Strengthening Organic Enforcement
Lots of new rules affecting organic throughout the WORLD! The Strengthening Organic Enforcement (SOE) final rule reduces fraud in the organic marketplace; strengthens oversight of organic producers, handlers, and certifiers; and improves USDA’s enforcement mechanisms. USDA used public comments to refine this final rule and maximize benefit to the organic industry. Okay, that is the…
Educator Achievement Award
I know it is a pretty rough looking crowd in the picture above, but I will have to say I am very proud of the honor! Keith McIlvain (left) and Jim Farley (right), Texas Ag Industries Association (TAIA) Board members are shown presenting me (Bob Whitney – in the middle) the 2023 TAIA “Professionals for…
LockDown Organic Herbicide for Northern Jointvetch and maybe Hemp Sesbania control in rice!
In meetings with organic rice producers there is a common theme – we need to increase organic nitrogen fertility and control weeds in rice! The two most often mentioned weeds in rice (outside weedy or red rice) is Hemp Sesbania and Northern Jointvetch. These weeds are very similar in appearance, at least as very young…
Organic “Get Together” in the South Plains, February 21
The Organic “Get Together” will be held on Tuesday, February 21, at The Armory on 101 Webb Street in Brownfield, Texas. Registration starts at 1 pm and program starts at 1:30 pm. This “Get Together” will be a chance to hear all about organic cotton, peanuts, markets, crop problems and solutions, organic programs and more. …
Texas TOPP (Transition to Organic Partnership Program)
Texas TOPP is a five-year partnership program designed to effectively recruit, train, mentor and continually advise farmers who want to transition to organic production. Its overall goals are to build up successful Organic Farmer to Farmer Mentorships that are a part of a larger Organic Community Building program. Within this community will be developed organic…
Common mallow (Malva neglecta) – An increasing weed problem with compost use?
As compost and manure use is more common because of the high cost of chemical fertilizers we are seeing some of the weeds that are associated with cattle feeding starting to appear in our fields. This is one of the culprits Common Mallow and it is one you can easily recognize – it gets everywhere!…
Can cover crops control weeds and save water too?
“Ten years ago, only about 10 million acres in the U.S. were planted with cover crops. Today that’s up to about 22 million acres, and the number is increasing by about 8% annually.” This is a quote from this article on the ancient farming practice of cover crops (click here for article). Certainly, organic farmers…
Field Bindweed control with a fungus?
Field bindweed is one of those weeds that can seem like a slight problem, something you could just pull up or hoe out and be done – WRONG! Field bindweed is a perennial weed with an extensive root system and a fast-growing top to match. One vine can grow 3-4 feet and it easily grows…
Certified Organic Survey – 2021 Summary
In December 2022 the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) released the Certified Organic Survey 2021 Summary. As you can see from the chart above there is a lot of data and Texas is continuing to grow in organics. This is not a survey of every organic grower in Texas since we have 383 based…
Bareroot, Balled & Burlapped and Container Grown Plants
Winter is a great time to plant trees and shrubs. It is highly recommended that you put any tree or shrub out well before hot weather to give plants a time to grow some roots (yes, trees do grow roots in winter) before they have to face hot temperatures. Most fruit and nut tree nurseries…
Biopesticides for the Control of Whiteflies
by Holly Davis, Ph.D. – Certis Biologicals Field Development Manager, Southwestern U.S. Whiteflies have been a persistent problem this year for Texas growers. These insects can be especially difficult to control in organic production. There are numerous OMRI certified biologicals, or biopesticides, available to growers but, to get the best efficacy, it is important to…
Biological Control of Hemp Sesbania in Rice
It doesn’t take you long to figure out the hemp sesbania (Sesbania exaltata) is one of the toughest weed problems we have in organic rice. It is an annual plant, but it acts like a tree as you can see in the picture. It has a few other names, but the most common other name…
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Texas A&M AgriLife Organic 