Fargo, North Dakota
October 18, 2007
A 10-acre tract of land at the
North
Dakota State University Dickinson Research Extension Center
has been certified by two major organic farming certifiers,
according to Pat Carr, DREC sustainable agriculture adjunct
professor and agronomist.
The certification means the DREC will be able to conduct
research on organic farming methods at the center. The land has
been certified by the Organic Crop Improvement Association
International in Omaha, Neb., and International Certification
Services Inc. of Medina, N.D. The majority of organic farmland
in the state has received certification through these two
organizations.
"Receiving organic certification for this land heralds a new era
in agricultural research at NDSU," Carr said. "For the first
time, experiments can occur on land within the NDSU system that
has been certified organic. It will allow NDSU scientists to
initiate a sustained and thorough program of investigating
organic farming methods to serve the needs of farmers throughout
the state and region."
The DREC began the certification process in 2004 when the
10-acre tract of land was dedicated to the operational
principles of the organic agriculture community.
"It was a three-year process to become certified, which has been
a very good learning experience for us at the center," Carr
said. "We wanted to do that so we would have legitimacy among
the vast majority of the organic growers in the state and it
really forced us to become familiar with the certification
requirements."
One of the major differences between conventional and organic
production is inputs. Organic producers, for the most part, are
prohibited from applying any synthetic products, such as
fertilizer and pesticides. The DREC research will focus on
alternative management methods. Crop rotation research will be
extensive.
"It often takes a complex rotation where you are putting in
place many different crops to allow producers to control pests,
such as weeds, and make available plant nutrients," Carr said.
"We have one study that's planned where we will have in place an
eight-year rotation, which means that a group of crops will need
eight years to run through a full, complete cycle."
Another major focus of the organic research will be on the
energy necessary to grow crops in North Dakota.
"There are a lot of spinoffs that have as much application as
for conventional producers," Carr said. "Conventional farmers
can and do apply fertilizers. Those fertilizers cost money. As
we've watched gas prices go up the last few years, we've also
watched fertilizer prices increase. A lot of conventional
producers are looking for alternative or supplemental sources of
nitrogen fertilizer.
"Organic producers must apply alternative sources to synthetic
fertilizer because they typically can't apply synthetic
fertilizer to maintain certification," he adds. "We are going to
look at methods that best utilize natural sources of nitrogen to
meet crop needs. We hope to fine- tune that to North Dakota
conditions. What we discover also will have direct and immediate
application to conventional farmers."
One such opportunity Carr and his research associates will
investigate is the use of legume crops.
"I hope we will gain new insight into the amount of nitrogen
legumes provide to subsequent crops," Carr said. "What we will
learn will be accessible and useful to conventional and organic
producers."
North Dakota is a major producer of organic crops, ranking
second behind California in certified organic acreage. North
Dakota leads the U.S. in the production of organic flax, oats,
sunflowers and buckwheat. It also is a top 10 producer of wheat,
barley, spelt and rye.
The USDA Economic Research Service reports organic crop acreage
has almost tripled since 1995. Retail sales of organic foods
have grown since 1990 by 20 percent or more annually and there
is little evidence of a slowdown anytime soon.
Additional information is available by calling Carr at (701)
483-2348, ext. 143, or by e-mail at
patrick.carr@ndsu.edu.
|
|