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About the course:

The course, Organic Crop Production on the Prairies, was developed by the University of Manitoba, and is offered both as a credit course and non-credit course.

The Canadian prairie region is one of the world's "bread baskets", with over 46 million hectares of arable land. Organic crop production is a rapidly growing enterprise with over 1100 certified organic farmers in the three prairie provinces.

To be successful, organic producers must understand the principles behind soil and crop management and become familiar with organically acceptable practices. Producers must also understand the best cropping options during the critical "transition to organic" phase.

"Organic Crop Production on the Prairies" contains six modules that address optimum crop production. The course highlights organic crop production principles and practices in both wet and dry areas of the prairies and within the different prairie soil zones. Students will learn through readings, on-line class discussions and written assignments. The course consists of six stand-alone modules and will be delivered using the ANGEL Learning platform.

Module 1. Introduction to Organic Crop Production on the Prairies.
Organic farming is growing rapidly on the Canadian prairies as well as in the Peace River Region of B.C. and the northern US states. This module will introduce you to the organic industry on the prairies. What are the major organic crops? How does the organic certification process work? The module includes information on how to convert a farm to organic, the certification process and certification agencies.

Module 2. Adaptations to new ways of thinking
A systems approach is critical to the success of organic production. What is a systems approach to crop production? How can I improve my systems analysis skills? What does systems thinking really mean in the context of a farm? This module focuses on systems approaches aimed at helping students with holistic soil and crop management planning.

Module 3. Prairie environment
The Canadian prairie region contains 46 million hectares of arable land, plus about 8 million hectares of forage/pasture lands and 15 million hectares of native rangelands. Scientists have divided the prairie region into 4 "soil zones". The climate of this region varies a great deal. Also, weather variation in any one prairie zone tends to be greater than in most other soil zones of Canada. Organic farming practices must account for soil and weather variability. This module is designed to give students an overview of prairie soil and climate conditions.

Module 4. Transition to organic
What is the best way to "transition" into organic crop production? Is there a particular cropping system that makes the transition phase easier? What should be done in conventional production before starting the transition process? This module focuses on crop rotation and crop management strategies to facilitate the transition process. Economics of transition as well as crop rotation and pest and nutrient management strategies will be reviewed.

Module 5. Organic Crop Production Principles
What are the guiding principles of a good organic cropping system? Are there certain goals that a producer should always keep in mind? The answer to the last question is yes. In this module, we will present and discuss the "six principles of organic crop production": biodiversity, diversity and integration of enterprise, sustainability, natural pest management, natural soil fertility, and integrity.

Module 6. Organic Crop Production Practices
This is the largest module in the course. The module includes a detailed description of farming practices required for successful organic farming. These practices will be discussed in the context of the six organic farming principles. Also, specific examples from moist and dry prairie soil zones will be presented.

About the Instructor:

Joanne Thiessen Martens is originally from Austin, Manitoba, where she grew up on a small mixed farm. She studied in the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences at the University of Manitoba, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Agroecology in 1999. She spent three years on a voluntary service term with Mennonite Central Committee in northeastern Brazil, where she worked with a small association of small-scale organic fruit and vegetable producers. She has worked for several years in the Department of Plant Science as a technician and research associate in the areas of organic crop production and natural systems agriculture. She has been teaching this online course since its development in 2004.

To Apply:

Please contact the School of Agriculture, University of Manitoba by email at ag_shortcourses@umanitoba.ca for questions on your eligibility to register in the course and for detailed information on the registration process. Space is limited.

Credit Option:

Students enrolled at another academic institution wishing to take the organic course as credit toward their program will need to:

1. complete a U of M application form
2. provide an official Letter of Permission from their home institution if applicable
3. provide an official transcript from their home institution
4. submit an application fee

Application Deadline for Credit Option: December 1, 2011

Application Deadline for Non-Credit Option: December 15, 2011

Non-credit option students are not required to meet admission requirements, nor will they be required to complete assignments or examinations. No grade for the course will be issued.

The application form for the non-credit option is available in .pdf format. Please print it out, and mail it to the School of Agriculture along with your payment.

Cancellation and Refund Policy

In order to plan effective programming, this course has minimum and maximum enrollment limits. If a course is cancelled, you will be notified within three working days of the registration deadline. Your tuition is refunded if a course must be cancelled. Please register early to avoid unnecessary cancellations.

Non-credit students who wish to withdraw from the course must notify us, in writing or by e-mail, prior to the registration deadline. If you withdraw from the course, tuition will not be refunded in full after the registration deadline.

For additional information:

School of Agriculture
160 Agriculture Building
University of Manitoba
Winnipeg, Manitoba
R3T 2N2
Phone: 204-474-8473
Fax: 204-474-7697
email: ag_shortcourses@umanitoba.ca

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