By David Boderke Farmers Guardian, 4 May 2012
A new virtual institute to help farmers produce more efficiently and an updated software ‘tool’, which helps farming and food industries to calculate their carbon footprint, are being launched this week. The open-source tool can be downloaded free from the Cool Farm Tool Institute website.
Carmen Ugarte, University of Illinois Ed Zaborski, University of Illinois eOrganic
Importance of Nematodes in Agricultural Systems
Nematodes contribute to a variety of functions within the soil system. In agricultural systems, nematodes can enhance nutrient mineralization and act as biological control agents.
Nematodes and Soil Fertility
Soil nematodes, especially bacterial- and fungal-feeding nematodes, can contribute [...]
The Cornell Small Dairy Team has released a series of new resources to help small dairy farms. Although some of these resources are specific to the New York area, Ontario farmers may find the following case studies to be of interest.
Small Dairy Case Studies: Highlights unique solutions of how small [...]
By Emelie Swackhamer Beneficial insects do a lot of pest management naturally, with little help from us. Many people are interested in having populations of beneficial insects inhabit their fields, high tunnels and greenhouses.
Beneficial insects do a lot of pest management naturally, with little help from us. Lady beetles, syrphid fly larvae, [...]
Geoff Zehnder, Clemson University eOrganic
Proponents of organic farming have long promoted the view that the likelihood of pest outbreaks is reduced with organic farming practices, including establishment and maintenance of “healthy” soil . Recent studies have shown that plant resistance to insect and disease pests is linked to optimal physical, chemical, and—perhaps most importantly—biological [...]
Growing Strawberries Organically is the newest handbook published by Canadian Organic Growers (COG) in its Practical Skills series of technical manuals for organic agriculture. The book and the series continue COG’s commitment and success in educating organic and transitioning growers.
Consumer demand is pushing organic production to be the fastest-growing sector [...]
Made available through the University of Manitoba’s natural systems agriculture is a study on grazed green manures.
Background
Legume green manure crops are the foundation of successful organic grain production systems. These crops are able to partner with Rhizobiumbacteria in the soil to fix atmospheric nitrogen (N). When annual legumes are [...]
Take a look at this resource for managing weeds ecologically from Extension. Included in the article is a summary of organic weed management tools, planning steps, preventive steps, control steps and enhancing your system
Introduction
Ecological weed management begins with careful planning of the cropping system [...]
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