Organic Even 8-7-09

Organic Even 8-7-09

August 7, 2009

Tours of organic farms August 20 near Mead and Abie will offer the latest updates and research information about the UNL Organic Working Group research and project. The tour starts at 10:30 a.m. at the Forestry Research Area at UNL's Agricultural Research and Development Center near Mead.followed by farm tours in the afternoon.

Speakers and Topics

Researching Organic Farming Practices in Nebraska

Nebraska ranks 7th in organic grain production and has the 10th largest acreage of organic crops in the U.S. Learn more about UNL's organic research on the Organic Working Group's Web site.

Morning Sessions 

  • Richard Little, UNL organic wheat breeding specialist, will review the 2009 winter wheat varieties
  • Santiago Ulloa, UNL graduate student, will demonstrate a weed flamer and discuss his research on using a flamer for weed control.
  • John Quinn, UNL graduate student, will discuss the Healthy Farm Index and the data he's collected on various organic farms across the state.
  • Liz Sarno, UNL organic project coordinator, will talk about upcoming organic research projects.

Afternoon Tours

  • The afternoon session will start at Larry Stanislav's farm near Abie for lunch and tours of his organic operation. Stanislav, a certified organic farmer, will share information from his 30 years of experimenting with various crop rotations, including: hybrid and open pollinated corn, soybeans, spring wheat, and cover crops/green manures. Participants also will view various field equipment for mechanical weed control in organic crops and discuss cultural practices, strip cropping, and record-keeping for organic production and inspection. 
  • The next stop will be Randy Fendrich's farm, also near Abie. Fendrich has been farming organically for 13 years. He will talk about his crop rotation of corn, soybeans, alfalfa, and the economics and benefits of his fertility program. He also will discuss his partnership with UNL's on-farm soil erosion research project and use of an experimental flamer to control weeds.

Reservations

To make a reservation for lunch call Pat at UNL's Haskell Agricultural Laboratory at (402) 584-3837. Lunch is sponsored by the Nebraska Great Plains Resource Conservation and Development. 

Location

To get to the Forestry Research Area, take Highway 77 north out of Lincoln toward Wahoo. Turn east on Highway 66 and travel 7 miles to the top of the hill, just past the August N. Christenson Research and Education Building at the ARDC. The entrance to the Forestry Research Area is on the left next to a row of trees. Take the farm road north one-half mile to the buildings on the left. If you're coming in from the north through Mead, take Road 10 south to Highway 66, turn west and go one-half mile to the gravel farm road on the right. Enter and go 0.5 mile north to the buildings in the center of the section.

IANR News Release

 

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