Organic Agriculture

Overview

As with the rest of the US, interest in organic agriculture in Georgia is growing. As of 2008, the USDA reports that there were 67 certified organic farming operations in Georgia with a total of 4,341 acres in production. Organic agriculture relies on "ecosystem management" to enrich the soil, manage pests and disease, and produce a healthy product, rather than turning to synthetic fertilizers and pesticides that may pollute the environment and prove to be unsustainable.

Publications

Commercial and Professional Publications

• Simulating Crop Rotations in the Coastal Plain with the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation 2
• Compost Utilization for Erosion Control
• Managing Organic Refuse: Options for Green Industry Professionals

General Publications

• Composting and Mulching
• How to Convert an Inorganic Fertilizer Recommendation to an Organic One
• Growing Vegetables Organically
• Organic Vidalia Onion Production

To see other publications, go to the CAES Publications site or the FACS Publications listing.

News

For the latest news about Extension, visit Georgia FACES. News you can use about Georgia family, agricultural, consumer and enviromental sciences.

• Keep fire ants away from compost piles, vegetable gardens
• Athens-Clarke inducts state's first class of Master Composters
• Tifton researchers make strides in organic peanut production
• Healthy soil is key to successful organic gardening
• UGA professor brings organic farming experience to classroom
• Turn fallen leaves into rich compost
• Organic peanuts grown in the Southeast a possibility
• UGA receives USDA organic agriculture grant
• Buying local: good Georgia trend
• Turn 'trash' into plant food and improve garden soil

Websites

UGA-affiliated sites

• Impact Statements: Organic Agriculture
  Descriptions of Extension efforts to improve knowledge & practices related to organic agriculture.
• Organic Foods — The Facts
  Explains how to identify organic food at the grocery and how producers earn this designation.
• Organic Gardening
  Presentation slides give a comprehensive and moderately detailed summary of growing plants organically.
• Organic Production
  Briefly explains how organic production fits into sustainable agriculture and provides a few links.
• Organic Soil Nutrient Management
  Describes in detail the characteristics of quality soil.

External sites

• Georgia Organics
  Organization promotes sustainable and community-based agriculture with resources for farmers and consumers, education for schoolchildren and home growers, news reports and annual conference.
• USDA National Organic Program
  Information for producers and consumers on the federal government's standards program for organic agricultural products.