Organic vegetable production short course in salinas
In response to growing demand for organic vegetables and an increasingly competitive market, the University of California Cooperative Extension offered a one-day course in organic vegetable production on January 18, 2005 in Salinas.
Organic leeks and strawberry chard from Good Humus Produce at Davis Farmers Market. (Photo by Lyra Haprin, SAREP)
"Organic vegetable production has grown into a significant part of the California agriculture industry,” said Richard Smith, UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor in Monterey County, one of the program organizers. “We were pleased to be able to offer this short course with presentations by local and statewide experts on all aspects of organic vegetable production, from the costs of production to soil and pest management."
Santa Cruz County Cooperative Extension Director Laura Tourte discussed the costs of producing organic lettuce and broccoli, Smith presented a talk on cover crops in organic crop production, and Louise Jackson, UC Davis land, air and water resources professor, presented results of a three-year study on the transition to organic production for cool-season vegetables.
Will Horwath, UC Davis land, air and water resource department professor, talked about the role of soil organic matter and its impact on crop production. Mark Gaskell, UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor in Santa Barbara, added to the discussion on soil management by presenting information on sources of nitrogen fertilizers for organic growers and how they differ in the release of nitrogen.
Other topics included weed management, organic sources of nitrogen, and organic disease management. Researchers and growers also participated in a panel discussion on insectaries and border plantings to control insects in organic vegetable production. All participants received a manual on the topics covered.
“The course emphasized readily usable information for small- and large-scale growers,” said Milt McGiffen, Cooperative Extension specialist and plant physiologist at UC Riverside, a program organizer.
Other sponsoring organizations were the UC Sustainable Agriculture and Research and Education Program, the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s “Buy California” Initiative, the Community Alliance with Family Farmers, and the Columbia Foundation.The full agenda for the workshop and PowerPoint presentations by speakers are available on the SAREP Web site at www.sarep.ucdavis.edu/Organic/courses.htm.
