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    Organic Vegetable Production: Laura K. Hunsberger

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    This document discusses trends and practices for organic vegetable production. Organic food sales have grown significantly in recent decades and organic production focuses on improving soil health through practices like crop rotation and cover cropping. The presentation also covers organic pest and disease management techniques as well as marketing and pricing organic products.

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    Organic Vegetable Production: Laura K. Hunsberger

    Uploaded by

    nichelle
    52 views9 pages
    This document discusses trends and practices for organic vegetable production. Organic food sales have grown significantly in recent decades and organic production focuses on improving soil health through practices like crop rotation and cover cropping. The presentation also covers organic pest and disease management techniques as well as marketing and pricing organic products.

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    This document discusses trends and practices for organic vegetable production. Organic food sales have grown significantly in recent decades and organic production focuses on improving soil health through practices like crop rotation and cover cropping. The presentation also covers organic pest and disease management techniques as well as marketing and pricing organic products.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    52 views9 pages

    Organic Vegetable Production: Laura K. Hunsberger

    Uploaded by

    nichelle
    This document discusses trends and practices for organic vegetable production. Organic food sales have grown significantly in recent decades and organic production focuses on improving soil health through practices like crop rotation and cover cropping. The presentation also covers organic pest and disease management techniques as well as marketing and pricing organic products.

    Copyright:

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    Organic Vegetable Production

    Laura K. Hunsberger
    Extension Educator, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Worcester County
    410-632-1972 LHuns@umd.edu

    Shannon Dill
    Extension Educator, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Talbot County
    410-822-1244 SDill@umd.edu

    Ben Beale
    Extension Educator, Agriculture and Natural Resources, St. Mary’s County
    301-475-4484 BBeale@umd.edu
    Presentation Overview

    • Trends in Organic Production


    • Soil Health and Fertility
    • Pest Management
    • Marketing
    • Pricing Organic Products
    Introduction
    • U.S. organic food sales have grown between 17
    and 21 percent each year since 1997.
    • Conventionally grown food sales that have
    grown only 2 to 4 percent a year for the same
    time period.
    • Organic food sales now represent approximately
    2 percent of U.S. food sales
    • Organic production is a ‘system’ approach that
    improves the condition of the soil and reduces
    soil erosion.
    Soil Health and Fertility
    • The use of crop rotation is critical in organic
    production to break up the pest cycle between
    families of plants and other susceptible hosts
    • Organic producers can provide nutrients to their
    crops through the use of composted manures,
    cover crops and approved blended materials
    • Organic growers are required to improve the
    biological productivity of their soil
    – cover crops, while providing organic matter and
    erosion control, can also provide nutrients (mostly
    Nitrogen).
    Pest Management
    • Insects are managed through
    – enhancement of biodiversity (increasing natural enemy
    populations
    – providing habitat
    – crop rotation
    – adjusting planting dates
    – use of approved chemical products.
    • Weed management is obtained through
    – use of cover crops
    – mulches
    – tillage
    – flaming
    – manual removal
    – The manual control of weeds in an organic system is one of the
    factors that increase the cost of raising vegetables organically
    Pest Management
    • Diseases are managed through
    – Use of resistant varieties
    – Cultural controls (prpoer water usage,
    removal of diseased plant materials, adjusting
    planting dates)
    – Approved Products (www.omri.org)
    Marketing Organic Products
    • The majority of locally grown organic products are sold
    directly to the consumer through farmers markets,
    roadside stands and CSAs (Community Supported
    Agriculture)
    • There is an increasing organic wholesale market to
    health stores and supermarkets due to consumer
    demand
    – Selling to these larger markets often takes higher quantity of
    production
    • It is necessary for organic producers to educate the
    consumer on the principles of organic growing and why
    purchasing organic provides a benefit
    Pricing Organic Products
    • Organic offers a “premium” that consumers may be
    willing to pay for the organic label
    – Organic production is more labor intensive therefore prices
    should reflect that cost

    • Determining the Price for your Product:


    – Determine the value of your inputs (physical and purchased)
    – Know what the market can bear (is there an over-production of
    organic zucchini?)
    – The Organic Price Report
    (http://www.rodaleinstitute.org/Organic-Price-Report) allows for
    the comparison of organically grown vegetables in several
    wholesale markets in the United States
    Additional Resources

    • USDA National Organic Program http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop/index.htm

    • Organic Materials Review Institute www.omri.org

    • Organic Trade Association www.ota.com

    • USDA Economic Research Service http://www.ers.usda.gov/data/organic/

    • Organic Farming Research Foundation http://www.ofrf.org/

    • Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas http://www.attra.ncat.org/

    • New Farm magazine www.newfarm.org

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