Graduate Module:

Integrated Nutrient Management for Organic Production

Challenges of efficient nutrient management specific to organic production systems will be explored. Particular emphasis will be placed on: Whole farm nutrient budgeting and approaches to integrating the nutrient status of livestock, crops and soil; Nitrogen fixation - potential for management and measurement; Cycling of nutrients regionally - opportunities and constraints within organic standards. Discussion will include a review of the recent literature assessing nutrient dynamics in long-term organically managed soils.

Format
Lecture, 3 hours/week for 4 weeks. Each student will be expected to participate with questions and comments related to distributed readings. The presentation will include material from the term paper written by each student.

Method of Evaluation
1) Term paper 40%
2) Presentation of paper 20%
3) Participation in discussions 40%

Prerequisites
CS 220 (Intro to Soil Science) or equivalent. Some familiarity with organic standards or production methods would be an asset.