Winter 2020

Blueberry growers dedicated to organic practices for more than 40 years

When John and Joan Donaldson started growing blueberries on 40 acres of breathtaking land just outside of Fennville, Michigan, in the mid-1970s, they were on the cutting edge...

Building soils for organic production

As a percentage of total food production, organic has increased significantly over the last several decades. In the recent past, the United States was a net exporter of...

Editor’s letter: Planting Words

Organic Grower’s first edition is a planting issue, and that seems appropriate. The words on those pages and this website are the seeds of what we hope will...

Grower Column: Farming on the Wild Side

We’ve been organic farmers since we started farming back in the early 1990s. We bought an old dairy farm in northern Vermont that had gone out of business...

Grower research priorities for North Central region organic apple production

Demand for organic apples has steadily increased over the past two decades. That includes double-digit increases in annual sales the past decade – as high as 40%. Market...

Michigan startup farm’s success driven by conviction, community

Brian Bates’ faith and enthusiasm for organic produce are strong. Seven years ago, he and his wife, Anne Morningstar, bought 75 acres near Petoskey in Northern Michigan with...

Organic Grower Summit fires up industry

Agricultural visionaries encouraged organic growers Dec. 5 at the Organic Grower Summit in Monterey, California, as the industry honored a family of farmers as its 2019 growers of...

Organic potato market slowly growing

Organic produce accounted for 15% of all produce sales in the U.S. in 2018. While the market share for organic potatoes is much lower than that, statistics show...

Paper pot transplanters in organic production

The recent National Organic Program (NOP) movement on paper pot transplanter systems – more specifically, the materials and adhesives used in the paper pot chains – in certified...

Pinnacle’s Phil Foster committed to soil management

Call him a grounded grower. Phil Foster is committed – not only to his customers and employees, and not only to his business’s success. He’s committed to the...

Pollen Nation: Points to ponder when renting bees for organic crops

Back in the day, each farm would keep a few beehives to help ensure proper pollination of their crops. Adequate pollination is critical for maximizing the quantity of...

Preparation key for crop establishment

Preventing problems before they start is key to success in planning for plant health in organic agriculture. Growers should anticipate possible plant health, irrigation, nutrition and possible soilborne...