August 2011

Photo of the Month, by Joanna MacKenzie
Visiting scientists from Denmark and across Canada visit the organic research plots and staff, technicians and students at the Nova Scotia Agricultural College. The research plots include those of the OACC as well as those of Dr. Derek Lynch, Canada Research Chair in Organic Agriculture at the NSAC.

In this issue:

Editor's Note: Organic practitioners may find the information presented in the Newspaper Articles and Extension Information sections to be the most easily accessible and applicable.

• A Note from OACC's Director
• Newspaper Articles
• Extension Information
• Student and Job Opportunities
• Courses
• Research Articles
• Market Information
• Animal Welfare
  
  

Newspaper Articles

• If at first you don't succeed, try, try again – Interpreting the Organic Standards
• Organic farming systems yield energy savings of 20% or more
• The Western Producer's Organic Matters Column:
  • Greater crop diversity builds resistance

Extension

About Organic

• Avoiding Spray Drift on Organic Farms (Manitoba)
• What is the Future for Organic Food? (OMAFRA)

Soils and Fertility

• Economics of Manure Application (OMAFRA)
• Fertility Management in Organic Crop Systems (Manitoba)
• Nutrient Value of Crop Residue (Manitoba)

Horticulture

• Characteristics of Conventional and Organic Apple Production in the United States (USDA)
• Entrust and Success Insect Control Products Granted Several New Minor Use Label Expansion Registrations (OMAFRA)
• Sustainable Production of Fresh-Market Tomatoes and Other Vegetables With Cover Crop Mulches (USDA)

Field Crops

• Buckwheat as a Cover Crop (OMAFRA)
• Cover Crops for Weed Management in Organic Systems (Manitoba)
• Fewer Aphids in Organic Crop Fields (Science Daily)
  • See the research abstract
• Growing Legume Crops for Nitrogen (Manitoba)
• Guidelines for Estimating Organic Crop Production Costs - 2009 (Manitoba) (PDF, 4.8MB)
• Insect and Disease Management in Organic Crop Systems (Manitoba)
• Organic Farming and Noxious Weeds (Manitoba)
• Using Cover Crops to Make the Best of Un-Seeded Acres (OMAFRA)
• Weed Management in Organic Crop Systems (Manitoba)

Livestock

• Guidelines for Estimating Organic Cow-Calf Production Costs (Manitoba) (PDF, 8.9MB)
• Guidelines for Estimating Organic Backgrounding Costs for Feeder Calves (Manitoba) (PDF, 7.5MB)
• Maintaining Healthy Pastures (Manitoba)
• Poultry Farms That Go Organic Have Significantly Fewer Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria (Science Daily)
  • See the research abstract

Student and Job Opportunities

• Assistant/Associate Professor - Organic Cropping Systems, Nova Scotia Agricultural College
• M.Sc. Opportunity: Assessment of Shellfish Sediments as Soil Amendment, Nova Scotia Agricultural College

Courses

Certificate of Specialization in Organic Agriculture, NSAC Distance Education

• Fall Semester 2011:
  • Transition to Organic Agriculture
  • Composting and Compost Use
  • Principles of Organic Horticulture
• Winter Semester 2012
  • Organic Field Crop Management
  • Organic Livestock Production

Research Articles

Soils and Fertility

• Assessing soil nitrogen availability in contrasting cropping systems at the end of transition to organic production
• Identifying and controlling critical sources of farm phosphorus imbalances for Vermont dairy farms

Horticulture

• Estimated nitrogen use efficiency, surplus, and partitioning in young apple trees grown in varied organic production systems
• Use of Organic Acids to Inactivate Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella Typhimurium, and Listeria monocytogenes on Organic Fresh Apples and Lettuce

Field Crops

• Adaptability to organic farming of lentil varieties developed from conventional breeding programmes
• Comparison of interconnections between barley breeding material traits under organic and conventional growing conditions
• Effects of input management and crop diversity on economic returns and riskiness of cropping systems in the semi-arid Canadian Prairie
• The influence of organic and conventional crop management, variety and year on the yield and flavonoid level in common buckwheat groats
• Organically Managed No-Tillage Rye–Soybean Systems: Agronomic, Economic, and Environmental Assessment
• Soybean Cultivar Response to Planting Date and Seeding Rate under Organic Management
• Weed seedbanks in arable fields: effects of management practices and surrounding landscape

Livestock

• Effect of breed on performance and meat quality of first parity sows in a seasonal organic rearing system
• Fatty acid content, vitamins and selenium in bulk tank milk from organic and conventional Swedish dairy herds during the indoor season
• Lower Prevalence of Antibiotic-resistant Enterococci On U.S. Conventional Poultry Farms That Transitioned to Organic Practices
• Reduced likelihood of bovine coronavirus and bovine respiratory syncytial virus infection on organic compared to conventional dairy farms
• Sensory profiles of breast meat from broilers reared in an organic niche production system and conventional standard broilers

Consumers

• Consumer preferences and willingness-to-pay for organic certification logos: Recommendations for actors in the organic sector
• The Irish organic food market: shortfalls, opportunities and the need for research

Social Science

• Cultivating Institutions: Organic Agriculture and Integrative Economic Choice

Market Information

• Genetics, Market Access and the Growth of Organic Agriculture
• Thomson Reuters-NPR Health Poll Finds More Than Half of Americans Prefer Organic Foods Over Conventional
  • Full report...

Animal Welfare

• Animal Welfare and Eggs – Cheap Talk or Money on the Counter?
• Review of wallowing in pigs: implications for animal welfare