Jun 22, 2009

New York Releases Organic Guides

Organic production guides are available for growers of certain vegetable crops in New York state. The new guides provide information on how to grow organic carrots, peas, snap beans and cucurbits, including winter squash and cucumbers, for the processing sector.

The guides provide an overall approach for organic production of the specified crops. With limited pest control products available for use in organic production systems, the guides offer commercial vegetable producers organic integrated pest management (IPM) techniques for four major processing vegetable crops.

The development of the guides was funded in part by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets’ Organic Development and Assistance Program, and coordinated by the New York State Integrated Pest Management Program with contributions from 19 professionals at Cornell University and Cooperative Extension. Depending on their expertise, professionals provided input on soil fertility recommendations, crop rotations to prevent pests and disease incidence and specific strategies to address common crop problems.

While the motivation behind these guides was to fulfill the demands of the processing sector, they may also serve as a useful resource for producers growing for the fresh market.

For more information, Click here.