r/OrganicFarming

I'm a Professor and have been working on a way to drop pesticide usage, specifically copper usage for organic farming. We've just wrapped up 3 years of trials (lab, then small plants, then a handful of peach trees in the field).

We have gotten great results and will be scaling up our field trials (grapes, then nuts and tomatoes) but I found out that it doesn't need approval in the US since its using existing pesticides.

We're hoping to partner with some farmers and give it away free (or at very low cost, depending on size) in order to get data on more crops and prove it in the field.

Happy to provide more info, but very briefly:

1. It prevents copper from washing off leaves in the rain and can even be sprayed in the rain. But can be selectively removed with certain Agricultural washes.

2. Compatible with existing spray equipment (water based).

3. In our field trials allowed for lower concentrations to be used, and the fewer sprays from not washing off meant more than 100x reduction in copper usage per season.

4. Plant-based and is already in foods and drinks.

Our initial trials were peach trees, but keen to do anything where copper is already used. We also have a more advanced formulation thats broadspectrum against viruses, bacteria, and fungi, but I am not positive what regulatory pathway that one needs.

Sorry if this isn't of interest, but reach out if it is.

Here to grow literally and figuratively. I like the idea of becoming a farmer and grow it myself! A small business idea…

Heyo!

I have been an organic vegetable farmer for 13 years and have done some kind of market the entire time. I am currently the market manager of a small farm in the suburbs of NYC with a very busy on-farm market. Think farm hub with farm stand vibes: we grow ourselves (veggies and chicken on the farm) and source from other local farms we know. We're really proud to be able to support other farmers this way, for several we're they're biggest source of income.

So despite doing farmers markets since I started this career 16 years ago (3 years first working markets before jumping on the farms themselves), I find myself now setting up and breaking down what is essentially a farmers market 7 days a week, 9 hours a day. Heat, rain snow, what have you. One of my biggest struggles is keeping produce that's been sitting outside, fresh. If it doesn't sell that day it goes back in the cooler overnight. Comes out the next day. Sits out. Hopefully we sell it. If it doesn't sell, goes back in the cooler etc etc. lots of things ultimately end up looking sad. We've had some success with rehydrating greens in water overnight, but that's a pretty big lift every single day (during the height of the season will do 6 to 9k in a day) and with the variety of produce we have.

Going to one farmers market on the weekends and having stuff sit out all day is not a problem because you usually sell out by the end of the day. But we have so much product. We're constantly restocking from our walking coolers. Displays need to be full to look good and all that retail theory stuff that works. It is essentially a grocery store but mostly outside.

I've had great luck with misting produce that fits in our reach-in fridges, but as we get into the summer we fill up our whole 10x20 ft tent with produce.

Does anyone have any tips for keeping produce looking its best in this sort of situation? It's got to be some combination of hydration and temperature, which of course are difficult to control.

Thanks for thinking about it!

Was really wanting to choke out my yard responsibly to replace with native plants. Bought a lot of heavy duty EcoMulch and Gempler’s GreenStake biodegradable stakes. I was lucky if this arrangement stayed down a day. Really annoyed because I paid a premium to do this project responsibly, and as sustainable and eco friendly as I wanted to be, if it’s a defunct product, I simply bought and encouraged the production of junk.

Anyway, for someone wanting to avoid microplastic pollution of tarping/staking and pesticides, how should I go about eliminating invasives and stubborn turf grass?

I would love if someone could suggest a successful method for all the EcoMulch and biostakes I bought. I would try again. It’s worth noting there is a modest grade to the section of yard and the previous issue was failure when windy.

Thanks in advance!!