Organic Friends' E‑zine: August 2016

Photo of the Month, provided by Myriam Fernandez
Over the summer, Canada's organic community gathers at field days across the country to share experiences and learn. Pictured here is Myriam Fernandez discussing a cover crop trial with a record number of participants at the Low-Input Agricultural Systems Field Day, held at the Swift Current Research and Development Centre on August 9.

In this issue:

• Practical Resources
• Scientific Results
• News & Articles of Interest
• Courses
• Events

Practical Resources

Soils and Fertility

• Voluntary Guidelines for Sustainable Soil Management [PDF - 730kB]
  • FAO. 2016

Crop Rotation

• The Cover Crop and Living Mulch Toolbox
  • EU's Optimizing Subsidiary Crop Application in Rotations. 2016

Seed Production and Plant Breeding

• Organic Seed Production Webinar Series: Introduction, Field Planning, Recordkeeping Recorded Webinar
  • eOrganic. 2016
• Organic Seed Production Webinar Series: Trials and Selection Recorded Webinar
  • eOrganic. 2016
• Selecting "Modern" Heirloom Dry Beans Recorded Webinar
  • eOrganic. 2016
• State of Organic Seed, 2016
  • Organic Seed Alliance. 2016

Livestock

• Promoting health and welfare in organic laying hens: Recommendations to ensure hen health and welfare in organic husbandry
  
  • HealthyHens consortium. 2016

Nutrition, Safety and Health of Organic Foods

• Organic Food and Farming as a Tool to Combat Antibiotic Resistance and Protect Public Health [PDF - 1 MB]
  • The Organic Center (USA). 2016

Scientific Results

Soils and Fertility

• Prevalence and activity of entomopathogenic nematodes and their antagonists in soils that are subject to different agricultural practices
  • Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment (2016) 230: 329-340

Horticulture

• Effects of reduced tillage and fertilizer application method on plant growth, yield, and soil health in organic bell pepper production
  • Soil and Tillage Research (2016) 163: 243-254

Field Crops

• Agronomic and quality characteristics of old, modern and mixture wheat varieties and landraces for organic bread chain in diverse environments of northern Italy
  • European Journal of Agronomy (2016) 79: 131-141
• The effectiveness of flame weeding and cultivation on weed control, yield and yield components of organic soybean as influenced by manure application
  • Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems (2016) 31: 288-299
• Fall-seeded cereal cover crops differ in ability to facilitate low-till organic bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) production in a short-season growing environment
  • Field Crops Research (2016) 191: 91-100
• Morphological diversity in a barley composite cross-derived population evolved under low-input conditions and its relationship with molecular diversity: indications for breeding
  • The Journal of Agricultural Science (2016) 154: 943-959
• A Survey of Weed Management in Organic Small Grains and Forage Systems in the Northwest United States
  • Weed Science (2016) 64: 513-522

Crop Rotation

• In-Season and Carry-Over Effects of Cover Crops on Productivity and Weed Suppression
  • Agronomy Journal (2016) 108: 1624-1635
• Nitrogen Release Dynamics and Decomposition of Buried and Surface Cover Crop Residues
  • Agronomy Journal (2016) 108: 1735-1741

Pest Management

• Evolutionary changes of weed competitive traits in winter wheat composite cross populations in organic and conventional farming systems
  • European Journal of Agronomy (2016) 79: 23-30
• Living mulch cover crops for weed control in small-scale applications
  • Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems (2016) 31: 309-317

Livestock

• Investment behavior and status quo bias of conventional and organic hog farmers: An experimental approach
  • Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems (2016) 31: 318-329
• Survival of Bifidobacterium strains in organic fermented milk is improved as a result of membrane fatty acid composition
  • International Dairy Journal (2016) 61: 1-9

Ecology and Environment

• Spatial analysis of the participation in agri-environment measures for organic farming
  • Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems (2016) 31: 375-386

Post-harvest Handling, Storage and Processing

• Organics unpacked: The influence of packaging on the choice for organic fruits and vegetables
  • Food Quality and Preference (2016) 53: 90-96

Social Science

• Will work for food: agricultural interns, apprentices, volunteers, and the agrarian question
  • Agriculture and Human Values (2016) 33: 705-720

Marketing and Economics

• An empirical analysis of risk in conventional and organic arable farming in The Netherlands
  • European Journal of Agronomy (2016) 79: 131-141
• Product differentiation via corporate social responsibility: consumer priorities and the mediating role of food labels
  • Agriculture and Human Values (2016) 33: 597-609

Transition to Organic

• Cover crop and tillage intensities alter ground-dwelling arthropod communities during the transition to organic production
  • Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems (2016) 31: 361-374

News & Articles of Interest

• CombCut put to test in organic trial
  • OrganicBiz. 2016
• New Swedish machine slices problem weeds down to size
  • Alberta Farmer. 2016
• Organic equals conventional agriculture in the tropics [PDF - 306 kB]
  
  • FiBL. 2016
    
• Organic growers eager to try new trends, satisfy clients
  • The Western Producer. 2016
• Researchers Help Farmers Improve Soil Health with Green Manures
  • Organic Farming Research Foundation. 2016
• Sowing seeds amid uncertainty
  • The Globe and Mail. 2016

Courses

Certificate of Specialization in Organic Agriculture - Online Courses Offered in the Fall 2016 Semester

• Transition to Organic Agriculture
• Composting and Compost Use
• Principles of Organic Horticulture

Events