There will be an educational video conference session on organic grain crops production held from 9:30 a.m. to noon Tuesday, Feb. 9, at the Medford Campus of Northcentral Technical College, Room M108. The session’s topic is “How do Farmers Choose Organic Seed For Their Farms”
Dr. Margaret Smith, Cornell professor in the plant breeding and genetics department, will talk about her project to develop organic corn seed that will resist conventional DNA, and have a trait to make it visibly different from other varieties. Professor Smith will also give farmers methods to compare different seed varieties on their farm as well as what traits to look for in a superior plant stock.
Next on the agenda is Ben Keller, organic dairy and grain producer from Langlade County. His topic will be growing and evaluating organic grain crops in the short growing season of north central Wisconsin.
Klaas Martens, Penn Yan, N.Y., will speak about the efforts he makes to pick seed verities that perform well on his farm.
This session is part of a pilot series of free distance education sessions between Wisconsin farmers and an organic farmer educational network in New York, facilitated by Cornell University Extension. The Feb. 9 meeting will be video connected between the Geneva, N.Y., Agricultural Experiment Station and Northcentral Technical College in Medford. The Wisconsin session is sponsored by University of Wisconsin Cooperative Extension; Langlade, Price, Rusk and Taylor counties; Northcentral Technical College; and the UW Extension Nutrient and Pest Management Program.
For more information, call 800-994-5853.
