MORGANTOWN—West Virginia University is celebrating organic farming with hands-on activities, workshops, farm tours and more through this year’s Organic Farm Field Day.
The field day will be held from 2-7 p.m. Aug. 28 at the WVU Organic Farm. From livestock production techniques to organic pest management solutions, diverse activities will be available for organic farmers and home gardeners alike to enjoy during the free event.
“It’s really an important part of our mission to work with the folks in West Virginia and share the knowledge that we have have for organic farming whether it be research that translates to the everyday farmer or new inventive ways to to do something,” said Lindsay Willey, director of marketing and communications for the Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design.
The 144-acre farm, founded in 1999, has served as an important research area for the Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design and the WVU Extension Service. For more than two decades, the farm has been used to study field crops, livestock, organic pasture management and more. Through these studies, researchers have worked to identify the most successful organic farming practices to share during events like the field day.
Jim Kotcon, WVU associate professor in plant and soil sciences, said organic farming emphasizes the use of natural processes and acts as an alternative to synthetic chemicals. Methods used are more sustainable and lower environmental impacts caused by conventional agriculture. It also promotes an overall healthier lifestyle as it reduces the amount of pesticide residues in food.
“The organic farm field day is our effort to outreach to the public [with] information that our organic farming research has generated,” Kotcon said.
Field projects with WVU faculty and staff will begin at 2:30 p.m. at the Market Garden and Field Crops Area. Projects include:
- New Heritage Beans for Appalachia with WVU Extension Specialist Lewis Jett
- Monitoring and Managing Barber Pole Worm in Organic Sheep with Kotcon
- Small-Scale Poultry 1010 with WVU Professor of Poultry Science Joe Moritz
- Tomato Disease Management with WVU Extension Associate Professor and Plant Pathology Specialist Mafuz Rahman
- Insect Walk with Service Assistant Professor of Entomology Elizabeth Rowen
More projects will be available at 3:30 P.M., including:
- The West Virginia ‘Mortgage Lifter’ Tomato with Jett
- Feasibility of Organic Taro in West Virginia with WVUResearch Associate Professor of Agronomy Domingo Mata-Padrino
- Organic Crop and Pest Monitoring with Drones and Sensors with WVU Professor of Entomology Yong-Lak Park
- Breeding for Disease Resistance in Tomato with WVU Professor Emeritus of Plant Pathology Mannon Gallegly
- Insect walk with Rowen
“The Grower Panel: What Should the WVU Organic Farm Do Next?” will be held from 4:30-5:30 p.m. Throughout the duration of the event, posters, displays and demonstrations from faculty and students will be held at the shop building.
Along with showcasing research and work being done on the farm, WVU plans to give attendees a taste of everything the farm has to offer during supper from 6-7 p.m. The meal will feature organic food from the farm.
“We encourage folks to stop on out and enjoy the day and come and enjoy a meal with us,” Kotcon said.
WVU is encouraging attendees to mask up as an additional COVID-19 safety precaution. For those who would prefer to attend virtually, many of the projects will be available to view online on the Organic Field Day website at http://fieldday.wvu.edu.
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