Organic Row Crop Farming in Marin - 11/7/02

What is organic farming? What do I need to set-up my organic row crop operation? What about irrigation and dry farming conditions? These topics as well as the whole field of organic farming principles were covered by UC Cooperative Extension experts and local farmers in this panel discussion. Soil building, weed control, pest management techniques, crop selection, farm biodiversity, beneficial insect management, crop rotations, and organic certification were all looked at, with an emphasis on the farm as a sustainable ecological unit.

Speakers:

Paul Vossen: Paul, UCCE Specialty Crop Advisor for Sonoma and Marin, has farmed commercially and is a recognized authority on olive oil production and organic apple farming.

Bob Bugg: Bob, a cover crops analyst, has conducted research on biological control of pests, cover crops, and restoration ecology. He has a special interest in helping growers develop biologically integrated farming systems and is active in research on sustainable agriculture.

Leonard Diggs: Leonard is the manager of Santa Rosa Junior College's Shone Farm.

Warren Weber: Warren has been farming organically in Marin County for over 30 years and is a pioneer in the organic farming movement. He is a founding member of California Certified organic Farmers (CCOF), and runs Star Route Farms with locations in Bolinas and Thermal, California.

Resources:

ORGANIC FARMING:

UC Davis Organic Farming Information Page
http://vric.ucdavis.edu/selectnewtopic.organic.htm
ATTRA information
http://www.attra.org/attra-pub/organcert.html
Certification
http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu/pdf/7247.pdf
Soil Fertility
http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu/pdf/7249.pdf

CONVERSION TO ORGANIC

Frequently Asked Questions - http://www.ofrf.org/general/about_organic/

Other Resources

California Certified Organic Farmers - http://www.ccof.org/programs.php

Grant Opportunities

Organic Farming Research Foundation - "funds research into organic farming and food systems and dissemination of research results to organic farmers and to growers interested in making the transition to organic production systems." http://www.ofrf.org/research/application.html