There are many online resources to help with getting started in organic certification that are continually updated. Canadian Organic Growers has a detailed overview of the steps to transition.

https://cog.ca/transitioning-to-organic/

Our podcast is supported by generous donations, grants and sponsorships. This episode was funded in part by Manitoba Habitat Heritage through the Conservation Trust Program. If you would like to sponsor an episode, contact us at info@manitobaorganics.com.

Melanie Rivard is an independent organic inspector and evaluator with over a decade of experience in organic certification, having worked in the sector since 2010. She lives near Miniota with her husband, Marc, and various two- and four-legged animals.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Manitoba Organics.

Resources links

Learn more about struvite from the Manitoba Cooperator:

https://www.manitobacooperator.ca/news-opinion/news/struvite-fertilizer-from-winnipeg-sewers/

Organic Federation Canada published a detailed article on Phosphorus cycling in organic systems that can be found here:

https://mailchi.mp/organicfederation/phosphorousstruvite

Sponsor

Our podcast is supported by generous donations, grants and sponsorships. This episode was funded in part by Conservation Trust. If you would like to sponsor an episode, contact us at info@manitobaorganics.com.

Guest bio

Ian and Jo-Anne Cushon, along with their son Liam, operate Moose Creek Organic Farm at Oxbow, Saskatchewan. The farm is in southeast Saskatchewan in the thin black soil zone. The primary crops grown are wheat, oats, flax, hemp, and alfalfa seed. Ian started farming in 1981 and began converting to organic farming in 1985. After 30 years of organic farming, protecting and improving the soil and managing fertility with crop rotations and off-farm inputs on 5000 acres, requires continued learning, experimentation and lots of patience.

Creating a nutrient budget will help you evaluate the effect of nutrient management on your fields’ sustainability and help you assess efficiency and improve resource allocation. The Nutrient Budgeting Web App was developed to help with multi-year nutrient management planning, especially for producers that rely on biological nitrogen fixation and/or occasional inputs of manure or other soil fertility amendments. This multi-year approach to nutrient management planning can help to optimize production while decreasing nutrient loss to the environment by doing a better job of matching soil nutrients to crop needs.

The Nutrient Budgeting App will help you calculate whether nutrients are accumulating or being depleted from your fields over time. It makes it easy for you to add up the nutrients you are bringing onto your fields (including through N fixation by legumes) and subtract the nutrients that leave your fields to help you plan your crop rotations and soil amendments. The NBA is meant to be used alongside other nutrient management tools, such as soil testing.

Whether you are an organic producer, transitioning to organic production or a conventional producer wanting to better understand how legumes in your rotation can help you reduce synthetic nitrogen use, the NAB will help you understand the efficiency and flow of nutrients in your fields.

https://pivotandgrow.com/resources/grain-resources/grain-production/nutrient-budgeting/

Our podcast is supported by generous donations, grants and sponsorships. This episode was funded in part by Conservation Trust and Farmers for Climate Solutions. If you would like to sponsor an episode, contact us at info@manitobaorganics.com.

Joanne Thiessen Martens

Dr. Joanne Thiessen Martens is Assistant Professor of Soil Chemistry and Fertility in the Department of Soil Science at the University of Manitoba. She teaches and conducts research on soil fertility and nutrient flows in agroecosystems, especially phosphorus dynamics and alternative crop production systems, including organic production. Her current research focuses on the interactions among soil, plants, and fertilizers, especially with recycled phosphorus inputs like struvite, as well as strategies to increase sustainability and resilience in prairie cropping systems. Joanne has worked with farmers, agronomists, extension personnel, and researchers across Manitoba and Canada, as well as internationally.