Read the full November | December newspaper
________________________________________________________
Full-day Organic University builds farming skills
Experienced farmers, researchers, and agriculture professionals will present in-depth, practical information on specific farming topics during Organic University Feb. 27, 2020. Topics include organic grain finances, crop rotations, goats, CBD hemp, and more! Read more.
________________________________________________________
Organic corn, soybean production down in 2019
The recently released 2019/20 Organic Commodity Outlook from Mercaris paints a picture of sharply reduced organic crop production along with an increased reliance on imports over the coming marketing year (MY). Read more.
________________________________________________________
Forever Green Initiative develops perennial, winter-hardy crops with eco-benefits
Forever Green is striving to keep the land in continuous cover and aims to do that through the development of new crops and cropping systems. Read more.
________________________________________________________
After years of breeding, eco-friendly perennial wheat looks feasible for farmers
Kernza is a winter perennial that is best planted in the Upper Midwest in the last few days of August or first days of September. Read more.
________________________________________________________
‘Incubator’ program helps beginning farmers access land, equipment, more
In early spring 2019, we launched an incubator farm program at our southeastern Minnesota farmstead, Nettle Valley Farm. Since I mentioned our plan to “pay it forward” when I gave a keynote talk at the 2019 MOSES Organic Farming Conference, I’m following up to share how this first year has gone. Read more.
________________________________________________________
New materials in biodegradable mulches hold promise for vegetable production
Plastic mulches in vegetable production improve water retention in the soil, warm the soil, reduce weed pressure, and may improve yields, however for the organic farmer, using it represents a particularly uneasy balance between economic and environmental sustainability. Read more.
________________________________________________________
Michigan farmer shares insights after adding solar to power her farm
On our small farm in southeast Michigan, we installed a solar panel system on our farm this year. We did a lot research and learned so much in the process of acquiring our solar array—information and work I’m sharing here to help other farmers decide if a solar system is right for their farms. Read more.
________________________________________________________
Additional Content in PDF
- Reflections on Community from the Executive Director
- Ask a Specialist Q&A: Tips to extend grazing season; pruning advice
- Recap & Photos from WISA Conference
- Researchers continue work on tool to blast away weeds
- News Briefs
- Organic Classifieds
- Community Calendar
