organic farming News
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The future of subsidy payments for organic farming
Despite the current economic situation, organic farming is a growth sector in the EU. A recent EU-funded study suggests support payments from the amended 2003 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for organic farming will continue to play an important role in Western European countries and will become increasingly significant in new Member States. Organic farming methods meet many of the ...
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How farmers don’t have to give up on pesticides – greener farming through conservation-grade land
A number or news items this week relate to organic farming. The first from the Eastern Daily Press examines the red tape surrounding green farming and how bureaucracy can be perceived as hindering and restricting the number of farmers entering this area of agriculture. The second item, featured in The Guardian, highlights how non-organic farmers can do a lot to foster plants, butterflies and bugs ...
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Crow River Hosting Tour of Kadelbach Organic Farms on June 30
Kadelbach Organic Farms, a 300-acre certified organic farm currently growing sweet corn, sweet peas, black beans and alfalfa/grass hay, is the site of a Crow River Chapter field day from 2 to 6 p.m. Sun., June 30, at 20364 210th St, Hutchinson. Visit the fields and learn about each of these crops, and farmer Glen Kadelbach will show the equipment he uses. Glen is very open about what it takes ...
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Transitioning to organic farming
As the organic food trend continues to grow; more farmers are converting from conventional agriculture to organic production. One of the fastest growing markets in the U.S. is the production of organic milk. The growth of this industry has prompted many farmers to transition their land to organic feed grain production. With transition on the rise, it is necessary for these farmers to have ...
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Organics: Commission proposal for more and better
The European Commission has published new proposals for a new Regulation on organic production and the labelling of organic products. Consumer and producer concerns are at the heart of this new proposal, which seeks to address shortcomings of the current system. The EU organic market has quadrupled in size over the last 10 years and rules need to be updated and adjusted so that the sector can ...
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Resilience, sustainability in agriculture
Agriculture is going through a revolution, one that rivals the industrial revolution of the 19th century and the green revolution in the 20th century, according to Charles Francis, Editor of the recently published book, Organic Farming: The Ecological System. Francis claims that these previous changes transformed industries based primarily on local resources and principally serving local markets ...
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Free advice for English farmers considering organic switch
The UK Government has announced a new information and advisory service to explain the principles and practicalities of organic production which will be delivered by environment quango Natural England. While a number of organisations already offer information on organic farming, these have traditionally been those involved in the sector already and may have difficulty convincing conventional ...
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Soil Association calls on MEPs to ban pesticides which kill bees
EU proposals which will potentially ban the use of carcinogenic, mutagenic, neurotoxic and reprotoxic substances will be voted on by members of the European Parliament’s Environment Committee on Wednesday 5 November. As neurotoxins, the group of substances known as neonicotinoids [1] could be banned in the EU. These substances have been shown to have a devastating impact on honey bees across the ...
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European Farms Growing Slowly but Surely
There are around 14 million farmers in the European Union, and the average size of farms is just 14 hectares. By comparison, the USA has just 2 million farmers, yet the average size of farms is 180 hectares. Just under 50 percent of the EU’s surface area is covered by fields, 30 percent by forests and 20 percent by something other, such as cities. Family farms are traditional in Europe, ...
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Organic Farming not Necessarily Best for Environment
Speaking to The Guardian this week, Lord Krebs, an advisor to ministers on how to adapt to climate change, described how organic farming could actually be worse for the climate than conventional farming methods, due to the greater land use required and the methods implemented. Speaking to the Oxford Farming Conference he suggested that agricultural methods known as ‘no till’, which ...
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UN report confirms organic farming can protect soils
Organic agriculture can contribute to delivering global food security, help tackle climate change, protect soils and conserve wildlife. So recognises a four year study involving 400 scientists from around the world as well as 30 governments and the same number of NGOs. The International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD) report criticises industrial ...
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Soil Association responds to David King`s attack on organic farming
Peter Melchett, Soil Association Policy Director, responds to David King's attack on organic farming in his inaugural speech as President of the British Association for the Advancement of Science 'To blame the Soil Association or UK consumers of organic food for the decades of hunger and starvation in Africa, including the current terrible suffering of people in a country like Zimbabwe, as Sir ...
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Agriculture Week with Timac Agro France
In 2021, TIMAG AGRO France was an official partner of French Agriculture Week, a nationwide celebration of this vital industry from May 13-24. In addition to their partnership, TIMAC AGRO FRANCE published a series of educational videos to provide an interesting and dynamic way to share some of TIMAC AGRO’s expertise with other agricultural actors in France. Video 1: Do plants already ...
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Organic farming profitable long-term
Organic farming is known to be environmentally sustainable, but can it be economically sustainable, as well? The answer is yes, according to new research in the Sept.-Oct. issue of the Agronomy Journal. In an analysis of 18 years of crop yield and farm management data from a long-term University of Minnesota trial, an organic crop rotation was consistently more profitable and carried less risk ...
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Ecological thermal weed-killing system with hot foam
The “Schiumone” (Big Foam) is an ecological thermal weed-killing machine for vineyards and tree crops in general, able to produce hot foam and distribute it a targeted way under the rows of the trees. When the temperature of the vegetable fiber exceeds 60° occurs the collapse of the proteins and within a few days the drying of the same. Since the foam has an insulating effect, ...
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Organic Transitions Program (ORG)
The overall goal of the Organic Transitions Program (ORG) is to support the development and implementation of research, extension and higher education programs to improve the competitiveness of organic livestock and crop producers, as well as those who are adopting organic practices. In FY 2010, ORG will focus on environmental services provided by organic farming systems that support soil ...
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US Environmentalist And Organic Crop Farm Groups Want Overhaul Of Federal Biotechnology Strategy
On August 3, 2016, 24 farmer and public interest organizations wrote to the Obama Administration expressing their disappointment with the direction that the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) has taken with the proposed modernization of the Coordinated Framework for Regulation of Biotechnology (Coordinated Framework). The letter argues that an overly permissive regulatory ...
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Media Advisory for Wednesday: U.S. EPA Honors Dixon Ridge Farms With Award; News Media Tour Available
The U.S. Environmental Protection will be recognizing Dixon Ridge Farms in a Winters, Calif. environmental award ceremony. The Pacific Southwest Region’s 2012 Sustainable Agricultural Champion Award will be presented to the organic walnut farm’s founder, Russ Lester. WHO: Jared Blumenfeld, U.S. EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator from San Francisco, Calif. Craig Hooks. U.S. ...
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Participatory breeding program assists organic tomato growers
Organic tomato production is growing rapidly in Midwestern states in the US, as evidenced by a USDA study that found certified organic tomato production increased more than 277% in the region from 2007-2011. The authors of a report in the September 2015 issue of HortScience say that to keep up with high consumer demand, organic tomato growers need to identify cultivars that are well-adapted to ...
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OSU Online Course: Blueberry Physiology, Production Systems & Management
Check out OSU's online 6-week, self-paced course (Blueberry Physiology, Production Systems & Management) that will be offered starting on January 25, 2019. Blueberry Physiology, Production Systems & Management Online course for industry led by Dr. Bernadine Strik Oregon State University Online blueberry course offered through Professional and Continuing Education (PACE) at OSU. The ...
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