Introduction - Do We Have to Use Plastic?

By Jennifer Nelson

Edited by Kristine Moncada, Gigi DiGiacomo, Craig Sheaffer and Nicole Tautges

plastic mulch

"We don’t want to use plastic mulch!" Shannon insisted emphatically. Shannon and her husband Micah run a five-acre certified organic diversified vegetable farm, as well as raising sheep and putting up hay. As they fought weed pressure on their newly transitioned land, they tried other options for weed control in their vegetable crops, to avoid the expense and lack of sustainability they associated with plastic mulch.

Are there other options that work as well as plastic? Or must Shannon and Micah sacrifice some of their agricultural sustainability values to sustain their farm operation?

Continue reading the story >>>

Access the complete decision case study with all educational materials (pdf) >>>

You may cite this publication as:

Nelson, J.  2017.  Managing Weeds Organically: Do We Have to Use Plastic? A Decision Case Study in Principles for Transitioning to Organic Farming: e-Learning Materials and Decision Case Studies for Educators.  K. Moncada, G. DiGiacomo, C. Sheaffer, and N. Tautges (Eds).  University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN.