Organic researchers dispute national data UM: Some projects not counted in report

ORONO – Agriculturists at the University of Maine disputed Monday a national report that accuses agricultural research programs at the country’s land grant universities of failing organic farmers.

The report counted only certified organic acres used in research, said UMaine researchers, and failed to take into account many other research projects and programs geared to assist the organic farming industry.

Tim Griffin, a UM professor who last year formally conducted an organic small-grain project, said Monday that it appears he was the only UM staff person contacted for the report, released on March 1 by the Organic Farming Research Foundation.

OFRF is a national, nonprofit foundation which provides support for organic farming practices, and foundation officials claim their study reveals an overwhelming lack of investment in organic system research by U.S. public agricultural institutions.

The report states that of the 885,863 available research acres in the nation’s land grant system, only .02 percent is devoted to certified organic research. According to the study, there are .6 acres devoted to organic research at UM. The study, however, is incorrect because the UM research study, which involved organic grains, has concluded.

Presently at the Orono campus, 3 acres are devoted to a student-run organic farm, the Black Bear Food Guild. Because the study focused on research, however, the student acreage isn’t included.

According to Eric Gallant, UM assistant professor of weed ecology and management, of the 22 acres available at UM’s Rogers Farm, 2 are certified organic and are involved in research. The total acreage dedicated to organic production at UM is 5 acres.

“Based on [OFRF’s] statistic that only .02 percent of land grant acreage [nationally] is devoted to organic research, we look pretty good with [9] percent,” said Gallant.

With the exception of Connecticut, no other New England state is listed in the report as conducting any organic research. Connecticut currently is researching organic farming on 33 uncertified acres.

According to statistics provided by the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, there are 172 certified organic farms in Maine, which represent about 2 percent of the entire farming industry and 4 percent of the dairy farms in the state.

The report cites Griffin’s grain project, which was conducted on .6 acres at UM, but Griffin said that project ended with his transfer from the Sustainable Agriculture Department.

“[OFRF] called me last summer and reviewed some of the work I was involved with, but they didn’t necessarily talk to a lot of the other people involved with organic research,” he said. Griffin cites organic potato eco-system research at the UM Presque Isle campus as well as myriad Cooperative Extension projects, while Gallant points to his own research in Orono dealing with strategies that organic farmers can use with cover crops to help combat weeds and increase soil health.

“There are a lot of university projects out there,” said Gallant,” that may not necessarily be primarily for organic farmers, but certainly the research can be used and will benefit the organic community.”

Gallant cites research in green manures, soil amendments, composts, crop rotation, soil quality and the effects of residues as all being able to be used by both conventional and organic farmers.

“Personally, I think they’re missing a lot,” said Gallant, “but one of their points is a very important one: It is not OK to just take a long-term conventional [farming] situation and toss some organic practices on it. There must be some long-term commitment with dedicated land.”

A spokesperson from MOFGA could not be reached Monday to comment on the report or the university’s organic programs.

The report, “State of the States,” was created to help farmers and scientists connect with organic researchers working in their state. OFRF claims it is the first comprehensive listing of organic research projects under way at the nation’s 67 land grant schools.

Reached by telephone Monday at the California headquarters of OFRF, project coordinator Bob Scowcroft confirmed that the study was interested in the number of acres that land grant universities had committed to organic research, but that the study also was interested in other organic projects.

“We focused, however, on the pertinence of the work at the land grant university, and not what may have been happening at other universities in the state,” said Scowcroft.

“The tie-in here is the land grant system, which has traditionally ignored the needs of organic farmers,” he said. “We want to spotlight that lack of commitment.”

The report is a follow-up of OFRF’s 1995 “Searching for the O Word,” which also criticized land grant universities for not applying enough resources to organic concerns.

“In the long run,” said Scowcroft, “we want the universities to understand that organic deserves its fair share.”