Certified Organic Research Land

CFAES has over 65 acres of certified organic land available to conduct organic research at the Wooster campus.  When not actively involved in research, fields are maintained in four or five year rotations by a dedicated organic farm manager and farm staff.  The organic program has its own dedicated equipment devoted to organic production, as well as 3400 bu of dedicated grain storage for organic crops.

West Badger Farm  

West Badger Farm houses the agronomic crop studies and includes about 57 acres of organic land.  The farm is located on Apple Creek Road between Apple Creek and Wooster. West Badger Farm is the site of a decommissioned swine unit. As a result of years of swine manure application, P and K levels are high in some fields. 

Cultivating soybeans Organic corn Fall cultivation

 

 

Soil balancing research Kernza (a perennial wheat) research Cover crop mix

 

Fry Farm

Fry Farm, located off Oil City Road between US 250 and Secrest Roads near Wooster, encompasses nearly ten acres of certified organic land for organic vegetable systems research.

Organic squash Organic oat variety trial Corn amendment trial

 

Horticultural Farm Unit 1

Organic vegetable production was initiated at Hort Unit 1 when four permanent high tunnel structures were constructed on this one acre site for use in organic vegetable research.

Aerial view of Hort Unit 1 Organic lettuce in raised beds in high tunnel Students hoeing organic popcorn

 

North Central Agricultural Research Station

The North Central Agricultural Research Station is located west of Fremont in Sandusky County in the central Lake Erie plains.  Five acres of this land was recently transitioned to certified organic production.  

Organic research plots Finger weeder Transitional organic research plots

 

 

John Hirzel Sustainable Agriculture Farming Systems Research, Agriculture Incubator Foundation

From 2001 through 2018, approximately 25 acres were allocated to sustainable agriculture, including organic, at this site at the Agriculture Incubator Foundaiton in northwestern Ohio.  CFAES researchers used the site for research, demonstration and education on larger field plots managed using farm-scale equipment as opposed to the smaller research plots often necessitated at other research stations.

Sign at John Hirzel site in Bowling Green Organic corn & small grain fields Field day at Hirzel site