Organic Crop Production
Organic cropping systems mimic natural systems in a number of ways. For example, by not adding soluable fertilizers to the soil, nutrient dynamics change back to a natural state, with greater reliance on mineralization - a natural soil process – for nutrient release. In fact, crops grown under organic management have consistently shown greater association with beneficial, naturally-occurring, soil organisms such as mycorrhiza. Also, organic farmers generally use more diverse crop rotations than conventional farmers.
One criticism of organic farming is the reliance on soil tillage. Some farmers have been experimenting with no-till organic systems, thereby creating a marriage of two important innovations that bring us just a little bit closer to mimicking the natural grassland system.
Articles
Organic Crop Production
- The Organic Field Crops Laboratory: Carman, Manitoba
- Organic Wheat Breeding
- Crop Rotation for Transition to Organic - Year 4: Potatoes
- Cultivar Mixtures, Cover Crops, and Intercropping with Organic Spring Wheat
The Glenlea Long-Term Crop Rotation Study: Organic vs. Conventional Crop Production
- Crop Rotation and Wheat Nutrient Content: Glenlea NEW!
- Soil Phosphorus Dynamics in the Glenlea Long-Term Rotation
- Current weather conditions at the Glenlea Study (opens in new window)
- Influence of Organic Management with Different Crop Rotations
(PowerPoint presentation given in Adelaide, Australia in Sept. 2005; opens in new window) - The Glenlea Study: Crop Rotation and Organic Crop Production
(opens in new window) - The Effect of Crop Rotation and Chemical Inputs on Mycorrhizal Colonization
- 2005 Yield Results
Farmer Profiles
- Crocusview Farms: Peas and camelina underseeded to red clover
- The Wilsons: Wheat underseeded to red clover
- The Hicksons: Fababeans
- The Hicksons: Barley
- The Transition From Conventional To Organic Farming: John Finnie and family (2004)
This page created October 2005.
Last updated January 2009.