Organic Crop Production on the Prairies PLNT 3560 Why this course is useful? Who should take this course? How this course fits into the curriculum

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1 Organic Crop Production on the Prairies PLNT 3560 Course Outline and Summary Notes Dr. Martin H. Entz Room 309 Agriculture Building (East Wing) Phone Why this course is useful? The organic food market is growing rapidly and hence organic agriculture represents an important opportunity for farmers and processors. There are approximately 300 certified organic farmers in Manitoba over 4000 certified organic farmer across Canada. Some Canadian farmers have converted a portion of their farms to certified organic in an effort to capture new markets for traditional crops; learn new ways of enriching soils with nutrients; and managing herbicide resistant weeds. Canadian companies are starting to hire organic crop and soil consultants, so training in organic crop production is an asset. Organic methods are increasingly seen as useful for conventional production as well. For example, herbicide resistance management requires that farmers sometime employ alternative weed control methods methods that have been developed on organic farms and through organic crops research. Finally, this course is unique because it emphasizes a systems or whole farm approach to crop production. Who should take this course? Students interested in a more holistic, systems-based approach to agriculture will appreciate this course. The course will also provide students with practical approaches to improving soil health and teach students about new and exciting weed management strategies. How this course fits into the curriculum Organic Crop Production on the Prairies is an elective course. It is best taken later in the program when students have completed foundational courses in soils and crops. There will be some brand new concepts introduced so students are encouraged to engage the instructor for clarification whenever necessary. Asking questions is encouraged. Undergraduate Calendar Description This course provides a detailed overview of organic crop production on the Canadian prairies. The course focusses on organic crop production principles and practices, and information is targeted to wet and dry areas of the prairies. The course focuses on both the science and art of organic farming. Student learning outcomes Learn the principles and practices of organic crop production in Canada Become aware of the scientific basis for organic crop production practices Gain insight into the history and philosophy of organic agriculture Learn how to design organic crop production systems for Manitoba and Canadian farms, including management of nutrient flows 1

2 Required Text Organic Field Crop Handbook (3 rd edition) Canadian Organic Growers, Ottawa, ON. Available in University of Manitoba Bookstore. Other Instructional Methods Additional reading material and on-line resources will be distributed on the D2L learning platform and in some cases as in-class handouts. Availability of Instructor Students with questions or suggestions are welcome to drop in to the office (Room 309 Plant Science building) at their convenience. However, I frequently have other time commitments that are unpredictable. Therefore, please send me an to set up an appointment. Class Communication Students are expected to establish and regularly access their official University account, which is the that will be used for communication about this course. For full details of the Electronic Communication with Students, please visit: _Policy_-_2013_09_01_RF.pdf Summary Notes The skeleton notes (page 5) provide only an outline of the basic information covered in lectures. Students are expected to participate in all lectures, where this material will be discussed and expanded upon. Students are also encouraged to supplement and personalize their class notes for effective studying. Cell phones, tablets and laptops Please help to maintain a classroom environment that is conducive to learning and be respectful to your classmates and instructor. Turn your cell phone off for the lecture period. If you are using a tablet or laptop to take notes, please stay on task (ie., do not check s or surf the internet). Recording of lectures Students are not permitted to record lectures without permission of the instructor. Other information for students - Document is available at the D2L site for this course. Schedule A, which outlines academic supports available to Students regarding: Mental health that includes referral information to resources and student supports, such as Student Counselling Centre, University Health Services and other supports as may be appropriate; Copyright, with a reference directing Students to the University's Copyright Office University and Unit policies, procedures and supplemental regulations available online, with special direction to review the University's policies and procedures regarding: 2

3 Academic dishonesty: plagiarism, cheating and examination impersonation Student access to final examination scripts Student discipline Grade appeals Student advocacy; Respectful Work and Learning Environment; Sexual Assault; and Intellectual Property. Evaluation and Marking Evaluative feedback will be given to students prior to voluntary withdrawal deadline. The mid-term test will be written during the lecture period. The final exam will be a take home format and students will be given 1 week to complete the exam. Failure to write the mid-term or final exam at the scheduled time will result in a grade of zero, except in properly documented cases of medical emergency. Detailed instructions for each exam and assignment will be provided. Grammar, spelling and composition will be evaluated and considered as part of the grading criteria for tests and assignments. General grading scheme (subject to modification by instructor): A+; A; B+; B; C+; C; D; <50 F. Comments and grades will be provided on exams and assignments. Assignments handed in late will have 10% subtracted every 24 hour period. NO EXCEPTIONS All assignments must be paper copy NO ED ASSIGNMENTS Academic dishonesty will be treated very seriously (see the U of M Calendar for policies on plagiarism, cheating and impersonations at exams). Weighting of components: Grade Date 1. Adaptive learning reflection 10% Jan Mid-term exam 25% Feb Organic management plan 25% April In-class participation 10% 5. Final exam (take home format) 30% TBD 3

4 Adaptive learning reflection Using the adaptive learning cycle (second lecture) students will describe adaptive learning associated with 1) transition to organic production and 2) maintaining an organic production system. From the resources provided, students must describe 5 examples of where farmers have needed to use adaptive learning to improve and maintain their organic farming systems. These resources include a book chapter on the subject (Frey and Entz, 2014) and on-line accounts of organic farmers in transition to organic or managing an existing organic cropping system (eg., or utube (eg., or Students must draw the adaptive learning cycle and identify steps within the adaptive learning cycle where the farmers have had to adapt. Please identify 5 major adaptation steps experienced by farmers in the book chapter or from the on-line resources. What you are required to hand in will consist of: An adaptive learning diagram with the 5 points highlighted. Hand drawing is acceptable. A short written explanation on each of the 5 adaptation steps. The suggested word count for each adaptation is 200 to 300 words. Organic Management Plan You will design an organic cropping system for one field on a hypothetical Manitoba organic farm. All components of the cropping system need to be considered in this plan including crop rotation, nutrient management, best agronomic practice, pest management, machinery requirements, etc. You will describe the farm field in terms of soil texture and initial soil nutrient status. Average precipitation and temperature information is also required. Students will be provided with this information as well as unique challenges in terms of nutrient management and weeds. The crop rotation you choose will be determined by a combination of factors including suitability of crops to soil type, N requirements through use of legumes, weed and disease management, and markets. You will use the excelbased nutrient budgeting tool to document the nutrient budget for your rotation. A goal is to achieve a balanced nutrient budget for your selected crop rotation. The final report will consist of the excel spreadsheet with details on crop and nutrient data from each of the 5 consecutive years. Further, students are expected to provide a 1500 word written report on the cropping decisions and how they were selected to achieve economic and management goals. The final written report should contain at least 8 scientific references supporting your choice of cropping system and soil nutrient management. This can be supplemented by information from the Gray literature (webbased information, fact sheets, etc.). 4

5 In-class participation Attendance will be taken in all classes. In-class participation will be judged by students participation in discussions and general engagement with the course material in class. Students who are not comfortable asking questions in public can gain class participation sheets will be made available at the beginning of each class. PLNT 3560 Summary Notes 1 Lesson Content Textbook Additional reading 1 The foundation of organic agriculture; introduction to the organic industry p. 2-9 History of organic farming and certification (Francis and Van Wart, 2009; Kristiansen and Merfield 2006) 2 The organic learning process; adaptive p Frey and Entz 2014 management principles; organic certification 3 Soil management basics for organic production p Soil fertility basics for organic production; soil organic matter; C:N ratios; managing nutrients on an organic farm; knowing when to add nutrients p Heckman et al. (2009). pp January 22 Diploma students mandatory field trip. Degree students: Discussion class 5 Green manure systems for organic production I p Thiessen Martens et al Cover crops in organic systems p p Phosphorous management in organic production p Nutrient budgeting for organic farms February 7 Diploma students mandatory field trip. Degree students: Nutrient budgeting tool tutorial. Excel-based nutrient budgeting tool will be distributed to students 9 Organic farm case studies learning to put it all together Guest speaker Mid-term break 10 Agronomics of organic grain production Stanley and Entz (2018) 11 Weed management in organic production I. The p basics of rotation and agronomy 12 Weed management in organic production II. p Mechanical weed control March 12 Diploma students doing final presentations. Degree students will have a work session dedicated to their organic design project. 13 Disease management in organic production p Drinkwater (2009). pp Insect management in organic production p Livestock integration into organic cropping p Designing organic cropping systems p Organic crop advising Visit websites for organic training such as field days and other educational initiatives 1 Each lesson will take from 1 to 1.5 lecture slots, depending on pace of class 5

6 References Drinkwater, L. E Ecological knowledge: Foundation for sustainable organic agriculture. In: Organic farming: The ecological system, pp American Society of Agronomy Monograph 54. (Read pages 27-30). Francis, C. and Van Wart, J., History of organic farming and certification. Organic farming: The ecological system. In Organic farming: The ecological system. (pp. 3-17). American Society of Agronomy Monograph 54. Frey, J.B. and Entz, M.H., Organic voices: Agronomy, economics, and knowledge on 10 Canadian organic farms. In Managing Energy, Nutrients, and Pests in Organic Field Crops (pp ). CRC Press. Heckman, J.R., Weil, R., Magdoff, F. and Francis, C., Practical steps to soil fertility for organic agriculture. In: Organic farming: The ecological system, pp American Society of Agronomy Monograph 54. (Read pages ). Kristiansen, P. and C. Merfield Overview of organic agriculture. In: Organic agriculture: A global perspective (pp.4-7). Comstock Publishers, Division of Cornell University Press. Stanley, K.A. and Entz, M.H Can large seed size compensate for deep seeding in organic barley (Hordeum vulgare) and oat (Avena sativa) production? An assessment of farm-saved seed. Organic Agriculture, pp.1-9. Thiessen Martens, J.R., D.H. Lynch and M.H. Entz A survey of green manure productivity on dryland organic grain farms in the eastern prairie region of Canada. Can J Plant Sci (in review). 6