Ithaca, New York
July 14, 2005
The demand for organic foods has doubled in the
past decade and continues to grow. As a result,
Cornell University, the
land-grant institution of New York state, is increasingly
devoting more of its resources to researching ways to improve
all aspects of organic agriculture, including soil health, seed
availability, dairy health and crop production.
"Over the last five years, Cornell has emerged as a leader in
organic agriculture research and extension nationwide," said Anu
Rangarajan, associate professor of horticulture at Cornell. "We
have secured competitive funding for several major organic
agriculture projects totaling more than $3 million and continue
to expand our efforts. The Cornell Organic Production and
Marketing Program Work Team has over 70 members, including
faculty, staff, extension educators, farmers and others, all
committed to supporting these systems. We are very
excited by this momentum and look forward to more efforts in the
future."
Among the many research and extension projects under way
relating to organic agriculture are:
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A study of milk quality and herd udder health
on five farms that are making the transition from
conventional dairying methods to organic milk production to
develop a list of best practices for dairies interested in
producing hormone-free and organic dairy products.
-
The Organic Seed Partnership to improve
organic seed quality and farm profitability by building a
large community of growers and breeders in the Northeast who
want to share information gathered from organic
seed-breeding field trials.
-
In-depth training of agricultural field staff
on all aspects of organic vegetable production to enhance
the ability of universities to support these farmers.
-
Studies of organic grain and vegetable crop
rotation systems to research more effective growing and
disease-prevention methods and to determine how tillage and
manipulating the crops' source of nitrogen
affect growth and quality of crops.
-
A study to develop a system of organic apple
production for the eastern United States.
-
A study of 11 exemplary organic farms in the
Northeast to better understand how farm practices and pest
management strategies are integrated for successful organic
farming.
Five Cornell sites are dedicated exclusively to
organic research:
-
-- The Freeville Organic Research Farm, a
30-acre site adjacent to Homer C. Thompson Vegetable
Research Farm in Freeville, N.Y., is managed by
Cornell's Department of Horticulture and is home to
interdisciplinary research, which began in 2004, aimed
at optimizing organic vegetable production systems for
the Northeast. This summer's projects include a potato
variety trial; a cropping systems study exploring the
interplay of cover crops, rotations, tillage and
nutrient management; a tomato trial using different
potting mixes; organic seed breeding trials of
cucurbits, peppers and others; a cover-crop
demonstration; cultivation experiments; and a
multi-species buffer planting.
-
The Cornell Willsboro Research Farm, a
6-acre site in Willsboro, N.Y., works on certified
organic grain rotational trials, particularly alfalfa
and timothy.
-
The Long Island Horticultural Research
Center in Riverhead, N.Y., has two acres devoted to four
experiments related to organic agriculture: two looking
at fertility and weed control in heirloom tomato
varieties; one examining stale seedbed techniques and
fertilizer types for leafy green and mesclun production;
and a fourth evaluating eight spring cover crops.
-
The Dilmun Hill Student Farm, a 3-acre
student-run organic farm on campus, provides
experiential learning opportunities and educational
facilities for Cornell students, faculty, staff and the
local community to explore sustainable food and organic
agricultural systems. Student research projects recently
have included a survey of the insect populations in the
different beds, how beneficial insects were affected by
flowering ground covers and mowed grass between crop
rows and an extensive soil sampling of all crop beds to
evaluate nutritional qualities and such problems as pH
levels, fertility and heavy-metal concentration in the
soil.
-
The New York State Agricultural
Experiment Station of Cornell, located in Geneva, N.Y.,
is evaluating pest and crop management systems in a
program sponsored by the Integrated Pest Management
Program. An 8-acre site is used to compare an organic
system growing sweet corn, zucchini, melon, pumpkin and
cucumber using various rotational components.
Many of Cornell's efforts in organic agriculture
are coordinated by the Cornell Organic Production and Marketing
Program Work Team, co-chaired by Rangarajan and Abby Seaman, a
vegetable integrated pest management extension educator at the
Geneva Experiment Station. Cornell is also active in the
Northeast Organic Network (NEON), which is composed of farmers,
researchers, land-grant university personnel, nonprofit
organizations and government agencies who work together to
improve organic farmers' access to research and technical
support.
NEON is producing farmer resources on organic practices to
enhance production and consumption of locally grown organic food
in the Northeast.
The Freeville Organic Research Farm will host its second annual
twilight tour Tuesday, Aug. 2, 4 to 7 p.m. Visitors will tour
the research plots, see demonstrations of cultivation equipment
and hear more about organic projects from Cornell researchers.
Related World Wide Web sites:
Organic Agriculture at Cornell University: <http://www.organic.cornell.edu/>
The Northeast Organic Network (NEON): <http://www.neon.cornell.edu/>
Dilmun Hill: Cornell student organic farm: <http://www.hort.cornell.edu/department/facilities/dilmun/>
Freeville Organic Research Farm of Cornell University: <http://www.hort.cornell.edu/organicfarm/about.html>
Public Seed Initiative Web Site: <http://www.plbr.cornell.edu/psi/index.html> |