded, the benefits of these organic projects continue. The results of these studies are not limited to publication in academic scientific journals or relevant only to scientists. Researchers, farmers, and extension specialists often collaborate to share the results of studies in ways that are meaningful and applicable to farmers. 

Take soil microbial management, for example. An OREI-funded study led by Dr. Jason Kaye at Penn State involved adding different sources of microbes (composts, forest soils, and other sources) to soils and measuring microbial populations. The project partnered with Pasa Sustainable Agriculture to collaborate with working farmers to conduct studies on working farms. While measurements of soil microbes may not be enough to provide specific recommendations to growers, the knowledge of how microbe populations change under management conditions and how they interact with plant crops can help farmers make better decisions.

Assuming soil microbes are fascinating to everyone with an interest in organic matters, let’s digress here for a moment. There are a myriad of ways that microbes can help or hinder organic systems: Microbes called biostimulants can release hormones into the soil that can help increase plant growth, while others can degrade the stress chemicals that plants produce during drought, helping plants become more resilient. Some microbes called biofertilizers can unlock nutrients in soils that plants cannot access themselves, helping where there may be excess nutrients, while other biofertilizers exchange nutrients directly with the plants in exchange for carbon. And get this—some perform better than others. That is, some biofertilizers that exchange phosphorus for carbon, called arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), offer plants more phosphorus in exchange for the same amount of carbon when compared with other AMFs. 

When research-generated insights like these are made available and then accessed, farmers can make better-informed decisions for years to come. All of this fascinating information and more is available to farmers on eOrganic (see Management of Soil Microbes on Organic Farms and Soil Microbes in Organic Cropping Systems 101). Launched in 2009, eOrganic is a national, internet-based, interactive, user-driven, organic agriculture information system for farmers and agricultural professionals.

Want To keep Up With Organic Research in Your State or Nationally?

Aside from using eOrganic, growers and researchers can look forward to a new Organic Content Hub being developed by the OFRF, coming in early 2025. The Content Hub will be searchable by topic, crop, and region, and will provide users with the most current research relevant to organic farming. (Follow OFRF on social media and sign up for our newsletter to get updates on the Content Hub, organic research updates, new organic resources, and more.)

A figure developed by a graduate student (Laura Kaminsky) working on an OREI-funded project during 2019-23 at Penn State, illustrates examples of beneficial microbes. The left diagram shows nitrogen-fixing bacteria, housed either in nodules on legume roots or free-living in the soil. The right diagram illustrates arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) (pink) associated with plant roots. See Soil Microbes in Organic Cropping Systems 101.

Moving Forward With Organic Research 

Organic farming research is generating economic activity in Pennsylvania, providing professional development to researchers and students across the east, forming regional networks between researchers and growers, and producing publications being used by organic growers across the country. One might say that the current state of research in Pennsylvania is healthy and humming! 

Looking to the future, it is critical that federal funding keeps up with the growth of the organic movement nationally and in the state. OFRF and partners work daily to bolster and protect this funding, and we are always looking for farmer and researcher partners in this work. If you are an organic farmer or researcher and are willing to share your story, your experiences can be some of the best fodder for advocating for or directing future organic research in Pennsylvania.

By |2025-12-09T17:39:38-05:00March 20th, 2025|Cover Crops & Crop Rotation, Insects & Diseases, News, Soil Health, Weeds|
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Farmer-Led Trials Program Spotlight: Kennebec Valley Farm

Written by Mary Hathaway, OFRF’s Research & Education Program Manager

Up on a ridge in rural Maine is Kennebec Valley Farm, a 22-acre historic farm. Owner Jennifer Barrientos was able to purchase the farm three years ago to become steward of the property, which is a mix of woodland and pastureland. Jennifer grows on just about one acre, including greenhouses. She is certified organic and uses no-till and biodynamic methods to grow her produce. You’ll also find chickens and alpacas on her pastureland, and she makes good use of their manure in her soil fertility regimen. 

Jennifer had a long journey to get to her current farm. She grew up in Hawaii, where she helped grow food and care for chickens, goats, and rabbits on her family’s farm. Many years later, after moving back to the mainland and working as a teacher for more than 25 years, Jennifer began working on organic and biodynamic farms on both the West and East Coasts. Now, settled in at Kennebec Valley Farm, Jennifer grows food for her community, offering seasonal produce at their farm store, through a CSA and local farmers markets. 

Rebecca Champagne, OFRF’s Conservation Scientist, visited Kennebec Valley Farm in October to see Jennifer’s operation and chat about her involvement in the FLT program. They chatted about why Jennifer decided to apply for the program, why she chose the specific research question, and discussed how the trial was going. Jennifer is in the beginning phases of being in no-till production, and after visiting some long-term no-till farms in Maine, she knew she wanted to investigate what would create the healthiest soil at her farm. She is interested in finding the right balance in practices financially, labor-wise, and what will build soil health and microbial activity.

Comparing farm-made compost and commercial fertilizer

In her transition to a no-till system, Jennifer has begun to incorporate Dutch white clover as a cover crop to add fertility to her beds and suppress other weeds. As she’s developing and stabilizing her permanent bed system, Jennifer wanted to make use of more cover crops and farm-generated inputs to feed her soil. However, as a market farmer, Jennifer did not want her change in amendments to decrease her yields. Jennifer decided it was a good idea to compare her farm-made compost with the commercially available fertilizer that she had used in previous seasons. 

Farm trial plan

plot map for field trial at Kennebec Valley Farm, part of the Farmer Led Trials Program at OFRFWith technical support from OFRF, Jennifer built out her trial, asking, “Will purchased soil amendments result in higher yield and soil health when compared to farm-made compost in brassica crops?”

OFRF staff helped Jennifer set up a randomized block design to compare the yields of Brussel sprouts growing with her farm-made compost and a commercial fertilizer that consists of blood meal and potassium sulfate. Jennifer is also taking soil tests of plots before and after harvest to see what impact the treatments are having on the soil, as well as the current crop.

Trial updates

The Brussel sprout harvest will be complete in December, with just over half the crop harvested so far. Jennifer continues to track the yield data as the plants are ready for harvest. To capture a full picture of the impact that the cover crop and amendment treatments have on the soil, she will take soil samples after the ground thaws in spring.

rows of organic veggies in a high tunnel at Kennebec Valley Farm, part of the Farmer Led Trial Program with OFRF

“By embracing a holistic approach to farming, I not only contribute to sustainable agricultural practices but also inspire others to recognize the health benefits of consuming locally grown, nutrient-rich produce. As stewards of the land, this research can cultivate a culture that honors the environment, nourishes communities, and builds a better future.”

– Jennifer Barrientos, Kennebec Valley Farm

the farm store at Kennebec Valley Farm, selling local organic fruits and veggies

This story is part of a series profiling farmers who are taking part in OFRF’s Farmer-Led Trials (FLT) program. Farmers receive technical support from OFRF to address their challenges through structured on-farm trials. To learn more about OFRF Farmer-Led Trials Program, visit our website page at https://ofrf.org/research/farmer-led-research-trials/

To learn more about soil fertility rates and various amendments, check out these links:

To learn more about Kennebec Valley Farm visit https://www.kennebecvalleyfarm.com/

By |2025-12-17T17:37:36-05:00December 10th, 2024|Farmer Stories, News, On-Farm Research, Soil Health|
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Farmer-Led Trials Forum 2024

OFRF believes in supporting organic farmers and ranchers in their constant search for innovation and farm profitability. The Farmer-Led Trials (FLT) program puts farmers in the driver’s seat and recognizes their wisdom, experimentation, and problem-solving skills. Built in the spirit of curiosity and collaboration, this program supports farmers and ranchers in conducting impactful research that can address their unique challenges. The FLT provides farmers with technical assistance and a small amount of funding to investigate and learn about solutions to their most pressing production challenges.

In this forum, you will hear from four of the organic farmers in the 2024 FLT cohort:

  • Maggie Dungan (Salad Days Farm, KY),
  • Jorge Reyes (Reyes Vineyard, CA),
  • Nathan Lada (Green Things Farm Collective, MI), and
  • Rhianna Simes (Verdant Phoenix Farm, OR).

OFRF staff will also provide an overview of steps to conduct on-farm research trials, share opportunities to participate in the program, and explain how it can impact your farm operation.

By |2026-03-02T12:32:16-05:00October 31st, 2024|Certification & Compliance, Insects & Diseases, On-Farm Research, Resource, Soil Health, Weeds|
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Planting for Resilience

Reflections on Cover Crops and the Vital Role They Play in Organic Farming

By April Thatcher, farmer at April Joy Farm and OFRF Board President

cover crop seeds including oats, radish, vetch, barley, and red clover.

Cover Crop Seed at AJF | Oats, radish, vetch, barley, and red clover.

Cover crops are a central part of balance on my Southwest Washington farm. In fact, they’re a vital tool in organic systems across the United States, helping to regenerate the soil, suppress weeds, and build resilience in the face of a changing climate. And yet, I’ll admit, for all their benefits, cover crops have been a source of some head-scratching moments for me over the years.

When I first started using cover crops, I had a lot of questions—many of the same ones I still hear from other new growers today.

  • What mix of plants will work best with my soil type, climate, and crop needs? 
  • How do I know my cover crops are adding value to my system?
  • What type of equipment do I need to manage cover crops successfully?
  • And perhaps the most common question I get from fellow farmers is: How do I transition from a lush, green cover crop to a seedbed ready for planting without disturbing the soil too much?

Organic farming is a relationship between the land and the farmer, and I think of cover cropping as one big, ongoing conversation in this relationship. It’s a journey of experimentation, observation, learning, and refining techniques year after year. Each piece of land, each crop, and each season calls for a different approach, and what works for one farmer might not work for another. 

On my farm, I’ve spent years experimenting with different cover crop mixes and timing strategies. I currently use a mix of cover crops—grasses, legumes, and broadleafs—depending on what I observe the soil needs. Legumes like peas and clover can add nitrogen to the soil, while deep-rooted crops like daikon radishes help break up compacted layers and improve soil structure. The key for me is to support functional diversity—both above and below the ground.

The Role of Cover Crops in a Living Soil System

When we treat soil as simply a medium to grow crops, we miss out on the extraordinary potential it has to regenerate life, sequester carbon, improve the nutritional value of our food, reduce off farm inputs, and to act as a buffer against the many challenges we face today. 

Cover crops are a powerful tool to help unlock this potential. These crops are not meant to be harvested but rather are grown specifically to feed the soil. When used strategically, cover crops can help reduce soil erosion, capture and recycle nutrients, promote nitrogen fixation, increase organic matter, suppress weeds, and even manage pests—all while nurturing the living, complex web of life in our soils. 

Cover crops are a critical tool in the organic farmer’s tool box to help build resilience on the ground—not just in the soil but in our entire farm ecosystem. And that resilience is more important now than ever as climate change presents erratic new challenges to farmers across the country.

Lessons from the Field: Cover Cropping in Practice

A green tree frog perched on the leaf of a kale plant in an organic farm field.

Cover Crop Kale | Sometimes, we don’t mow or turn under our market crops after we’ve finished harvesting. We underseed cover crops directly into these fields because, like cover crops, these plants continue to provide benefits for our system. Case in point- this tree frog has it made in the shade. Photo credit: Lauren Ruhe

I’ve learned over the years that there is no one “right” way to utilize cover crops. I’ve surrendered to the reality that on highly diversified operations like mine, cover cropping is always going to be a process of experimentation, observation, and refinement. What works one year might not work exactly the same the next, and that’s okay. If we are observant and committed to keeping records of our trials, we can glean important knowledge every season of the year. The goal isn’t perfection; it’s progress.

After eighteen years of working with cover crops on my 24 acre farm, here’s a bit of what I have gleaned – what I would tell my new-farmer-self if I could:

  • Start simple and make small adjustments to your basic cover crop plan year over year. When I first started utilizing cover crops I was overly enthusiastic. Every year I’d try a bunch of different, complex seed mixes to try and find the perfect one. That was a mistake. I wish I’d stuck with a simple mix of two or three species (grass/legume/broadleaf) for the first few years. If I had done so, and made small refinements year over year, (adjust seeding rates, sowing dates, etc.) it would have saved me time in the long run. Instead of changing way too many variables every year, I would have built up a steady, reliable mix customized to my system faster- one that incrementally added stacking benefits to my system year over year. 
  • Pick only one (or two at most) goals. I had so many needs when I started using cover crops. I had soil compaction, low nitrogen, low organic matter levels, and erosion and leaching to worry about. But starting out, I would have been better off picking just one of these to focus on addressing through the use of cover crops instead of trying to solve all of them at once. Over time, you can build on your success. But aim for the small wins, having faith they will add up over time.
  • Be mindful of your equipment and resource limits. We have hot, dry summers at my farm. So interestingly, irrigation is a big challenge for me in terms of using summer cover crop crops. Same goes for sowing fall cover crops, which I want to sow as early as I can to maximize nitrogen fixation. Even though I have the equipment to sow, cultipack and terminate them successfully, if I can’t get them to germinate without water I’m at square one. If you don’t have equipment to crimp/roll cover crops or don’t have a flail mower, make sure to be strategic about the species in your mix. Have a plan for seeding, and have a plan for terminating your cover crops that is practical for your operation.
  • Nest your cover crops into your overall crop system. Your cover cropping plan has to work within the larger context of your farm plan. Part of this means being realistic about the resources (including labor) necessary to implement your cover crop strategy (see bullet point above). Part of this means being diligent about planning your cover cropping efforts as diligently as you do crops for your market. It’s all too easy in the heat of the season to bail on your cover cropping plan because some of the details aren’t quite worked out or you didn’t order seed, etc. Be intentional about making sure your cover crop system compliments versus competes with your market crop system. At my farm, tasks for cover crop soil prep, sowing, management, monitoring, and termination tasks are all included in my annual farm plan schedule. I don’t have to think about organizing or planning anything cover crop related once the season gets started; I can focus simply on implementation. 

Every farmer who wishes to utilize cover crops successfully has specific soil health needs, goals unique to their operation, and different equipment and time constraints. So while there’s no single, universally right approach to cover cropping, we can all benefit from taking a strategic approach to working with cover crops.

Picture of summer cover crop in bloom. Includes Oats, White flowering buckwheat, orange California poppies, and purple phacelia.

Summer Cover Crop Mix | A favorite combination for warm weather. Oats, Buckwheat, Poppies and Phacelia.

Bridging Experience with Research: OFRF’s New Guide to Cover Cropping

That’s why I’m so excited to share a valuable new resource for farmers: a comprehensive organic cover cropping guide developed through OFRF’s ongoing partnership with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). This guide is designed to help farmers—whether they’re just starting out with cover crops or refining their strategies.

What makes this guide so valuable is that it’s grounded in both science and experience. It combines years of research on the benefits of cover cropping with practical, field-tested strategies from organic farmers like myself. It provides an overview of the steps for selecting cover crops, managing them through the growing season, and terminating them in a way that benefits both the soil and the farmer’s bottom line. And it offers a collection of other regionally specific resources for farmers to dive in deeper. You can also find more in depth information in OFRF’s Soil Health and Organic Farming guide to Cover Crop Selection and Management.

Whether you’re looking to improve your soil’s health, reduce off-farm inputs, support pollinators, or make your farm more resilient to climate change, cover crops can be a powerful tool in your toolkit. This guide is full of practical, research-based advice to help farmers make informed decisions about how to integrate cover crops into their systems.

By |2025-12-09T17:38:46-05:00October 21st, 2024|Cover Crops & Crop Rotation, Farmer Stories, News, Soil Health|
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Farmer-Led Trials Program Spotlight: A Different Chick Farm

Written by Mary Hathaway, OFRF’s Research & Education Program Manager

A Different Chick Farm booth at market.

A Different Chick Farm is a Certified Organic family farm on just under 6 acres in Johnson City, Tennessee. Tiffany Stanley and her family began growing food for themselves as homesteaders, but saw demand from the local community. From this start in 2018, they expanded their operation into an abundant production featuring rare and heirloom fruits and vegetables, with a large focus on unique pepper varieties. Half of the farm is now a mixed orchard, planted with apples, peaches, nectarines, cherries, plums, pears, blackberries, raspberries and more. Rounding out the offerings at this diverse farm is a flock of heritage breed chickens that are pasture-raised. 

With the help of her son and husband, Tiffany grows over 300 types of peppers, mostly to create value-added products such as hot sauces, pickles, and jellies. The farm sells their pepper products and fresh produce at two local farmers markets, and a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. Their homesteading spirit continues to grow, as they look to limit outside inputs into the farm and build a sustainable system with on-farm fertility management. 

Producing On-Farm Compost to Reduce Inputs

A homesteader at heart, Tiffany wanted to explore how the farm could be more self-sustaining, especially in building their soil health with on-farm inputs. She was curious if the farm could make compost that could match the yields of commercial fertilizers. Building an on-farm compost regimen could help offset much of the fertilizer cost, and decrease the environmental footprint of the farm. There were a few factors that the farm considered: would the composting demand a lot more labor, would yields remain viable? As a family enterprise, there were risks in transitioning from a known and reliable yield from commercial fertilizers to a new and untested compost system.

Farm trial plan

With technical support from OFRF, Tiffany decided to get answers and compare two different on-farm compost recipes with her usual practice of applying Harmony, a granular fertilizer (5-4-3). Tiffany wanted to put her chickens to good use, so one compost recipe she wanted to try included chicken manure as the main nitrogen source for one of her compost formulas. Her second compost recipe in the trial used clover and fresh grass clippings as the main nitrogen source. Both recipes included wood chips as the primary carbon source. 

One of her best fall cash crops is cucumbers, so the trial was designed for Socrates cucumber, transplanted out from her greenhouse to be planted in a 12×24 hoophouse in mid-September. At the time of transplanting, Tiffany would apply the different treatments: Compost recipe 1, Compost recipe 2, or the commercial fertilizer, respectively.

In farm trials, it is key to keep things consistent, so Tiffany made sure to count each plant that was transplanted so that each block had the same number of cucumber plants. Once the cucumbers begin to set fruit, she will weigh the yield as well as count the number of cucumbers from each plot. She is hopeful that the results of this trial will help her work towards building her on farm fertility plans, and keep harvests bountiful. Stay tuned for updates on the farm trial outcomes and findings this fall!

“I had a friend that was retired from NRCS tell me about the program and encouraged me to apply.  I read many of the farm trials and what the program did to help organic farming and decided it was a wonderful opportunity.  I am always looking for a better, more sustainable way to farm and was so excited to get picked for this program.”  

– Tiffany Stanley, A Different Chick Farm

Research Results

Tiffany Stanley’s farmer-led trial examined whether the farm could make compost that could match the yields of commercial fertilizers, to support the farm to be more self-sustaining, and build soil health with on-farm inputs.

Key Findings:

  • Lab analysis showed that the green manure recipe had significantly lower nutrient availability than the chicken manure recipe (Figure 2). While this did not translate into statistically significant differences in fruit quantity or yield, differences in plant health and pest susceptibility were observed.

  • Plants grown with chicken manure exhibited robust growth and showed lesser aphid pressure. Plants grown with green manure and fertilizer demonstrated greater susceptibility to aphids, which may have been due to their lower nutrient availability and overall reduced plant health.

While the trial showed no statistically significant difference in cucumber quantity, yield, or average fruit weight between the treatments, Tiffany did notice that the cucumbers grown with chicken manure seemed healthier and more resistant to pest pressure. In the future, she plans to further experiment with her compost recipe, keeping chicken manure in the mix to help achieve her on-farm fertility goals.

For full details on the study’s methodology and results, read the final report.

This story is part of a series profiling farmers who are taking part in OFRF’s Farmer-Led Trials (FLT) program. Farmers receive technical support from OFRF to address their challenges through structured on-farm trials. To learn more about OFRF Farmer-Led Trials Program, visit our website page at https://ofrf.org/research/farmer-led-research-trials/

To learn more about composting and farm fertility programs check out these resources:

To learn more about A Different Chick Farm, you can find them on Instagram and Facebook or visit their website: https://adifferentchickfarm.com/ or watch a YouTube video they made about their Farmer-Led Trial.

By |2025-12-17T17:37:52-05:00October 10th, 2024|Farmer Stories, News, On-Farm Research, Soil Health|
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Farmer-Led Trials Program Spotlight: Salad Days Farm

Written by Mary Hathaway, OFRF’s Research & Education Program Manager

A female farmer in a purple coat smiles as the camera in front of rows of lettuce growing in a high tunnel.

Maggie Dungan, farmer at Salad Days Farm

Salad Days farm is a diverse vegetable operation situated on 30 acres in Versailles, Kentucky. Certified organic since 2015, farmer Maggie Dungan’s interest in growing food started with an education in nutrition and the long dream for her family to be self-sustaining. The farm grows year-round in the field and in hoop houses to supply their on-farm store, restaurants, schools, and four weekly farmers’ markets.

Maggie works hard to keep mechanization on her farm minimal, focusing on cover cropping, minimal tillage, and other soil health conservation practices. She keeps only 2-4 acres of the farm in production, allowing her to focus on the quality of her systems to grow high-value and sustainable food for her community.

Impact of Solarization on Soil Microbiology

The inside of a high tunnel, showing alternating rows of uncovered soil and soil covered with clear plastic for solarization research.

Solarization plots in the high tunnel.

Maggie was first exposed to the practice of solarization using clear plastic in 2022 when the farm participated in a research project with the University of Kentucky. The project studied the effect of solarization in high tunnels on root-knot nematode populations. She was impressed by the results of the trial and saw first-hand how this technique impacted a persistent soil pathogen. 

Organic farmers like Maggie, who focus on minimizing tillage, must still manage pathogens, weeds, and other common challenges, and solarization offers potential benefits. However, Maggie was concerned about the impact of the treatment on her soil health, and had some questions – if solarization kills pathogens, won’t it kill the good microbiology, too? How does heat smothering with a plastic tarp impact soil microbial activity? What is the impact on fungal-to-bacterial ratios?

Before beginning to incorporate soil solarization into her field plans, Maggie wanted some answers, and applied for OFRF’s Farmer-Led Trial program to help her build out a solid research plan and find reliable results that would have a positive impact on her operation.

Farm Trial Plan

With technical support from OFRF, the Salad Days trial on soil solarization took shape. By refining her research question to: “What is the temporal and population effect of solarization on the beneficial microbes in the high tunnel?” the research team was able to build an approachable and testable project on the farm.  

Maggie and OFRF built out a block design with two treatments: No soil solarization in the hoop house, used as her control, or regular practice compared to soil solarization in the hoop house. Using her 30’x100’ hoop house as the location for the trial and mapping areas for the treatments, Maggie used a microbiometer to take three different soil samples: first a baseline reading, then one 2 weeks and 4 weeks, respectively, after the tarp had been removed from the treatment plots.

What is solarization?

Solarization is the process of placing a clear plastic tarp over a field or garden bed to heat up the soil underneath. The intention of solarization is to kill weeds or grass, but is also known to reduce pathogen populations in the soil.

On-Farm Trial Updates

Maggie took her final soil reading in early August, four weeks after she removed the tarps from their beds. While she originally hypothesized that the soil microbes would bounce back, she guessed that their populations would need some time to recover after the tarp treatment. 

8 bags of soil sit on a metal counter next to a soil testing kit.

Soil testing for the on-farm trial.

The OFRF team has begun to work with the data collected to get an understanding of any significant differences. In Maggie’s experiment, we see that microbial biomass over time differed depending on whether or not the area had been tarped. Under solarization, microbial biomass increased over time, while biomass decreased over time in areas that had not been tarped. Also, the fungal-to-bacterial ratio was higher under solarization than in bare soil. The ratio was not affected by time after tarp removal.

The data is compelling, and OFRF will be looking into similar research to better understand the why of these results and give Maggie the assurance she is looking for to deploy a practice that continues to foster the health of her soil and improve her farming system.

“Being able to tailor a research project specific to my farm but useful to all growers has been a great opportunity and having the technical assistance from OFRF has been integral.”

– Maggie Dungan, Salad Days Farm

A graph showing the microbial biomass in solarized and non solarized plots over time, with solarized plots higher than the control.

Research Results

Maggie Dungan’s farmer-led trial examined the impact of soil solarization on microbial communities in high tunnels. Using a MicroBIOMETER, she measured soil microbial biomass and fungal-to-bacterial ratios before and after solarization to assess how the treatment affected soil life.

Key Findings:

  • Microbial Biomass Increased Over Time: Contrary to expectations, soil microbial biomass was higher in solarized plots compared to non-solarized plots, suggesting that the practice does not harm beneficial microbes.
  • Fungal-to-Bacterial Ratio Shifted: Solarized plots had a higher fungal-to-bacterial ratio, indicating a potential shift in soil microbiology post-treatment.
  • Potential for Weed & Pathogen Management: While originally concerned about negative effects, Maggie’s findings suggest that soil solarization can be an effective weed and pathogen control method without long-term damage to soil biology.

Encouraged by these results, Maggie plans to continue using soil solarization as part of her organic weed and pathogen management strategy. Future research could explore how different durations of solarization impact microbial communities and soil health over multiple growing seasons.

For full details on the study’s methodology and results, read the final report.

screenshot of Salad Days Farm's OFRF FLT final reports of results

This story is part of a series profiling farmers who are taking part in OFRF’s Farmer-Led Trials (FLT) program. Farmers receive technical support from OFRF to address their challenges through structured on-farm trials. To learn more about OFRF’s Farmer-Led Trials Program, visit our website page at https://ofrf.org/research/farmer-led-research-trials/

To learn more about soil solarization, check out these helpful resources on the web: https://extension.umn.edu/planting-and-growing-guides/solarization-occultation 

To learn more about Salad Days Farm, visit https://www.saladdaysfarm.com

By |2025-12-17T17:37:59-05:00September 5th, 2024|Farmer Stories, News, On-Farm Research, Soil Health, Weeds|
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Not All Tillage Is Created Equal

Balancing Soil Health and Weed Management in Organic Farming

By Thelma Velez and Heather Estrada

Organic farmers are often praised for their commitment to environmental stewardship. Indeed, these growers must adhere to rigid standards set forth through the National Organic Program, which delineates what is (and is not) allowed on organic operations. These standards are key to ensuring that the certified organic label is the same across the country. While many argue there is room for improvement in the label (and its enforcement), one thing is certain—farms under organic management are more ecologically sustainable than conventional operations. Organic farms are better for the environment, better for the people, and better for the planet. 

Mattawoman Creek Farm in Virginia uses a permanent raised bed system to eliminate soil compaction. Photo used with permission from www.mattawomancreekfarms.com

That said, organic farmers also face extensive criticism regarding their use of tillage. There is no denying that excessive or poorly timed tillage can lead to soil erosion or nutrient run-off, and there is mounting evidence that tillage can disturb fungal networks, harm larger soil organisms, and increase the decomposition of soil organic matter (SOM). However, it is worth “digging in,” “turning over,” and “exposing” why organic farmers till in the first place and how tillage practices and outcomes differ.

Why Do Organic Farmers Till?

So why do organic farmers till? In 2022, we published our National Organic Research Agenda (NORA) report. Organic farmers across the country indicated that their number one production challenge is managing weeds on their farms (Snyder et al., 2022). Tillage in organic systems is used for a variety of reasons, including weed management, but also for terminating cover crops or preparing seedbeds. While conventional growers use synthetic herbicides to terminate weeds, organic farmers are not allowed to apply these chemicals to the soil, nor would they want to, given the extensive evidence of the harm these chemicals cause to both humans and ecosystems. 

Building and maintaining healthy soil is the key for most successful organic farming operations (yes, this includes dairy and livestock operations where animals graze on pasture). Thus, co-managing soil health while also tackling weeds is something organic farmers deal with on a regular basis. Interestingly, there are researchers and farmers who have been studying soil for decades to better understand the impacts of tillage on different parameters of soil health, and what we are learning is that not all tillage is created equal. In fact, there are organic farms across the country that have been finding ways to keep weeds at bay while also improving soil health.   

The science of the last decade has begun to unravel some of the complexities related to how tillage depth and intensity affect soil organisms and soil organic carbon. 

Impact of Tillage on Soil Health

Amanda Gillett uses a no-till drill on her farm in Montana to eliminate tillage to save moisture and build soil health. Original public domain image from Flickr.

Studies have documented improvements in active soil organic carbon (SOC) and other soil health parameters when combining cover crops and compost applications, even with tillage (Cogger et al., 2013; Delate et al., 2015). Results from six long-term farming systems trials with organic crop rotations that included legume cover or sod crops, organic nutrient sources (compost or manure), and routine tillage actually accrued significantly more SOC than conventional corn-soybean rotations (Delate et al., 2015).  

Variability in Tillage Methods

Tillage is not a one-size-fits-all approach. There are major differences between deeper inversion tillage and shallow non-inversion tillage. In one meta-analysis, shallow inversion tillage resulted in higher soil carbon, more effective weed control, and only minimal yield reductions when compared with deeper tillage (Cooper et al., 2016). 

More invasive approaches, such as a moldboard plow, disk plow, or chisel plow at depths greater than six inches, will inherently create more disturbance, but taking a more shallow and judicious tillage approach is generally less harmful to soil health and can be compatible with soil building goals (Schonbeck et al., 2017; Dimitri et al., 2012). 

Additionally, there are meta-analyses with promising findings related to enhanced soil life in reduced tillage systems (Chen et al., 2016;  Li et al., 2020; Morugán-Coronado et al., 2022). Morugán-Coronado’s 2022 paper also included findings showing that reduced tillage systems outperformed full-tillage and no-till with respect to increases in microbial and fungal biomass (Morugán-Coronado et al., 2022).

Balancing Tillage and Soil Health in Organic Farming

While tillage is an essential tool in organic farming, its impact on soil health is complex and varies depending on the method and intensity used. The evolving science of soil management suggests that organic farmers can adopt practices that minimize soil disturbance while addressing production needs. This balanced approach helps to preserve and enhance soil health, supporting the overall sustainability of organic farming systems. 

For more information on balancing tillage and soil health, check out our guidebook “Practical Conservation Tillage,” which provides a practical means to reduce tillage and protect soil organic matter, soil life, and tilth through green manures, compost applications, and other organic practices.

How do you manage tillage in your farming practices? Email us at info@ofrf.org to share your experiences and insights, and stay informed about the latest research to continually improve your soil management strategies by signing up for our newsletter here.

References

Chen, G., C. R. Hooks, M. Lekveishvili, K. H. Wang, K. H., N. Pradhan, S. Tubene, S., R. R. Weil, and R. Ogutu. 2015. Cover Crop and Tillage Impact on Soil Quality, Greenhouse Gas Emission, Pests, and Economics of Fields Transitioning to Organic Farming. Final report for project ORG 2011-04944. CRIS Abstracts.

Cogger, C. G. M. Ostrom, K. Painter, A. Kennedy, A. Fortuna, R. Alldredge, A.; Bary, T. Miller, Collins, J. Goldberger, A. Antonelli, and B. Cha. 2013. Designing Production Strategies for Stewardship and Profits On Fresh Market Organic Farms. OREI award 2008-51300-04460. https://nifa.usda.gov/data/data-gateway.

Cooper, J., Baranski, M., Stewart, G., Nobel-de Lange, M., Bàrberi, P., Fließbach, A., Peigné, J., Berner, A., Brock, C., Casagrande, M., Crowley, O., David, C., De Vliegher, A., Döring, T. F., Dupont, A., Entz, M., Grosse, M., Haase, T., Halde, C., … Mäder, P. 2016. Shallow non-inversion tillage in organic farming maintains crop yields and increases soil C stocks: a meta-analysis. Agronomy for Sustainable Development, 36, 22. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-016-0354-1

Delate, K., C. Cambardella, and C. Chase. 2015. Effects of cover crops, soil amendments, and reduced tillage on Carbon Sequestration and Soil Health in a Long Term Vegetable System. Final report for ORG project 2010-03956. CRIS Abstracts

Dimitri, C., L. Kemp, J. Sooby, and E. Sullivan. 2012. Organic Farming for Health and Prosperity https://ofrf.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/HP-report-web.pdf

Li, Y., Q. Zhang, Y. Cai, Q. Yang, S.X. Chang. 2020. Minimum tillage and residue retention increase soil microbial population size and diversity: implications for conservation tillage. Sci. Total Environ., 716, 137164.

Morugán-Coronado et al., 2022. Agric., Ecosystems & Envir. 329, Article 107867.  Meta-analysis.

Schonbeck, M. D. Jerkins, and J. Ory. 2017. Soil Health and Organic Farming: Practical Conservation Tillage. https://ofrf.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/HP-report-web.pdf

Snyder, L., M. Schonbeck, T. Velez, and B. Tencer. 2022. 2022 National Organic Research Agenda: Outcomes and Recommendations from the 2020 National Organic & Transitioning Farmer Surveys and Focus Groups. Organic Farming Research Foundation.

By |2025-12-09T17:36:33-05:00August 12th, 2024|News, Soil Health, Weeds|
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