November 2023 - 45

ORGANIC GROWER: WEED CONTROL
A UGA study, " Breaking New Ground: Reducing
Perennial Weeds and Improving Soil Fertility for
Southern Farmers Transitioning to Organic Production, "
is supported through the USDA National Institute of
Food and Agriculture organic transitions program.
Georgia ranks fourth in conventional fresh vegetable
production in the U.S., but its 102 organic farms
represent just 0.6% of the nation's organic farms.
The study's researchers want to find ways to help
growers overcome challenges blocking organic growth
and increase the scale of southeastern U.S. organic
production, said Kate Cassity-Duffey, a UGA assistant
professor of organic horticulture.
University of Georgia researchers are examining
ways to help transition derelict pastureland that has
remained fallowed for years to organic production.
Cassity-Duffey, UGA's Tim Coolong, a Department of
Horticulture professor; and Nicholas Tuschak Basinger,
an assistant professor of crop and soil sciences, are
addressing weed management, soil fertility and organic
matter, elements critical to organic production. The
study began in late 2022 and is slated to end in 2025.
In the Organic Farming and Research Foundation's
2022 National Organic Farmer Survey, growers ranked
controlling weeds and nutrient management as top
production challenges. Insect and disease control,
particularly in the South, were other obstacles listed.
Conquering derelict land
Weed management in derelict soils, former
pastureland that has remained idle for years, is being
examined. Cassity-Duffey is studying how to more
quickly transform derelict land into favorable soils
for faster organic transitions. She said researchers
plan to examine how cover crops can affect the weed
community.
" We're going to come up after these cover crops and
see the kind of the severity of these weeds, " CassityDuffey
said. " We also want to highlight how cover crops
impact the soil fertility in ways that we can better bring
them into vegetable systems. It's combining what we
know about cover crops and forages and bringing it to
the vegetable world. "
Scientists are taking a systems approach, reviewing
everything, including weeds, soil and crop health.
" We're pulling on a lot of good research that has been
done, but hopefully synthesizing it to something new, "
she said.
Throughout the Middle Piedmont region around the
metropolitan Atlanta area and in central Georgia, 25
cooperator sites are involved. Cassity-Duffey wants to
convince growers who are acquiring larger acreages
ORGANICGROWER.INFO | 45

http://www.ORGANICGROWER.INFO

November 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of November 2023

Editor's Letter
Farm Bill wish list
IPM Investigations
Great Lakes EXPO
Keeping soil healthy
Drone assignment
2023 Seed Showcase
Organic Grower
Strawberry options
Farm Market & Agritourism
Ag Labor Review
Classifieds
Advertiser Index
November 2023 - 1
November 2023 - 2
November 2023 - 3
November 2023 - Editor's Letter
November 2023 - 5
November 2023 - Farm Bill wish list
November 2023 - 7
November 2023 - IPM Investigations
November 2023 - 9
November 2023 - Great Lakes EXPO
November 2023 - 11
November 2023 - 12
November 2023 - 13
November 2023 - Keeping soil healthy
November 2023 - 15
November 2023 - 16
November 2023 - 17
November 2023 - Drone assignment
November 2023 - 19
November 2023 - 2023 Seed Showcase
November 2023 - 21
November 2023 - 22
November 2023 - 23
November 2023 - 24
November 2023 - 25
November 2023 - 26
November 2023 - 27
November 2023 - 28
November 2023 - 29
November 2023 - 30
November 2023 - 31
November 2023 - 32
November 2023 - 33
November 2023 - 34
November 2023 - 35
November 2023 - 36
November 2023 - 37
November 2023 - 38
November 2023 - 39
November 2023 - 40
November 2023 - 41
November 2023 - 42
November 2023 - Organic Grower
November 2023 - 44
November 2023 - 45
November 2023 - 46
November 2023 - 47
November 2023 - 48
November 2023 - 49
November 2023 - 50
November 2023 - 51
November 2023 - 52
November 2023 - 53
November 2023 - 54
November 2023 - 55
November 2023 - 56
November 2023 - 57
November 2023 - Strawberry options
November 2023 - 59
November 2023 - Farm Market & Agritourism
November 2023 - 61
November 2023 - Ag Labor Review
November 2023 - 63
November 2023 - Classifieds
November 2023 - 65
November 2023 - Advertiser Index
November 2023 - 67
November 2023 - 68
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