Organic/Sustainable Farming

An organic agronomist’s perspective on the tillage debate

By Rob Wallbridge For a number of years now, no-till—the practice of planting and tending a crop without mechanically disturbing the soil—has been the darling of sustainable agriculture. “Minimizing soil disturbance” is a key principle of the regenerative agriculture movement, and for good reason. Organic farming is often criticized for its reliance on tillage, with […]

Rodale Midwest Center crop consultants aim to “transition as many farmers to organic as possible”

Crop consultants with the Rodale Institute’s Midwest Center are working with farmers in the region to transition land to organic production. Léa Vereecke, who is based in Madison, Wisconsin, and Nic Podoll, based in Nevis, Minnesota, both joined the Rodale Midwest Center in January. Vereecke, who was a research specialist at the University of Wisconsin […]

AgriSecure’s “boots on the ground” experience helps farmers transition to organic

Organic advisory service helps farmers overcome the challenges of growing organic Transitioning to organic farming can be a major challenge for farmers. The three-year transition period presents a big hurdle that requires adopting a completely new farming system without chemical inputs, purchasing new equipment for organic farming, and finding markets for transitional and certified organic […]

More farmers convert to organic in 2019, beating previous forecast

Mercaris Final 2019 Organic and Non-GMO Acreage Report: Total certified organic field crop acres grew 13% in 2019, new field crop operations up 14%

Making organic progress

Since launching an initiative in 2016 to double harvested organic wheat acres by the end of 2019, Ardent Mills has made great strides in growing domestic supplies.