Organic vegetable growers commonly rely on tillage for cover crop termination, weed management and soil preparation, which can compromise soil health.  However, emerging no-till practices, including occultation with tarps, are gaining popularity in organic vegetable production systems.  Despite growing interest and innovation on the part of farmers, there is limited research available to understand how these practices affect soil health, organic crop production and climate resilience.  Join our session to learn the results of a multi-year study comparing conventional tillage with various reduced tillage methods on organic vegetable farms in Michigan.  You'll also hear from small, organic vegetable farmers across the spectrum of tillage intensity and tarping experience about how reducing tillage is changing their farm operations.

*  Comparing Reduced Tillage Methods for Organic Vegetables
Mechanical reduced tillage methods, such as roller-crimping, strip-till and tarping, have emerged as potential solutions for organic farming, but limited research has been conducted to examine the influence of these practices on soil health, crop performance and climate resilience in organic vegetable production systems. Our multi-year study investigated the effects of five different cover crop termination and bed preparation methods in a pea-oat cover crop followed by beet, broccoli and cabbage.  Learn how this research is expanding the knowledge base available to support farmers' tillage decisions with improved outcomes for soil, vegetable crops and the climate.
2:00pm - 2:30pm

James DeDecker - Michigan State University
Matt Van Grinsven - Northern Michigan University

*  Tarping Systems at Green Things Farm
Nate started Green Things Farm with his partner Jill in 2011. Having used silage tarps for almost a decade now, Nate will share his experience and well-honed systems regarding the tarps used, strategies to hold them in place, moving them around the farm, adapting to different size blocks, etc.  He will also discuss what has worked well and what has not worked well over the years, including seasonal shifts in efficacy and over-winter tarping strategies, the interplay between tarping and deep mulch compost systems, as well as his decision to reintegrate some minimal tillage back into the system for better and worse the past couple seasons. 

2:30pm - 3:00pm
Nate Lada - Green Things Farm Collective
  
*  Farmer Panel on Reducing Tillage and Tarping
Hear from a panel of Michigan organic vegetable farmers working across the spectrum of production scale, tillage intensity and no-till experience about how reducing tillage is changing their farm operations.  
3:00pm - 4:00pm
Laura Brosius - Full Plate Farm
David Coveyou - Coveyou Scenic Farm
Heather Anderson - Green Wagon Farm

Nate Lada - Green Things Farm Collective