Organic farmers rely on tillage to combat weeds in place of herbicides, incorporate organic matter into the soil and reduce soil compaction. However, there is growing interest in ways to reduce tillage intensity and depth in organic production. A recent paper published in the journal Soil and Tillage Research aimed to determine how different tillage… Read More ›

A new study has detected neonicotinoid insecticides in raw and treated drinking water in water from the lower Great Lakes in southern Ontario, Canada, an area dominated by intensive agriculture. Researchers sampled raw and treated drinking water at six water treatment facilities. Neonicotinoid insecticides were detected in raw and treated water but with much lower frequency… Read More ›

A new study published in Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment sought to understand the effect of conversion from conventional farming to organic farming on carabid beetles, also known as ground beetles, a group of insects that provide important biological control of agricultural insect pests. Researchers assessed changes in ground beetle assemblages in nine fields in northern Germany… Read More ›

Farmworkers at risk from chemicals but organic can help, shows new report The Organic Center delves into research studies to prove organic is safer for our farmworkers Download the report here. WASHINGTON, D.C. (Sept. 12, 2018) – The millions of farmworkers who labor on our farms across the country are vitally important to the success… Read More ›

A study recently published in the journal Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems by researchers at the University of Oregon aimed to understand whether organic farming in Washington and California creates more job opportunities than conventional farming. Using data from the USDA’s Agricultural Census, researchers compared average hired farm labor at the county level. They found that… Read More ›