July 2011
Celebrating OACC's 10th Birthday!

Photo of the Month, by Carolyn Marshall
OACC staff celebrate OACC's Tenth Anniversary on July 12, 2011 with an organic birthday cake. OACC was founded in 2001 with a vision to serve Canada’s organic sector through science and education. OACC staff spent time acknowledging the many Advisory Board Members, farmers, students, staff, NSAC administrators, and research collaborators that have supported the OACC over the last 10 years. From left to right: Ralph Martin (Founding Director, retired), Karen Nelson, Cheryl Paris, Joanna MacKenzie, Margaret Savard and Andy Hammermeister (Director).

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.

• Newspaper Articles
• Extension Information
• Organic Standards and Regulations
• Courses
• Research Articles
• Market Information
• Animal Welfare

Newspaper Articles

• Organic Cereal Breeding in Western Canada
• Using cellulose sheeting to control pests and weeds in organic apple orchards
• Organic Strawberries and Raspberries: The Berry Best
• The Western Producer's Organic Matters Column:
  • Is the small, mixed farm a model for safer food production?
  • Organic producers learn about holistic management

Extension

About Organic

• Basics of Organic Seed Production (Organic Seed Alliance & eXtension)

Soils and Fertility

• Composting to Reduce Weed Seeds and Plant Pathogens (eXtension)
• Making and Using Compost for Organic Farming (eXtension)

Horticulture

• Orchard Management (OMAFRA)
  • Orchard design for the new apple orchard
  • Training the new apple tree
• Organic Strawberry Production (MOFGA)

Field Crops

• Soil Nutrient Management for Organic Grain Farms in Montana (Montana State University Extension) (PDF, 4.6MB)
• From Conventional to Organic Cropping: What to Expect During the Transition Years (Montana State University Extension)

Organic Standards and Regulations

• The latest amendments to the Canadian Organic Standards (June 2011) have been posted on the CGSB website. Please see the updated links below:
  • General Principles and Management Standards (CAN/CGSB-32.310-2006)
  • Permitted Substances Lists (CAN/CGSB-32.311-2006)
• Canada’s Organic Rules in Full Force (Canada Organic Trade Association)
• Canadian organic sector celebrates trade deal with Europe (Canada Organic Trade Association)

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

Horticulture

• Alfalfa-based Organic Amendment in Peat-compost Growing Medium for Organic Tomato Transplant Production
• Compost-based Nursery Substrates: Effect of Peat Substitution on Organic Melon Seedlings
• Control of Powdery Mildew in Organic Greenhouse Melon Cultivation
• The effects of farming system and fertilizers on pests and natural enemies: A synthesis of current research
• Evaluation of Zeolite as a Component in Organic Growing Substrates for Tomato Transplant Production
• Integrated Systems for the Production of Organic Greenhouse Tomatoes
• Issues Facing Organic Transplant Production in Europe

Field Crops

• Control of Common Bunt in Organic Wheat
• Effects of Seeding Rate and Poultry Litter on Weed Suppression from a Rolled Cereal Rye Cover Crop
• Impact of reduced tillage on soil organic carbon and nutrient budgets under organic farming
• Mycorrhizal colonization, P uptake and yield of older and modern wheats under organic management

Livestock

• Comparison of the Sensory Characteristics of Suckling Lamb Meat: Organic vs Conventional Production
• Lameness prevalence and risk factors in organic and non-organic dairy herds in the United Kingdom
• Are There Spatial Spillovers in the Adoption of Clean Technology? The Case of Organic Dairy Farming

Food & Health

• Effects of weed management practices on enteric pathogen transfer into lettuce
• Enterohaemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) – A problem not specific to sustainable agriculture
• Evaluation of the Micronutrient Composition of Plant Foods Produced by Organic and Conventional Agricultural Methods
• Review on the main differences between organic and conventional plant-based foods

Ecology & Environment

• Life cycle assessment of energy self-sufficiency systems based on agricultural residues for organic arable farms
• Life Cycle Energy and Greenhouse Gas Analysis of a Large-Scale Vertically Integrated Organic Dairy in the United States

Consumers

• Consumers’ willingness to pay for organic chicken breast: Evidence from choice experiment
• Gender and food, a study of attitudes in the USA towards organic, local, U.S. grown, and GM-free foods
• Organic food consumption in families with juvenile children
• Putting their money where their mouths are: Consumer willingness to pay for multi-ingredient, processed organic food products
• Understanding the Values and Beliefs of Canadian Organic Food Consumers

Social Science

• Organic Solutions? Gender and Organic Farming in the Age of Industrial Agriculture

Market Information

• Organic Food as an Emerging Market: Personal Determinants of Consumption, Supply, Governance and Retail Strategies
• Organic Production in the Netherlands

Animal Welfare

• Consumer preferences for organic and welfare labeled meat: A natural field experiment conducted in a high class restaurant.