Organic Friends' E‑zine: February 2018

Photo of the Month(left to right): Andy Hammermeister – ACORN Conference seminar ‘Striking A Balance – Digging Deeper (I)’, November 2017 in Truro, NS

Molly Miska – Derek Lynch’s panel discussion on ‘Resilient Agriculture in the Face of Climate Change’ at the Guelph Organic Conference, January 2018 in Guelph, ON.

The winter months are important times in agriculture! They offer opportunities for us all to come together and connect with our community members, and get caught up on new and exciting information. It’s also a time to learn, share, and plan for the next growing season.

In this issue:

• Practical Resources
• Scientific Results
• Organic in Canada
• Courses
• Student, Job and Apprentice Opportunities
• Events

Practical Resources

Horticulture

• Melon Medley Organic Production Practices, Microbial Safety and Consumer Preference
  • eOrganic. 2018

Pest Management

• Robotic weeders. Coming to a farm near you?
  • OrganicBiz. 2018

Seed Production and Plant Breeding

• Organic Tomato Seed Production
  • eOrganic. 2018

Marketing and Economics

• A booming organic sector: more farmers, more land and a growing market
  • IFOAM. 2018

Scientific Results

Soils and Fertility

• Chapter Four - Improved Phosphorus Recycling in Organic Farming: Navigating Between Constraints
  • Advances in Agronomy (2018) 147:159-237
• Nitrous oxide emissions with organic crop production depends on fall soil moisture
  • Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment (2018) 254: 41-49
• Phosphorus availability on many organically managed farms in Europe
  • Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems (2018) 110:227-239

Horticulture

• Biostimulants from food processing by-products: agronomic, quality and metabolic impacts on organic tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.)
  • Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture (2017) 98:1426-1436

Field Crops

• Crop yield gap and stability in organic and conventional farming systems 
  • Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment (2018) 256:92-104

Crop Rotation

• Intercropping hampers the nocturnal biological control of aphids
  • Annals of Applied Biology (2017) 172:148-159

Pest Management

• Cool-Season Weed Control Using Ammonium Nonanoate and Cultivation in Organic Vidalia® Sweet Onion Production
  • Weed Technology (2017) 32:90-94
• Effects of 16-Year Woodchip Mulching on Weeds and Yield in Organic Farming
  • Agronomy Journal (2018) 110:359-368    
• Environmental Correlates with Germinable Weed Seedbanks on Organic Farms Across Northern New England
  • Weed Science (2018) 66:78-94
• Integrated Weed Management Strategies in Cover Crop—based, Organic Rotational No-Till Corn and Soybean in the Mid-Atlantic Region
  • Weed Science (2018) 66:94-108
• A Systems Comparison of Contrasting Organic Weed Management Strategies
  • Weed Science (2018) 66:109-120

Livestock

• Animal Board Invited Review: Comparing conventional and organic livestock production systems on different aspects of sustainability
  • Animal (2017) 11:1839-1851

Ecology and Environment

• Ecosystem services and disservices provided by small rodents in arable fields: Effects of local and landscape management 
  • Journal of Applied Ecology (2017) 55:548-558
• Nitrogen flows on organic and conventional dairy farms: a comparison of three indicators
  • Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems (2018) 110:25-38

Marketing and Economics

• How the interplay between consumer motivations and values influences organic food identity and behavior 
  • Food Policy (2018) 74:39-52

Organic in Canada

• Organic production systems: Aquaculture – General principles, management standards and permitted substances lists - [PDF - 1.3mB]
  
  • Standards Council of Canada. 2018
• Supporting the Growth of Canada’s Organic Sector
  • Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. 2018

Courses

Certificate of Specialization in Organic Agriculture - Online Courses Offered in the Winter 2018 Semester

• Key Indicators of Agroecosystem Sustainability
• Organic Crop Production on the Prairies
  (May not be offered in 2017-18)
  
• Organic Field Crop Management
• Organic Livestock Production
• Weed Control in Organic Agriculture

Student, Job and Apprentice Opportunities

• Events and Administration Assistant, Atlantic Canadian Organic Regional Network (ACORN)
  • Deadline to apply: March 1^st, 2018
• Fund Development Coordinator, Atlantic Canadian Organic Regional Network (ACORN)
  • Deadline to apply: March 29^th, 2018
• Organic Inspectors, Ecocert
• Special Project Assistant, Atlantic Canadian Organic Regional Network (ACORN)
  • Deadline to apply: April 20^th, 2018

Events