ORGANICBIO-EXTENSIVEMANAGEMENT George Kuepper Hort. Program Mgr.

HEALTHY BIOLOGICALLY- ACTIVE SOIL HEALTHY FOOD HEALTHY PEOPLE HEALTHY SOCIETY

Self-Generated Fertility Fixes nitrogen Makes nutrients available Water conservation Air/water balance Suppresses Disease Natural antibiotics Nematode predation Aeration/Drainage Induced resistance in crops Weed Suppression Less weed stimulation Weed seed predation Easier cultivation Pest Insects Reduced More predators & parasites Natural insect disease agents Induced resistance in crops

Crop Rotation Field Sanitation Resistant/Tolerant Varieties Water Management Canopy Management Vector Control Clean Seed Allowed Fertilizers Biological Agents Allowed Pesticides

Biologically Healthy Soil Rotations Cover Crops Organic Cultural Practices Compost, Compost Teas, Mulching Off-Farm Inputs Org Fertilizers & Pesticides GoodOrganicCrops

BIOLOGICALLY HEALTHY SOIL Rotations Cover Crops Organic Cultural Practices Compost, Compost Teas, Mulching Off-Farm Inputs Org Fertilizers & Pesticides GoodOrganicCrops

BIOLOGICALLY HEALTHY SOIL Rotations Cover Crops Organic Cultural Practices Compost, Compost Teas, Mulching Off-Farm Inputs Org Fertilizers & Pesticides GoodOrganicCrops

BIOLOGICALLY HEALTHY SOIL Rotations Cover Crops Organic Cultural Practices Compost, Compost Teas, Mulching Off-Farm Inputs Org Fertilizers & Pesticides GoodOrganicCrops

CANNON ORGANIC HORTICULTUREPLOTS

 Control weeds with minimal labor  Not be reliant on industrial poultry litter for fertility

A Basic Crop Rotation

 Early blight in solanaceous crops—2 years  Black rot in cucurbits—2+ years  Blackleg in brassicas—3-to-4 years  Fusarium wilt in peas—4-to-5 years  Clubroot in brassicas—7 years  White rot on alliums—20 years

Green Fallow Early Vegetables Green Fallow Late Vegetables In-season Rotation Cannon Plots

2011 Early Vegetables 2012 Green Fallow 2013 Late Vegetables 2014 Green Fallow 2011 Green Fallow 2012 Early Vegetables 2013 Green Fallow 2014 Late Vegetables 2011 Late Vegetables 2012 Green Fallow 2013 Early Vegetables 2014 Green Fallow 2011 Green Fallow 2012 Late Vegetables 2013 Green Fallow 2014 Early Vegetables In-season Rotation History Cannon Plots Field A-1 Field A-3 Field A-2 Field A-4

Bermudagrass

Bermudagrass Strengths  Perennial  Summer season  Drought tolerant  Encouraged by mowing  Many means for spreading spreadingWeaknesses  Winter tillage  Shade

1. Weaken Bermudagrass through: a) Winter Tillage (with no delay in organic certification) or, b) Glyphosate suppression (36–month transition to organic status required) 2. Establish a weed-suppressive summer cover crop of sudangrass or sorghum-sudangrass as early as conditions allow. Use high recommended seeding rates plus 10%. Or more 3. Mow shortly before seed heads emerge using a rotary bushhog or flail mower—shredding the vegetation while leaving tall stubble. Alternatively, flash graze with ruminant stock, leaving long stubble. 4. Shortly before seed heads emerge again, repeat #3. Leave tall stubble if no fall tillage is planned; leave short stubble if planning to till. 5. Plant a winter cover crop after September 1 st when conditions permit. 6. In spring, mow and incorporate the winter cover crop and prepare the soil for planting. 7. Plant or transplant vegetables no sooner than 2 weeks after the winter cover crop has been plowed-in. Summary of Steps for Converting from Bermudagrass to Organic Vegetables with Annual Grass Sorghum

Green Fallow Vegetables Green Fallow VegetablesBermudagrass Advancing & Receding From the Field Edges

— An Old Saying among Organic Farmers Organic Soil Management

 2005 National Center for Appropriate Technology Life in the Soil

 2005 National Center for Appropriate Technology The Soil Food Web

 GK’s College Soil Texts  Soil Fertility and Fertilizers. Tisdale & Nelson One passing mention on p  The Nature and Properties of Soils. Brady Two- page discussion.  Soils: An Introduction to Soils and Plant Growth. Donahue, Miller, & Shickluna Three pages.  The Soil and Health: A Study of Organic Agriculture. Albert Howard Thirty pages!!

With or Without Annual Sorghum ← Crotalaria (Sunn Hemp) Sesbania→ ← Lablab Long-season Southern Peas→

← Pinkeye Purplehull Peas Buckwheat →

Sweet Potatoes in a Living Mulch of Buckwheat, 2012

Green Fallow Winter Cover Crop Early Vegetables Winter Cover Crop Green Fallow Winter Cover Crop Late Vegetables Winter Cover Crop Growing- & Winter-Season Rotation Cannon Plots

Kerr Center’s Cannon Horticulture Plots Winter Season: When we grow most of our nitrogen. Crimson Clover Austrian Winter Peas Hairy Vetch Arrowleaf Clover

 Grain Rye  Wheat  Triticale  Hardy Oats  Spring Oats

 Tillage/Oilseed/Daikon Radish  Turnips  Rape  Mustard

Alfalfa/Medic group: alfalfa, medics, yellow and white sweetclovers Cowpea group: cowpeas, lespedeza peanuts, lablab, crotalaria Garden Bean group: snap, string, kidney lima, and wax True Clover group: crimson, red, white subterraneanarrowleaf Vetch/Pea group: English peas, snowpeas winter peas, faba beans vetch, lentils Crownvetch group: crownvetch Lupin group: lupins Soybean group: soybeans Trefoil group: trefoil

 Imported mulch  Transferred mulch  Killed mulch  Mow-kill  Roll-kill

Creating in situ Killed - Mulch With a BCS-Mounted Sicklebar Mower

Biologically Healthy Soil Rotations Cover Crops Organic Cultural Practices Compost, Compost Teas, Mulching Off-Farm Inputs Org Fertilizers & Pesticides GoodOrganicCrops OrganicConservationTill, Living Living Mulches & Mulches & Plastic Mulch

A Proposed Perennial Plan #1 Field A3: On-Going Blackberries plus 5% perennial beneficial habitat Early Vegetables→Green Fallow→Late Vegetables→Green Fallow→Repeat Elderberries plus 5% perennial beneficial habitat Asparagus plus 5% perennial beneficial habitat Bermudagrass Conservation Strip Green Fallow→Early Vegetables→Green Fallow→Late Vegetables→Repeat Late Vegetables→Green Fallow→Early Vegetables→Green Fallow→Repeat Green Fallow→Late Vegetables→Green Fallow→Early Vegetables→Repeat

RESILIENCE SYSTEM DESIGN AND MANAGEMENT FOR ORGANIC, TRANSITIONAL, AND SUSTAINABLE VEGETABLE GROWERS NRCS CONSERVATION INNOVATION GRANT (CIG) AWARD #69-3A Bioextensive Systems Mgt. Crop Rotations Cover Crops Soil Food Web Organic No-till Composting & Vermicomposting Compost Teas & Extracts Indigenous Microorganisms (IMO) Effective Microorganisms (EM) Biochar

Thanks for your attention attention! George Kuepper The Kerr Center P.O. Box 588 Poteau, OK