Final report for ENC20-192
Project Information
The Organic Agronomy Training Service (OATS), a fiscally sponsored program with the Organic Trade Association, aims to improve farmer access to agricultural professionals trained in organic field crop production practices. Organic field crop production is full of opportunities for farmers but it can be challenging to successfully realize this potential due to the steep learning curve in transitioning from conventional to organic production practices. Farmers need more robust access to one-on-one support from agricultural professionals trained in science-based organic methods. This project will train agronomists, Certified Crop Consultants, ag. service employees, extension educators, NGO program staff, and NRCS employees in the science of organic field crop production so that they can meet the educational needs of transitional and certified organic farmers.
This project will take an innovative approach to delivering this training. We will deliver training in three regions of the Midwest through a flipped classroom, hybrid online and in-person model. The course will consist of seven modules of highly engaging, high-production value video lessons that will be tailored with specific practice recommendations for each of the three regions. Participants will be organized into cohorts by region and will meet by video conference to analyze and discuss each of the seven modules and to interact and build connections with each other. The course will conclude with an in-person, on-farm session where participants will see working examples of content from the online portion of the course, hear from farmers who are successfully managing organic acres, and engage in group learning activities.
|
Output |
Description |
Goal |
|
Adapted video lessons |
Distance learning modules adapted to contain regionally relevant and specific content including crop rotations, cover crop recommendations, and weed management strategies |
Two modules |
|
Exercises for lessons |
Exercises for each of the seven modules are reviewed and adapted to contain regionally specific content |
|
|
Cohort participants |
Agricultural professionals participating in each of three regional cohorts, includes agronomists, Certified Crop Consultants, Extension educators, NRCS staff, ag. retail consultants, private consultants, NGO educators |
45 participants in each of the three cohorts, 135 participants in total |
|
Online directory |
Directory of agricultural professionals trained in organic production methods who meet qualification criteria and desire to be included |
30 past OATS participants; 30 participants from 2021 programming; 1000 unique page views in 12 months |
|
Partnerships |
Total number of members of the OATS consortium and regional advisory committees |
40 consortium members |
Cooperators
Education
OATS has developed a hybrid distance learning/in-person professional development training program for agricultural professionals on agronomy and production strategies for organic field crops that utilizes a flipped classroom model of learning. Through this approach, we aim to reach more agricultural professionals across a wider geographic area while not compromising the benefits associated with high-quality in-person instruction.
This hybrid training program consists of three elements: 1) independent distance learning modules containing science-based material, 2) virtual classroom sessions via video conferencing, and 3) an in- person event.
The independent distance learning modules are highly engaging, high-production value, video-based lessons on the following topics:
- National Organic Program regulations, structure, and history
- Certification and recordkeeping
- Soil Health: crop rotation, cover crops, and reduced tillage
Pest and disease management - Weed management
- Fertility management
- Marketing, economics, and profitability
- The role of an organic advisor
The structure of this program allows participants to gain knowledge of more content at a greater depth than was possible at our previous in-person trainings. The flipped classroom model allows more time for participants to take in new information and fosters deeper discussions and analysis during the virtual classroom and on-farm contact hours.
Education & Outreach Initiatives
Improve agricultural professional's knowledge and competency in designing organic field crop rotations
The crop rotation learning module is one of 12 modules that make up the OATS Organic Field Crop Course. This course consists of 48 video lessons that prepare agriculture professionals to advise organic and transitional field crop farmers. This project funded the production of the crop rotation module which consists of three video-based lessons, accompanying written content that appears in the course learning management system, and a quiz to check learning.
Crop rotation module content:
- Designing a Crop Rotation Video - The concept of crop rotation is not new to organics. It is as old as agriculture itself. In this lesson, discuss the central role crop rotation plays in organic weed, pest, disease, and fertility management.
- Example Crop Rotations Video - Designing a crop rotation is like buying a new pair of work boots. You will be wearing them for a long time and you have to be able to work efficiently and comfortably in them. The boots must be sturdy yet flexible, supportive yet comfortable - a balance of needs. In this lesson, we look at balancing needs when designing a crop rotation in two agronomic regions: semi-arid west and humid east.
- Focus Farmers Talk Crop Rotation Video - We hear directly from successful organic farmers about their approach to crop rotation.
- Module 4 Written Content - Designing a Crop Rotation - A list of resources for further reading and quiz to assess participant learning.
The video-based lessons are designed to achieve the following learning objectives:
- Understand the six principles of crop rotation
- Understand the goals of crop rotation
- Understand the role of context in designing a crop rotation
- Understand the limitations of short crop rotations
- Understand the benefits of crop sequencing within a rotation
Participants view the lesson videos at their own pace and then meet with a cohort of their peers and a course facilitator for a Q&A discussion of the module content.
The goal is to prepare agricultural professionals to better advise organic and transitional field crop farmers on the central role of crop rotation in an organic production system. The participants will be prepared to provide guidance to clients on crop sequencing, pest/disease/weed management, and marketing through a crop rotation lenses.
In the first year of offering the course, 50 agricultural professionals enrolled across four facilitated cohorts completed this module. The participant evaluation data (Evaluation Report 2023) shows that confidence on advising on organic crop rotations increased from 2.3 to 3.0 on a 1-4 scale with 1=not confident at all and 4=very confident. 88.7% of all participants in this project reported that they plan to use information from the training in their advising work. The percentage reporting that they know where to find information on organic topics increased from 30% Yes/58% Somewhat to 65% Yes/32% Somewhat from the pre to post evaluations.
On average, participants advise 47.5 clients and 4,045.6 acres, demonstrating the potential for positive compounding effects of increasing ag. advisor competency and confidence in organic production topics.
Improve agricultural professional's knowledge and competency in weed control strategies for organic field crop farms
The weed control learning module is one of 12 modules that make up the OATS Organic Field Crop Course. This course consists of 48 video lessons that prepare agriculture professionals to advise organic and transitional field crop farmers. This project funded the production of the crop rotation module which consists of three video-based lessons, accompanying written content that appears in the course learning management system, and a quiz to check learning.
Weed control module content:
- Organic Weed Control and the Meaning of 'Clean Fields' - Good weed control is possible on organic farms. In this lesson, we explore the realities of organic weed control, the concept of "clean fields", and discuss the tools and strategies used on organic farms.
- Knowing Your Weeds - Weeds are worthy opponents in the battle to raise a successful crop. As with any
competitive match-up, knowing your opponent is key to beating them. In this lesson, we discuss the aspects of weed that are most useful in gaining good control in the field. - Keep Weeds from Emerging - Weeds are plants that have evolved to thrive in specific agricultural environments. So as long as we use the same practices in the same way, weeds will continue to be a significant problem. Therefore, our jobs as advisers and farmers is to keep weeds guessing with integrated tactics, so that we can short circuit their lifecycles and stop their evolution. In this lesson, we discuss how to keep weeds from emerging in the first place.
- Kill the Weeds That Do Emerge Part 1 - So you did everything you could to discourage a weed from becoming a weed, but nature prevails and your organic field isn’t as clean as it once was. In this lesson, we dive into the many strategies for killing those weeds that do emerge.
- Kill the Weeds That Do Emerge Part 2 - In part two, we explore alternative strategies for killing weeds such as flame weeding, the weed zapper, mowing, field walking, and allowed herbicides.
- Long Term Weed Control - With most bank accounts, the account holder is trying their best to deposit more than they withdraw, right? There’s one bank that works in the opposite way: the weed seed bank. In this lesson, we discuss strategies for long term weed control.
- Farmer Perspectives on Flame Weeding - This lesson explores farmer perspectives and experiences with flame weeding as organic weed control.
- Farmer Perspectives on Blind Cultivation - This lesson explores farmer perspectives and experiences with blind cultivation as organic weed control.
- Farmer Perspectives Cultivators and Alternative Tools - This lesson explores farmer perspectives and experiences with cultivators and alternative tools as organic weed control.
- Farmer Perspectives on Weed Control Timelines - This lesson explores farmer perspectives and experiences with weed control timelines.
- Module 6 Written Content - Weed Control- A list of resources for further reading and quiz to assess participant learning.
The video-based lessons are designed to achieve the following learning objectives:
- Understand the goals of organic weed control
- Understand the strategies and tools available for organic weed control
- Understand weed lifecycles and vulnerabilities
- Understand strategies for preventing weed emergence
- Understand the importance of timing in cultivation for weed control
- Understand the many cultivation tools, their strengths and weaknesses
- Understand alternative mechanical strategies for weed control
- Understand the role of crop rotation in weed management
- Understand strategies for reducing the weed seed bank
Participants view the lesson videos at their own pace and then meet with a cohort of their peers and a course facilitator for a Q&A discussion of the module content.
The goal is to prepare agricultural professionals to better advise organic and transitional field crop farmers on the cultural and mechanical strategies for controlling weeds. The participants will be prepared to provide guidance to clients on strategies such as crop rotation, organic no-till soybeans, blind cultivation, row cultivation, flame weeding, weed zapping, and weed control timelines.
In the first year of offering the course, 50 agricultural professionals enrolled across four facilitated cohorts completed this module. The participant evaluation data (Evaluation Report 2023) shows that confidence on advising on organic weed control increased from 2.2 to 3.0, and on reduced tillage in organic systems from 2.1 to 2.7, on a 1-4 scale with 1=not confident at all and 4=very confident. 88.7% of all participants in this project reported that they plan to use information from the training in their advising work. The percentage reporting that they know where to find information on organic topics increased from 30% Yes/58% Somewhat to 65% Yes/32% Somewhat from the pre to post evaluations.
On average, participants advise 47.5 clients and 4,045.6 acres, demonstrating the potential for positive compounding effects of increasing ag. advisor competency and confidence in organic production topics.
Improve agricultural professional's knowledge and competency on the organic regulations, organic yields, and the effects of and mitigations for tillage
Organic and regenerative agriculture share may objectives. This presentation explores the USDA organic regulations and how they support the principles of regenerative agriculture. We also tackle two of the top criticisms of organic farming: yield drag and the effects of tillage.
The American Society of Agronomy hosted a Sustainability Conference in the summer of 2021. OATS was invited to present to over 3000 CCAs on organic field crop production. At this presentation, we shared information on the organic regulations, data on organic yields, and information on mitigating the damaging effects of the tillage used for weed control - all content that was developed in part with funding from this project. We also promoted the upcoming launch of the hybrid course.
The presentation slides from the talk can be viewed here: ASA-Presentation_OATS_2021-08-24 (1)
Improve agricultural professional's knowledge and competency on the organic regulations, crop rotation, and fertility management
Organic farmers need better access to highly qualified technical advisors. In this presentation, we will explore organic fertility management through crop rotations, cover crops, and allowable inputs. You'll leave with a better understanding of the organic regulations and how you can help organic farmers thrive.
Montana Organic Association hosted a virtual conference in December 2021. OATS was invited to present to over 50 agricultural professionals and farmers on organic fertility management. At this presentation, we shared information on the organic regulations, goals of fertility management, organic crop rotations, cover crops, allowable inputs, using manure and compost - all content that was developed in part with funding from this project. We also promoted the upcoming launch of the hybrid course.
The presentation slides from the talk can be viewed here: Presentation_MOA-2021 (1)
Build community and increase connectivity between agriculture advisors
The Organic Advisor Listerv is a place where agriculture advisors from across the region can interact with each other right in their inboxes. The aim of this space is to foster improved confidence in working with organic and transitional producers through interaction among professional peers. It is a space where conversations, information sharing, and notifications of learning opportunities can happen.
The Organic Advisor Listserv has 164 members who engage with each other by email, asking questions, sharing information, and notifying each other of learning opportunities
Maintain core partnerships that advise the development of OATS programming so that it is regionally adapted and relevant
OATS programming and management is governed by a consortium of university researchers, agronomists/crop consultants, nonprofit educators, and industry representatives from throughout the country. These partnerships are a core aspect to our approach to agriculture advisor education.
OATS programs are regionally adapted to provide the most relevant and appropriate content to each training participant. Each of the five OATS service regions are represented by a committee of local representatives that inform program content, recruit local experts and speakers, and assist with promoting upcoming trainings. The members of these regional committees form the body of the OATS Consortium. The chairs of these regional advisory committees form the OATS National Steering Committee which is the governing body of the consortium.
Midwest East
- Julia Barton, OEFFA (chair)
- Ashley Adair, Purdue Extension
- Cassidy Dellorto-Blackwell, The Land Connection
- Erin Harper, University of Illinois Extension
- Andrew Westfall, Purdue Extension
- Michael O'Donnell, ag advisor
Midwest Central
- Kathleen Delate, Iowa State Extension (co-chair)
- Matt Leavitt, Albert Lea Seed (co-chair)
- Erin Silva, University of Wisconsin-Madison (co-chair)
- Chuck Anderas, MOSES
- Roz Lehman, Iowa Organic Association
- Craig Tomera, Grain Millers
Midwest West
- Clair Keene, North Dakota State University (chair)
- Stephanie Blumhagen, FARRMS
- Brad Brummond, North Dakota State University
- Dan Folske, North Dakota State University
- Jamie Good, North Dakota Department of Ag.
- Mark Kopeky, Agronomist
- Mike Sides, KAM Ag Services
- Steve Zwinger, North Dakota State University
Outside the North Central SARE Region:
Rocky Mountain West
- Jamie Ryan Lockman, Montana Organic Association (chair)
- Patrick Carr, Montana State University
- Doug Crabtree, Vilicus Farms
- Lance Lindbloom, 406 Agronomy
- Randy Olstad, Columbia Grain
- Nate Powll Palm, Cold Springs Ranch
- Jeff Schahczenski, NCAT
- Sam Schmidt, Montana Milling
- Timothy Seipel, Montana State University
- Georgana Webster, Montana Dept. of Ag.
Mid-Atlantic
- Andrew Smith, Rodale Institute (chair)
- Mary Barbercheck, Penn State University Extension
- Erich V. Bremer, New Jersey Department of Agriculture
- Kristy Borelli, Penn State University Extension
- Lamonte Garber, Shroud Water Research Center
- Joseph Heckman, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
- Sam Malriat, Rodale Institute
- Emily Newman, Rodale Institute
- Dean Painter, The Fertrell Company
- Maria Pop, Rodale Institute
More information about the partnerships of the OATS consortium: https://www.organicagronomy.org/consortium
40 individuals make up the body of the OATS consortium. They met monthly during the period of this project and advised on the development of the project materials.
Increase understanding of weed control strategies for organic field crop producers
Once a month, OATS hosts a facilitated discussion on Zoom on a topic relevant to organic agriculture advisors. This project funded the hosting of our September 14, 2022 session, "Conquering Weed Control" with Amy Bruch, President of Cyclone Farms, Inc. The discussion was facilitated by Nate Powell-Palm. Participants who join live can ask questions and engage in discussion with the guest speaker, facilitator, and other participants. The calls are recorded and posted to the OATS YouTube channel for asynchronous viewing: https://youtu.be/QF5LtozwAbs?si=w-5DZwrCVk9zSQs2
207 people registered for the "Conquering Weed Control" event. The recording has received 29 additional views on YouTube.
A field day for ag advisors and professionals discussing the benefits, considerations, and markets for diverse organic crops
On July 28, 2022, we hosted a day-long on-farm workshop for agricultural advisors on crop rotation on organic farms. The event was co-hosted by Purdue University Extension and held at the Beck Agricultural Center and Living Prairie Family Farms near West Lafayette, Indiana.
Crop rotation is one of the most important tools organic farmers have for controlling weeds, building soil fertility, and growing a healthy crop. At this field day, ag advisors looked at how to help their farmer clients get the most benefit from a crop rotation - and particularly how to market those crops that have agronomic importance but are less commonly grown. They learn the theory of crop rotation and saw how it is practiced on a large-scale central Indiana organic farm.
The farm host, Living Prairie Family Farms, is a 4,100 acre organic field crop farm based in Wolcott, Indiana that produces a wide variety of grain crops and oilseeds, including popcorn, soybean, various small grains, and sunflower. In 2014, they started farming their first organic farm, and in 2015 began the process of transitioning additional acres to certified organic production. In 2021, they had over 1,000 acres certified, which increased to about 4,000 acres in 2022. They have been working intentionally over the last 5+ years to diversify their cropping system for maximum soil health benefit, seeking diverse food-grade markets, and beginning to explore value-add enterprises to help grow the regional "grain chain" in northwest Indiana.
- 9:00am Welcome at the Beck Agricultural Center
- 9:15am Presentation - Strategies to build strong crop rotation
- 9:40am Presentation - National Organic Program 101
Mallory Krieger, OATS - 10:00am Presentation - Marketing rotation crops (sunflowers, buckwheat, wheat, oats, and more)
- 11:00am Panel Discussion - Farmer perspectives on building and marketing diverse crop rotations
- 12:00pm Lunch catered by Juniper Spoon
- 12:45pm Travel by bus to Living Prairie Family Farms
- 1:30pm Tour of Federer Farm with Jason Federer and Michael O’Donnell
- 3:30pm Post-tour discussion
- 4:00pm Adjourn & travel back to Beck Center by bus
CCA CEUs were provided.
A presentation on soil health and the USDA organic regulations was developed for this event: Presentation-Indiana
15 individuals attended this workshop. On a scale of 1=not at all confident and 4=very confident, participants indicated the following increases in confidence across the learning objectives:
- Organic crop rotations 1.9 to 2.9
- Organic weed control strategies 2.8 to 2.9
- Integrating cover crops into a rotation 2.0 to 2.4
- Reduced tillage in organic systems 1.7 to 2.4
- NOP rules and regulations 2.2 to 2.8
73% of participants indicated that they plan to use information from the training in their work.
The full evaluation data can be viewed here: IN West Lafayette Purdue Regional Report
A field day for ag advisors and professionals exploring tillage in organic production systems
On July 18, 2022, we hosted a day-long on-farm workshop for agricultural advisors on tillage in organic field crop production. The event was co-hosted by Iowa Organic Association and held at Levi Lyle's farm in Keota, Iowa.
One of the great questions in farming is whether or not to till the soil. Though progress has been made on organic no-till systems, most organic field crop farmers rely on tillage to control weeds and to prepare a good seedbed. At this field day, ag advisors and professionals took a look into how much tillage is used on organic farms and how to protect and enhance the soil on their client’s organic field crop farms.
Levi and his family farm near Keota, IA. They raise organic corn and soybeans and as well as, aronia berries, tart cherries, and various other fruits. Levi’s Indigenous Fruit Enterprises (LIFE) seeks to facilitate the profitability and sustainability of small farms. Previously an organic inspector, Levi now consults farmers transitioning to organic certified production.
Dr. Delate leads the ISU Extension organic research and extension program. Her research focuses on nutrient and pest management strategies that enhance production while lowering agriculture’s environmental footprint. She works in Ames, Iowa, and at the ISU Neely-Kinyon Farm in Greenfield, Iowa. In addition to hosting the Annual Iowa Organic Conference each November, she offers a “Transitioning to Organic” course every other year at ISU, starting January 26, 2021.
- 9:00am Welcome
- 9:15am Presentation - Tillage in organic field crop production
Mallory Krieger, OATS - 9:40am Presentation - National Organic Program 101
Mallory Krieger, OATS - 10:00am Presentation - Implementing tillage judiciously on working farms
- 11:00am Panel Discussion - Farmer perspectives on tillage in organics and strategies to protect the soil
Matt Leavitt, Albert Lea Seed (moderator), Margaret Smith, Doug Allert, Eric Madson - 12:00pm Lunch
- 1:30pm Tour of Levi Lyle’s farm and Iowa State University’s on-farm research
Levi Lyle, Kathleen Delate, Iowa State University - 3:30pm Post-tour discussion
- 4:00pm Adjourn
CCA CEUs were provided.
A presentation on tillage in organics and the USDA organic regulations was developed for this event: Presentation-Iowa
38 individuals attended this workshop. On a scale of 1=not at all confident and 4=very confident, participants indicated the following increases in confidence across the learning objectives:
- Organic crop rotations 2.3 to 2.9
- Organic weed control strategies 2.4 to 2.9
- Integrating cover crops into a rotation 2.4 to 3.0
- Reduced tillage in organic systems 2 to 2.5
- NOP rules and regulations 1.9 to 2.4
The percentage reporting that they know where to find information on organic topics increased from 40% Yes/52% Somewhat to 61% Yes/39% Somewhat from the pre to post evaluations.
68% of participants indicated that they plan to use information from the training in their work.
The full evaluation data can be viewed here: Keota, IA Regional Report
Educational & Outreach Activities
Participation Summary:
Learning Outcomes
Project Outcomes
In year 1 of this project, the OATS team developed scripts for and filmed the video-based lessons for 2 modules of the OATS hybrid course. These video-lessons were filmed on working farms and at the University of Wisconsin-Madison research farm. The videos include narration by the course host, Nate Powell-Palm, and interviews with successful working farmers. Filming started in July and ended at the end of November, 2021.
The OATS team also delivered two virtual presentations on topics related to the hybrid course materials. The first presentation was at the American Society of Agronomy's Sustainability Conference which attracted over 3000 registrants. The second presentation was at the Montana Organic Association's virtual annual conference which attracted over 50 registrants. Both of these presentations drew a national audience of technical advisors and farmers.
In year 2 of this project, the raw footage for the video lessons was edited and delivered to OATS by the the videographer. The Organic Field Crop Course was launched, containing the two modules funded by this project. Additional written materials including quizzes and dig deeper references were developed to accompany the videos in the lessons. 50 agricultural professionals enrolled across four facilitated cohorts and utilized the materials developed under this project. The full evaluation report can be viewed here: Evaluation Report 2023
In year 2, we also:
- Launched the Organic Advisor Listserv, a place where ag. advisors from across the region can interact with each other right in their inboxes. 164 members joined and now engage with each other by email, asking questions and getting answers.
- Solidified the core partnerships of the OATS consortium, made up of 40 members from across the country. The consortium guides the implementation of OATS programming to ensure that it is regionally adapted and relevant.
- Hosted the Organic Advisor Call "Conquering Weed Control with Amy Bruch", a facilitated discussion that was recorded and posted to our YouTube channel.
- Held the workshop "Putting Crop Rotations to Work on Organic Farms" where 15 ag advisors and farmers learned about the benefits, considerations, and markets for diverse organic crops.
- Held the workshop "To Till or Not to Till? Building Soil Organically" where 38 ag advisors and farmers explored tillage in organic production systems.
The video-based lessons developed during this project have been very well received. On participant in the first cohort sent us an email, saying: "Just started the OATS training, and the production quality is absurdly good. I like the videos a lot so far too, very nice to have something so focused on agronomy and providing sources for everything."
Since the close of this project period, the video-lessons have continued to be used in additional cohorts of the course across the country.
Information Products
- Designing a Crop Rotation (Video)
- Example Crop Rotations (Video)
- Focus Farmers Talk Crop Rotation (Video)
- Organic Weed Control and the Meaning of 'Clean Fields (Video)
- Knowing Your Weeds (Video)
- Keep Weeds from Emerging (Video)
- Kill the Weeds That Do Emerge Part 1 (Video)
- Kill the Weeds That Do Emerge Part 2 (Video)
- Long Term Weed Control (Video)
- Farmer Perspectives on Flame Weeding (Video)
- Farmer Perspectives Cultivators and Alternative Tools (Video)
- Farmer Perspectives on Weed Control Timelines (Video)
- Exploring the Future of Regenerative and Organic Crop Production (Conference/Presentation Material)
- Feeding the Crop: Effective Organic Fertility Management Practices & the Need for Technical Advice (Conference/Presentation Material)
- Organic Advisor Listserv (Website)
- Organic Advisor Call - Conquering Weed Control with Amy Bruch (Webinar)
- Putting Crop Rotations to Work on Organic Farms Workshop (Training Agenda)
- Overview of Soil Health in Organics & the USDA Organic Regulations (Conference/Presentation Material)
- To Till or Not to Till? Building Soil Organically (Training Agenda)
- Tillage in Organics & the USDA Organic Regulations (Conference/Presentation Material)