WATERLOO, N.Y. — Reduced tillage and weed control in organic field crops and mycotoxins risk to humans and livestock are on the February 11, 2020 New York Certified Organic (NYCO) meeting agenda. The meeting will begin at 10 am at the new NYCO meeting location for 2020 at the Martin Auction Barn at 1036 NY Route 318 in Waterloo, N.Y., while the auditorium at Cornell AgriTech in Geneva is renovated. There is no charge to attend; no registration required. Organizers ask those attending to bring a dish to pass or a donation for the potluck lunch.
Cornell University Soil and Crop Sciences Professor Matthew Ryan and graduate student Uriel Menalled of the Sustainable Cropping Systems Lab will discuss organic no-till practices and benefits.
Dr. Lynn M. Sosnoskie, an assistant professor of weed ecology and weed management for specialty crop systems with the Cornell University School of Integrative Plant Science at Cornell AgriTech, Geneva, N.Y., will review the biology, ecology, and management of field bindweed, Convolvulus arvenis, one of the most noxious weeds in the world.
Bindweed is known to damage crop yields in such crops as legumes, potatoes and wheat. An invasive perennial plant, bindweed is a member of the morning glory family, whose roots can extend nine feet into the soil and whose seed can remain viable in the soil for decades.
The February 11 NYCO meeting agenda also includes a discussion on mycotoxins in forages with John Winchell from Alltech. Winchell earned a dairy science degree at The Ohio State University and has been practicing dairy nutrition for more than 20 years. He joined Alltech in 2016 as a territory manager, specializing in forage quality, dairy nutrition, and mycotoxin control, in New York.
NYCO also plans a March 10 meeting in Waterloo with speakers expected to include:
- Heath Dewey, a reporter with the USDA Markets News Service, Greeley, CO, will talk about the world organic grain situation;
- John Hanchar, farm business management specialist with the Cornell Cooperative Extension Northwest NY Ag Team, will review a four-year economic study on transitioning to organic crop production at the Aurora Research Farm; and
- McGeary Grains President Shawn Kilpatrick, Lancaster, PA, will share from his 20-plus years of experience in the quality organic grains, feed ingredients, and custom fertilizer industry.
Watch the website at http://blogs.cornell.edu/
–New York Certified Organic
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