OFRF Leads Organic Soil Heath Workshop at TOFGA
L-R: Diana Jerkins, Scott Snodgrass, Justin Duncan, Tommy Garcia-Prats January 28, 2020 - OFRF was a sponsor of the Texas Organic Farmers & Gardeners ( TOFGA) annual conference held in Temple, Texas conference from January 16-18. OFRF and TOFGA and OFRF jointly held a panel workshop on soil health, as well as a farmer listening session. Diana Jerkins, OFRF Senior Scientist, led both sessions with 60 participants for the workshop and over 40 for the listening session. Dr. Jerkins is a co-author of OFRF's educational series on Soil [...]
OFRF Researcher Reports on Grant to Study Biosolarization
January 7, 2020 - Soil solarization is an organic method that has been shown to control weeds, pathogens, and nematodes in areas with hot summer temperatures. Biosolarization, a relatively new technique, combines the use of soil solarization and organic soil amendments to enhance the results of solarization. While biosolarization has proven effective in a number of studies, its efficacy varies across study regions, cropping systems, and pathogen communities. In 2018, OFRF provided a grant to Dr. Ashraf Tubeileh at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo to study the effect [...]
Soil Health Workshop at Organic Growers Summit
December 9, 2019 - Haley Baron, Education and Research Program Associate, OFRF, describes her workshop at the Organic Growers Summit in Monterey, CA on December 4, 2019.
Patagonia Doubles Donations to OFRF
December 4, 2019 - Now through December 31st, all donations made to OFRF will be matched dollar-for-dollar by Patgonia Works! This match will double your support! For the last three decades, OFRF has responded directly to the critical needs of organic farmers and ranchers through targeted scientific research, free educational resources, and advocacy on both the local and federal level. Don't miss this opportunity to double your impact. Thank you for helping us ensure organic farmers and ranchers have the information and resources they need to be successful! Click here to make your [...]
New Report Highlights Role of Agriculture in Climate Change Mitigation
November 14, 2019 – OFRF has been using research-based analysis to inform public policy for nearly three decades. Recently, we contributed to a new report from the National Sustainable Organic Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) titled Moving American Agriculture to “Net Zero”. One of the principal authors of that report, Dr. Mark Schonbeck, OFRF Research Associate, is the lead author of our wildly popular educational series on organic farming and soil health, which includes nine guidebooks and webinars covering topics ranging from cover cropping and nutrient management to weed and pest management. [...]
Note from an Organic Farmer
November 8, 2019 - Organic farmer and OFRF board member, April Thatcher, talks about why she chose to become an organic farmer and why it is important to support research, education, and advocacy that improves and advances organic farming.
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, [...]
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 [...]
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. Implement conservation practices such as diversified crop [...]
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 [...]
