Social Factors Influence Midwest Organic Farmers' Adoption of Weed Management Strategies

Weeds are one of the most difficult problems facing organic farmers. There are fewer management options and those such as primary tillage and cultivation are dependent on environmental conditions and size differences between the weed and crop.  Farmer weed management decisions can also be influenced by social factors such as landlord requirements, community expectations, and family pressures. Our objective was to determine how social factors impacted the range of weed management strategies that organic farmers adopted. A survey was pretested at the Illinois Specialty Crop, Agrotourism, and Organic Farming Conference along with the Midwest Organic Farming Conference and modified before being mailed to a stratified sample of 500 certified organic farmers throughout the Midwest U.S. The initial survey was followed with a reminder card and had a 61% return rate. Midwest organic farmers produced a wide range of crops and animals, including cattle, hogs, and chicken to wild collected herbs, small grains, soybeans, and vegetables. Organic farmers generally used tillage, cover crops, and rotation as key weed management strategies. The approaches and intensity of weed management varied depending on animals and crops, landownership, region, and community factors.  Our research demonstrates that organic farmers’ adoption of integrated weed management must be understood in the context of their social networks.