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Location:
Scio, Oregon
Providing
the Co-op since 2001 with: Corn and occasionally cucumbers,
eggplant, potatoes, and onions
Farming practices: Certified Organic with union contract
with PCUN
Other
crops grown (varieties not included): Potatoes, carrots,
melons and onions
Acreage
farmed: 47 acres
Crew
size: Two, more in season
Farming
since: 1991
Products
used to control weeds, pests and pathogens: Hoes, mulch,
beneficial nematodes, trichogramma wasps.
"I
bought my farm when I retired from teaching school in 1991.
I wanted to farm organically because it is a more satisfying
way to do it. I have been learning more about how to grow
good produce.
My
son Steve has been farming with me for the last several years.
This has expanded our operation considerably.
I
have several goals for my agriculture:
1. It should be organic
2. It should be sustainable
3. It should be local
4. It should be ethical in its use of farm labor.
For
two years we have hired union workers under a contract with
PCUN for the seasonal work on our farm." -Dave
Did You Know?
One
method of pest control that Organic farmers often use is the
release of Trichogramma wasps to their fields.
Trichogramma
are minute wasps, less than 0.5 mm long. The adult female
lays her eggs into the moth eggs. When the wasp eggs hatch,
the larvae devour the developing caterpillar inside the moth
egg. The trichogramma larvae pupate and develop into fully
formed wasps inside the moth eggs, which turn black as the
wasps develop inside. Wasps emerge by chewing a hole in the
moth egg and are then ready to parasitise other moth eggs.
This process takes between seven and ten days, depending on
the temperature.
A
female wasp can parasitise over fifty moth eggs during her
5 - 14 day life. Adult wasps feed on nectar, so it is important
to have some kind of flowers present as a food source.
Mated
female wasps will produce both male and female offspring.
Unmated females can parasitise eggs but will produce only
male offspring.
Releases
of mass-reared trichogramma in combination with reduced pesticide
use complement the natural buildup of beneficial [insects].
http://www.bugsforbugs.com.au/downloads/trichogramma.pdf
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Egor's
Acres