Transcript Principles of Organic Farming Systems and Natural Resource

Principles of Organic Farming
Systems and Natural Resource
Conservation
Common Goals: early 20th Century
Organic Farming
Conservation
Agricultural pioneers
developed organic farming
systems to restore soil
productivity, seed quality,
crop vigor, and livestock
health.
USDA Soil Conservation
Service was founded to
help farmers stop the
devastating soil and crop
losses in the 1930s Dust
Bowl.
 National Organic
Program
 Natural Resources
Conservation Service
Our Common Goal
Change this:
…
to this:
Years of poor soil management
can lead to severe erosion (left).
Rotation of annual and perennial
crops in contour strips, and
sufficient organic inputs keep
sloping fields healthy (above).
Definition of Organic Production
A production system that is managed … to
respond to site-specific conditions by
integrating cultural, biological and
mechanical practices that foster cycling of
resources, promote ecological balance, and
conserve biodiversity.
NOP Final Rule, part 205.2
Site-specific: understand each farm as
a unique individual, considering:
• Soil – texture, type, condition
• Climate – temperature, rainfall, frost dates
• Crops, livestock, production system
• Wildilfe, beneficials, pests
• Farmer objectives and market needs
Integrated practices:
multiple tactics for each goal
Weeds are managed
by:
• Crop rotation
• Cover cropping
• Optimum crop and
nutrient management
• Timely cultivation
• Mulching
Plastic mulch with in-row drip
irrigation, and timely cultivation
followed by hay mulch in alleys
controlled weeds in this
vigorous pepper crop.
Integrated practices:
multifunctional components
Cover Crops:
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Prevent erosion.
Add organic matter.
Fix N (legumes).
Take up surplus N
(grasses).
• Suppress weeds.
A cover crop of sorghumsudangrass and sunnhemp in
a field trial at Virginia Tech’s
Kentland Agricultural Research
Farm.
Cycling of Resources
Recycle fertility resources
on the farm:
• Cover crops and green
manures
• Animal manures
• Other on-farm residues
• Deep-rooted crops
• Prevent nutrient loss
via runoff and erosion
This cover crop of crimson
clover and winter barley fixes
N, retrieves subsoil nutrients,
and prevents soil erosion.
Ecological Balance
• Maintain a healthy, living soil.
• Provide enough NPK – but not too much.
• Use cultural and biological pest controls.
• Utilize least-toxic pest sprays when needed.
• Evaluate off-farm impacts of all practices.
Biodiversity
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Crops
Livestock
Insect life
Native
vegetation
• Wildlife habitat
• Soil life
This “farmscape” planting of mixed
flowering plants attracted a diversity
of beneficial insects that controlled
pests in nearby organic vegetable
plots at Virginia Tech’s research farm.
Livestock in Integrated Systems
• Manure provides crop
nutrients.
• Rotation to perennial
forage rests soil after
intensive annual crop
production.
• Grazing reduces weeds
and crop diseases.
• Crop residues and culls
provide livestock fodder.
Sound rotational grazing can
improve pasture and restore
soil quality and fertility for
future crop production.
Some Key Conservation Practices
for Organic Farmers
• Nutrient Management – code 590
budget N and P, prevent water pollution
• Pest Management – code 595
minimize negative impacts on soil, water, air
• Conservation Crop Rotation – code 328
minimize erosion, improve soil, manage pests
• Cover Crop – code 340
reduce erosion, build OM, manage nutrients
NOP Rule: Soil fertility and crop
nutrient management practice standard
Maintain or improve the physical, chemical and
biological condition of soil and minimize erosion.
Manage crop nutrients and soil fertility through
rotations, cover crops, and the application of
plant and animal materials.
from Section 205.203
NOP Rule: Crop pest, weed, and
disease management practice standard
Use management practices to prevent crop pests,
weeds, and diseases, including:
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Crop rotation and nutrient management
Sanitation
Cultural practices that enhance crop health
Habitat for natural enemies of pests
Augmentation or introduction of predators or
parasites of pests
from Section 205.206
Nutrient Management:
the Organic Approach
• Based on soil life:
“feed the soil, and the
soil will feed the
crop.”
• Legumes for N
• Slow-release organic
fertilizers as
supplements
• Less emphasis on
soluble fertilizers
Sweetclover feeds the soil
life, adds N, makes P
more available, recovers
leached nutrients.
Nutrient Management: Organic
Horticulture Challenges
• Difficult to do
precise nutrient
budgeting
• N requirements of
vegetable crops
• N and P balance
Spring broccoli requires
150 lb N/ac within 60-70 days
after planting.
Pest Management:
the Organic Approach
• Preventive practices (e.g.,
sanitation, crop rotation)
• Biologically based – uses
natural enemies of pests.
• Non-use of synthetic
pesticides protects water
and wildlife.
• NOP-allowed pest control
materials only if needed.
Mixed flowers provide
habitat for beneficial
insects at this farm
in southwest Virginia.
Pest Management – Organic
Horticulture Challenges
• Diseases and some
insect pests difficult to
control organically
• Tillage and cultivation
for weed control –
impact on soil quality
Crop Rotation: Organic Options
• No herbicide
residues to limit
rotation sequences.
• Organic farming
systems are often
highly diverse.
• Crop–livestock
integration widens
rotation options.
An eight-year rotation of
eight vegetable and seven
cover crops at an organic
farm in Vermont.
Conservation Crop Rotation :
Organic Horticulture Challenges
• Most vegetable crops
leave little residue.
• Conservation rotation
may entail income
foregone.
• Complex crop mix
requires flexibility.
• Sandy soils and warm
climates burn up
organic matter.
Cover Crops: an Organic Advantage
Because herbicides
are not used for
weed control, cover
crop options are not
restricted by
herbicide carryover.
Alsike clover overseeded into
wheat and allowed to grow after
grain harvest at the Rodale
Farming Systems Trial.
Cover Crops:
Organic Horticulture Challenges
• NOP requires organic
seed if available.
• Tight rotations limit
cover crop niches.
• Cover cropping may
entail foregone income.
• Sandy soils and warm
climates burn up cover
crop residues quickly.
Organic Certification and the
USDA National Organic Program
An Overview
Purpose of Organic Certification
To maintain the integrity of “organic” and
assures the buyer that products were grown and
handled using organic practices that:
•Protect soil, water, and other resources.
•Exclude synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.
•Protect products from prohibited materials.
•Provide humane conditions for livestock.
USDA National Organic Program (NOP)
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First implemented in 2002
Uniform Organic Practice Standards
National List of allowed & prohibited materials
Accreditation of state and private certifiers
National Organic Standards Board (NOSB):
– Reviews new products
– Recommends amendments to Standards
What makes a farm “Organic”?
• Production and handling standards outlined in
NOP Final Rule
• Organic System Plan
• Use of only allowed substances
o No prohibited substances for past 3 years
• Verification through:
o Certification by USDA accredited body
o Annual on-site inspection
o Record keeping
How a Farmer becomes Certified Organic
• Farmer chooses a Certifying Agent.
• Farmer submits completed application to Certifier.
o Includes Organic System Plan.
• Inspector reviews application, inspects farm.
• Inspector conducts exit interview.
• Certifier makes decision.
Organic System Plan
• Crops & livestock to be certified organic
• Seeds and seedlings
• Soil fertility management and inputs
• Crop rotation
• Weed, pest and disease management,
materials to be used, and justification
• Adjoining land use, buffers
“Can I use this product
on my organic farm?”
• National List at
http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/nop
• Organic Materials Review Institute listing at
http://www.omri.org
o Generic product and Brand name listings
o Allowed, Restricted or Prohibited
• If still unclear, farmer should consult Certifier.
Materials Allowed for Use in Certified
Organic Production
Substances are classified as:
• Allowed – most naturally occurring materials
• Restricted – allowed under certain conditions
• Prohibited – most synthetic materials
This is a general guideline only!
Producer should verify status of each material
before first use.
Examples of NOP Allowed Materials
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Compost – precisely defined
Plant-based soil amendments
Limestone
Low-solubility natural mineral amendments
Biological pest controls
Need or rationale for inputs must be
documented in Organic System Plan.
Examples of Restricted Materials
• Uncomposted manure (raw or aged at <131°F)
Minimum 90 or 120 days before harvest.
• Chilean nitrate (mined sodium nitrate)
Maximum 20% of crop’s total N need.
• Botanical pesticides
Only when preventive and biological controls
do not suffice.
Use and justification must be documented in farm
records.
Examples of prohibited materials
• Synthetic fertilizers, e.g. 10-10-10, muriate of
potash, diammonium phosphate
• Synthetic pesticides, e.g., carbaryl, malathion
• Synthetic herbicides, e.g., glyphosate, alachlor
• Fence posts treated with CCA or PCP
• Sewage sludge or biosolids
• GMO seeds, or seeds treated with synthetics
– Must use organic seeds if commercially available.
National List:
synthetic substances allowed with
restrictions specified
Examples:
• Plastic mulches – remove at end of use
• Micronutrient compounds – document need
• Sulfur dioxide – underground rodent control
only
National List:
nonsynthetic substances prohibited
Examples:
• Ash from burning manure
• Arsenic
• Tobacco dust (nicotine sulfate)
Does it pay to become
Certified Organic?
• Certification and inspection fees
• Market needs
• Premiums for Certified Organic
• Organic product differentiation
USDA Certification is required in order to label,
represent or market products as “organic.”
Other USDA Programs for Organic
• Organic Certification Cost-Share
 75% up to $750 per year
• Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)
Organic Initiative
• Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP)
• Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Transition
Incentive
• Research and Extension: SARE, Organic Research
and Extension Initiative, Organic Transitions