Spring 2020

Bankers and biocontrols in the greenhouse

Beneficial insects and other biocontrols are often more effective in controlled environment agriculture than in open fields. In addition to beneficial insects, some greenhouse growers introduce beneficial non-crop...

Book details biodynamic grower’s 30 years of no-till practices

Bryan O’Hara once struggled to ramp up pesticide-free vegetable production on a few acres for his livelihood, but after 30 years of labor and learning, he’s sharing his...

Editor’s letter: Organic growers celebrate their common ground

Organic growers do a good job of welcoming growers of diverse backgrounds, regions and size of their growing operations. I believe that in part because of the diversity...

Finger weeders provide an affordable option for in-row weeds

With the expansion of organic farming, and shortage of people willing and able to hand-weed, mechanical cultivation tools are becoming increasingly important. Among these, finger weeders have gained...

Grower column: Prepare for climate change now

In 2015 I took a sabbatical in Japan, my wife Hiroko’s home country. I expected to have a year’s rest and come back to my farm and pretty...

Natural-grown healers: Herb growers, processors honored at MOSES

Four Elements Organic Herbals’ Jane Hawley Stevens and her husband David are no strangers to Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service’s (MOSES) annual conference, having brought their certified...

Nitrogen management key for organic sweet corn

Building up the nitrogen supplying capacity of the soil is key to growing organic sweet corn. With no high analysis, nitrogen fertilizers approved for sidedressing on an organic...

NOP brainstorms with growers for standards enforcement

In the classic film “To Catch a Thief,” police team up with Cary Grant for help catching a clever cat burglar. A meeting with the same name took...

Organic grower committed to his central California coast home

The Pacific Coast range rolls down to the Santa Maria Ranch, where Pajaro Valley farmer Dick Peixoto’s Lakeside Organic Gardens is readying to harvest lettuce in late March....

Pest control strategies for organic sweet corn

European corn borer, fall armyworm and corn earworm are problem pests for all sweet corn producers, but are especially troublesome for organic growers. The wide adoption of Bt...

Robotic, mechanical weeder on horizon for no-herbicide farms

A chemical-free option for weed control is in the sprawling fields of California’s elite organic vegetable growers. FarmWise, a San Francisco-based venture, over a year ago unveiled an...

Southeast’s organic berry growers deal with diseases

Healthy plants in pleasant plantings are the best way to deal with the challenges of berry growing in the Southeastern United States. University of Georgia Associate Professor and...

Study shows how organic fertilizer makes tomatoes more nutritious

A recent report from Washington State University (WSU) researchers found a big difference in how a single tomato variety will respond to organic fertilizer compared to conventional fertilizer....

Trade Secrets: A Q&A with Organic Trade Association CEO Laura Batcha

The Organic Trade Association works for the whole organic sector, not just growers, so a few words with its leadership is a gateway to seeing the bigger picture....