Up Close and Personal: Talk to Organic Researchers at Sept. 5 Field Day

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio -- Growers interested in learning the latest in organic research, including updates on organic corn production, organic ecosystem services and organic pest controls, can hear from experts from Ohio State University’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences during a workshop Sept. 5 in Bowling Green.

The Organic and Sustainable Agriculture Field Day will include the opportunity for producers to have an up-close look of the work conducted by the Organic Food and Farming Education and Research (OFFER) program and take part in a tour of the Organic Valley corn variety plot, said Alan Sundermeier, an Ohio State University Extension educator.

The event will feature presentations from OSU Extension and Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC) researchers and educators. OSU Extension and OARDC are the outreach and research arms, respectively, of the college.

One of the advantages of attending the field day is that farmers will have the opportunity to view highlights of all of the organic research Ohio State is conducting, see the exhibits and have access to each researcher who can answer a farmer’s individual questions, Sundermeier said.

“This kind of informal interaction with the researchers allows farmers to better understand what research we are doing and will allow us to gear university research to what the farmers' needs are,” he said. “This site is dedicated long-term in researching organic systems compared to conventional systems, to try to sort out the best practices to increase farm profits.

“One of the projects we’re highlighting is the organic corn plot in conjunction with Organic Valley Company, where we have 24 different organic corn varieties testing. Farmers can compare results side-by-side including different maturities and genetics.”

Other topics for the field night include:

• Organic corn production and marketing
• Long-term organic ecosystem services
• Pest scouting and organic controls
• No-till organic grain production
• Cover crops
• Zeolite soil amendment

The workshop is 5-8 p.m. at the Agricultural Incubator Foundation, 13737 Middleton Pike (State Route 582), about 5 miles north of Bowling Green. The event, which is free and open to the public, will include dinner. No reservations are required, organizers said. 

For more information, contact Sundermeier at 419-354-9050 or sundermeier.5@osu.edu.