ND Department of Agriculture Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE JUNE 17, 2008

JOHNSON AWARDS ORGANIC PRODUCTION DEVELOPMENT GRANTS

BISMARCK – Agriculture Commissioner Roger Johnson has awarded a $3,500 grant to the North Dakota State University Carrington Research Extension Center to train organic producers in monitoring soil quality.

“Organic production systems require producers to adopt practices that build and enhance soil quality,” Johnson said. “The Carrington research center will conduct workshops in July or August on two organic farms – one in eastern and one in western North Dakota –to teach new and transitioning organic producers how to use soil quality test kits to track and monitor soil quality.”

The field days will include a hands-on session to show participants how the kit tools are used and what facet of soil quality each tool represents. Since complete soil quality test kits are expensive, the sessions will cover alternative testing methods that farmers can use with relatively inexpensive and easy-to-obtain materials.

Johnson also awarded a $3,250 grant to the Foundation for Agricultural and Rural Resource Management and Sustainability (FARRMS) to conduct an organic farm tour.

The day-long tour would include stops at two farms in south central North Dakota in mid-July. Topics covered on the tour would include organic inspection, organic weed management, farm diversity through livestock and crops, and comparisons of organic and conventional soils.

Both grants were recommended by the North Dakota Organic Advisory Board.

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MEDIA: For more information, please call Ted Quanrud at (701) 328-2233 or tquanrud@nd.gov or Patrice Lahlum at (701) 239-7210 or plahlum@nd.gov.