Organic farming, also known as ecological farming or biological farming, is an agricultural system that uses no synthetic fertilizers or pesticides, but instead uses fertilizers of organic origin such as compost manure, green manure, and bone meal and places emphasis on techniques such as crop rotation and companion planting to control disease and pests.
This has been a relatively hot topic over the last couple of years in the ag industry, with many farmers in the area and around Ohio dipping their toes into the organic system.
Whether you have already tried some form of organic production on your farm, or are considering it, a March 21 workshop being held at the North Central Agricultural Research Station is the perfect place to get many of your questions answered and to learn about the process of switching to organic.
The station is part of the research arm of the Ohio State University’s College of Food, Agriculture, and Environmental Sciences, and is located just outside of Fremont in Sandusky County.
Experts from OSU Extension and some local producers will be on hand to share their knowledge between 10 am and 2:00 pm in the office building at the research station, at 1165 Gonawein Rd, Fremont, OH.
Eric Richer, OSU Extension farm management specialist, will lead off the discussions with information on what hurdles you should expect to encounter when switching to organic production. Jason Hartschuh, OSU Extension field specialist for dairy and precision livestock, along with Allen Gahler, OSU Extension Educator for Agriculture and Natural Resources in Sandusky County will then lead discussion on options for organic production, as well as share their research results from organic forage production trials conducted in 2023 with funding from the Warner On-farm Research Grant Program for sustainable agriculture.
After lunch, which is include with the $20 registration fee, local producers Kurt Bench from Shared Legacy Farms, and Adam Welly from Wayward Seed Farm will tell their stories about their organic farming operation and community supported agriculture and answer any questions the participants may have about organic production. Flyer with complete information and registration information can be found at Sandusky.osu.edu or you can simply call the Sandusky County Extension office at 419-334-6340 to make your reservation.