South Carolina growers interested in organic production can learn practical strategies for growing healthier, more profitable pulse crops through Clemson University’s free Going Organic webinar series.
Directed by Dil Thavarajah, pulse quality and nutritional breeding professor and a Jefferson Science Fellow, the series will be held monthly through April 2027. The webinars feature leading scientists who will share the latest information on organic vegetable breeding, chickpea production, disease management, pulse pathology and new crop varieties.
The first webinar is Sept. 16. Registration is required.
The series is part of a U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative grant.
Why attend?
For growers already producing organically or considering the transition, the webinars are designed to help:
- Improve crop nutrition and quality
- Reduce production costs through organic practices
- Learn about the latest advances in pulse breeding and disease management
- Connect with research that can support successful organic production in the Southeast
Pulse crops, including dry beans, lentils, chickpeas and dry peas, provide valuable nutrients for consumers while naturally adding nitrogen to the soil, making them an important crop for sustainable farming systems.
Webinar schedule
All webinars begin at 10 a.m.
Sept. 16 – Organic Vegetable Breeding
Travis Parker, Oregon State University
Register: Going Organic: Travis Parker webinar
Oct. 7 – Organic Dry Beans for the Northeast: Breeding and Variety Testing
Virginia Moore, Cornell University
Register: Going Organic: Virginia Moore webinar
Nov. 11 – Chickpea Breeding
Bunyamin Tar’an, University of Saskatchewan
Register: Going Organic: Bunyamin Tar’an webinar
Jan. 13, 2027 – Chickpea Disease Management
Weidong Chen, Washington State University
Register: Going Organic: Weidong Chen webinar
Feb. 10, 2027 – Pulse Pathology
Michelle Hubbard, University of Saskatchewan
Register: Going Organic: Michelle Hubbard webinar
March 10, 2027 – Identify to Manage: How Pre-breeding for Disease Resistance Can Support the Pulse Community
Raissa Debacker Moura, Montana State University
Register: Going Organic: Raissa Debacker Moura webinar
April 14, 2027 – Organic Pulse Breeding Update
Dil Thavarajah, Clemson, and George Vandermark, USDA-ARS
Register: Thavarajah and Vandermark webinar
