Agriculture and Forestry

One of the most important decisions an organic grower makes is crop and variety selection. Not all vegetables do well in all locations. Vegetables commonly grown in your area are your best bet for success. Trial and error will also help determine which vegetables are best suited to your area. Find here for more information.

It is always important to start with good quality seed. Examine seed lots carefully before purchasing or when using stored seed. A seed laboratory can conduct standard seed quality tests at a low cost. Seed lots with low test weights, low germination rates or discolored kernels often produce less vigorous plants, even when this seed is treated. Find the best quality seed here!

Seed treatments promote seedling establishment, help ensure yield and reduce quality losses due too mnay diseases and insects. The ability of seed treatments to control many fungal diseases has made them one of the biggest success stories of plant disease prevention. For instance, seed-borne smuts historically caused tremendous yield and quality reduction in grain-growing regions worldwide. Use of effective seed treatment has reduced the severity of many smuts to the point that their occurence is now rare.