Purdue Extension overhauls organic ag website

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue Extension recently completed an overhaul of its organic agriculture website to include a wider range of useful information on the topic.

Michael O’Donnell, a Purdue Extension organic and diversified agriculture educator, said the website prior to the update was pretty low on content and really just included information about how to get in touch with him.

Due to COVID-19 and being limited in what they could do to help organic producers, O’Donnell said Purdue Extension made the choice to make a meaningful update to the website to keep producers informed and provide basic information on how to transition from traditional to organic farming.

O’Donnell said the website now contains information on organic production, transitions and organic markets.

“It’s not going to answer every question, but it’s a good start,” O’Donnell said, adding there also is a section on the site that discusses the organic certification process and what it entails.

O’Donnell said the information on the organic certification process is in line with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Organic Program, which states that land and production livestock can’t be labeled certified organic until three years after the last use or application of a prohibited substance.

For more information about going organic, visit www.purdue.edu/dffs/organicag.