Organic Friends' E‑zine: August 2017

This month, OACC is profiling Canadian Organic Growers. Read on below for more information about this wonderful national organic organization and the work that they do.

Canadian Organic Growers (COG) has been standing up for organics for over 40 years by providing uniquely Canadian organic educational resources and by publishing the Canadian Organic Grower magazine – Canada’s Organic Farming and Gardening Magazine.  COG also increases organic awareness by engaging its members and donors on issues important to the organic sector and using their feedback to inform government policy.  COG’s members and donors are comprised of farmers, processors, market gardeners, backyard gardeners, consumers, educators and researchers from all across Canada.

This fall marks the second annual Stand up for Organics campaign to raise money for its educational and awareness programs.  To make a donation to COG that is eligible for a charitable tax receipt, please click here.  To sign up for COG's free newsletter and follow COG in action, please click here.

In this issue:

• Organic Science Cluster II
  
• Practical Resources
• Scientific Results
• Organic in Canada
• Courses
• Events

Organic Science Cluster II

Latest News and Results

Theme C. Crop Pests

• Assessment of biofumigation for weed control in organic agriculture [PDF - 4.9 MB]
  • Presented at the 2nd Canadian Organic Science Conference. 2016
• Impact of Silicon Amendments on Strawberry Powdery Mildew Control in Poly-tunnel and Field Productions [PDF - 6.1 MB]
  
  • Presented at the 2nd Canadian Organic Science Conference. 2016
• Preharvest ultraviolet-C irradiation: Influence on physicochemical parameters associated with strawberry fruit quality
  • Plant Physiology and Biochemistry (2016) 108: 337-343

Theme D. Livestock

• Characterization of Pilot Scale Processed Canadian Organic Cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon) and Blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium) Juice Pressing Residues and Phenolic-Enriched Extractives
  • International Journal of Fruit Science (2017) 2: 202-232
• How much can different aspects of dairy cow welfare be improved by providing yearlong exercise to dairy cows kept in tie-stalls? [PDF - 1.8 MB]
  • Presented at the 2nd Canadian Organic Science Conference. 2016
• Non-antibiotic approaches at drying-off for treating and preventing intramammary infections: a protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis
  • Animal Health Research Reviews (2016) 17: 169-175
• Plant bioactive products and Internal and external parasite control in dairy production [PDF - 3.3 MB]
  • Presented at the 2nd Canadian Organic Science Conference. 2016
• Potential immunomodulatory effects of non-dialyzable materials of cranberry extract in poultry production
  • Poultry Science (2017) 96: 341-350
• Potential of berry extracts to control foodborne pathogens
  • Food Control (2017) 73: 650-662
• A systematic review of non-antimicrobial treatments of clinical mastitis in dairy cows [PDF - 1.2 MB]
  • Presented at the 2nd Canadian Organic Science Conference. 2016
• Technical note: Assessing lameness in tie-stalls using live stall lameness scoring
  • Journal of Dairy Science (2017) 100: 6577-6582

Practical Resources

Pest Management

• Video: Identifying Syrphid Fly Larvae: Important Beneficial Insects in Controlling Aphids
  • eOrganic. 2017

Seed Production and Plant Breeding

• Organic Seed Production Webinar Series: Diseases and Pests
  • Organic Seed Alliance and eOrganic. 2017

Scientific Results

Soils and Fertility

• The challenge of imbalanced nutrient flows in organic farming systems: A study of organic greenhouses in Southern Germany
  • Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment (2017) 244: 1-13
• Organic farming enhances soil microbial abundance and activity—A meta-analysis and meta-regression
  • PLoS ONE (2017) 12(7): e0180442
• Vegetative composition, AMF root colonization, and biological N fixation distinguish organic and conventional perennial forage systems
  • Agronomy Journal (2017) 109: 1697-1706

Horticulture

• Fall-sown cover crops as mulches for weed suppression in organic small-scale diversified vegetable production
  • Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems (2017) 32: 349-357
• Northern Highbush Blueberry Cultivars Differed in Yield and Fruit Quality in Two Organic Production Systems from Planting to Maturity
  • HortScience (2017) 52: 844-851

Field Crops

• Cover Crop-Based, Organic Rotational No-Till Corn and Soybean Production Systems in the Mid-Atlantic United States
  • Agriculture (2017) 7(4): 34
• Crop sequence and in-season nitrogen (N) application effects on organic winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) yield and quality
  • Biological Agriculture & Horticulture (2017) 33
• Effects of crop inputs, diversity, environment, and terrain on yield in an 18-yr study in the semi-arid Canadian Prairies
  • Canadian Journal of Plant Science (2017) 97: 715-730
• Management Options for Organic Winter Wheat Production under Climate Change
  • Organic Farming (2016) 2 (1)
• Organic Agriculture and the Quest for the Holy Grail in Water-Limited Ecosystems: Managing Weeds and Reducing Tillage Intensity
  • Agriculture (2017) 7(4): 33
• Organic No-Till Systems in Eastern Canada: A Review
  • Agriculture (2017) 7(4): 36
• The role of pollinators, pests and different yield components for organic and conventional white clover seed yields
  • Field Crops Research (2017) 210: 1-8
• Weed Control Using Conventional Tillage, Reduced Tillage, No-Tillage, and Cover Crops in Organic Soybean
  • Agriculture (2017) 7(5): 43

Crop Rotation

• A Decade of Progress in Organic Cover Crop-Based Reduced Tillage Practices in the Upper Midwestern USA
  • Agriculture (2017) 7(5): 44
• Hairy Vetch Biomass across the Eastern United States: Effects of Latitude, Seeding Rate and Date, and Termination Timing
  • Agronomy Journal (2017) 109: 1510-1519
• Organic and conventional farmers differ in their perspectives on cover crop use and breeding
  • Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems (2017) 32: 376-385
• Overview of Organic Cover Crop-Based No-Tillage Technique in Europe: Farmers’ Practices and Research Challenges
  • Agriculture (2017) 7(5): 42

Livestock

• Comparing the effect of homogenization and heat processing on the properties and in vitro digestion of milk from organic and conventional dairy herds
  • Journal of Dairy Science (2017) 100: 6042-6052
• Effect of organic grass-clover silage on fiber digestion in dairy cows
  • Animal (2017) 11: 1000-1007
• Feather-pecking and injurious pecking in organic laying hens in 107 flocks from eight European countries
  • Animal Welfare (2017) 26: 355-363
• Impact of cow strain and concentrate supplementation on grazing behaviour, milk yield and metabolic state of dairy cows in an organic pasture-based feeding system
  • Animal (2017) 11: 1163-1173

Ecology and Environment

• Carbon footprints and land use of conventional and organic diets in Germany
  • Journal of Cleaner Production (2017) 161: 127-142

Social Science

• Participatory organic research in the USA and Italy: Across a continuum of farmer–researcher partnerships
  • Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems (2017) 32: 331-348

Marketing and Economics

• Are beliefs stronger than taste? A field experiment on organic and local apples
  • Food Quality and Preference (2017) 61: 55-62

Organic in Canada

• The State of Organics: Federal-Provincial-Territorial Performance Report 2017 [PDF - 5.5 MB]
  • Canada Organic Trade Association. 2017

Courses

Certificate of Specialization in Organic Agriculture - Online Courses Offered in the Fall 2017 Semester

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

Events