CROP and SOIL RESEARCH
Michael Fields Agricultural Institute- East Troy, WI
Organic Corn Breeding for Food & Farm
Corn is the highest yielding, best-adapted cereal crop in the Midwest. Hitherto, corn has been bred by both private breeders and by the USDA team to be a high-yielding commodity for high-input agriculture. Our project, which involves USDA-ARS, Practical Farmers of Iowa, Michael Fields Agricultural Institute, farmers, and seed companies, is taking a breeding approach that is new. We are working to breed and develop varieties and hybrids that increase the nutritional value of corn while increasing its suitability to sustainable farming systems.
Healthy Soils & Healthy Roots
Sustainable farming means better management of soil organic matter and organic manures as the primary source of nitrogen for our crops. Our research helped us to better understand the linkages between the use of crop rotations and manure, and the health of roots and yields and nitrogen needs of corn. We developed an 'organic matter budgeter' program for helping farmers to plan how cropping and manuring practices will influence the organic matter content of their soils.
Research on Biodynamic Preparations
In targeting biodynamic education, research and outreach as a major program goal, Michael Fields recognizes the importance of perspective. It recognizes that to bring about positive changes in agriculture will require thought and vision. "Not just this country, but around the world we've really got problems with our soils - infertility, compaction, root disease, poor soil structure, trace elements not being taken up. Biodynamics has an approach that can lead to a healthy farming; we need it," Goldstein said.
Michael Fields Agricultural Institute is a public, non-profit institute for education and research in sustainable agriculture, which admits students of any race, color and national or ethnic origin.
