Spatial Relations Of Weed Management Practices and Agroecologically Dominant Weed Species With Organic Dairy Farms In Southwestern Wisconsin
Open Access
- Author:
- Shamey, Anna
- Graduate Program:
- Geography
- Degree:
- Master of Science
- Document Type:
- Master Thesis
- Date of Defense:
- None
- Committee Members:
- Karl Stephen Zimmerer, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor
Karl Stephen Zimmerer, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor - Keywords:
- organic dairy
weed species
weed management
Wisconsin - Abstract:
- Conservation of biodiversity in organic agriculture has spurred much debate over the role of organic systems in the environment. However, little is known about the relationship between the variations in weed management practices and the biodiversity of weedy species in organic agriculture. Specifically, how does the spatial distribution and diversity of weedy species vary in relation to diversity in weed management practices? Species identification, vegetative samples, and farmer interviews took place on 20 farms in southwestern Wisconsin to explore how the landscape structures spatial variation in weedy species and how weed management practices respond accordingly. Southwestern Wisconsin, known as the driftless region, is an area of unglaciated hilly terrain with a high density of organic farms. Because of the area’s topography and landscaped diversity I hypothesize that weedy species would be spatially distributed according to environmental characteristics (e.g. soil type and moisture), as well as land uses (e.g. pasture vs. crop fields). This study finds weed species distribution to be independent of environmental variables, but significantly correlated with field type (pasture vs. corn). This difference may be inherent to the ecology of each field, but more significantly indicates the importance of management. Further research on current weed management techniques and distribution of weedy species on organic farms will enable researchers, extension agents, certifiers, and others to better facilitate the transition to organic agriculture. Successful transitions are paramount in light of continued growth of the organic sector in the U.S. and would not only help farmers produce higher yields (and therefore be economically viable), but also uphold the environmental and social-ecological goals of the organic movement.