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Ag Water, Soil Amendments, Exemption Conditions Top List of FSMA Concerns

New federal regulations will likely bring big changes in how food is grown, harvested, packed, and processed in the U.S.; small farms and local and regional food systems will feel it too. The Food Safety Modernization Act, passed in 2011, is currently in the “rulemaking” stage: the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, as the responsible agency, drafts rules and offers them ...

Nick Andrews, Lauren Gwin | Jul 2013 | Article

Headwaters Incubator Program - Cultivating Farms and Future Stewards No Small Task

Launching a farm business is no small task. Even skilled growers who embody the creative, rugged, jack-of-all-trades image must be able to apply sound business practices, establish and maintain robust farm networks, navigate complex financial systems, and demonstrate a variety of nontraditional abilities like social media savvy. Throw on top of that the thin profit margins, the ...

Rowan Steele | Apr 2018 | Article

Reflecting on a First-Year Farm Incubator

Much went right this inaugural season for the Headwaters Incubator Program (HIP), beginning with the five new farm businesses and future stewards being cultivated at Headwaters Farm. These farms were able to successfully grow vegetables, cut flowers, and raise bees in a developing program with a rapidly changing farmscape. The late start to the season—farmers weren’t notified ...

Rowan Steele | Dec 2013 | Article

Headwaters Farm Incubator Program: Cultivating the Next Generation of Farm Stewards

We’ve all heard the stats: Oregon’s farmers average 57.5 years old; only a quarter of Oregon’s primary farm operators are under the age of 50; up to half the nation’s farmland is expected to change hands over the next ten years. The numbers go on and on, but the bottom line is clear—new farmers are needed to assist the generational transition in agriculture and...

Rowan Steele | Jul 2013 | Article

Estimating Nitrogen Contribution from Cover Crops on Organic Vegetable and Cane Berry Farms

The main objective of this project was to compare on-farm measurement techniques for estimating N-contributions from cover crops using 1) separated species lab tests (a standard experimental method), 2) bulked species lab tests, 3) fresh weight, 4) dry weight and 5) canopy height and density. We also recorded relative weed biomass in different cover treatments. After the project ...

Nick Andrews, Garry Stephenson | Apr 2018 | Fact Sheet

Enterprise Budget: Organic Wheat and Small Grains

Information on crop production, variety selection, planting dates, seeding rates, drill calibration, special considerations for broadcast seeding, soil fertility, weed management, insect pest management, and disease management.

Randy Weisz, Christina Cowger, Dominic Reisig | Feb 2014 | Online Resource

What Can I Do with My Small Farm? Selecting an Enterprise for Small Acreages

Covers the many factors involved in making decisions related to the use of small-farm property. Discusses the small farm as a hobby, an agricultural tax deferral, and a family income. Explains how to match crop choices to the farm's physical resources, such as soil type, irrigation potential, and climate, and how to choose a production technique, select traditional or specialty...

Heather Stoven, Garry Stephenson, Maud Powell, Lauren Gwin, Amy Garrett, Melissa Fery, Chip Bubl | Mar 2016 | OSU Extension Catalog

Organic Crop Production Enterprise Budgets

Enterprise budgets help to allocate land, labor and capital, which are limited, to the most appropriate use. The most appropriate use is defined by the person in control of the resources and may be used to maximize profits, minimize soil loss, or to achieve other goals.

Craig Chase, Alice Topaloff, Kathleen Delate | Apr 2016 | Online Resource

Designing a Whole Farm System

Whole Farming Principles and Strategies

Maud Powell, Nick Andrews, Melissa Matthewson, Shelley Elkovich, Gwendolyn Ellen, Tim Franklin, Don Tipping | Jul 2015 | Article