Progress 09/15/05 to 09/14/09
Outputs
OUTPUTS: The organic partnership in Michigan and the Upper Midwest was initiated in the fall of 2005 with an advisory group of 15. Representatives of the advisory group included organic and transitioning farmers producing vegetables and field crops, extension staff, researchers, and the Michigan Dept. of Ag. Two long-term systems trials were started, one focused on organic pest management strategies and biodiversity in vegetable systems (East Lansing, MI initiated 2005), and the other on nutrient management and sustainable production systems for organic field crops (KBS, initiated 1997, new phase 2005). Technologies being tested in the vegetable East Lansing trial included tomato-cucumber sole crops and polycrops, and the use of row covers in different combinations to provide control of cucumber beetles. Organic soil management and cover crops at different rates, integrated with compost were evaluated in terms of field and vegetable crop growth and yield. Outreach activities included four organic field days with workshops on soil quality and market development, and seven field days reached 450 people. At two of the field days evaluations were conducted and seventy percent of participants said the information would change their farming practice. A biweekly conference call supported organic farmers and farmers interested in transitioning to organic. The call was linked to a website, the New Agriculture Network (NAN) which has had over 200,000 hits, and is linked to over a 100 sites. Farmers (15) participate regularly in NAN, including organic, transitioning field crop and vegetable producers across the upper Midwest; and 10 specialists and four state leaders. A new listserve was started as a sounding board and information exchange for organic farmers (see www.michiganorganic.msu.edu). Expanded educational programming for organic production was conducted at the Great Lakes Expo in 2006, 2007 and 2008. The key role of marketing channels as drivers of organic transition is recognized by this project, and was recently documented in a report, see (www.msu.edu/bingen/CommFoodAgPage.htm). An interview guide was developed and 29 farmers surveyed during two rounds of interviews. Results were discussed with growers and used to design retail and wholesale market surveys. Semi-structured telephone interviews with 112 fresh produce wholesalers and merchants with businesses in Michigan were carried out and qualitative analysis undertaken. The survey documented that the major challenges to intermediaries sourcing local and organic produce from Midwestern farms were the short and variable growing season, and the perceived high potential for pest damage. Supported by this project, curriculum for organic market gardening and a sustainable agriculture and food systems undergraduate specializaiton was approved. A participatory learning approach with farm visits and experiential internships provide hands on experience. This complements a curriculum that presents organic farming principles an Organic certification training materials were developed, presented and farmers are using this information to certify their ground. PARTICIPANTS: Sieg Snapp - Coordinator of the project. Dale Mutch - Lead on Field Crop research and extension supporting organic and transitioning farmers Mathieu Ngouajio- Lead on Vegetable research supporting organic farmers Vicki Morrone - Lead extension educator for organic vegetable and field crop farmers John Biernbaum - Lead on teaching organic curriculum Jim Bingen - Lead on organic farmer marketing systems TARGET AUDIENCES: Transitioning and certified organic farmers in Michigan and the upper Midwest, and educators that serve this audience PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
There are unique challenges to growing and marketing organic in the Midwest, where a risky climate and undeveloped markets act as barriers. Our interdisciplinary project involved social and biological dimensions of organic production and supported new farmers certifying as organic. The project provided expanded educational programs at MSU in organic market gardening and farming. A new organic research reporting session was initiated in conjunction with the Michigan Organic Conference held each spring, where over twenty faculty and extension educators and two farmers have presented, with about 75 attendees each year. Sixteen students graduated from the new organic certificate program at MSU. In addition trainings were conducted on certification - which means that more farmers are starting the organic transition process. We documented barriers to intermediaries sourcing local and organic produce from Midwestern farms (short and variable growing season, and the perceived high potential for pest damage), while developing innovative organic production approaches to address these challenges. We found that biodiversity can provide buffered, pest-resilience, including organic polyculture (intercropped tomatoes and cumbers), row covers and judicious combinations of compost and cover in soybean row crop systems to address weed and nutrient limitations. Overall our team approach is helping Michigan farms stay economically viable, with more organic production to supply organic markets throughout the Midwest, and these in turn will provide more opportunities for farmers. Forty presentations have been made on project findings at Michigan, Midwest (Illinois, Iowa and Ohio) and Upper Midwest farm conferences, including the MOSES Organic Farming Conference in LaCrosse Wisconsin, and the Great Lakes Expo where organic programming has been markedly expanded.
Publications
- Bird, G. W., M. Grieshop, P. Hepperly and J. Moyer. 2009. Climbing Mt. Organic: An Ecosystem Approach to Pest Management (pp. 191-208) in Organic Farming: The Ecological System, C. Francis (ed). Agronomy Monograph No. 54. ASA/CSSA/SSA/ASF Publishing. Madison, WI. 353 pp.
- Martinez, L., Jim Bingen, David Conner. 2009. Handlers Perspectives on Sourcing Organic Produce from Michigan and the Great Lakes Region. Choices. 24:3. http://www.choicesmagazine.org/magazine/article.phparticle=88.
- Martinez, L. David Conner, Jim Bingen. 2009. Great Lakes Organic Produce in Wholesale and Retail Grocery Markets: Opportunities and Challenges from Michigan. Journal of Food Distribution Research. 15,1: 118-122.
- Morrone, V.L. 2009. Transitioning to Certified Organic in Michigan: Where to start MSU Extension Bulletin 3067
- Osborne, C.. 2009. Getting to Organic: Profiles of How Michigan Farmers Made Their Transition to Organic Agriculture. Michigan Organic Food and Farming Association (MOFFA). August 2008. Working paper.
- Nair, A. and M. Ngouajio. 2009. Cover Crop, Nutrient Amendment, and Crop Cultivar Affect Organic Cucumber and Tomato Production Systems in the Great Lakes Region. HortScience 44:1039-1040. Abstract
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Progress 09/15/07 to 09/14/08
Outputs
OUTPUTS: The organic partnership in Michigan and the Upper Midwest has grown rapidly since initiated in the fall of 2005 with an advisory group of 15. Representatives of the advisory group include organic and transitioning farmers producing vegetables and field crops, extension staff, researchers, and the Michigan Dept. of Ag. Two long-term systems trials were started, one focuses on organic pest management strategies and biodiversity in vegetable systems (East Lansing, MI initiated 2005), and the other on nutrient management and sustainable production systems for organic field crops (KBS, SW MI initiated 1997, new phase 2005). Technologies being tested in the vegetable trial include tomato-cucumber sole crops and polycrops, and the use of row covers in different combinations to provide control of cucumber beetles. Organic soil management and cover crops at different rates, integrated with compost are being evaluated in terms of field and vegetable crop growth and yield. Outreach activities so far have included four organic field days with workshops on soil quality and market development, and seven field days reached 450 people. At two of the field days evaluations were conducted and seventy percent of participants said the information would change their farming practice. A biweekly conference call supporting organic farmers transitioning is linked to a website, the New Agriculture Network (NAN) with 100,000+ hits, further linked to over a 100 sites. Farmers (15) participate regularly including organic, transitioning field crop and vegetable producers and 10 specialists. A new listserve was started as a sounding board and information exchange for organic farmers (see www.michiganorganic.msu.edu). Expanded educational programming for organic production was conducted at the Great Lakes Expo in 2006, 2007 and 2008. Marketing channels as drivers of organic transition were documented in a report on a survey of 29 farmers, and subsequent interviews documenting market perspectives. Results were discussed with growers and used to design retail and wholesale market surveys. Semi-structured telephone interviews conducted with 112 fresh produce wholesalers and merchants. Supporting project hypotheses about risk factors, the survey documented that the major challenges to intermediaries sourcing local and organic produce from Midwestern farms were the short and variable growing season, and perceived high potential for pest damage. A barrier is that some larger-scale producers do not accept organic as a viable alternative. Students are signing up with enthusiasm and a new generation of organic farmers is being nurtured by our project through a new Organic Farming certificate program in the department of Horticulture at MSU. Supported by this project, the curriculum was approved, and the program initiated with 7 full time students in 2007 and 12 in 2008. Participatory learning addresses organic farming principles and practice, and unique courses such as marketing, greenhouse organic production and the experiential Study A Farm. Further, organic certification training materials were developed and farmers are using this information to certify ground. PARTICIPANTS: Participants in the project beyond the team of researchers and extension educators listed above, guided by farmer input and representatives from the following groups. Great Lakes Fruits, Vegetables, and Farm Marketing EXPO in Grand Rapids Michigan. Michigan's Organic Research Reporting Session, Michigan Organic Conference, MOFFA Organic & Alternative Vegetable Farming Workshops through MSUExtension Vegetable and Field Crop AoE Team members at MSU Land O'Lakes Herbuck Organic Poultry Production, Grand Rapids, MI MOSES Organic Farming Conference, LaCrosse Wisconsin TARGET AUDIENCES: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
There are unique challenges to growing and marketing organic in the Midwest, where a risky climate and undeveloped markets act as barriers. Integrated development in four project areas addresses the social and biological dimensions of supporting organic production and farmers, including greatly expanded educational programs at MSU. A new organic research reporting session has been initiated in conjunction with the Michigan Organic Conference held each spring, twenty faculty and extension educators and two farmers presented, with about 75 attendees. Twenty-two students have graduated from the new organic certificate program at MSU, and 13 courses have been developed which are used for farmer training and curriculum. Four farmers have transitioned towards to organic certification for tomato, cucumber and vegetable production working with the project, and 40 trainings were conducted on certification, marketing and organic greenhouse production - which means that more farmers are starting the organic transition process. We documented barriers to intermediaries sourcing local and organic produce from Midwestern farms (short and variable growing season, and the perceived high potential for pest damage), while developing innovative organic production approaches to address these challenges. We found that biodiversity can provide buffered, pest-resilience, including organic polyculture (intercropped tomatoes and cumbers), row covers and judicious combinations of compost and cover in soybean row crop systems to address weed and nutrient limitations. Overall our team approach is helping Michigan farms stay economically viable, with more organic production to supply organic markets throughout the Midwest, and these in turn will provide more opportunities for farmers. Forty presentations have been made on project findings at Michigan, Midwest (Illinois, Iowa and Ohio) and Upper Midwest farm conferences, including the MOSES Organic Farming Conference in LaCrosse Wisconsin, and the Great Lakes Expo where organic programming has been markedly expanded.
Publications
- Nair, A., M. Ngouajio, and J. Biernbaum. 2008. Characterizing the Contribution of Bradfield Organics (Tasty Tomato TM 3-3-3) in Growing Media for Organic Transplant Production of Tomato. Research Report presented to Land O'Lakes Purina Feed, LLC 22P.
- Snapp, S.S. and B. Pound Eds. 2008. Agricultural Systems: Agroecology and Rural Innovation for Development. Academic Press. 380 pp.
- Mutch, D. S.A. Thalman, T. Martin and D. Baas. 2008 Flaming as a Method of Weed Control in Organic Farming Systems MSU Extension bulletin E-3038 http://www.emdc.msue.msu.edu/Bulletin/PDF/E3038.pdf
- Baributsa, D N, E F Foster, K D Thelen, D. Mutch and M. Ngouajio. 2008. Corn and Cover Crop Response to Corn Density in an Interseeding System. Agron J 100, no. 4: 981-987.
- Bingen, Jim, Carol Osborne, Emily Reardon. 2007. Organic Agriculture in Michigan. 2006 Survey Report. East Lansing: MSU and MOFFA. https://www.msu.edu/~bingen/CommFoodAgPage.htm
- Morrone, V.L. 2008. Transitioning to Certified Organic in Michigan: Where to start MSU Extension Bulletin 3067
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Progress 09/15/06 to 09/14/07
Outputs
OUTPUTS: The organic partnership for Michigan and the Upper Midwest is growing rapidly in the second year of the grant. An advisory group of 15 is meeting frequently to plan and oversee activities, with representatives from organic and transitioning farmers, extension staff, researchers, and the Michigan Dept. of Ag. Long-term systems trials focus on organic pest management strategies and biodiversity in vegetable systems (East Lansing, MI initiated 2005), and nutrient management and sustainable production in organic field crops (KBS, SW MI initiated 1997, new phase 2005). The intercrops and row covers when combined provide control of cucumber beetles, while organic soil management and cover crops promote crop growth and yield. Outreach activities included two organic field days with workshops on soil quality and market development, and six field days reached 325 people. Seventy percent of participants said the information would change their farming practice. A biweekly conference
call supporting organic farmers transitioning is linked to a website, the New Agriculture Network (NAN) with 100,000+ hits, now linked to 90 sites. Farmers (15) participated regularly in NAN, including organic, transitioning field crop and vegetable producers across the upper Midwest; and 10 specialists and four state leaders. A new listserv was started as a sounding board and information exchange. Expanded educational programming for organic production was conducted at the Great Lakes Expo in 2006 and 2007. The key role of marketing channels as drivers of organic transition is recognized by this project. An interview guide was developed and 29 farmers surveyed during two rounds of interviews. Results were discussed with growers and used to design retail and wholesale market surveys. Semi-structured telephone interviews with 112 fresh produce wholesalers and merchants with businesses in Michigan were carried out and qualitative analysis undertaken. Supporting project hypotheses about
risk factors, the survey documented that the major challenges to intermediaries sourcing local and organic produce from Midwestern farms were the short and variable growing season, and the perceived high potential for pest damage. Further, many larger-scale producers still do not accept organic as a viable alternative that could enhance their livelihoods. Despite the marketing challenges organic production faces, students are signing up with enthusiasm and a new generation of organic farmers is being nurtured by our project through a new Organic Farming certificate program in the department of Horticulture at MSU. Supported by this project, the curriculum was approved, and the program initiated with 7 full time students in 2007 and 15 enrolled for 2008. Participatory learning addresses organic farming principles and practice, and unique courses such as passive solar greenhouse organic production and the experiential Study A Farm. Further, organic certification training materials were
developed and farmers are using this information to certify ground.
PARTICIPANTS: Graduate and post-graduate training has been conducted as part of this project, including support for two thesis and one post-doc in organic vegetable production. Extension educators have participated in training about organic certification sponsored by this project. Jim Bingen (Professor, lead on the marketing component) visited organic research and extension projects in Eastern Europe, providing new perspectives to our organic partners team.
TARGET AUDIENCES: Six field days were conducted, reaching 325 people. A survey documented that seventy percent of participants said the information would change their farming practices in the future. The New Ag Network (NAN) has 92 sites linking to the web page and 352 people subscribed to the listserve. Over the past four years 190 articles on organic agriculture and management practices for alternative farmers of the upper Midwest have been published. Twenty presentations have been made on project findings by organic partners at Michigan and Upper Midwest farm conferences, including the Great Lakes Expo where organic programming has been markedly expanded
Impacts
There are unique challenges to growing and marketing organic in the Midwest, where a risky climate and undeveloped markets act as barriers. Integrated development in four project areas addresses the social and biological dimensions of developing appropriate risk mitigation systems and educational programs. Seven students have graduated from the organic certificate program at MSU, and in addition four new farmers transitioned towards to organic certification for tomato, cucumber and vegetable production working with the project, and trainings were conducted on certification - which means that more farmers are starting the organic transition process. We documented barriers to intermediaries sourcing local and organic produce from Midwestern farms (short and variable growing season, and the perceived high potential for pest damage), while developing innovative organic production approaches to address these challenges. We found that biodiversity can provide buffered,
pest-resilience, including organic polyculture (intercropped tomatoes and cumbers), row covers and judicious combinations of compost and cover in soybean row crop systems to address weed and nutrient limitations. Overall our team approach is helping Michigan farms stay economically viable, with more organic production to supply organic markets throughout the Midwest, and these in turn will provide more opportunities for farmers.
Publications
- Mutch, D.R., Thalmann, S.A., Martin, T.E. and Baas, D.G. 2007. Flaming as a method of weed control in organic farming systems. MSUE Bulletin
- Bingen, J., Osborne, C. and Reardon, E. 2007. Organic agriculture in Michigan. 2006 Survey Report. East Lansing, MI. Michigan State University and MOFFA.
- DeLind, L.B. and Bingen, J. 2007. Be careful what you wish for: Democratic challenges and political opportunities for the Michigan organic community. Culture and Agriculture 27:131-143.
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Progress 09/15/05 to 09/15/06
Outputs
The organic partnership for Michigan and the Upper Midwest has started strong, with considerable progress in the first year of the grant. An advisory group was formed of farmers (vegetable and field crop, transitioning and certified), extension staff, researchers, a representative of the Michigan Department of Agriculture and a produce marketer. The group met three times to develop priorities, plan activities and review progress. The four project areas were developed in a participatory manner: organic research on vegetable and field crops, curriculum, marketing and outreach. To support current organic farmers, two long-term research trials are underway on the East Lansing farms and at the W.K. Kellogg Biological station. The research trials focus on organic pest management strategies and biodiversity in vegetable systems (initiated 2005), and nutrient management and productivity in field crop systems (initiated 2000). Nematodes, cucumber beetles and aphid dynamics
were monitored in soybeans, cucumbers and tomatoes, to improve understanding of organic integrated pest management strategies. Soil nutrient dynamics, organic input management and transitioning strategies were evaluated in row crops. Outreach activities include three farm tours with over 100 people and over 60,000 hits to the New Agriculture Network (NAN) website. The NAN website is linked to biweekly conference calls with participants from 4 states and seeks to integrate on-farm concerns to research and extension. Farmers (15) participated regularly in NAN, including organic, transitioning field crop and vegetable producers; 10 specialists and four state leaders were on each call. A new listserv was started as a sounding board and information exchange for organic farmers, educators, researchers, and those considering transitioning to organic. An organic soil and market building field day with workshops involved over 90 farmers and agricultural entrepreneurs through a collaborative
effort of MSU and family businesses that produce compost and sell farming equipment. Expanded educational programming for organic production will be conducted at the Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable and Farm Market 2006 Expo. The key role of marketing channels as drivers of organic transition is recognized by this project. An interview guide was developed and 29 farmers surveyed in-depth; results will discussed with growers and are being used to design retail and wholesale market surveys. The next generation of organic farmers is nurtured by this project through a new Organic Farming certificate program in the department of Horticulture. The curriculum for the program was revised and approved at MSU, supported by a project-sponsored academic specialist for curriculum development. Ten students have been accepted to date in this new program. Participatory learning is integrated in the program, which includes organic farming principles and practice, and unique courses such as passive solar
greenhouse organic production. Organic certification was supported by the project through development of training materials, and farmers are using this information to certify ground for the first time.
Impacts
There are unique challenges to growing and marketing organic in the Midwest. Integrated development in four project areas addresses the social and biological dimensions of developing new organic systems. This includes organic production research, farming curriculum, marketing channel analysis and innovative outreach. During the project's first year, six new acres of organic certified ground for tomato and cucumber production on two farms were established, and with new certification training materials more farmers are starting the transition process. This means that more Michigan farms will stay economically viable, more organic production will supply expanding organic markets throughout the Midwest, and these in turn will provide more opportunities for farmers. Outreach activities included a field day with workshops on soil quality and market development, and three farm tours reaching over 200 people. Over 60,000 hits occurred at the New Agriculture Network (NAN)
website in 2006. This project-supported site links together farmers, educators and researchers from four Upper Midwest states to support organic and sustainable farmers of field crops and vegetables. The next generation of organic farmers is also being supported through the approval by Michigan State University of a new Organic Farming certificate program in the department of Horticulture. Ten students have already been accepted into the program which will start in 2007.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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