HRT 251 Org Farm MIDTERM

. The “Certified Organic” label means that a farmer has complied with the ______
______ of the National Organic Program of the USDA, documented that on paper, and been
inspected and approved by a USDA-accredited organic certifier.

Final Rule

Certified organic farmers are not allowed to use any pesticides.

True
False

False

Per unit production area, organic systems score worse than conventional systems on nitrate
and phosphorous leaching and greenhouse gas emissions

Trure False

False

Describe in 1-3 sentences what the key takeaway is in this figure from Dr. Reganold’s lecture
and his paper that you were assigned to read.

Organic agriculture better performs across the four major areas of sustainability (i.e., productivity, environmental impact, economic viability, and social wellbeing). The only aspect organic doesn’t perform as well in is yield.

Which is true of organic farms on average compared to conventional farms:

a.      Organic yields and profits are both higher

b.      Organic yields are higher but profits are lower

c.       Organic yields are lower but profits are higher

d.      Organic yields are lower and profits are lower

e.      Organic yields and profits are similar to conventional farms

c.      Organic yields are lower but profits are higher

What percentage of global agricultural land is organic? (Full credit for exact answers from Dr. Reganold’s lecture; half credit if within 1%; no credit if off by more than 1%)

 

2%

In the “Why Choose Organic” video we watched from the Michigan Transition to Organic Partnership Program, one certified organic farmer said they certify their flowers. They said that they didn’t feel flowers needed to be certified organic because people don’t ingest them. Why did they say they certify them anyways?

They already follow organic practices on the rest of the farm, so they do it on the flower portion of the farm as well so that they don’t have to worry about rotating certified organic vegetables onto fields that were non-organic flowers last year and lose the certification.

What is the name of the person who wrote Pleasant Valley (1943) and Malabar Farm (1948)? This person was a fiction writer who moved from France to Ohio right before WWII. They then bought some degraded farmland, implemented soil restoration practices, and wrote those influential books.

a.       Lady Eve Balfour

b.      Louis Bromfield

c.       Sir Albert Howard

d.       Franklin Hiram King

e.       Lord Walter Northbourne

b.      Louis Bromfield

Rudolf Steiner founded a system of agriculture at the start of the organic farming movement. The farming system is defined by its association as “a holistic, ecological, and ethical approach to farming, gardening, food, and nutrition.” They further say that, “each farm or garden is viewed as an integrated whole, as a living organism in its own right…like a human being, each farm is unique, with its own personality and identity.”

 

What is this farming system called?

Biodynamic agriculture (also “biodynamics” is OK)

Who wrote Silent Spring?

a.      Norman Borlaug

b.      Rachel Carson

c.       Paul Hermann Müller

D. J.I. Rodale

b.      Rachel Carson

. If you want to know if a product is permissible to use on your certified organic farm and you just have the brand name, which would you consult?

a.      The Final Rule

b.      National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances

c.       Organic Materials Review Institute

c.       Organic Materials Review Institute

. The initial proposed rules in the Federal Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 were not well received by the organic community due to a variety of allowances. Three of these proposed allowances were referred to as “The Big Three.” Name one of the three issues below. (You need to pick one of “The Big Three,” although there were several more that we talked about.)

GMOs (also fine as GMO, genetically modified organism(s), GMO crops)

Sewage Sludge (also fine as human sewage)

Irradiation (also fine as ionizing radiation, irradiated food)

The USDA organic regulations recognize four categories of organic products. These categories would each need certified. Name each of the four categories (0.5-pts each):

Crops

Livestock

Processed products

Wild crops

. The cost of organic certification increases linearly with a farm’s organic production value (1-pt).

      True

     False

False

To apply for organic certification, you must create an ____    ____   _____  that describes how your farming, handling and/or processing practices meet organic standards. This should clearly explain your operating plan and all practices related to organic production. 

____Organic____  ____System____  _____Plan_____

For a crop producer who is transitioning to certified organic, how many months would the transition period be? Assume that the land has been actively conventionally farmed right up to the start of the transition period

36-months

Bonus Question: During our fieldtrip to Swallowtail Farm, our host, Anne, mentioned there are two products that are the most popular on their farm. One was mentioned as being the most popular this time of year, while the other was mentioned as the most popular across the year. Which were these products?

Sungold tomatoes (now)

Salad mix (year-round)

 

You want to start a new community garden in Lansing to revitalize your neighborhood. You wonder if there are any foreclosed vacant lots you could use. Which resource do you go to? (1-pt)

a.      Ingham County Garden Land Bank Program

b.      Michigan Farmers Market Association (MIFMA)

c.       Michigan Organic Food and Farm Alliance (MOFFA)

d.      Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF)

a.      Ingham County Garden Land Bank Program

Which of the following resources helps support community-driven marketplaces such as local farmers markets and vendors? This resource’s mission is to help advance and improve Michigan farm markets to create a sustainable marketplace for locals to get their food. (1-pt)

a.      Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)

b.      Michigan Farmers Market Association (MIFMA)

c.       Michigan Food & Farming Systems (MIFFS)

d.      Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF)

b.      Michigan Farmers Market Association (MIFMA)

If you are an organic researcher and want to get a grant to conduct organic research in collaboration with organic farmers, which resource would you apply through? You are also interested in this organization because you know your research will be made free to farmers, which you find to be important to expand its impact. (1-pt)

a.      Michigan Farmers Market Association (MIFMA)

b.      Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF)

c.       Wild Farm Alliance (WFA)

d.      Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF)

b.      Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF)

. _______   _______ have filament networks that entwine with and extend the area of plant roots. This type of soil life allows plants to access otherwise unreachable water and nutrients, and in exchange, gets energy from plants.

Mycorrhizal fungi

Which of the following is a secondary macronutrient?

a.      Carbon (C)

b.      Copper (Cu)

c.       Magnesium (Mg)

d.      Potassium (P)

c.       Magnesium (Mg)

The federal government established the Soil Erosion Service in 1933 to provide technical and financial assistance to farmers to ameliorate erosion and combat the Dust Bowl. What is the current name of this agency? (1-pt; 0.5 pts if only acronym is given)

 

 

 Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)