Research
Dr. Erin Silva runs the Organic and Sustainable Agriculture Research and Extension program at UW-Madison. Learn more about her group’s cutting-edge research in organic no-till, interseeding, cover crops and more below.
Annual Research Reports
2023 Annual Research Report
Updates on the latest studies from the Silva Lab and our collaborators including:
- No-till organic soybeans
- Organic dry beans
- Disease management in organic grain crops
- Reduced tillage organic corn
- Organic oilseed crops
- On-farm research updates
- Outreach programming and resources
2022 Annual Research Report
Updates on the latest studies from the Silva Lab and our collaborators including:
- Rye variety for weed suppression in organic no-till soybean
- No-till soybean planter setups
- Yield potential in wide-row corn
- Dry bean seeding rates
- Sunflower variety trials
- Soybeans planted into triticale
- Pole beans in an organic corn silage system
Publications
Spring-seeded winter rye living mulches enhance crop biodiversity and promote reduced tillage organic soybeans. As recognition increases of the benefits of reducing soil disturbance to preserve soil health, there is mounting interest in developing innovative methods of using cover crops as living mulches to control weeds in organic grain systems. Spring-planted winter cereal rye (Secale cereale L.) interseeded with soybeans (Glycine max. [L.] Merr.) is a promising, yet untested, living mulch system because rye exhibits vigorous growth in the early spring during the critical weed free period, but then dies back as the soybean canopy matures. The objectives of this study were to compare a rye living mulch system with a tilled “organic business-as-usual” control, and to understand the risks and benefits associated with delaying soybean planting date to manage the weed seed bank prior to establishment of rye and soybeans.
Harvest of Ideas is a report to guide research and education for organic agriculture in Wisconsin, developed from an in-person event that was held in 2018.
Researchers
Dr. Erin Silva
Associate Professor, Department of Plant Pathology
Director, Center of Integrated Agricultural Systems
Clif Bar Endowed Chair in Organic Agriculture and Outreach
Dr. Erin Silva is the director for the Center of Integrated Agricultural Systems, the Clif Bar Endowed Chair in Organic Agriculture and Outreach, and Associate Professor in the Plant Pathology Department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her research and extension program focuses on sustainable and organic cropping systems, including cover crops and cover crop-based no-till production, the impact of organic management on soil biological and physical properties.
Ben Brockmueller
Research specialist, UW-Madison
M.S. Agronomy, South Dakota State University
Ben has been working as a Research Specialist for Dr. Erin Silva for 2 years focused on organic crop production. He received his M.S. in Agronomy from South Dakota State University where he explored the relationships between nutrient cycling and soybean production in cover crop-based systems. Underlining his work is passion for working together with farmers to develop agricultural systems that merge ecological and agronomic objectives.
Owen Washam
MS, Plant Pathology, UW-Madison (2023) Advisor – Dr Erin Silva.
BS in Horticulture Research and Biotechnology (2020) and BS Plant Biology (2020), North Carolina State University (Raleigh, NC).
Owen’s project investigated growing organic celery – its physiology, pathogens and diseases, field management, and its use as a high nitrate vegetable powder for curing organic meat. He hopes to pursue a career in agricultural extension service, where he can interact with researchers and growers. He was equipped for his celery studies from his experience with a variety of research projects centered around different crops and plant pathogens during his time at NC State. He worked with American pitcher plants (a personal favorite), cucurbits, hydrangeas, apples, peaches, hops, strawberries and muscadines. While much research revolves around major agricultural commodities, Owen believes emerging and underrepresented crops warrant similar attention.
Daniel Hayden
PhD student, Microbial Diversity in Indigenous Intercropping Systems. Advisors Dr. Rick Lankau and Dr. Erin Silva.
B.S. (2019) Plant Biology: University of Oklahoma
Daniel is working in collaboration with the Oneida agricultural co-op, Ohe láku, to understand the relationship between soil microbial communities and diverse crop production approaches for their sacred white corn. His focus is utilizing the traditional knowledge of Indigenous people to understand scientific mechanisms and drive research from an Indigenous perspective.
Claire Benning
M.S. Student in Agroecology. Advisor: Dr. Matt Ruark; co-advised by Dr. Erin Silva.
B.A. Environmental Studies – Brown University, 2019
Claire’s research examines the agroecosystem benefits of interseeded cover crops in organic corn systems with an emphasis on nutrient cycling and weed suppression. She is broadly interested in how agroecosystem and regenerative based management approaches can mitigate the effects of climate change on our agricultural production systems and promote sustainability. Claire grew up in the suburbs of Boston around small organic farms but her interest in researching regenerative agriculture was solidified after living in a yurt and working on a farm in Maine in 2020. When not soil sampling she volunteer coaches the UW-Madison Women’s rowing team, runs as much as the weather will allow, and frequents local trivia events.
Kelly Debbink
Kelly is a master’s student in Plant Pathology in Damon Smith’s lab, co-advised by Erin Silva.
B.S. in Animal Biotechnology & Conservation, Delaware Valley University.
Kelly’s research focuses on providing organic farmers with disease management recommendations by conducting field trials on disease management techniques. She became interested in plant pathology after working on a small, organic farm and witnessing disease struggles firsthand. Before returning to school, she worked in conservation in the southwestern US. Kelly also spent time in the brewing industry, which deepens her interest in grain production.
