UW-Madison’s Organic Grain Resource and Information Network will host a series of four field days this summer. OGRAIN will highlight innovations in the production of organic feeds, forages and food-grade grains.
The field events will cover several organic practices. These include new equipment for managing cover crops, diversified crop rotations, and novel cover cropping/relay cropping strategies. These are of interest to both conventional and organic farmers looking to improve their soil health and resilience.
Equipment Showcase Field Day, July 10
The kick-off to the summer field day series will be July 10 at the Arlington Agricultural Research Station. The event will highlight the use of equipment in organic grain production, including planters, cultivators, and weeders, among others. Researchers, farmers, and industry experts will be available for this hands-on field demonstration. They will highlight how to use these tools and discuss which equipment is the best fit for organic grain farms.
Keith Speltz Farm Field Day, July 20
The second field day of the season will be July 20 on the Speltz Farm in Altura, Minnesota. This event will showcase the use of warm season annuals, equipment modifications, and strategies to reduce tillage.
Food-Grade Grains Field Day, Aug. 4
The third event, set for Aug. 4, will be at Janie’s Farm and Mill in Ashkum, Illinois. Ross and Harold Wilken will host, Marbleseed’s Farmers of the Year. They’ll walk participants through their strategies to manage a successful organic food-grade grain operation and give a tour of their organic grain mill.
UW Organic Agriculture Research Field Day, Aug. 31
The final field event, the annual UW Organic Agriculture Research Field Day, will be at the Arlington Agricultural Research Station on Aug. 31. It will feature the latest research related to organic grains and forages, covering topics such as organic strip till corn, dry beans, Kernza, roller-crimped soybeans, sunflowers, camelina-soybean relay cropping, and interseeding crops into 30- and 60-inch corn.
“Organic farmers are always innovating to find the best options for weed control and soil health in their systems,” says Erin Silva, OGRAIN program leader. “These field days provide an opportunity to share ideas and support learning between farmers, including those interested in transitioning to organic, actively transitioning, or currently certified organic operators.”
Silva is also a professor and extension specialist in the UW-Madison Department of Plant Pathology. She’s also the Clif Bar Endowed Chair in Organic Agriculture and Outreach.
Register and learn more: https://ograin.cals.wisc.edu/ograin-events/2023-ograin-field-days/
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