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.
Ryan and Isabelle tested different varieties and planting dates across two winter seasons to assess overwintering success of kale, cilantro and swiss chard in their unheated hoophouses in Cache Bay, northern Ontario.
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Kale and cilantro successfully overwintered in both years and were affected by their locations between the two hoophouses.
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Swiss chard did not survive in 2022 and was not included in the 2022/2023 trial.
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Planting date did not affect the yield of kale or cilantro.
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Winterbor F1 was the best kale of the three varieties tested and Caribe was the best cilantro of three varieties tested, with respect to its saleability and survivability.
To optimize labour associated with planting of easyleaf lettuce, farmers at Fresh City Farms compared transplanting, direct seeding and a step-in method.
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Among four succession plantings, there was a lot of variability and we were unable to discern clear differences between the three planting methods.
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Trends and observations support that transplanting has the potential to be highest yielding; and, depending on soil conditions, the step-in method may reduce labour time.
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The process of conducting a trial on the farm highlighted other areas for optimization, such as bed preparation, which ultimately led to greater yields in 2024.
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There was the same type of ground beetles in the beetle banks and cropped beds
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There were more ground beetles in beetle banks than cropped areas
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Beetle banks provided habitat for numerous other beneficial insects in addition to ground beetles
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Beetle banks provide opportunities for niche enterprises such as cut flowers and mushroom production
Continuing previous work on an organic system for no-till potatoes, Ken tested the performance of the varieties in this system and the effect of planting depth on marketable weight.
In a Nutshell
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Gemstar Russet and SP327 produced similar yield and marketable weight under tilled and no-till management
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Norland had lower yields under no-till management
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Ken found no significant difference in yield or marketable weight between 3” and 5” depths under no-till management
In a Nutshell
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Most of the potato varieties, including a diversity of types, did well with the mulch method with limited greening.
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Chieftain had the highest yield and marketable yield.
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Huckleberry Gold, Yukon Gold, Kennebec, Sangre, Purple Viking, Dakota Pearl were lowest yielding varieties.
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.