Organic producers are required to incorporate soil-building practices into their management plan. Cover cropping is one option, but the economics of incorporating cover crops into high tunnel rotations have not been well studied. This study compared the full economic costs and benefits of growing a leguminous winter cover crop (hairy vetch) in organic high tunnels between vegetable cash crop (tomato) seasons.

In this free online course prepared by the Organic Agronomy Training Service (OATS), learn about profitability and marketing practices for organic field crops. The course will cover: dynamics of the organic marketplace; marketing strategies for organic field crops; profitability considerations for organic producers; and the economics of transitioning to organic.

In this podcast episode, produced by the Kansas Rural Center, Amy Glattly and Charlotte from KRC interview Lacy Myers of Wild Hollow Farm, exploring her path into agriculture, marketing strategies, joining CSAs, land considerations, and soil health practices. Topics include composting, raising chickens, overcoming farming barriers, seed sourcing through Fruition Seeds, and advice for beginning farmers.

Three farmers share their efforts and journey marketing a diverse grain rotation, from direct-to-consumer sales to wholesale buyers and beyond, offering practical perspectives on diversifying organic grain marketing channels and strategies.

This factsheet explains how marketing/bargaining cooperatives differ from typical grain elevators and how cooperative marketing can strengthen organic grain sales.

This project was designed to address an unmet need: to provide training in organic practices to USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) staff to help implement new provisions contained in the 2008 Farm Bill. These new provisions…

Soil tarping is the practice of covering soil with plastic tarps over the winter or in early spring (prior to cash crop planting) to reduce erosion, minimize nutrient leaching, and kill soilborne pathogens, weed seedlings, and weed seeds in the soil. This study, conducted by South Dakota State University, evaluated the impacts of soil solarization (using clear tarps) and occultation (using opaque tarps) on soil health metrics.

In this free online course prepared by the Organic Agronomy Training Service (OATS), learn about pest and disease management strategies in organic field crops. The course will cover: the importance of healthy agroecosystems for pest/disease control; crop rotation strategies; rules and regulations for pest management in organic production; and more.

Recent years have seen an explosion of new soil health tests, measuring a wide variety of indicators that depend on the activity of soil microorganisms. In this episode of Voices from the Field, Mike Morris, NCAT’s Southwest Regional Director, talks with Dr. Barbara Bellows, soil scientist at the Texas Institute for Applied Environmental Research, about her new ATTRA publication, Soil Health Indicators and Tests.

This article and short video are for farmers curious about transitioning to organic agriculture, covering the purpose and process of organic transition, certification requirements, and available resources to support the transition journey and decision.

This article explains how bills of lading and shipping contracts assign liability, and how to proactively prevent disputes.

Organic producers are relying increasingly on high tunnels (unheated poly-covered greenhouse structures) for season extension and crop protection. Organic production in high tunnels is significantly different compared to organic field produ…