Project Overview
Commodities
Practices
- Crop Production: cover crops, crop improvement and selection, cropping systems, crop rotation, double cropping, drought tolerance, fertilizers, foliar feeding, high tunnels or hoop houses, intercropping, irrigation, low tunnels, no-till, nutrient cycling, nutrient management, organic fertilizers, plant breeding and genetics, pollination, pollinator habitat, row covers (for season extension), tissue analysis, varieties and cultivars, water management
- Education and Training: extension, farmer to farmer, on-farm/ranch research, participatory research, technical assistance
- Energy: energy conservation/efficiency
- Farm Business Management: business planning, risk management, whole farm planning
- Natural Resources/Environment: biodiversity, carbon sequestration, drift/runoff buffers, habitat enhancement, hedgerows, indicators, soil stabilization, wetlands, wildlife
- Pest Management: biological control, botanical pesticides, cultivation, cultural control, disease vectors, mulches - general
- Production Systems: agroecosystems, integrated crop and livestock systems, organic agriculture, organic certification, transitioning to organic
- Soil Management: composting, green manures, nutrient mineralization, organic matter, soil analysis, soil chemistry, soil microbiology, soil physics, soil quality/health
- Sustainable Communities: sustainability measures, values-based supply chains
Abstract:
Through a series of educational webinars and other outreach materials, this project proposed by
the Organic Research Foundation (OFRF) enhances the knowledge of agricultural advisors,
Cooperative Extension, NRCS, agency, crop consultants, and other agricultural professionals
who work with farmers and ranchers on the benefits of organic agriculture and sustainable soil
management practices. These benefits include healthier soils, cleaner water, fewer pests, fewer
pollutants for farmworkers and consumers, and an increased biodiversity in our agricultural
landscape.
In 2015, OFRF surveyed organic farmers and found a need for knowledgeable extension and
education services related to organic soil health, biology, and nutrient cycling. In 2017, OFRF
published a series of guides on soil health and organic farming for organic and transitional
farmers. In this proposed project, the information from the soil health guides will be presented to
agricultural professionals via eOrganic webinars, to use as educational tools for increasing
sustainable soil health practices.
This dissemination project helped increase the adoption and application of best practices for soil
health in practical and accessible formats online, so that agricultural professionals will be able to
learn about, implement, share or teach these practices, and/or use these resources in the
subsequent educational activities in sustainable agriculture. Success was based on the number
of participants, participant evaluations, and the percentage of participants who say they will
incorporate the practices into their work and recommend to farmers. Activities
improved the ability of agricultural professionals to conduct educational programs and activities in
sustainable agriculture principles, and provide access to resources that help producers make
informed decisions about sustainable approaches with greater certainty and less risk.
Project objectives:
The objectives of this project were to 1) provide this soil health information in practical and accessible formats
online, so that agricultural professionals will be able to learn about, implement, share or teach
these practices, and/ or use these new knowledge and skills in the subsequent educational
activities in sustainable agriculture, 2) increase understanding of the impacts of organic practices on soil biology and biodiversity, soil-crop nutrient dynamics, soil organic matter, carbon
sequestration, soil water dynamics, 3) increase the understanding of the research needs of
organic farmers across the U.S. 4) increase use of the scientific research resources available via
ofrf.org.