Ray Yokiel and Dennis Lutteke of Wells, MN will be hosting an organic farming field day held on their farms on Saturday, September 6th. This event will be from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. The day will start at 59129 180th Street, Wells, MN 56097 (about 1 1/2 miles east of Wells on County Road 32). We will begin with a tour of Ray’s farm and a presentation by Bob Yanda of Midwest Bio Ag. The event will move on to the Lutteke farm for a lunch featuring organic food followed by a talk by veterinarian Dr. William Winter. The event will end with a tour of the Lutteke farm. At this meeting there will be many opportunities to exchange information on organic farming and other topics that would be useful to anyone involved in organic or sustainable farming. This event is being held in junction with the South Central Chapter of the Sustainable Farming Association sponsored by the University of Minnesota and the USDA’s Risk Management Agency. For more info contact Ray Yokiel at 507-380-5745 or Dennis Lutteke at 507-553-5633. This event is free (however, donations will be accepted) and open to the public.

By implementing a program officially titled, “Multiple Benefits Dairy Research and Outreach at WCROC, Morris,” the University of Minnesota will become the fourth university in the nation to manage an organic dairy herd. (WCROC: West Central Research and Outreach Center.) The other universities with organic dairies are the University of New Hampshire, Chico State (CA), and Alfred State (NY). The WCROC herd, at the UM-Morris, will be the first university-run organic dairy program in the Midwest. According to UMN Professor of Dairy Science, Dennis Johnson, the organic dairy will provide an opportunity for the University to set new directions in research, teaching, and outreach. Read the entire article on “Mooving to Organic Milk at UM-Morris“.

Have you been wondering about the use of high tunnels? High tunnels have several production characteristics that make them ideal for organic growing of vegetables and fruits. Plants grown in high tunnels are protected from rain, and constant wet foliage caused by dew, which often is the major cause of serious disease problems. Daily water needs are supplied by drip irrigation, which can prevent erratic soil moisture conditions, which are often the cause of fruit cracking. Plants are protected from high winds, which can cause micro bruises of the plant tissue and allow disease organisms to invade the plants. Since high tunnels supply plants with ideal growing conditions as compared to outside production, much of the overall stress is eliminated. Because of the increase in both growing days and heat units, producers have an excellent opportunity to use cover crops and methods to help comply with different organic recommendations and requirements. Read the entire article written by Terry Nennich with the University of Minnesota Extension on organic production in high tunnels.