Organic Farming 9.2.7

Organic Farming
9.2.8

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​What is something you are going to do or go to that relates to the letter on the wheel?

Draw

What do you notice or wonder about the picture?

What does the term heirloom mean?

Something that is handed down from one generation to another
Heir - passing along or one who inherits
loom - tool of unknown origin

A plant that was once grown by farmers but is not a common commercial crop.

​​Heirloom

​A type of agriculture that does not use synthetic pesticides or fertilizers.

​​Organic

Match

Match the following terms to their definition.

• fertilizer

• sustainable

• soil

• agriculture

• IPM

a substance that helps plants grow

able to be maintained

rocks, minerals and dead plants & animal

farming

way to control pests uses many methods

• a substance that helps plants grow

• able to be maintained

• rocks, minerals and dead plants & animal

• farming

• way to control pests uses many methods

Imagine you are at the store and see two watermelons that look exactly alike, but the prices are different and the PLU number is different. WHY??

PLU is a number stores use to track fruits and vegetables.

​NOTICE & WONDER

The two different watermelon PLU codes are:
- 4031
- 94031

The 9 means that the produce is organic.

PLU

​Notebook
Page 188

Organic farming is a type of sustainable agriculture.
3 Criteria to be Organic:
- no synthetic fertilizers or pesticides can be used for three years
- buffer zone between organic farm fields and lands where synthetics are used
- wood used on farm may not be treated with arsenic compounds

​Organic Farming

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is prohibited on an organic farm?

• IPM

• synthetic fertilizer

• livestock

• manure

Synthetic or commercial fertilizers are the same thing. It is a liquid, powder, or pellet that is purchased at a store.

Organic farmers cannot use commercial fertilizers.

​

​Fertilizer

Organic farms use sustainable agriculture techniques to produce as much high-quality food as possible.
They use:
- organic fertilizer - harvesting
- IPM by hand
- crop rotation - growing
- polyculture heirloom types

​
Let's Look at Each of Them!

​Organic Farming Practices

Organic farmers can use the following fertilizers:

- compost
- manure from organic livestock
- certified organic commercial fertilizer​

Organic fertilizers help to improve soil by adding organic material back into soil.

​Organic Fertilizer

Physical and Biological control of pests are important to organic farmers. They try to structure their farms in ways that prevent pest infestation. If the pests are too bad, they can use Neem oil which is approved as a pesticide for organic farms.

​

IPM- Integrated Pest Management

Crop Rotation is a physical practice of pest control. It helps to prevent disease from spreading through all the crops. It keeps soil healthy by introducing plants that use different nutrients from the soil. If we change the crop, it allows whatever was hurting the crop to die out before replanting with the same crop.

​Crop Rotation

Polyculture is the practice of growing several crops in an area. Organic farmers will divide their land into sections with a different crop planted in each section. Pests like large areas with all the same crop. Polyculture makes it harder for pests to spread.

​

​Polyculture

Heirloom varieties is a type of fruit or vegetable that was once grown in home gardens but is not found in our modern grocery stores. Our stores all tend to get produce from farms that grow the same few vegetable and fruit varieties.
Heirloom varieties have more flavor but also tend to spoil quickly.

​Heirloom Varieties

The small sections of polyculture make using machines less helpful, so organic farmers harvest their crops by hand. Modern farms use monoculture so machines can gather large areas of the same crop easily.

​Harvesting by Hand

Multiple Choice

Greta is an organic farmer who sells delicata squash to local restaurants. The squash is not found in stores but was once a popular garden crop.

Which farming practice describes Greta's choice to grow delicata squash?

• heirloom varieties

• crop rotation

• polyculture

• organic fertilizer

Some Advantage are:
- produces less pollution than traditional farming
- get a higher price for their crops
- tend to build high-quality soil rather than depleting it

​

​Advantages of Organic Farming

Some disadvantages of organic farming are:
- cannot use synthetic pesticides
- more expensive to run organic farm
- heirloom seeds & organic fertilizer costs more
- more employees

​

​Disadvantages of Organic Farming

Categorize

Options (6)

less pollution

difficult to control pests

high price sales

builds soil

expensive supplies

more time & effort

Classify each statement as either an advantage or disadvantage of organic farming.

Advantage

Disadvantage

• tilling weeds and old crops back into the soil

• applying compost

• using manure as fertilizer

These add organic matter (dead plants & animals) to the soil and adds carbon and nitrogen back into the soil.

​

​Organic farmers keep fertile soil by:

​Great Job Today!
Have a Wonderful Weekend!