Technical Guides

The organic retail market in Wales 2015

This technical Leaflet provides farmers and advisers with guidance on the selection and manage- ment of multispecies leys as a means of supporting pollinators. It draws on the research findings of the LegLink project (see IOTA Technical Leaflet 9) and combines the benefits of multi-species leys for soil fertility building, forage production and pollinator foraging.

English language edition of the FiBL dossier Sustainability and quality of organic food

Report on trends in organic farm incomes

GM foods neither safe nor needed, say genetic engineers

European conference on organic seed, organic plant breeding and agro-biodiversity

OSCAR is an EU-funded project that aims to extend the existing knowledge base available on these subsidiary crops and to disseminate this information to growers and producers.

Legumes in fertility-building leys

Annual Report 2013 published

Although many organic farmers rely on white and red clover to provide fertility, there are many more leguminous species available with interesting traits. In the third part of a series of articles on lesser-known legumes (first published in the Organic Grower) Dr. Thomas Döring and Louisa Winkler review two species; Black medic (Medicago lupilina) and lucerne (Medicago sativa), using information from the literature and the Legume LINK project, which was led by the Organic Research Centre from 2008 to 2012.

Conclusions from the Leg Link project Using legume-based mixtures to enhance the nitrogen use efficiency and economic viability of cropping systems. (LegLINK)

Alsike and crimson clovers

Using diverse legume mixtures can simultaneously fulfil several functions in the rotation, such as building soil fertility, enhancing weed control, and supporting biodiversity

Published as part of the Defra funded P-Link project led by the Scottish Agricultural College.

Provides an introduction to Nutrient Budgeting to aid nutrient and crop planning on organic farms. It includes information on the principles of nutrient management and details of nutrient contents of crops, stock, manure and fertilizer for use in calculating nutrient budgets.

Provides an overview of the financial performance of a range of organic farm types and an analysis of the key factors that affect profitability, including variable costs, particularly focusing on feed and forage, and fixed costs. It provides an introduction to benchmarking and improvement of farm profitability by comparing performance with other similar farms and focusing on underperforming areas to make improvements.

Summarises the key recommendations arising from research, in particular focusing on the absolute priority of improving production from forage and the importance of rumen and cow health as well as addressing issues of forage quality, the effect of season on forage protein, the role of mixed forages and self sufficient dairy systems.

Published as part of the Defra funded P-Link project led by the Scottish Agricultural College.

Provides a short practical guide to different composting techniques and the role and use of compost and fresh manure for different purposes and conditions.