Northeastern IPM Center
Compost, Orchards and Cover Crops - PASA/Rodale Workshop (May 18)

Kutztown, PA -- Two powerhouses in the organic and sustainable farming movement will team up on May 18 to offer a field day packed with farming know-how. The Rodale Institute, founded sixty years ago by JI Rodale to scientifically prove that healthy soil and healthy food can be equated to healthy people, will host the field day at the research farm in Kutztown. The Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) is coordinating the event, which is in line with the organization's educational mission to promote profitable, environmentally sound farming methods.

Three main topics will be addressed during the field day, which runs from 10am to 3pm: compost, cover crops and orchards. Participants will enjoy an informative tour as well as a delicious lunch in one of the farmís pavilion. The tour costs $15 for PASA and Rodale members, $25 for all others. To register for the event, go to http://www.pasafarming.org/ or call 814-349-9856.

Don Jantzi will lead participants through the orchard, giving growers valuable tips for managing an organic apple orchard. The first apple trees at Rodale were planted in 1980. With the additional trees planted in 1990 there are now over 30 mostly scab resistant varieties on 4 different rootstocks. The field day event will be a conversation about varieties, rootstocks, organic insect, disease and weed management, and also include orchard equipment and tree training.

Quiet Creek Farm at the Rodale Institute is run by Aimee & John Good. As a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm, they offer over 22 weeks of fresh, local, certified organic produce. In the fall of 2006 Aimee & John partnered with Dave Wilson & Jeff Moyer of the Rodale Institute, in addition to Ron Hoover & Michele Gauger (PASA & Penn State On-Farm Research team) to research how fall-seeded, winter annual cover crop combinations of rye, hairy vetch, red clover, Austrian winter pea and crimson clover may impact spring plantings of tomato, watermelon and cantaloupe. Field day participants will get a chance to see the various cover crops in the field, while the Goods, Rodale and PASA/PSU researchers share biomass yield data and other observations about the cover crops. Researchers will also discuss how a portion of the cover crops will be rolled to no-till plant watermelon and cantaloupe.

Rodaleís state of the art research facility is leading the way to the second generation of compost technology based on soil biology and nutrient management. Participants will see a successful farm-scale compost operation including compost facility site location, materials handling and compost turning technology, along with windrow construction and C:N ratios of various materials.



For more information contact Heather House
Phone: 814-349-9856

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