Organic Farming Industry
and Biologically Based Pest Management
The number of organic research acres in
the U.S. land-grant system has more than
doubled in the past 3 years. Scientists are
testing several biobased management tactics
under certified organic conditions to verify
their use to organic farmers. The Organic
Farming Research Foundation has compiled
a report titled “State
of the States,” which highlights
organic farming research done within land-grant
universities between 2001 and 2003.
Many of these projects were funded by different
grant programs in CSREES. For example, funding
for a research facility known as the Center
for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS) in
North Carolina came from the CSREES Initiative
for Future Agricultural and Food Systems
(IFAFS) program. The wide array of projects
being done at CEFS includes a study to compare
quality and growth characteristics of commercial
beneficial insect habitat blends.
Several projects funded by the Integrated
Organic Program are testing biobased
approaches to pest management. For additional
information about the Integrated Organic
Program, contact Tom
Bewick.
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