Developing Cultural Practices for Organically Grown Medicinal Plants

Ceres Trust Research Grant Authors: John Cardina, Bizhen Hu, Lisa Robbins, and Joseph Scheerens View/Download Full Report in PDF Format Summary: Burdock has been proposed as a treatment for burn wounds by the Amish communities when used as a topical bandage simultaneously with an organic salve. After salve is applied, burdock leaves are used to…

Read More

Increasing Cover Crop Diversity and Weed Suppressive Potential of Soils in Organic Cropping Systems (2009)

Ceres Trust Research Grant Principle Investigator: Dr. John L. Lindquist View/Download full report in Microsoft Word Format Summary: Organic grain cropping systems typically depend on intensive mechanical cultivation for weed control and manure or compost applications to meet plant nutrient demands. However, cover crops may contribute to weed suppression and soil fertility, potentially increasing crop yield…

Read More

Fostering complex soil food webs and building soil fertility with organic production: the potential of perennial wheat

Ceres Trust Research Grant Investigators: Sieg Snapp, Professor, and Steve Culman, Post doc., Department of Plant and Soil Microbial Sciences, Michigan State University; Vicki Morrone, Organic farming specialist, Center for Regional Food Systems, Michigan State University Collaborators: Tianna Dupont, Nematologist Penn State Univ; John Edgerton, Farmer; Martin Nagelkirk, Extension educator; Lee and Linda Prudy, Westwind…

Read More

Organic Production of Fruit Crops Under High Tunnels

Ceres Trust Research Grant Authors: Ben Gluck, Eric Hanson, Greg Lang, and John Biernbaum View/Download full report in PDF format Summary: This project was initiated in 2009 to develop organic production practices for raspberries and sweet cherries in the Midwest. These crops are seldom grown organically in the Midwest due to challenges associatedwith rainy humid summers…

Read More

Integrating Organic Apple and Pork Production to Benefit Pest Management and Grower Profitability

Ceres Trust Research Grant Project Directors: Matt Grieshop, Dale Rozeboom, George Sundin, David Epstein, Krista Buehrer View/Download full report in PDF format Summary: We are an interdisciplinary team from Michigan State University developing a farming system integrating rotational grazing of swine into organic tree fruit farms to provide ecologically based insect, disease, weed, and nutrient…

Read More

Relationships between corn plants and nitrogen fixing bacteria on an organic farm

Ceres Trust Research Grant Principal Investigator: Carrie K Young, Ph.D., Research Director, Michael Fields Agricultural Institute, PO Box 990 East Troy, WI 53120. Resigned from Michael Fields Agricultural Institute December 2012 Report Author: Allison Pratt-Szeliga View/Download full report in PDF format Summary: Corn requires large quantities of nitrogen for its growth. Commercial corn production relies…

Read More

Soil microbes in organic vegetable production: New insights from pyrosequencing

The response of soil microbial communities to organic and conventional fertilization Principle Investigators: Dr. Karen Garrett, Dr. Ari Jumpponen, Dr. Megan Kennelly Collaborators: Lorena Gomez-Montano, M.S. View/download full report in PDF format Summary: Technologies for studying the composition of microbial communities are developing at a very rapid pace. A challenge for agriculture is how to…

Read More