Organic Grain Production Another Way

Organic Grain Production Another Way

Summary

Summary
This project is developing resources for Cooperative Extension personnel to support grain producers who are interested in alternative production, particularly in a study circle setting. The intended target audience is specific to organic grain, but the project team is planning for a broader benefit for a wider audience of producers. The videos being developed cover farm decision-making, along with material about soil health, cover crops, organic matter, and tillage.

Objectives
Provide professional development education to extension personnel and other agricultural professionals in the holistic decision-making of exploring organic grain as an alternative production system.

Provide hands-on education to extension personnel and other agricultural professionals in organic grain production, specifically planting, cultivation, nutrient management, cover crops, harvesting, pest management, and grain marketing.

Provide professional development to extension personnel and other agricultural professionals with incentives to become the facilitator for extension and farmer organic grain study groups throughout the region.

Results
The primary products to date have been three instructional videos. They are:

Farm Decision Making: One Family’s Story (about 15 minutes)
This video addresses the challenge to change. Scripted actors representing a typical farm family address assess their alternatives. The farm wife and mother is required to go back to school to get new skills for her off-farm job; the wife’s off-farm income is what keeps the family solvent. The farm father questions the time required to do this. The son asks for farm management information to use at school on a special project. The video captures the struggle the farmer is going through, and how the farm family must work together to set their goals.

Choosing Organic (about 16 minutes)
This video is a collection of conversations from producers from Maryland to New York. The producers vary from being in transition to organic to having over 25 years of experience. The video addresses the reasons for choosing organic, the decision to change, market considerations, the certification process, weed concerns, and peer pressure.

The Transition to Organic (in production)
This video takes a holistic view of organic grain production, describing soil health and the cultural practices required to build soil health. It emphasizes soil quality and the importance of keeping soils healthy for organic production. It addresses the need to plant roots and cover crops, as well as the need for crop rotations. The video explores alternative cropping methods and how each method affects soil quality, weed management, disease management, and insect management. The video also sets forth new concepts such as “farmscapes” as an insect management tool. It addresses this from both the researcher’s and the farmer’s point of view. In addition, farmers and researchers talk about specific methods such as tillage, management of weed germination, and designing farmscapes to control insect populations. This video is near completion.

Impacts and Potential Contributions
Leon Weber of the Rodale Institute will use these materials for a professional development program training scheduled for April 2001; to date, 30 educators from four states have signed up for this training. Requests have also been received from three states in the Midwest. The full impact of the project will not really become clear until all three educational videos are complete and in use.

Other
Resources: Cornell Media services will be distributing materials. These materials should be released and available during the Spring 2001. Materials can be ordered directly from Cornell media services.
Project launch: Project launch is planned for the spring of 2001.
Reported December 2000

Collaborators: