Organic Grain Field Day Set for April 7 at Kibler Vegetable Research Station

Mar 18, 2026

The Organic Field Crop Production and Marketing Meeting will be hosted at the Vegetable Research Station near Kibler on April 7 to connect grain farmers with organic market opportunities and to showcase ongoing organic research in the state.

The event is free and open to the public, and registration is available online. The Vegetable Research Station’s address is 3810 Thornhill St., in Alma.

“The event is focused on growers interested in exploring organic production with buyers from the region to discuss market opportunities for organic grain crops,” said Luke Freeman, program manager for the Arkansas Organic Agriculture project, which is part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Transition to Organic Partnership Program.

Similar to the event last fall, the organic field day also involves partners from the USDA’s Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative project, as well as the Natural Soybean and Grain Alliance, the Center for Arkansas Farms and Food, Winrock International, the Rodale Institute, and the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture researchers.

Field day agenda:

9 a.m. to noon — Indoor sessions featuring a presentation on the potential of organic production, an overview of the USDA’s Transition to Organic Partnership Program, research updates on yield data and cover crop systems, and abuyer panel connecting growers with regional organic grain buyers.
Noon-1 p.m. — Lunch will be provided on-site.
1-3 p.m. — An afternoon field tour will show attendees organic research plots, including a trial comparing no-till vs. conventional tillage and mature cover crop stands.

Source : uada.edu

Video: No-Till vs Tillage: Why Neighboring Fields Are World Apart

“No-till means no yield.”

“No-till soils get too hard.”

But here’s the real story — straight from two fields, same soil, same region, totally different outcomes.

Ray Archuleta of Kiss the Ground and Common Ground Film lays it out simply:

Tillage is intrusive.

No-till can compact — but only when it’s missing living roots.

Cover crops are the difference-maker.

In one field:

No-till + covers ? dark soil, aggregates, biology, higher organic matter, fewer weeds.

In the other:

Heavy tillage + no covers ? starving soil, low diversity, more weeds, fragile structure.

The truth about compaction?

Living plants fix it.

Living roots leak carbon, build aggregates, feed microbes, and rebuild structure — something steel never can.

Ready to go deeper into the research behind no-till yields, rotations, and profitability?