West Virginia Universitys Organic Research Farm is hosting its annual field day from 1:30-7 p.m. Thursday (July 24).

The farmoff Route 705 and Stewartstown Road in Morgantownhouses studies on field crops; livestock; organic pasture management; vegetable production; weed, insect and disease management; and soil quality.

The multidisciplinary team from the Davis College of Agriculture, Forestry and Consumer Sciences and WVU Extension is beginning its ninth year of research on organic production methods.

Organic farming is one of the fastest growing sectors in American agriculture,said Jim Kotcon, associate professor of plant and soil sciences.The WVU Organic Research Farm provides the information needed to help growers succeed in this rapidly expanding market.

As part of the farms mission to provide best-practice recommendations for organic farmers and home gardeners, field day events include workshops, wagon tours of research plots and demonstrations of organic practices.

The field day is open to everyone but is geared toward organic growers, students who want to learn about alternative food production practices, home gardeners who want to avoid pesticides, conventional growers who are considering transitioning to organic and cooperative Extension agents or pest management advisers.

We hope people will see the possibilities in organic agriculture and learn solutions to organic production problems,Kotcon said.Most importantly, we hope they have fun.

Gates open at 1:30 p.m. with workshops beginning at 2:10 p.m. Wagon tours start at 4:20 p.m. Dinner, sponsored by the Plant and Soil Sciences Club, will be served at 6 p.m.

Participation in the event is free, but preregistration is appreciated. For more information or to register, contact Kotcon at 304-293-8822 or ” jkotcon@wvu.edu rel=nofollow> jkotcon@wvu.edu .

To learn more about WVU s Organic Research Farm, go to http://www.caf.wvu.edu/plsc/organic/ .