Join Dr. Bijesh Maharjan, Professor of Agronomy & Horticulture at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, for a discussion about the soil health cycle. Learn about what the soil health cycle is, why fostering healthy soils is so important, and how the soil health cycle relates to human health.

Weed control and nutrient management are major challenges in organic orchards and are closely interconnected. Methods like mulching may be costly but can enhance fruit size or yield, potentially justifying the expense. If shown to be cost-e…

This webpage from the Agricultural Marketing Resource Center (AgMRC) covers U.S. organic lamb production under USDA standards, including certification requirements, animal welfare rules, and prohibited inputs. It addresses 2021 production and sales data, processing and marketing channels, and competitive dynamics with international producers from New Zealand and Australia.

This resource provides an overview and worksheet to assist farmers and researchers in estimating nitrogen budgets, addressing the complexities of managing organic nitrogen from compost, manures, and crop residues for optimal plant availability.

The Southwest Regional Food Business Center’s quarterly webinar, “Food Hubs: Increasing Market Opportunities for Farmers, Ranchers, and Food Producers,” focuses on the development and planning process of food hubs, food hubs’ impact on fulfilling market gaps, and collaborative learning through food hub networks.

A diverse and virulent complex of pathogens threaten organic tomato production. The Tomato Organic Management and Improvement Project (TOMI): Part II builds on previous research which found that soil and root microbiomes play a substantial role in mediating crop disease resistance. This research investigates: 1) the potential for microbial biocontrol agents to promote disease suppression, 2) how plants and microbes interact, and 3) the development of varieties with stable disease resistance.

Join Dr. Touyee Thao, Research Scientist at UC Agriculture & Natural Resources, for a discussion about the potential benefits of incorporating biochar and dairy manure amendments into organic vegetable production systems. Learn about what ratios work best when adding biochar and dairy manure, and how these amendments impact soil health, GHG emissions, and tomato productivity.

The ongoing project aims to evaluate habitat management strategies to create cost-effective biological control options for arthropod pests in California vineyards. Collaborating with ten commercial growers from 2008 to 2009, we assessed the…

Explore the full National Farmer Buyer’s Landscape Toolkit, produced by the Rodale Institute and the Organic Trade Association, to access tools that support national organic market development, supply chain resilience, and long-term farm viability.

This webinar, produced by the Southwest Regional Food Business Center, features speakers from the UC Santa Cruz Center for Agroecology, Health Care Without Harm, and the Center for Good Food Purchasing. Speakers discuss their organization’s role in the purchasing of local, sustainable foods in schools, hospitals, universities, and other large institutional settings.

Low soil fertility, intense weed pressure, and climate disruption threaten the economic viability of organic dryland wheat production in the western US. Previous OREI-funded research indicated that a one-time application of composted cattle manure + bedding can double soil organic carbon (SOC) and organic dryland wheat yields for at least 15 years after application.  The current study explores this compost legacy effect in greater depth, its underlying mechanisms, and the scope and duration of benefits.

Join Dr. Hoyoung Kwon, Environmental Analyst at the Argonne National Laboratory, for a discussion about how life cycle analyses (LCAs) can be used to identify major agricultural greenhouse gas contributors and to develop ways of reducing the agriculture sector’s contribution to the climate crisis.