Organic Field Crop Production and Marketing in North Carolina

The Organic Canola and Spelt Project was started in September 2010, and is generously funded by the NC Tobacco Trust Fund Commission. We seek to demonstrate and research organic canola and spelt production so that North Carolina farmers will have research-based information to successfully grow and market these crops. 

Ag Strong, a canola crusher in northern Georgia, wants to contract for organic and conventional canola with NC farmers in 2011. Canola is a cultivar of rapeseed that produces an eidble oil and a meal that can be consumed by livestock. Organic canola meal can be used in animal feeds, and the oil marketed as organic.

Purity Foods, in Michigan, also wants to contract with NC farmers to grow spelt. Spelt is a type of wheat that holds its hull on the grain when harvested. Purity Foods is the largest processor of spelt in the country.

In 2010, we planted a canola seeding rate trial and a variety trial, as well as a spelt variety trial. We hope to discover what seeding rate for canola works best in organic production to reduce weed competition and provide good yields. With spelt, we hoped to find which varieties available perform best in NC--have disease resistantce and best yields.

2011 Canola Seeding Rate Trial Results

2010-2011 Spelt Variety Trial Results

This project has been generously funded by the NC Tobacco Trust Fund Commission.
Any opinion, finding, conclusion, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view and policies of the North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission.