Numerous studies have demonstrated that organic farming promotes biodiversity and increases biological control of pests by supporting beneficial insect predators that prey on insect pests.  Now, a recent study has found that increases in beneficial insect predators on organic farms can help control weeds by consuming weed seeds. Researchers from Germany collected the seed-eating insect […]

The Organic Center has authored an article in the Modern Wellness Guide about how organic can act as a tool to fight superbugs. In it, we discuss how choosing organic goes beyond protecting consumers from pesticide residues; organic also reduces the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.  These diseases have been on the rise lately, and have reached […]

Organic operations must follow the National Organic Program’s (NOP) regulations. The NOP Natural Resources and Biodiversity Conservation Guidance, which interprets these regulations, helps organic producers and their certification personnel determine which conservation practices are appropriate. Biodiversity conservation in organic agriculture varies in a continuum from simple to complex stewardship practices. Opportunities for USDA NRCS to […]

A new study published in the journal Neurotoxicology demonstrates that social stressors such as economic strain or poor learning environments can magnify the negative impacts of pre-natal exposure to organophosphate (OP) pesticides. Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley investigated the interaction between social stressors and prenatal OP pesticide exposure using 329 participants in the […]

Newly published research in PLOS ONE has used U.S. agricultural production data to confirm that the gap between organic and conventional production is lower than had previously been estimated. Study authors analyzed publicly available USDA agricultural survey data from 2014 to compare yield estimates among crops within states. For example, the yield for organic potatoes […]