State of the States: Organic Farming Systems Research at Land Grant Institutions during 2000-2001 - Summer 2002
Special Supplement on On-Farm Research

Compiled by Jane Sooby
OFRF Technical Program Coordinator
© 2001 Organic Farming Research Foundation Santa Cruz, CA
.pdf version (56 KB)

Because public funds support the land grant system, we expect it to be responsive to the educational and research needs of its constituents, including organic farmers. This report describes organic farming research currently in the ground at land grant universities and provides information on Extension and other resources that may be of use to organic growers.

Over the past 138 years, the land grant system has invested billions of dollars in researching agricultural practices and inputs. While gaining recognition as the engine beneath the hood of modern U.S. agriculture's astonishing increases in productivity, the land grant system also has come under attack over the past 30 years for serving corporate agricultural input manufacturers and large-scale producers to the exclusion of small-scale and low-input producers. The land grant system's institutionalized focus on purchased chemical inputs and mammoth-scale production marginalized many other areas of inquiry, including smaller scale and more environmentally appropriate farming techniques.

In 1997 OFRF policy director Mark Lipson undertook an intensive review of USDA's Current Research Information System (CRIS) database, seeking out all organic relevant research being done at that point in time. What he found was sobering yet not unexpected: less than 0.1% of federal agricultural research dollars were funding organic farming research. This report is a follow-up to Lipson's groundbreaking report, Searching for the "O-Word."

The information-gathering process for this study was to search land grant university web sites, follow up on leads with phone calls and e-mails, and double-check against other lists of organic research projects. We examined the websites of all 67 land grants and searched for the word "organic" when a search engine was available. We searched hundreds of department homepages and waded through numerous lists of faculty research interests, current research projects, extension publications, and research and extension station activities. After "casting the first net" and compiling an initial list of activity at all the institutions, we called well over 100 researchers, deans, and SARE coordinators to get more details on organic research projects. A team of reviewers representing each region of the country looked over the information we had compiled and provided us with useful corrections and additions.

Three elements are fundamental to our search for organic farming systems research: farmer involvement, explicit organic content, and a systems approach. Ideally, farmers themselves participate in research from the very beginning, helping to identify research priorities, frame research questions, and plan methodology. On-farm studies generate data meaningful to farmers and help conserve scarce research funds.

It is difficult to separate explicit organic content and a systems approach, because with an awareness of organic production principles comes awareness of working with the entire agroecosystem. The success of organic farming systems to date has hinged on managing systems as wholes rather than relying on "silver bullet" solutions to problems.

We believe that the strength of such systems in building fertility, soil quality, and resistance to pests is an emergent property from the whole. Therefore, how the discrete elements of the whole interact is the most appropriate focus for organic farming systems research. Organic management at its most productive takes an ecological approach to the larger system, with equal attention paid to the system as to its parts.

Research efforts in North Carolina, Ohio, Iowa and West Virginia best exemplify our ideal of organic farming systems research. Farmers participate in advisory boards that set research priorities and make funding decisions. Research station land is being put through the three-year transition to certified organic status. Interdisciplinary teams of researchers are contributing expertise in soil nutrient dynamics, weeds, microbial ecology, soil micro- and macrofauna, plant pathology, horticulture, and agronomy. Economic viability of organic farming is also being assessed. Until as recently as 1998, certified organic cropland on research stations was an extraordinary rarity. Even now, efforts at doing long-term organic systems research can be counted on one hand. The land area devoted to organic farming research in the land grant system is small, but each acre is important. A wave of innovative research partnerships focused on organic farming is gathering strength in the U.S.

The good news is that land grants in 39 states have research and/or resources relevant to organic producers. Land grant institutions in 19 states reported research acreage being managed organically, 12 of which have research land that is certified organic or in transition to certification. The bad news is that, of the 885,863 available research acres in the land grant system, only 0.02%, or 151 acres, is being used for certified organic research. This is an order of magnitude less than the 0.2% of all U.S. farmland identified by USDA as certified organic in 1997.

Five states have research land that is certified organic, and seven states have organic research land in transitional status with an organic certifier. We applaud the researchers in Colorado, Iowa, Minnesota, New Jersey, and Washington for taking the important step of certifying their research land, and we hope that this acreage expands in coming years. We also recognize the commitment made by institutions currently transitioning research acreage to organic certification in Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, and West Virginia. We will monitor their progress and report on their certification status in the next edition of this report.

We strongly encourage researchers doing organic studies in Arizona, California, Connecticut, Hawai'i, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, and Oregon to certify their research acres to bolster their credibility with organic growers. They should demonstrate that they are adhering to the same federally-mandated production practices that organic growers must follow in order to market their goods as organic. Though the federal organic standards allow a "temporary variance" for research purposes, the specific requirements from which exemption is allowed comprise the heart and soul of organic practices, such as soil fertility and crop nutrient management, crop rotation, origin of livestock, livestock health care practices, organic handling requirements, and facility pest management practices. To conduct research exempt from these standards would generate information irrelevant to organic producers.

Certification costs are also a significant part of organic operations, and the costs of certifying research acreage and abiding by the standards are crucial components of conducting realistic economic analyses of organic systems. We firmly believe that economic feasibility studies are essential components of organic farming systems research, because growers need cost estimates in order to assess the viability of new practices for their operation.

In compiling the numbers found in Table 1, we were disappointed to see that states such as Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, New York, and Florida —states that are among the top ten vegetable producers in the country according to the USDA's most recent survey of certified organic production —have no organic research acres at all. Moreover, California, which produces almost half of all the organic vegetables grown in the U.S., has just nine acres of uncertified organic research land at its land grant institutions. Valuable on-farm research is being conducted in many, if not all, of these states; however, the land grants could significantly extend this work with their own certified organic acreage if researchers and administrators have the will to do so.

States in which there was "No Organic Found" are Alaska, Arkansas, Delaware, Louisiana, Maryland, Nevada, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Wyoming. We call on researchers and administrators in these states to note the significant and growing organic production activity around them and to begin addressing the unmet needs of organic producers in their states.

CONNECTICUT

Univ. of Connecticut, 1862, Storrs organic research acres: 33, not certified

Research, production:
The U. Conn. Plant Science Research Farm and Nursery conducts organic research. IPM technician Rob Durgy has managed a 0.9 acre field organically for the past 3 years, though it's not certified. He has been growing cover crops and clover to restore fertility to the soil. There are a few hay fields in reserve that haven't had any chemicals applied for 5 years that may be put into organic farming research. None of the fields are certified. Contact Steve Olsen, 860-486-2015, -0682 fax (which he prefers).

Education:

1. An organic farming and gardening class is taught through Univ. of Connecticut's "Personal Education and Enrichment Classes." The instructor is farmer Michael T. Keilty.
2. An organic and sustainable ag course was taught in the Dept. of Plant Science in 1997, but student enrollment the following semester wasn't adequate to repeat it.

Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven

Research, production:
Entomologist Kimberly Stoner is involved in 3 on-farm organic farming trials:

1. Biological control of Mexican bean beetle on 12 organic farms (funded by OFRF);
2. A SARE-funded farmer project to overwinter and raise field-collected lady beetles for use in the greenhouse in early spring. The experiment is testing different supplemental feeding regimes;
3. A farmer project to test cole crops as a trap crop for flea beetles to restrict them to one area of the farm. Kimberly Stoner, 203-974-8480, kimberly.stoner@po.state.ct.us

Extension:
Kimberly Stoner, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, organized a SARE-funded farmer/scientist conference, Alternatives to Insecticides for Managing Vegetable Insects, in New Haven, 1998. The proceedings are a valuable resource for organic insect control. To order, contact NRAES, Cooperative Extension, 152 Riley-Robb Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853-5701, phone 607-255-7654, fax 607-254-8770, e-mail NRAES@cornell.edu. This publication will soon be posted on the web and will be accessible at http://www.caes.state.ct.us/AlternativestoInsecticides/alternatives.htm

MAINE

Univ. of Maine, 1862, Orono. Organic research acres: 0.6 acre not certified; 3-acre student farm, certified

Research, production:
An organic small grain demonstration/research project started this year at Rogers Farm (the Maine Agriculture and Forest Experiment Station site in Orono) in response to the rapid increase in certified organic dairy farms in Maine and the resulting demand for certified organic grain. Tim Griffin, associate extension professor, Sustainable Agriculture; associate professor, Sustainable Cropping Systems, 207-581-2942.

Research, economic/consumer:
Ag economist Stewart Smith, well known for showing how farmers' share of the ag economy has decreased while the input providers' share has increased, is co-author with five others of a 43-page report, "The Feasibility of an Organic Grain Milling and Handling Facility in Central Maine." The report concludes that, due to increased demand by organic dairy and poultry producers, such a facility could benefit organic grain growers and provide an attractive return to investors. The report is available free from the Maine Agricultural Center, 1-800-648-0597 (in Maine) or 207-581-3204.

Education:
The Black Bear Food Guild is a student-run, organically certified CSA operated on 3 acres of the Rogers Farm. For details, contact Marianne Sarrantonio, Sustainable Agriculture Program director, phone 207-581-2913, e-mail mariann2@maine.edu

Extension:

1. The year 2000 was the second year in which a series of herb production short courses focused on organic production was offered by the Hancock County Cooperative Extension Office. This five-month course features information and hands-on activities on organic herb marketing and production. Contact Marjorie Hundhammer, 207-667-8212.
2. An Organic Farming Short Course sponsored by University of Maine Cooperative Extension and the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners was presented February 22, 25 and March 1, 4, 1999. Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Assoc., 207-568-4142.

MASSACHUSETTS

Univ. of Massachusetts, 1862, Amherst organic research acres: 0

Research, production:
Ruth Hazzard, team leader of the U. Mass Extension Vegetable and Small Fruit Program, tested commercial Bt products in 1994–1996 in 34 on-farm trials. This research has continued and Hazzard has found that applying Bt mixed with vegetable oil directly to the corn silk is very effective at controlling late-season corn earworm and European corn borer. Hazzard has also developed a hand-held oil applicator that reduces wear on the operator. OFRF funded part of the work in 1999. Hazzard has published a fact sheet on biointensive insect management in sweet corn. A report on the 1999 trials and a summary of Bt on-farm trials from 1994–1996 are on-line along with a list of Bt products. To access them, go to http://www.umass.edu/umext/programs/agro/vegsmfr/Articles/Sweetcorn/SweetCorntopic.htm Ruth Hazzard, phone 413-545-3696, e-mail rhazzard@umext.umass.edu

Education:
A freshman-level class offered through the Plant and Soil Sciences Dept., Organic Farming and Gardening, has been taught by Allen Barker for nearly 30 years.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Univ. of New Hampshire, 1862, Durham organic research acres: 0

Research, production:
William MacHardy in the Dept. of Plant Biology received SARE funds in 1997 to study earth-worms as biocontrol agents of scab and leafminers in New England apple orchards. The project was done on-farm and on-station. Some of the orchards sampled were organic. MacHardy found no relationship between orchard management practices and the amount of leaf litter removed by earthworms. MacHardy, Univ. of New Hampshire, 246 Spaulding Hall, Durham, NH 03824, phone 603-862-3846.

NEW JERSEY

Rutgers Univ., 1862, New Brunswick organic research acres: 0.2 certified plus part of a greenhouse; 3-acre student farm, not certified

Research, production:
The 390-acre Snyder Research and Extension Farm near Pittstown has a 0.2-acre field certified organic by the Northeast Organic Farming Association–New Jersey (NOFA-NJ). * A portion of the greenhouse is also certified organic. The Snyder Farm is Rutgers's center for sustainable agriculture and cooperates with NOFA-NJ to organize organic farming meetings and conferences. Current organic research projects include evaluations of kaolin clay spray for insect and disease control on peppers, onions, and summer squash; kaolin clay spray for flea beetle control in egg-plant; and weed control in the perennial crop Echinacea purpurea (this project includes chemical treatments for comparison). Contact John Grande, director, phone 908-730-9419, e-mail grande@aesop.rutgers.edu

Research, economic/consumer:

1. Organic crop budgets prepared by Robin G. Brumfield and Margaret F. Brennan and published by Rutgers Cooperative Extension. Partially SARE-funded. http://aesop.rutgers.edu/~farmmgmt/ne-budgets/organic.html Robin Brumfield, phone 732-932-9171ext. 253, e-mail brumfield@aesop.rutgers.edu
2. An analysis of costs associated with conventional, integrated, and organic management production systems was published: Brumfield, R.G., A. Rimal, and S. Reiners. 2000. Comparative cost analyses of conventional, integrated crop management, and organic methods. HortTechnology 10:785–793.

* Northeast Organic Farming Association—New Jersey, P.O. Box 886, Pennington, NJ 08534-0886, phone 609-737-6848, e-mail nofanj@aol.com, website http://nj.nofa.org/

Education:
The Cook College Student Organic Farm is an organic farm managed by university students. In its sixth year, the 3-acre farm is operated as a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) project. Part of each week's harvest is donated to a local soup kitchen. Contact faculty advisor Dr. Ralph Coolman, 732-932-8406, coolman@aesop.rutgers.edu

Extension:

1. Rutgers is unique in producing a separate organic edition of the extension publication Plant and Pest Advisory Newsletter. It may be found on the web at http://www.rce.rutgers.edu/pubs/plantandpestadvisory/2000/organic.html Newsletter production, Jack Rabin, phone 732-932-1000 ext. 610
2. Publications: Organic Foods: What Do We Mean? by Daniel Kluchinski. http://www.rce.rutgers.edu/pubs/ag/plantscience/pdfs/fs682.pdf Organic Certification of Agricultural Products by Daniel Kluchinski. http://www.rce.rutgers.edu/pubs/ag/plantscience/pdfs/fs683.pdf Consumer Perceptions of Organic Produce by Ramu Govindasamy. http://www.rce.rutgers.edu/pubs/ag/agecon/pdfs/fs899.pdf

NEW YORK

Cornell Univ., 1862, Ithaca organic research acres: 0; 10-acre student farm, certified

Research, production:

1. Nick Calderone in the Dept. of Entomology received an OFRF grant in 1999 to investigate use of essential oils to control varroa mites in European honey bees. Nicholas Calderone, phone 607-254-7417, e-mail nwc4@cornell.edu
2. Three organic and four conventional on-farm trials and two research station trials were conducted in 1997 and 1998 to study the impact of composts on soil microbial activity and disease suppression in vegetables. Anusuya Rangarajan, assistant professor in the Dept. of Horticulture, headed the project, which received partial funding from OFRF. Compost affected soil fertility, plant emergence and stand, and tissue composition; however, suppression of Rhizoctonia in beets was associated with improved crop fertility rather than a suppressive effect of the compost. Anusuya Rangarajan, phone 607-255-1780, e-mail ar47@cornell.edu
3. Terence Robinson of the Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva received an OFRF grant in spring 2000 to initiate an on-farm research project to develop organic apple production systems in NY. Specific objectives include developing integrated insect and weed management systems that will produce healthy trees and high quality fruit; developing alternatives to chemical fruit thinning; and comparing the economics of organic and conventional apple production systems. Terence Robinson, phone 315-787-2227, e-mail tlr1@cornell.edu
4. Horticulturist Thomas Bjorkman studied the fungus Trichoderma harzianum 1295-22's (T-22) effectiveness at protecting sweet corn roots from fungal infection and found that it works in conventional and organic systems. Bjorkman, phone 315-787-2218, e-mail tnb1@cornell.edu
5. Entomologists Art Agnello and Harvey Reissig of the Geneva Experiment Station are cooperating with organic apple grower Jim Bittner to study three pest control methods in apples. They are using an alternative spray program, pheromone sprays released by a microsprayer, and "whole-tree screen cages" in which each tree is covered by a mesh bag. Art Agnello, phone 315-787-2341, e-mail ama4@cornell.edu; Harvey Reissig, phone 315-787-2355, e-mail whr1@cornell.edu

Extension:
Organic farmer and Tioga County Cooperative Extension Agent Brian Caldwell contributed an article to the Spring 2000 Northeast Organic Farming Association—New York newsletter, "How can organic vegetable growers increase soil organic matter without overloading the soil with nutrients?" Though he doesn't have his own research program, he has just completed work on stale seedbed weed control that is relevant to organic growers. Brian Caldwell, phone 607-687-4020, e-mail bac11@cornell.edu

Education:
The Dilmun Hill student farm occupies 10 acres and is certified by the Northeast Organic Farming Association–New York (NOFA–NY).* Dilmun Hill is a research and educational site. Ian Merwin, faculty member in charge, phone 607-255-1777, e-mail Im13@cornell.edu

Resources:
Erick C.M. Fernandes in Cornell's Soil, Crop & Atmospheric Sciences Dept. maintains a website on Tropical Agroforestry and Organic Agriculture at http://wwwscas.cit.cornell.edu/ecf3/Web/AF/AF%26OI.html. Fernandes is group leader of MOIST, the Management of Organic Inputs in Soils of the Tropics group of the Cornell International Institute for Food, Agriculture, and Development (CIIFAD). Through MOIST, subscribers have access to three international list-servs that exchange information on cover crops in tropical and subtropical agriculture. MULCH-L is an open, unmoderated electronic mailing list for the interdisciplinary exchange of information on cover crops, green manures, managed fallows, and other woody/non-woody mulch-based agricultural systems in tropical and sub-tropical areas on issues related to organic inputs in agriculture. COBERAGRI-L is a Spanish language cover crops mailing list maintained by the International Cover Crops Clearinghouse (CIDICCO). EVECS-L is a French language cover crops mailing list maintained by the Center for Cover Crops Information and Seed Exchange in Africa (CIEPCA). For information on subscribing to these go to http://ppathw3.cals.cornell.edu/mba_project/moist/mailist2.html Erick C.M. Fernandes, phone 607-255-1712, e-mail ecf3@cornell.edu

* Northeast Organic Farming Association—New York, Pat Kane, Administrator, Organic Certification Program, 840 Upper Front Street, Binghamton, NY 13905, phone 607-724-9851, e-mail nofany@aol.com, website http://ny.nofa.org/

RHODE ISLAND

Univ. of Rhode Island, 1862, Kingston No Organic Found

VERMONT

Univ. of Vermont, 1862, Burlington organic research acres: 0; 2-acre student farm, not certified

Research, production:
Crop and Soils Science Dept. researcher Bill Murphy is researching how to control parasites of grazing livestock on organic farms. A summary may be found at http://pss.uvm.edu/vtcrops/Articles/Pastureressum.html Scroll down to Managing Parasites of Grazing Livestock on Organic Farms and click. Bill Murphy, Department of Plant and Soil Science, phone 802-656-0485, e-mail wmurphy@zoo.uvm.edu

Education:
Common Ground Farm, 2 acres at UVM's Horticulture Research Center in South Burlington, where students grow organic vegetables and market them through a CSA. It's not certified organic because chemicals are used other places on the horticulture farm. Contact Dr. Wendy Sue Harper, phone 802-656-0482, e-mail wharper@zoo.uvm.edu

Extension:

1. A guide to pesticides for organic gardeners by Dr. Vern Grubinger, 1999, http://ctr.uvm.edu/ctr/press/99pesticideguide.htm Guidelines for organic fertilization by David Allyn Heleba, Agricultural and Environmental Testing Lab, http://pss.uvm.edu/pss161/problem/handout.html
2. Vermont Agriculture/Fruits and Vegetables at a Glance Extension fact sheets have organic acres listed in them. http://ctr.uvm.edu/ext/factsheets/agfs3/fruitveg.htm

Of Note:
The Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont (NOFA–VT) has utilized SARE funding to study organic dairy production practices, making the transition to organic, and homeopathic treatments in organic dairy. Enid Wonnacott and Lisa McCrory have been the primary investigators on these projects. The research summaries to SARE contain useful information on organic dairy practices. They are on the web at http://www.uvm.edu/%7enesare/LNE93-39.html http://www.uvm.edu/%7enesare/LNE97-86.html http://www.uvm.edu/%7enesare/LNE97-97.html The investigators are writing a "detailed publication on organic dairy farming." NOFA-Vermont, P.O. Box 697, Richmond, VT 05477, phone 802-434-4122, e-mail info@nofavt.org, website http://www.nofavt.org/

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