Seminar on organic farming in Tinūži

Joel Williams will continue to talk about organic farming

Continuing the cooperation with lecturer Joel Williams that began at the end of last year, the Latvian Agricultural Council, together with the Latvian Organic Agriculture Association, is organizing a seminar on January 19th called “Recommendations for Ensuring Soil Fertility and Health in Organic Agriculture.” The lecturer from England will continue to provide practical advice on how to promote soil health and crop resistance to diseases and pests through organic farming methods.

Seminar objective

The aim of the seminar is to provide in-depth knowledge about nutrients in the soil and their importance in growing healthy and disease- and pest-resistant crops. Seminar participants will be able to get acquainted with simple tools that every farmer can use on the farm to determine the quality and health of crops, and receive practical advice on how to improve soil fertility and strengthen plant health with various soil improvers and plant health-promoting agents: green manure, herbal slurry, compost, compost teas, molasses, seaweed extracts, etc. In Latvia, organic farmers rarely use effective plant nutrition - spraying preparations on plant leaves. It will be discussed how this affects the activity of microorganisms in the soil.

This seminar is a continuation of the seminar “The role of microorganisms in soil fertility and plant health” held on November 24 last year, so we strongly recommend that participants who have not attended the previous seminar watch the video recording of the seminar, which is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqB9sZ_BEXo&index=1&list=PLtf9tPuLditHC42BiaGY-eYVhYSX3KGWk

About the lecturer

Lecturer Joel Williams is a passionate lecturer who is happy to share his theoretical and practical knowledge of organic farming, especially ensuring soil fertility, the role of microorganisms in creating soil fertility and ensuring plant resistance to diseases and pests. Joel has a talent for presenting complex and only scientists-understandable things in simple language, which is why he is a sought-after lecturer in Australia, the UK, South Africa, Canada and the USA.

After graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture with a specialization in Plant and Soil Sciences, Joel has worked on both organic and conventional farms and for an organic certification body, assessing soil biology and chemistry and providing advice on soil improvement. Joel was born in Australia, but now lives in England and is responsible for the maintenance of an organic garden. Roehampton University in London. In parallel with his work at the university, he continues to lecture to farmers around the world and now also in Latvia.

You can learn more about lecturer Joel Williams on his website: http://www.biolifeag.com/

The seminar is intended for:

1) organic farmers;

2) for anyone interested in improving soil and plant health through biological methods.

Seminar time and location:

The seminar will take place on January 19, 2016 at the Tīnūži Community Center, “Kraujās”, Tīnūži, Ikšķile municipality from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Seminar language:

The seminar will be held in English with translation into Latvian.

Participation fee:

The seminar is free of charge for active members of the Latvian Organic Agriculture Association.

For other participants, participation in the seminar is 20 euros.

Registration and more information:

To apply for participation in the seminar, contact LLKC project manager Lāsmas Ozolas by email. lasma.ozola@llkc.lv or tel. 27815545.

Registration for the seminar is mandatory!

Seminar “Recommendations for ensuring soil fertility and health in organic farming” program:

Nutrients in the soil

• Macro- and microelements and plant health.
• Interaction and competition of elements.
• Total, exchangeable and soluble elements – what soil analyses show.
• How to access mineral reserves with the help of plants and microorganisms

Building plant resistance to disease

• Simple tools for assessing plant health and quality: refractometer and tools for pH, K, Ca, NO₃­^– for determination in plant sap.
• The role of microorganisms in plant resistance to disease.
• Nutrients that provide resistance to disease – silicon, phosphorus, calcium, nitrogen.
• Finding out the causes of diseases, not fighting the consequences.
• Systems thinking and changes to promote plant health.

Recommendations for improving soil fertility and plant nutrition

• Soil improvers – humic and fulvic acids, seaweed extracts, fish emulsion, molasses, herbal slurries and extracts, compost and compost teas.
• Green manure – why, what, when and how to use it.
• Foliar feeding of plants – why, when and how best to feed plants through the leaves.