Date: Saturday, October 26, 2024
Time: 4:00–5:00 p.m.
Cost: Free
Join us for an insightful tour and presentation focused on advancing sustainable agriculture through no-till methods for organic strawberry production. This event will feature highlights from the first year of our 3-year Specialty Crop Block Grant, focused on developing innovative research strategies and designs to test target variables that enhance our no-till systems.
Our trial focuses on two of the farm’s staple bare root matted row strawberry varieties, AC Wendy and Earliglow, planted this past spring—one into overwintered cover crop residue that had been roller crimped the previous year, and the other into a tilled version using the same cover crop mixes and rotation. Our plan thus far is to collect data and develop a cost analysis highlighting the difference in cost of production between organic no-till and organic matted row strawberries from start to finish.
During the tour, we’ll discuss our rationale for these designs, drawing from our past experiences with no-till agriculture at the farm. We will also share some preliminary production and soil-related data.