On the recent Organic Cotton and Peanut Tour in Seminole, Dr. Jane Dever presented an outstanding talk or “discussion” about developing cotton varieties for organic producers. Dr. Dever is the Cotton Breeder for Texas A&M AgriLife Research at Lubbock, and we depend on her work for new cotton varieties in this region. Dr. Dever talked about the challenges for developing cotton without genetically modified traits (GMO) since the South Plains is home to the largest “cotton patch” in the world. In order to prevent cross pollination, there must be plenty of separation from cotton with and without traits and that can be hard to do. She discussed how she is using the “okra leaf” characteristic, which is dominate in cotton, to distinguish non “GMO” cotton from GMO varieties. The picture below shows you how different the okra leaf characteristic is from normal cotton leaves. This characteristic will help breeders, seed companies and organic cotton growers know if a variety has GMO traits – it won’t have an Okra Shaped Leaf!!
Source: Plantae, American Society of Plant Biologists
Dr. Dever talked about her current cotton breeding work at the AG CARES facility, just north of Lamesa, with varieties that have potential to work well in organic systems. The poster below shows the variety test plot located at AG CARES. Just click on that image or photo and you can see a bigger picture with more of the details and a closer view of the QR code for directions. (If you know how to use your phone camera to scan QR codes!!)
On the back of the 2022 Demonstration Handout, Dr. Dever gave a great listing of previous cotton trials and all the data for each including yield, % turnout, and more. Click here to download that information!
I have opportunities to talk to lots of groups about organic agriculture and organic food. In the presentations I talk about organic handler certification and to be honest most folks have never even thought about what an “organic handler” is or does.
The vast majority of organic commodities pass through the hands of at least one middleman, also called a handler, on the way from the farmer to the consumer. Certified organic handlers are certified to handle organic products in accordance with National Organic Standards. Organic handlers perform numerous functions, including packing and shipping, manufacturing and processing, and brokering, wholesaling, or distributing. I basically say that once a farmer sells an organic product (meat, dairy, grain, vegetables, etc.) to anyone except a consumer the buyer must be a certified handler. I like to say that organic is from the farm to the grocery shopper and that is pretty much true. Once an organic product is packaged then anyone can sell that package with an organic label but until that time it must be “handled” by certified handlers.
So, what does this mean in Texas? Currently we have 428 certifications issued to handler operations. Of this total there are about 372 different companies that operate as handlers. What I mean is that a company like HEB may have 20 stores with an organic handler certificate because they cut up organic produce and sell it in packages. Or Natural Grocers has 11 stores certified, all with different addresses but the same corporate company.
Of these 428 certifications in the hands of 372 companies, I have tried to put them into categories to better understand what is going on with Texas organics. If you look at the picture below you get a fairly good idea of the breakdown. Within these categories you have growers that also have a handler certificate. For instance, several organic rice growers also package their own rice and sell as organic rice to consumers. One citrus grower, South Tex Organics, the Holbrook family, also sells organic juices through their Earth Born branded products.
Why is this important? Good question and one I think is easily answered with the fact that we have over 383 organic Texas certificates in the hands of Texas farmers, and I hope that these 372 Texas organic handlers are buying Texas organic products to package and sell in Texas. The more we see Texas organic growers selling to Texas organic handlers who package and then sell to Texas consumers, the better it is for everybody in Texas!
I am adding this paragraph and picture after publishing this blog post because, well, I didn’t know about it!! I was looking at the Central Market website and down at the bottom in small print is the words potential suppliers! When I clicked on it I was taken to this web page. Interesting!
If you are in the Houston area, September 30 you might want to attend this food summit. I know at least two of the speakers are well worth hearing, not sure about the third one! Seriously, all of us are addressing issues related to having fresh, wholesome food available in the urban, inner city. Most cities have lots of wasted, open space suitable for growing fresh produce and lots of people to eat that produce. Our challenge is get the two together and there is no time better than now. The program flyer below gives plenty of information about the program and signup.
Make plans to attend the first ever Organic Growers Conference hosted by the Williamson County Extension Office in Georgetown, Texas, October 18-19. The cost is being worked out but around $50 (was $100!) per participant. For more information or to early register call the Extension Office at (512) 943-3300 or here is a direct link to register:
Sometimes you really have to debate with yourself on whether to buy something or not. I had this ongoing debate with myself when I was trying to decide if I should buy this book in the picture. It was recently released, it is by an author I know, Dr. Gentry, and it is on a subject I enjoy reading about. The problems though are that it is a textbook, it is expensive, and I had to ask, would it be practical or theoretical? I took the plunge, and I am now on my second reading through the over 700 pages!
This book is absolutely written for anybody that works in organic agriculture and it certainly has applications for everybody in agriculture. The chapters are written by many different authors and explain real world stuff. I am by no means a microbiologist, but I still enjoy understanding plants and soils and how they interact with the microbiome that generally inhabit both.
There are many wonderful chapters but the one I want to talk about is written by Dr. Linsey Slaughter, Department of Plant and Soil Science, Texas Tech University and is simply entitled, “Rhizosphere.” On page 269 she writes, “The rhizosphere is the zone of soil immediately influenced by the root with altered microbial diversity, increased activity and number of organisms, and complex interactions between soil microorganisms and the root. The significance of the rhizosphere arises from the release of organic material from the root and the subsequent effect of increased microbial activity on nutrient cycling and plant growth. The unique assemblage of microorganisms in the rhizosphere, known as the rhizosphere microbiome, where microbial community composition, abundance, and functional attributes are distinct from the bulk soil microbiome of the surrounding environment, can influence plant growth in beneficial, neutral, variable, or harmful ways.”
This “influence” starts with the seed. As she explains, “the seeds exude organic compounds such as carbohydrates and amino acids during imbibition, or adsorption of water to rehydrate the seed, at the onset of germination and as the seed coat ruptures to form the primary root. Soil microbes immediately begin to colonize and compete for these resources. Other antimicrobial and signaling compounds are also exuded (by the seed) to protect the seed against pathogenic (disease causing) microbes.”
Dr. Slaughter next discusses roots and root formation. “The root tips at the apex of each root type are responsible for directional growth of the root and are the primary location for water and nutrient absorption and rhizodeposition. The success of the plant depends in large part on the ability of the root tips to sense environmental signals and direct root tip growth in response. The massive number of root tips in the soil accounts for a considerable portion of root surface area and is the most significant location for root interactions with rhizosphere microbial communities. Because of the importance of root tips for root development and function, they are also the site where microbes may have the most significant effect on plant root systems and ultimately the development and physiology of the entire plant.“
Okay this is the part of the chapter I want to emphasize and is the first time I have seen a picture that actually shows what a plant can do. I hope I am not breaking copyright law or any other law by putting this picture here, but it really shows the influence plants have on the rhizosphere surrounding the plant. Here is Dr. Slaughter’s comments, “The rhizosphere is a spatially and temporally heterogeneous zone created by active roots. Physical effects of root growth increase microscale compaction and impact aggregation as soil is pushed aside by the root or enmeshed by root hairs. Nutrient absorption, respiration, and exudation by plant roots create zones of nutrient depletion or enrichment as well and changes in pH and aeration.”
Impact of plant species on rhizosphere pH. Note lower rhizosphere pH for chickpea (left & right) versus maize (corn) (center). Chickpea is well adapted to growth in nutrient-poor soils because of its ability to acidify the rhizosphere through root exudation. Bar = 10 mm.
From Marschner and Römheld (1983).
Page 275, “Principles and Applications of Soil Microbiology.” Elsevier Publishing
As you can see, the roots are changing the pH of the soil surrounding the two different plants. The chickpea is lowering the soil pH which allows it and its microbiome to uptake nutrients it needs while the corn is raising the pH to a 7.5. These changes to the rhizosphere allow the plant to absorb the nutrients it needs.
There is so much more to talk about from this book. Chapters on soil fungi, bacteria, and protozoa. Soil properties and their effect on microbes, soil fauna or insects, composts, etc., etc. I do recommend the book if you want to go deeper into what you do in organic agriculture – it is fascinating to understand and it is our future!
Couple of things I recently received. First, I do like to highlight the quarterly reports from the NOP on enforcement. As you can see in the picture there are 476 cases in progress and the bulk are uncertified operations saying they are organic. I run into this all the time! Folks think that because they use an organic practice or just believe in organics that they are automatically organic.
Second, there is this story from the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota.
Cottonwood County Farmer Charged with $46 Million Organic Grain Fraud Scheme
MINNEAPOLIS – A Jeffers, Minnesota man has been indicted for defrauding grain purchasers by selling non-GMO grains falsely labeled as organic. According to court documents, between 2014 and 2020, James Clayton Wolf, 64, a certified organic farmer, engaged in a scheme to defraud grain purchasers by selling them non-GMO grains falsely represented as organic. Wolf, who did not hold a legally required grain buyer’s license, repeatedly purchased non-organic corn and soybeans from a grain seller and resold the grain as organic product. As part of his scheme, Wolf also grew conventionally farmed crops using chemical fertilizers and pesticides, in violation of organic farming standards.
Wolf provided grain purchasers with copies of his National Organics Program certification but withheld the material fact that the grains were not organically farmed. As a result of his fraud scheme, Wolf received more than $46,000,000 in payments from grain buyers.
Texas A&M AgriLife Organic 