Ceres Trust is in the final months of a full spend–out process and is not accepting new applications, having fully committed and redistributed all funds. Ceres Trust will close all operations in the near future.

Organic Research Initiative Final Reports

Ceres Trust has as its main focus the support and promotion of organic and sustainable agriculture.

Between 2010 – 2016, Ceres Trust administered a competitive Organic Research Initiative (ORI) program. Below please find final reports from research projects funded by Ceres Trust.

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All
Soil Health
Public Plant Breeding and Organic Varieties
Organic Fruit and Vegetable Production
Organic Pest Management
Organic Livestock Management

Alleviating Soil Compaction and Improving Weed Suppression With Multifunctional Cover Crops in Organic Grain Production Systems

Breeding and testing corn for organic farmers that combines high N efficiency, superior nutritional value, and cross incompatibility.

Combining strip-tillage and zonal cover-cropping for soil and moisture conservation in organic vegetable systems

Cover Crop Strategies to Build Soil Organic Matter, thereby Enhancing Soil Biology, Water Retention and Weed Control in Organic Cropping Systems of the Western Corn Belt

Developing Cultural Practices for Organically Grown Medicinal Plants

Development and delivery of “living pest management” for organic greenhouses and local food systems

Development and delivery of a comprehensive orchard floor management tactics to promote natural pest management and enhanced soil quality

Development of Cultural Practices to use a Roller/Crimper in Organic Cropping Systems for Eastern Nebraska

Diverse Cover Crop Strategies for Improved Yield and Weed Suppression in Organic Cropping Systems for the Western Corn Belt

Effect of organic grain supplementation on economic, behavior, and pest management strategies of organic dairy cows.

Enhancing soil quality, plant health, and disease management in organic production with Brassica cover crops used as biofumigants

Evaluating the Use of Alfalfa as a Surface Mulch in Corn Cropping Systems

Evaluation of Fodder Systems for Organic Dairy Cattle to Improve Livestock Efficiency

Evaluation of Soil Quality in Vegetables Planted in Plastic Mulch vs. No-Till in Polyculture Cover Crop

Fostering complex soil food webs and building soil fertility with organic production: perennial wheat – Phase Two

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

Grain and Forage from Intermediate Wheatgrass: A New Perennial Grain Crop

Harnessing farm wildlife for weed management: Measuring suppression by rodents and insects

Improving Organic No-Till Systems for Enhanced Soil Quality and Weed Management in Organic Grain/Forage Systems

Improving the Profitability of Small Farms in Missouri by Reducing Inputs through the Integration of Farmscaping and Small Ruminants for Insect Pest and Weed Control

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

Inoculant Impacts on Organic Vegetable Production in the Upper Great Plains

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

Investigating Nitrogen Use Efficiency for Winter Wheat Quality in Organic Rotations in Nebraska

Keystone Cover Crop Species: Understanding the Relative Contribution of Individual Species to Soil Health

Legume Cover Crop Impacts on Soil Nitrogen Cycling and Soil Fertility on Organic Vegetable Farms

Maximizing Milk Production on Wisconsin Pastures: Lessons from the Paddock

Metagenomic Exploration of Cover Crop and Amendment Effects on Functional Bacterial Communities in Organic Soil

Micro-managing soil health: leveraging plant-microbe interactions to improve the effectiveness of cover cropping strategies

Organic Crop Cultivar Selection for Great Plains States In the North Central Region

Organic Production of Fruit Crops Under High Tunnels

Organic seed potato production and participatory breeding

Organic Soybean Variety Trials

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

Selecting and Suppressing Triticale Cultivars for Organic No-till Rotations in Nebraska

Soil microbes in organic vegetable production: Capturing the active players

Soil microbes in organic vegetable production: New insights from pyrosequencing

SWROC High Tunnel: Improving Soil Health and Increasing Rotation Options for Organic Vegetable Production 2013

SWROC High Tunnel: Improving Soil Health and Increasing Rotation Options for Organic Vegetable Production 2016

SWROC High Tunnels: Extending the Season for Organic Vegetable Production 2014

Systems Strategies for Weed Management on Organic Grain Farms

Tackling Lameness on Organic Dairy Farms

The Details That Matter: Second Generation Questions On Organic No-Till Practices

Toward effective microbial weed management: Effects of manure application and cover crop use on native soil microbial communities and weed seed demise in the soil seedbank

Unraveling the mystery of compost teas used for organic disease and insect pest management

Utilizing phylloplanins for the control of fungal and oomycete pathogens in organic potato farming

Value-added Einkorn for Organic Production in the Great Plains Region

Veggie Compass: Whole Farm Planning for Enhanced Profitability of Midwestern Organic Vegetable Growers