By Daniela Carrijo
Demand for organic grain is climbing, and in Pennsylvania much of that comes from the state's organic poultry industry, which depends on a steady supply of organic feed. Corn and soybeans make up most poultry rations, but small grains like spring oats can diversify a corn-soybean rotation, improve soil health, and open new markets for growers. Hulless oats are especially promising because they lack an outer hull, require less processing, and pack more protein per unit. This means that a single crop can potentially reach both animal feed and higher-value human food markets. One problem is that very few research-based guidelines exist for growing these oats organically in the Northeast. Penn State master's student Emily McFadden is working to fill that gap.
At the heart of organic grain production lies a stubborn tradeoff: Without herbicides, farmers lean heavily on tillage and cultivation to manage weeds, but frequent, intensive soil disturbance degrades soil health, reducing aggregate stability, biological activity, and organic matter over time. Many growers would like to implement reduced tillage practices but hesitate, due to weed management concerns. McFadden's research, conducted within Penn State's reduced-tillage organic systems experiments (ROSE) at the Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center, asks whether different agronomic choices can let farmers ease off the plow without losing the weed battle.
Source : psu.edu