Research Library
EFAO’s research library is an open access resource where you can find all of EFAO’s research protocols, reports and publications, and other on-farm research guides.
In a Nutshell
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Cover crops with micronutrient amendments increased active carbon, a sensitive indicator of soil health and soil regeneration potential.
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Micronutrient amendments alone did not increase active carbon.
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Eric saw some added benefit of adding chicken manure and woody compost to the diverse cover crop, with respect to yield and cost effectiveness per unit biomass of an indicator crop of sorghum sudangrass.
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Moving forward, whether Eric uses cover crops with or without manure and compost will depend on the return on investment of the following cash crop.
Farmer-led research (FLR) is a process of inquiry wherein farmers use scientific methods to address their own on-farm curiosities and challenges in ways that are compatible with the scale and management style of their operations. With its flexible, adaptable, participatory, grassroots-oriented nature, FLR has typically been employed by farmers interested in ecological farming techniques and technologies, and evidence shows that it contributes to the adoption and improvement of ecological management practices across a range of contexts. Engagement in FLR initiatives has also been linked to positive social outcomes, including community building, farmer empowerment, and enhanced capacity for leadership and collective action. In this paper, we present a case study of the Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario’s (EFAO) Farmer-Led Research Program (FLRP), which is currently one of relatively few FLR initiatives in North America. We draw on data from a participatory, mixed-methods research project. Our results highlight how the FLRP is enabling farmers to feel more knowledgeable, confident, motivated, and inspired to adopt and/or improve ecological practices on their farms, in part by supporting them in building robust social networks that align with their farming values and priorities.
Keywords
- Farmer-led Research, Ecological Agriculture, Farmer-to-Farmer Networks, Knowledge-Sharing, Social Learning, Evidence-Informed Practice, Ontario
Rav et les autres agriculteurs voulaient documenter les meilleures variétés de gombo pour la production dans différentes fermes du sud de l’Ontario et du Québec.
En Bref
- Une grande variabilité entre les variétés a rendu difficile la distinction entre les « meilleures » et les « pires » variétés de gombo.
- La variété Emerald Green a été performante en ce qui concerne la germination, le rendement, la cote et les préférences des producteurs.
- Les clients du marché des producteurs et des paniers d’ASC aiment toutes les variétés. Les producteurs sont alors invités à opter pour les variétés les mieux adaptées à leur système de production.
To innovate systems that reduce tillage and keep the soil covered using cover crops for organic vegetable production in southern Ontario, Ken Laing tested 60+ combinations of crops and ground cover over three years.
In a Nutshell
The most promising systems that emerged from his investigations included:
- Garlic no-till planted in the fall into a mown cover crop of sorghum sudangrass
- Potatoes no-till planted into winter rye, which is mown before potato emergence
- Winter squash no-till planted into hairy vetch or deep compost mulch
- Field tomatoes planted into winter rye and hairy vetch; with more trials needed to confirm
As part of the Living Lab–Ontario project funded by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Brett Israel tested strategies to make reduced tillage more scalable for organic field crop production systems in southern Ontario by double cropping soybeans with small grains and forages and adding N-fixing forages to his corn rotation.
In a Nutshell
Over two years of trials, the most promising systems that emerged from his investigations included:
- Overwintered cereal rye harvested for forage before planting soybeans
- Winter barley planted ahead of short season soybeans
- Spring-planted alfalfa harvested for forage and then incorporated as the sole nitrogen source for the following corn crop
The growers’ objectives were to document the best fava varieties for urban rooftop and field production across different farms in southern Ontario.
In a Nutshell
- Distinguishing the “best” and “worst” among fava varieties wasn’t possible due to crop failure and missing data
- All fava varieties had issues with disease and heat stress, leading growers to note a need for regionally adapted varieties of fava
- Fava was a popular item at markets and through CSAs as many customers don’t see fresh fava very often!
The growers’ objectives were to document the best iceberg lettuce varieties for successional head production across different farms in southern Ontario; and to assess the viability of the varieties for seed production in Zone 3 in northern Ontario.
In a Nutshell
- Iceberg can be a difficult lettuce to grow and market because of the variability and inconsistencies in head development
- Due to issues with replication, no concrete recommendations can be made on which iceberg variety is best for successional head production in southern Ontario
- Two varieties that rose to the top for growers were Laibacher Eis 4 and Marius, both of which came from a co-operative organic breeding network in Germany
- Due to disease pressure, no seed was produced in Zone 3 from any of the iceberg varieties
Mike and the other farmers wanted to document the best red pepper varieties for production across different farms in southern Ontario and on one farm in British Columbia.
In a Nutshell
- Ace F1 is still the red pepper to beat in terms of productivity and flavour
- Some growers around Guelph experienced extreme levels of pepper maggot infestation, which prevented some data collection for the trial
- Most Ontario growers mentioned that they would not likely grow these varieties of red peppers outdoors again, but instead would stick to poly tunnels or hoophouses as yields and quality are better
- Ace F1, Sprinter, and Crimson Carillon surfaced as favourites for the unreplicated hoop house trial in British Columbia
Rav and the other farmers wanted to document the best okra varieties for production across different farms in southern Ontario and Québec.
In a Nutshell
- High variability among varieties made it difficult to distinguish “best” and “worst” okra varieties
- Emerald Green performed well with respect to germination, yield, ratings, and grower preferences
- Market and CSA customers like all varieties, so go with the varieties that are best suited to your production system
In a continuation of his 2021 quinoa variety screening trial, Dean screened the viability of transplanting quinoa for five seeding dates and two transplant dates.
In a Nutshell
- Quinoa can be successfully grown from transplants and this method offers excellent weed control under organic management
- The efforts and cost of transplanting labour appears to be feasible with the high price of organic quinoa
- Dean believes that with no difference in germination and transplant survivability, earlier transplanted quinoa would be easier to manage with a longer harvest window and less possibility of head sprouting in the fall
Hans was interested in finding a starter mix that can produce healthy and vigorous seedlings without the use of peat moss.
In a Nutshell
- Both biochar and coco coir mixes performed comparatively well to ProMix BX by Hans’ observation
- Hans prefers the potential of biochar mixes over coco coir, given that biochar can be locally sourced or produced
- More on-farm trials are needed to assess the viability of alternative starter mixes
- More research is needed into the life cycle assessment of both peat moss and biochar
Ann wanted to know if there was a yield benefit to growing four-row compared to three-row beets in a three foot bed system. She also wanted to investigate whether there is a difference in labour required for weeding and disease pressure between the two systems.
In a Nutshell
- Using an Earthway seeder with no thinning, Ann found no difference in beet yield between three-row and four-row plantings.
- Ann observed three-row beets were less labour intensive for weeding and that she could use time-saving tools like a wheel hoe longer into the season.
towards the nitrogen requirements of the following cash crop. They established a randomized
block design with low- and high-legume cover crop treatments. They sampled cover crop
biomass and used lab analyzes paired with a free online calculator from Oregon State
University to estimate plant available nitrogen (PAN) from the cover crops, and also tested
an in-field method to estimate PAN. Finally, they took soil nitrate samples throughout the
growing season to better understand the best tools to manage his fertility.
In a Nutshell
- Legume cover crop mixes can supply a lot of PAN, potentially in excess of the needs of some vegetable crops.
- Cover crops act as an effective catch crop by reducing soil nitrate early in the season.
- Legume content in a cover crop mix moderates in-season PAN as indicated by soil nitrate.
- Cover crop biomass sampling coupled with lab analysis and the online calculator provided a simple, cost effective tool for quantifying PAN contribution of cover crops.
- Both pre-plant and mid-season soil nitrate-nitrogen sampling were effective tools for predicting PAN availability when Jesse and Meghan compared their results to the literature.
L’objectif de Becky était de voir s’il était possible d’établir des lieux de cultivation sans labour qui remplacerait de pâturages permanents existants pour la production de fleurs coupées.
En Bref
- Le paillis de résidus de cultures, du compost profond et le travail du sol (témoin) n’a donné aucun résultat appréciable par faute d’une mauvaise germination dans la répétition de son essai.
- Becky a eu de la chance en cultivant des tournesols dans deux parcelles de démonstration qu’elle a bâchées pendant 12 mois et 2 mois, respectivement.
- Becky recommande d’utiliser des bâches pendant de 2 à 12 mois avant de tenter la cultivation dans des pâturages permanents
The growers’ objective was to document the best summer and fall head lettuce across different farms throughout southern and eastern Ontario during the 2020 season.
In a Nutshell
- Magenta, Muir, and Nevada were the top varieties with respect to overall vigor, flavour, and germination in the summer.
- Green Star was the growers’ least favourite variety overall in the summer.
- Magenta, Ruby Sky, and Red Mist (from Vitalis Organic Seed) were the top varieties with respect to overall vigor in the fall.
- Encino was the growers’ least favourite variety overall in the fall.
- Red Mist (from another seedhouse) had poor germination rates, demonstrating that seed source – and not just variety – matters.
To further explore no-till techniques, Matt compared no-till tomatoes three ways: compost + landscape fabric, compost + cover crop + landscape fabric, and compost + cardboard + landscape fabric.
In a Nutshell
- He detected no difference in cumulative or monthly tomato yield among the three methods.
- He also detected no difference in water infiltration, an indicator of soil health, among the three methods.
- This data indicates that adding cardboard or cover crops to compost and landscape fabric does not improve yield for no-till tomatoes; and cardboard and cover crops may be a useful means of further building soil without negative effects on yield.
To help him optimize pasture growth, Andy assessed soil nutrient status from the top slope, side slope and bottom slope of a 50–year old pasture and a hay field that he will start grazing in 2021.
IN A NUTSHELL
- Organic matter was higher in the older pasture but did not change significantly with topography.
- Potassium, phosphorus and iron were also higher in the old pasture and potassium was higher on the top slope. Andy observed variations in manganese and copper for reasons that are unknown.
- Andy’s observations of better soil health at the top of the hills weren’t supported by the basic assessment of soil nutrient status used in this study.
To try to hasten emergence and improve yield of no-till planted spring cereals, Ken compared liquid amendment, biological amendment, a combination of amendments and a no-amendment control.
In a Nutshell
- There was no observable difference in emergence due to amendments.
- There was no significant difference in yield among the different treatments.
Amaranth is climate-resilient and nutrient-dense, and is an important Indigenous plant of the Americas. To learn which varieties of amaranth are best suited for their region of southern Ontario, Ronaldo and Myriam compared five varieties of amaranth in an unreplicated screening trial.
In a Nutshell
- They observed differences among the varieties in germination, flowering times, flowering patters and yield and think that Grain Amaranth from Richters Herbs and Atitlan Dorado from IMAP Guatemala merit consideration for a replicated trial.