Suggested Course Readings for STOCKSCH 265 (helpful for your presentations as well). Keep in mind that these links change frequently so might not be working. They are simply suggestions and I encourage you to research on your own as well:
Overview of Sustainable Agriculture
What is Sustainable Agriculture? Please download this SARE document (scroll to Download file)
Agroecology in Action (1996). http://www.agroeco.org/doc/new_docs/Agroeco_principles.pd
Butterfield, Jody, Bingham S, Savoy A. “Holistic Management Handbook: Healthy Land, Healthy Profits.” 117-162. Washington DC, Island Press, 2006.
Please log-in with your ID and you will have full access:
http://site.ebrary.com/lib/umassa/docDetail.action?docID=10194069
Holmgren, David. Permaculture Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability. Holmgren
Design Services, 2002. http://permacultureprinciples.com/principles/ (read all principles by following each link around the circle)
Fukuoka, Masanobu. “Four Principles of Natural Farming” in One Straw Revolution. 33-40. New York: New York Review of Books, 1978. http://www.appropedia.org/images/d/d3/Onestraw.pdf
Soil ecology: http://www.cias.wisc.edu/curriculum/modII/secc/TCB_SoilQual_distrib.ppt
Soil Organic Matter (SOM):http://nevegetable.org/cultural-practices/building-soil-organic-matter
Building Soils for Better Crops (Scroll to Download File—310 pages)
http://www.sare.org/Learning-Center/Books/Building-Soils-for-Better-Crops-3rd-Edition
(soil management, making compost, soil testing, organic matter, cover crops and crop rotation)
Compost: http://www.cias.wisc.edu/curriculum/index.htm
http://nevegetable.org/cultural-practices/compost-and-manure-use-and-nutrient-management
Organic Vegetable Production Basics
Vegetable Families: http://www.greatstems.com/images/veggiefamilies.html
Plant Nutrient Functions and Deficiency Symptoms:
http://landresources.montana.edu/nm/documents/NM9.pdf
http://www.mgofmc.org/docs/nutrientdeficiency.pdf
http://ag.arizona.edu/pubs/garden/az1106.pdf
Crop rotation: http://nevegetable.org/cultural-practices/crop-rotation
Cover Crops: http://www.uvm.edu/vtvegandberry/factsheets/covercrops.html
http://tilth.org/resource_topic/cover-crops/
Companion planting https://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/download.php?id=72
Intercropping http://www.slideshare.net/Fawn85w/intercropping-principles-and-production-practices-attra (this slide share is easiest to read if you can zoom-in especially if you have a mouse with a scroll feature)
No-till and reduced tillage: http://www.sare.org/Learning-Center/Project-Products/Northeast-SARE-Project-Products/Cover-Crops-and-No-Till-Management-for-Organic-Systems
The Rodale Institute has led the way in the no-till revolution. http://newfarm.rodaleinstitute.org/depts/NFfield_trials/
Great slide show: http://newfarm.rodaleinstitute.org/depts/NFfield_trials/1103/slideshow/notillroller1.shtml
http://rodaleinstitute.org/our-work/organic-no-till/
Cover Crop Innovations (SARE webinars)
High Tunnel Winter Cropping Systems
Weed Control
Organic Weed Management: (great overview of relevant methods/terms) https://weedecology.css.cornell.edu/manage/
Excellent, albeit long, overview of the Ecological Overview of Weeds (just read the headings that grab your attention):http://www.extension.org/pages/18529/an-ecological-understanding-of-weeds#.UjiAyn9X9QA
Weed Ecology: (briefly skim these terms) https://weedecology.css.cornell.edu/ecology/
Weed Control Methods:http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu/pdf/7250.pdf
Common Weeds of the Northeastern USA: http://pss.uvm.edu/pss123/weedlist.html
Iowa State Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture compared weed populations in conventional and organic grain crops with very interesting results (pg 5-6 in particular)
http://www.extension.iastate.edu/publications/pm1883.pdf
Weed management: www.extension.org/pages/21452/weed-management-in-organic-vegetable-production-systems-topics
Video Clips on Organic Weed Management:
Beyond Black Plastic: Cover crops and organic no-till for vegetable production.
Page 12 highlights the results for weed control:
http://rodaleinstitute.org/assets/SARE_BeyondBlackPlastic_20140401.pdf
Cultivation Equipment for Weed Control: Pros, Cons and Sources
http://www.uvm.edu/vtvegandberry/factsheets/cultivators.html
Top Tips for Mechanical Cultivation
http://rodaleinstitute.org/top-tips-for-mechanical-cultivation/
Rodale Part 1: The basics of effective tillage techniques. Knowing just when to use just the right tool for just the right weed is critical to early season weed control: http://www.newfarm.org/features/2005/0105/earlyweeds/index1.shtml
Rodale Part 2: Blind cultivation.
Get weeds before they become established and the battle is nearly won: http://www.newfarm.org/features/2005/0205/earlyweeds/index2.shtml
Rodale Part 3: In-row cultivation. It’s as much about the technique—and being able to adapt to fickle weather—as it is about the tools: http://www.newfarm.org/features/2005/0305/earlyweeds/index3.shtml
Pest & Disease Control
Plant Pathology Introduction PowerPoint (Excellent overview from Iowa State University)
http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/curriculum/05-introduction-plant-pathology
Integrated Pest Management (IPM): http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/curriculum/01-introduction-integrated-pest-management-ipm
California’s Statewide IPM Program: http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/crops-agriculture.html
IPM resource from Cornell University: http://www.nysipm.cornell.edu/vegetables/pmep_prof_veg.asp
Insect Pest Management for Organic Crops (Covers the basics of cultural, mechanical, biological and chemical controls for pests) http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu/pdf/7251.pdf
MOFGA’s Pest Reports – Compiled by Eric Sideman (I would recommend signing up for the regular emailed reports. Otherwise, on left side of screen you can read past reports…) http://www.mofga.org/Publications/PestReports/tabid/732/Default.aspx
I love this photo gallery (from Washington State University) of common vegetable problems. Have you seen any of these before? When you find a pest/disease of interest, please research organic or IPM solutions (using links provided or from your own research). http://mtvernon.wsu.edu/path_team/diseasegallery.htm
Interactive photo gallery of pests from University of Maine (click on the name for further information….) http://umaine.edu/home-and-garden-ipm/photo-gallery/vegetable-pests/
Extensive list of insects and diseases of vegetables: http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/pests/plant_pests/veg_fruit/
Tables beginning on Pages 13-16 outline vegetable management options for insects and Pages 17-18 show management options for diseases: www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/ID/ID_316.pdf
Natural Enemies in Organic Farming Systems: http://www.extension.org/pages/18907/natural-enemies-in-organic-farming-systems
Various articles from Extension about Disease Management www.extension.org/pages/59471/organic-vegetable-production-systems-disease-management-in-organic-farming-systems
Assortment of resources pertaining to Insect Management: http://www.extension.org/pages/59455/insect-management-in-organic-farming-systems
Resource Guide for Organic Insect and Disease Management (2013 publication, 211 pages. Very extensive resource. Check out Table of Contents and read up on specific crops you might have questions about) http://web.pppmb.cals.cornell.edu/resourceguide/pdf/resource-guide-for-organic-insect-and-disease-management.pdf
Greenhouse production and season extension:
Introduction to Season Extension in Organic Vegetable Production Systems:
Excellent overview of season extension topics from SARE. Please check out the Variety Trials, Fertility Management, Pest Management and Energy links:
http://www.sare.org/Learning-Center/Topic-Rooms/Season-Extension-Topic-Room
Season Extension in Organic Farming Systems:
Taming the floating row cover from Rodale Institute
“Few tools available to organic vegetable farmers are as useful as the floating row cover, and nothing is a better pest control tool…”
http://rodaleinstitute.org/taming-the-floating-row-cover/
Materials of a High Tunnel
http://www.extension.org/pages/18367/high-tunnel-materials
Video: overview of tunnel production from University of Kentucky (types of tunnels, common problems, disease management and how to construct a low-cost tunnel around 55min mark) http://www.extension.org/pages/26091/high-tunnel-production-and-low-cost-tunnel-construction-webinar
Introduction to Greenhouse Efficiency and Energy Conservation
USDA NRCS Greenhouse funding:
Ledgewood Farm (www.ledgewoodfarm.com) in NH is an approved supplier of greenhouses for the USDA NRCS pilot high tunnel program. Their website provides a great overview
Pricing:
http://ledgewoodfarm.com/pricinginformation.html
Greenhouse Construction: http://ledgewoodfarm.com/images/Greenhouse_construction_without_animation.pdf
Rainwater Catchment from a High Tunnel for Irrigation Use
10-minute video about rainwater catchment project:
http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/news/other-videos#horticulture
Planning for profit: How to analyze high tunnel finances
http://www.hort.cornell.edu/hightunnel/business/planning.htm
Energy-Efficient Greenhouse Breakthrough
“…a 1000 square foot research greenhouse in Boulder, Colorado that uses only sunlight for heat and illumination…Greenhouse went down to only 50ºF on a night that went to -18º F. A dozen varieties of vegetables were planted from seed on Thanksgiving Day, 2010. Sprouting was immediate, growth was vigorous, and many vegetables were harvested by early spring.”
http://www.aceee.org/files/proceedings/2012/data/papers/0193-000414.pdf
Growing Specific Crops Within High Tunnels
High Tunnel Tomato Trellising
http://hightunnels.cfans.umn.edu/files/2012/11/9-Trellis.pdf
High Tunnel Melon and Watermelon Production
http://extension.missouri.edu/p/M173
High Tunnel Pepper Production
http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/publication/Horticulture_HighTunnels_2012-01pr.pdf
Growing Greens in High Tunnels
High Tunnel Specialty Potato Production
http://localfoodhub.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/highTunnelSpecialtyPotatoProduction.pdf
Growing Beets and Carrots Within High Tunnels
http://localfoodhub.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/growingBeetsCarrotsWestVirginia.pdf
Vegetable transplant production:
Check out Growing Media, Seeding and Transplanting, Plant Culture and Height Management, and Disease, Weed and Insect Management http://nevegetable.org/vegetable-transplant-production
Growing Media for Greenhouse Production: (first two links under Unit 4 are good, but read as many as interest you!) http://campus.extension.org/course/view.php?id=424§ion=4
Organic certification:
USDA National Organic Program (outlines regulation for certification): http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/nop
http://www.extension.org/pages/59453/certification-of-organic-farming-systems (incredible list of articles in relation to certification for various farming systems; dairy, vegetables, livetock, etc)
Specific links related to organic vegetable production: http://www.extension.org/pages/61650/organic-vegetable-production-systems-certification-of-organic-farming-systems
USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service 2011 Certified Organic Production Survey. Interesting data starts on Pg. 5:www.nass.usda.gov/Newsroom/Executive_Briefings/2012/10_04_2012.pdf
IRRIGATION METHODS, TYPES, SUPPLIES AND INSTALLMENT
Overview of flood, drip and spray irrigation methods http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/irmethods.html
Details for center-pivot spray irrigation system http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/irsprayhigh.html
General Irrigation Guidelines, Trickle or Drip Irrigation and Running the System
http://nevegetable.org/cultural-practices/irrigation
Understanding Irrigation Management Factors (Type of Soil, Water-Holding Capacity, Evapotranspiration, Rooting Depth, Irrigation, Tools to Evaluate Soil Moisture)
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/mg/Gardennotes/263.pdf
Overview of Furrow Irrigation
http://www.fao.org/docrep/s8684e/s8684e04.htm
Designing a Basic PVC Home Garden Drip Irrigation System
http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/publication/Horticulture_Home_2008-02pr.pdf
Drip-irrigation systems for small conventional and organic vegetable farms (Excellent overview of the disadvantages of drip irrigation starting on Page 2)
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/HS/HS38800.pdf
Maintaining Drip Irrigation for Vegetables www.ksre.ksu.edu/bookstore/pubs/mf2178.pdf
Fertigation in Organic Vegetable Production Systems
How to Reduce Clogging Problems in Fertigation
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/HS/HS120200.pdf
Examples of drip irrigation supplies and their associated costs from Brookdale Fruit Farm in Hollis, NH
http://www.brookdalefarms.com/Irrigation/2013-BIC.pdf
IRRIGATION RELATED RESEARCH
USDA Irrigation & Drainage: National Research Plan to Meet Competing Demands and Protect the Environment
Facts about irrigation in the USA (pg 3), Precision Irrigation (pg 8), review water conservation, importance of good drainage, energy conservation, salinity in soil http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/np/irrigationdrainage/IrrigDrainBro.pdf
An Economic Comparison of Subsurface Drip and Center Pivot Sprinkler Irrigation Systems (Table 1 &2 interesting initial investment costs and Table 5)
http://www.ksre.ksu.edu/sdi/Reports/1998/EconSDICP.pdf
Agronomic and economic evaluation of various furrow irrigation strategies for corn production under limited water supply (Skim article for methods and conclusions if it’s too scientific)
http://www.agronext.iastate.edu/smse/tillage/pdfs/NelsonAlKaisi.pdf
Evaluation of a Drip vs. Furrow Irrigated Cotton Production System
http://ag.arizona.edu/pubs/crops/az1224/az12245b.pdf
Using rainwater for irrigation in a high tunnel (Iowa State University Extension video and also select the “Associated Fact Sheet” link for detailed PDF)
SARE Irrigation Energy Webinar Series
These three videos are more in-depth than is necessary for this course. However, parts of the Irrigation Scheduling presentation would be relevant and informative. It primarily discusses how to reduce energy use through implementing irrigation scheduling tools and evaluating water application efficiency. http://www.sare.org/Learning-Center/Multimedia/North-Central-SARE-Multimedia/Irrigation-Energy-Webinar-Series
Harvest & Post-Harvest
Quality in relation to marketability of vegetables (important to keep in mind)
http://ucce.ucdavis.edu/files/datastore/234-598.pdf
Influence of Pre-harvest Factors on Post-harvest Quality
Post-harvest Handling For Organic Crops
http://ucanr.org/freepubs/docs/7254.pdf
Respiration and Ethylene and their Relationship to Post-harvest Handling
Approved Chemicals for Use in Organic Post-harvest Systems
Pre-cooling and Storage Facilities
http://www.ba.ars.usda.gov/hb66/011precooling.pdf
Respiratory Metabolism (more complex than you need to know, but skim the Factors Affecting Respiration and the Significance)
http://www.ba.ars.usda.gov/hb66/019respiration.pdf
Specialty Crops for Cold Climates (please select PDF link to download)
https://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/summaries/summary.php?pub=369
Marketing Vegetables
USDA Economic Research Service Organic Sales and Market Overview
Conducting Market Research Using Primary Data
http://cals.arizona.edu/arec/wemc/nichemarkets/07conductingmarketresearch.pdf
Organic Price Report (online tool to assist farmers with pricing-choose a market and category and compare different state’s prices)
http://rodaleinstitute.org/farm/organic-price-report/
Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners (MOFGA) Price Report (scroll down to find several months from 2013):
http://www.mofga.org/Publications/OrganicPriceReports/tabid/260/Default.aspx
Plan for Marketing Your Organic Products (Slideshow)
OR Video of same presentation (50mins)
http://www.extension.org/pages/60942/plan-for-marketing-your-organic-products-webinar#.UngWBydX9QB
Find Buyers, Sell Online, Source and Buy Product (business called Local Dirt—www.localdirt.com)
Marketing in Organic Production
Direct Marketing with Value-Added Products (lengthy so please just choose which topics from Table of Contents interest you)
http://www.sarep.ucdavis.edu/sfs/dm/cs/e-com2
Overview of Options for Marketing Produce (CSA, farmers markets, wholesale, restaurants, internet sales, etc).
Please watch all eight videos (each approx. 6mins long)
The Farm to School Network http://www.farmtoschool.org/
Farm-To-Cafeteria Connections
This handbook is a resource for farmers, food service professionals and community members in developing Farm-to-Cafeteria programs in Washington (great examples!)
http://agr.wa.gov/Marketing/SmallFarm/docs/102-FarmToCafeteriaConnections-Web.pdf
UMass Sustainable Food and Farming 