Organic Friends' E‑zine: September 2016

Canada’s National Organic Week is just around the corner, running from September 17-25.  Make your plans to join the largest annual celebration of organic food, farming and products across the country.

In this issue:

• Practical Resources
• Scientific Results
• Organic in Canada
• News & Articles of Interest
• Courses
• Student, Job and Apprentice Opportunities
• Events

Practical Resources

General

• A WWOOF Guide: Living and Learning on Organic Farms - Your introduction to learning as a volunteer on an organic farm
  • LLOOF. 2016
• Living and Learning on Organic Farms Video Series
  • LLOOF. 2016

Field Crops

• Nutrient Density Comparison Between Organic and Conventionally Grown Oats
  • Rodale Institute. 2016

Crop Rotation

• Consider time when planting green manure mixes
  • OrganicBiz. 2016

Season Extension

• Utilization of compost tea produced from greenhouse wastewater

Scientific Results

• Commercial Crop Yields Reveal Strengths and Weaknesses for Organic Agriculture in the United States
  • PLoS ONE (2016) 11(8): e0161673

Soils and Fertility

• The impact of crop rotation on soil microbial diversity: A meta-analysis
  • Pedobiologia (2016) 59: 215-223
• A participative network of organic and conventional crop farms in the Seine Basin (France) for evaluating nitrate leaching and yield performance
  • Agricultural Systems (2016) 148: 105-113

Horticulture

• Blueberry—Soil interactions from an organic perspective
  • Scientia Horticulturae (2016) 208: 78-91
• The effect of some organic acid and plant-derived material treatments on the germination and emergence of lettuce
  • Organic Agriculture (2016) 6: 199-201
• Are Epiphytic Microbial Communities in the Carposphere of Ripening Grape Clusters (Vitis vinifera L.) Different between Conventional, Organic, and Biodynamic Grapes?
  • PLoS ONE (2016) 11(8): e0160852
• Fungus resistant grape varieties as a suitable alternative for organic wine production: Benefits, limits, and challenges
  • Scientia Horticulturae (2016) 208: 57-77
• Global situation for organic tree fruits
  • Scientia Horticulturae (2016) 208: 3-12
• Going beyond sprays and killing agents: Exclusion, sterilization and disruption for insect pest control in pome and stone fruit orchards
  • Scientia Horticulturae (2016) 208: 13-27
• Organic management of apple flea weevil, a reemergent pest of commercial apples
  • Organic Agriculture (2016) 6: 203-213
• The organic vineyard as a balanced ecosystem: Improved organic grape management and impacts on wine quality
  • Scientia Horticulturae (2016) 208: 43-56
• A review of optimal systems for organic production of blueberry and blackberry for fresh and processed markets in the northwestern United States
  • Scientia Horticulturae (2016) 208: 92-103
• Substrates and fertilizers for organic container production of herbs, vegetables, and herbaceous ornamental plants grown in greenhouses in the United States
  • Scientia Horticulturae (2016) 208: 111-119
• Suitability of old apple varieties in organic farming, based on their resistance against apple scab and powdery mildew
  • Organic Agriculture (2016) 6: 183-189

Crop Rotation

• Cover crops in organic field vegetable production
  • Scientia Horticulturae (2016) 208: 104-110
• Do green manures as winter cover crops impact the weediness and crop yield in an organic crop rotation?
  • Biological Agriculture & Horticulture (2016) 32

Pest Management

• Natural enemy impact on eggs of the invasive brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), in organic agroecosystems: A regional assessment
  • Biological Control (2016) 101: 39-51

Season Extension

• Maintaining soil health for crop production in organic greenhouses
  • Scientia Horticulturae (2016) 208: 120-130

Livestock

• Effect of an unusual source of methionine on the performance of organic chickens
  • Organic Agriculture (2016) 6: 191-197
• The effect of chopped, extruded and pelleted alfalfa silage on the egg quality of organic laying hens
  • Animal Feed Science and Technology (2016) 219: 94-101
• Helminth infection is associated with hen mortality in Danish organic egg production
  • Veterinary Record (2016) 179: 196
• Preferences for pig breeding goals among organic and conventional farmers in Sweden
  • Organic Agriculture (2016) 6: 171-182
• Use of different rooting materials to improve hygiene and to lower ammonia emission within the outdoor concrete area in organic growing finishing pig production
  • Livestock Science (2016) 191: 64-71

Ecology and Environment

• Environmental Impact of Organic Agriculture
  • Advances in Agronomy (2016) 139: 99-152

Nutrition, Safety and Health of Organic Foods

• Organic Wheat Farming Improves Grain Zinc Concentration
  • PLoS ONE (2016) 11(8): e0160729
• “Physiological quality” of organically grown vegetables
  • Scientia Horticulturae (2016) 208: 131-139

Social Science

• Typology of organic management styles in a cash-crop region using a multi-criteria method
  • Organic Agriculture (2016) 6: 155-169
• Workload on organic and conventional family farms in Switzerland
  • Organic Agriculture (2016) 6: 225-242

Marketing and Economics

• Consumers’ perception and expectations of local organic food supply chains
  • Organic Agriculture (2016) 6: 215-224

Organic in Canada

• Amendment to the Canadian Organic Standards
  All organic producers and processors are invited to comment on the proposed modifications before September 25, 2016 under a public review coordinated by the Canadian General Standards Board

News & Articles of Interest

• Intercropping: is two better than one? Which two?
  • The Western Producer. 2016
• Manitoba organic research hits major milestone
  • UM Today. 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

Student, Job and Apprentice Opportunities

• Organic Data Coordinator Internship with Canada Organic Trade Association

Events