Norgeskjell AS on the coast of Trøndelag is the largest producer of edible blue mussel in Norway and exports this popular seafood to many countries throughout the year. Residues from the production, such as out-sorted shells, are composted with fine woodchips, and is a good fertiliser after appropriate maturation. NORSØK is studying how the composting and use of compost as fertiliser may be improved.
NORSØK in collaboration with Matarena, will initiate an exciting project aimed at enhancing local value creation by promoting collaboration between the agriculture sector and the restaurant and tourism industry in Møre og Romsdal.
Seaweed and kelp are nutrient-rich resources that can contribute to making fertilization and soil improvement in agriculture more sustainable.
At the same time, it must be ensured that these resources are safe for use in food production without bringing toxic substances up from the sea and into the soil.
The project will contribute to mobilise the industry towards better utilisation of resources, and circular value chains from renewable (bio)materials.
Peat extraction has serious environmental consequences but remains the most popular growing medium in commercial and private horticulture. Concurrently, the practice of separating manure into solid and liquid fractions is rising. The solid fraction has potential as a growing medium after composting, and in this project, NORSØK will explore this possibility.
Residual material from processing of crabs contains valuable substances such as calcium, and chitin which may support plant resistance. In this project, NORSØK investigates the liming and plant-strengthening effect of sea-preserved crab shells from Nutrishell’s factory on Hitra, Trøndelag.
This project aims to enhance understanding of the pedagogical value of school gardens in Møre og Romsdal and to integrate ecological school gardens into local plans.
In this project sustainable food production takes center stage. The goal is to uncover the potential of using marine waste to create valuable fertilizer and green energy while caring for the environment.
At Cal-Me, we investigate how adding specific lime products to soft cattle manure affects the breakdown of organic matter and the release of methane (CH4).
The project is one of the 8 new cutting edge research programs under the EJP SOIL programme. The objective of C-arouNd is to evaluate the influence of conservationist and regenerative agricultural practices on carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) cycling, soil biodiversity and GHG emissions with a particular emphasis on long-term SOC stocks, and processes governing C persistence.
A four-year PhD fellowship in soil and crop science with an emphasis on soil health is available at NORSØK. Starting date: 01 August 2023.
The fellowship is a recruitment position with the goal of subsequent permanent employment at NORSØK.
Through an agroecological approach, EcoVin will examine best practices for the establishment of perennial plant cultures at "Vingarden på Jølst" and "Vestavin AS".
Carrots and potatoes are important agricultural crops in Norway, but there are major challenges with plant disease, both in the field and in storage.
More knowledge about non-organic means of production that are allowed to be used in organic agriculture is important for producers, advisers and authorities.
- Webinars for farmers considering conversion to organic farming
The project discusses the effect of different manure management strategies on sustainability indicators, farm economics and labour input on three dairy farms.
NORSØK will participate in Norwegian projects that work with soil and regenerative themes.
PEATIMPROVE's main goal is to improve the conditions for farming on peatland at the same time as greenhouse gas emissions are reduced.
This project studies the effect of the Norwegian biostimulant Terra Biosa by surface composting an undercrop on a grain farm in southeastern Norway.
The County Governor of Trøndelag, the County Council, NLR and the region’s agricultural schools are exploring the possibilities of increasing the soil carbon content in Trøndelag.
Senteret vil oppfylle mål for berekraftfylket Møre og Romsdal, i partnarskap med dei andre kompetansemiljøa som er etablerte i fylket.
All 6th graders at Nordmøre's primary schools are given electrical safety training at Tingvoll Solar and Bioenergy centre.
This is an international project that develops tools to study the balance between agricultural production and environmental effects by optimizing the distribution of manure.
Plastic soil cover cloths are widespread in horticulture as a measure against weeds. Plastic cloths can be a source of soil pollution and are produced of a non-renewable resource. There is a need to develop soil covers in more sustainable materials and wool might be a relevant material.
Great amounts of plastic are used in agriculture and horticulture, e.g. for plant pots in nurseries. Most of the pots are thrown away and burned after use. Wool pots as a substitute for plastic are being developed and tested.
The SeaSoil project aims to promote value creation, including ecosystem services, and further expansion of the seaweed industry in Europe.
Researchers and advisors from Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden have shared knowledge and experiences on how to improve and sustain soil health in Nordic agricultural soils.
The project "Network – Sustain Nordic soil health" (NetSH) has focused on sharing low-tech methods for soil-health evaluation and improvement.
Digital dermatitis and hoof cleft phlegmon are two serious diseases causing challenges within animal welfare and also have economical consequenses.
The use of peat for soil-production creates large climate emissions and threatens vulnerable bog areas where the peat is harvested. At the same time it is a challenge to find a good alternatives that growers can trust.
The Norwegian Centre for Organic Agriculture (NORSØK) is active in this work, and recently arranged a webchat that brought together people from the entire value-chain with growers, waste industry and researchers in order to exchange experience and knowledge
A knowledge database shall be established for fertilizer content and fertilizer properties in connection with the planning, establishment and operation of biogas plants.
During 2022, wood chip heating enthusiasts in Møre og Romsdal will be gathered through two inspection trips and a seminar. The goal is to create meeting places to share knowledge and create networks.
The pig is an intelligent and social animal where outdoor free-roaming can contribute to better animal welfare while fulfilling the organic principle of natural behavior for animals.
This project aims to establish welfare indicators and describe recommendable systems for outdoor pigs.
The project aim assess the risk of infectious diseases in outdoor poultry and pig production and identify research areas to promote security in outdoor management systems.
This pre- project will identify potential and research areas for bark as an antiparasitic for ruminants.
DIVERSILIENCE aims to improve the productivity and resilience of organic crop production by better utilization of crop diversity, through research work performed in countries of Northern Europe (Denmark, Finland, Norway) and Southern Europe (Bulgaria, Italy, Romania, Slovenia).
The MARIGREEN project aim to upgrade poorly utilized residual materials from marine industries to produce fertilizers and biostimulants for organic agriculture.
The position is linked to a new ERA-project named PROENV - Balancing production and environment.
An European collaboration helps to ensure their presence in different plant cultures and climatic conditions.
The project aims at increasing the production of organically grown vegetables in Norway by studying how a mulch layer of chopped plant material (“plantehakk” in Norwegian) may reduce weeds and improve nutrient supply.
When insects lay eggs, the choice of egg-laying site will be made based on information collected via sensory organs. Knowledge about the underlaying mechanisms controlling this behaviour can be used to control pest insects without the use of chemical pesticides.
Insect pollination is worth €15 Billion in the EU but wild pollinators are declining because of loss in flower-rich habitats.
Through this project, the biogas plants at Tingvoll farm and at Inge Hoemsnes will get improved operation and process in the plants and provide better utilization of electricity, heat and bio-residue. At the same time, the facilities will be used for training.
New project with project participants from 23 organizations in 17 countries in Europe.
The project «Renewable energy in Møre og Romsdal» is a collaborative project between the competence centers Runde miljøsenter, Newtonenteret på Sunndal, Nasjonalt vindenergisenter and Tingvoll solar and bioenergy.
The project owner is Tingvoll Økopark, Center for sustainable development. NORSØK will first and foremost contribute in subject areas where the climate challenges are related to energy, agriculture and waste management.
On 24 June 2021, the book Levende matjord ("Living Soil”) was launched at Buskerud Manor in Åmot. The book, which is published by the Grønt fagsenter (Agricultural extension centre) in Buskerud, is the result of the county’s many years of focus on agricultural soils.
Det blir tradisjonen tro også kjøkkenhagedag i år – en glad familiedag for store og små med både faglig påfyll og moro.
Dyrking av kjøkkenhage til eget bruk er så fleksibelt at det kan tilpasses kreativitet, smak, årstid, dyrkingsplass og kunnskap på alle nivå.
A newly published NORSØK report describes an experiment in which an organic fertiliser caused damage to pea and tomato transplants. The fertiliser contained herbicide residues.
Activities are webinars/seminars, inspections of facilities on farms and operation of online forum.
The project aims to raise awareness and increase knowledge about soil, and to enable agricultural advisers to provide a broader range of soil-related topics in their services.
The project aims to survey the percentage of clover on organic farms. The project is carried out as a cooperation between NORSØK and three regional offices of the Norwegian Agricultural Advisory Service (NLR).
Agriculture is under pressure to reduce its emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG). In this project we are studying different ways of reducing GHG emissions from cattle slurry stores.
The project aims to survey the percentage of clover on organic farms.
We have a new project: "Loss of lambs on summer pasture". The objective of the project is to find the reason why lambs die or disappear while on pasture, close to the farm or up in the mountains. One cause can be protected predators, other reasons can be various diseases.
Nobio and Norsøk are establishing a three-year long project based on a forum for those interested in biogas on farms. Activities are webinars/seminars, inspections of facilities on farms and operation of online forum.
The project will investigate means that will contribute to more and added value from the meat and wool produduction, and how the industry can influence media and politicians using this knowlegde, in the discision about sustainability.
A lot of wool in Norway, especially from pigmented sheep, is downgraded. Often, this wool is discarded or burned. Wool contains nutrients and can therefore be used as a fertilizer.
What does it take to value meat and wool from sheep more for the future, than it is today?
Lamb loss due to diseases, accidents and predators is an increasing challenge in many outfield pastures in Norway and especially in the county of Møre and Rom
Karbon i jordbruksjord er et hett forskningtema der man ser etter positive effekter som økte avlinger, forbedret jordhelse og klimagevinster ved økt karbonmengde i jorda.
I prosjektet «Karboninnhold og biologisk aktivitet i eng- og potetjord (K-BEP)» skal man finne ut hvor stabilt karbon er og hvordan det oppfører seg i jorda ved dyrking av eng og potet på sandjord.
Ull er en viktig del av norsk tekstilproduksjon, men både forskerne og næringa mener en altfor stor andel av norsk ull går til spille. Nå skal de teste egenskapene som kan gi ulla en ny renessanse.
For å harmonisere europeisk økologisk regelverk og med de økologiske prinsippene er det bestemt at veksthusproduksjon skal skje med direkte bakkekontakt, vekstskifte og liten tilførsel av innsatsfaktorer.
Norsk senter for økologisk landbruk skal belyse utfordringer og finne løsninger for næringsaktører innen de to største produksjonene som er agurk- og tomatdyrking.
The goal of NetSH is to share knowledge on sustainable soil management. We will do so by facilitating knowledge exchange among Nordic researchers and by bridging gaps between research and practice on soil health
The Norwegian Wool Standard divides wool into 16 quality grades. Producers fetch the best prices for first-class wool. In this project, we will discuss possibilities for increasing the share of first-class wool, and test the use of lower-grade wool in horticulture.
CAPTURE will assess the suitability of different cover crops for C sequestration and the risk for enhanced nitrous oxide emissions under Norwegian conditions.
The aim of the project is to study how meadow and potato cultivation affects carbon content and biological activity in sandy soils.
Residual material from brown seaweeds may promote the soil structure and increase the soils’ content of organic matter, and ability to store water. These and other effects of algae fibre will be studied in potato production.
Organic greenhouse production must become more aligned organic principles, relying on plant growth with ground contact, crop rotation and low input factors. This project is mostly focused on tomato and cucumber.
The aim of the project is to inform about actions that can reduce greenhouse gas emissions from slurry pits and manure cellars in Møre og Romsdal.
AMAZING GRAZING
The main objective is to obtain and disseminate knowledge about Norwegian production of organic feed that will contribute to ensure the protein supply in organic pig farming in accordance with new organic regulations.
Several berry producers struggle with significant damage caused by fungal diseases. Are there any measures that can control such diseases without leaving behind unwanted residues?
In our national strategy for pollinators, signed by eight ministers and approved by the Norwegian Parliament in 2018 it is concluded that pollinators are important for the agriculture.
NORSØK contributes with teaching in organic farming for adult students from Gjermundnes Secondary School.
The school garden at NORSØK enables local primary school pupils to learn about how to sustainably grow food crops.
A report will be written on benefits, challenges and various solutions for organic meat production on bulls and steers, on assignment from The Advisory Committee for Organic Farming Regulations.
There is a growing interest in biogas in Norway. One of the measures to reduce emissions from agriculture is to establish more biogas plants based on livestock manure. There is therefore an increasing need for improved advisory services, which in this case this will be realised in a collaboration with Norges Vel and Norwegian Agricultural Advisory Service (NLR).
This project will assess the profitability and feasibility of compressing biogass from distributed plants for further upgrading at centralized upgrading plants. If viable, this could help realize local or a regional facility for biogas, where 10-20,000 tonnes are treated together with fish waste and other industrial waste if converted into biogas.
There is growing interest in the production of biogas from livestock manure as the need for reducing greenhouse gas emissions increases.
NORSØK will play a key role in this development by participating in the establishment of a national biogas advisory service.
The project promotes knowledge about cultivtion and mangement of Hazel and Filbert and about vegetables cultivated under cold conditions.
Inge Hoemsnes is a farmer who has invested in a biogas plant at his farm in Aureosen, Hustadvika. The plant still needs some deployment time to reach optimal gas production and energy utilization. NORSØK will do tests to help improve plant operation.
A compost barn is a multifunctional building for both animals, plants and human beings too. This project covers rearing of cows and cultivation of tomato, squash and pumpkins.
Multiple actors want to establish biogas plants in Møre and Romsdal. This project will look at different high-fat raw materials and how they work in a biogas reactor.
NORSØK provides energy advisoryservices for farmers. This project aims to map the use of energy at several farms, to identify measures for recommodation. The project shall also focus on agricultural machinery with low emission.
The goal of the project is to create synergies between the business community in Møre and Romsdal and regional maritime and agricultural research facilities, by bringing business and research closer together.
The project studies the effect of two different deep-litter manure treatments on greenhouse gas emissions, carbon loss and fertiliser effect.
In this study, we are investigating the long-term effects of two different cereal-growing regimes (monoculture versus grassland-cereal rotations) on soil properties, content of organic matter and carbon storage.
The aim of the project is to increase the production of organic products in Norway, through giving organic producers access to qualified expertise and extention service.
This project aims to increase the quality, and diversity, of organically grown seed grains. Old and new wheat cultivars, breeding lines and populations from several crosses between breeding lines are grown in field experiments.
- an assessment of open storage for cattle manure and bio-residue and storage with roof.
Can biochar coating decrease diseases severity during potato and carrot storage? Biochar is a carbon rich material used to improve soils quality.
Twenty-five people active in research, extension, certification and industry related to organic production came together in October 2019 to discuss inputs used in organic growing in Norway, and possible effects of phasing out common inputs such as conventional manure, and copper for plant protection. Experienced advisors warned against phasing out any inputs from already quite vulnerable farming systems. The lack of growth in the Norwegian organic sector since 2010 may affect the capacity to cope with changes in practice.
- a dairy farm system for better animal welfare
How can drying methods affect contents of nitrogen and phosphorous in fish bones and which residual materials can supplement fish bones as a fertiliser product?
There is a need to gain more knowledge about how poultry farming can be made more environmentally and animal friendly by examining whether we can develop more locally produced protein feed and whether the outdoor areas can be designed so that they allow the animals more natural behaviour at the same time as they have low infection risk.
SmartCalfCare is a pilot project (2019-2020) started after a group at the Agriculture’s Innovation Camp on Animal Welfare 2019 won with their idea which they called “SmartCare”.
This project aims to provide support for farmers that want to investigate the possibilites for on-farm renewable energy production.
Potato is the world’s number one non-grain food commodity.
Digital monitoring and new operating solutions – co-operating cow-calf for better animal welfare and economy in milk production.
The aim of this project is to contribute to the development of soil products that can replace peat as transplant and planting media.
The aim of the project was to explore the effect of two different separation methods on stress-related behaviour in cows and calves in an organic dairy farm.
The aim of this Project was to investigate the effect of condensed tannins from bark from Norwegian spruce or pine against diarrhea in lambs, caused by Eimeria spp ( a one-celled parasite – coccidiae- living in the animals intestine)
Can early potato cultivars give satisfactory yields before infestation of late blight, and be used for storage? An organic field experiment is conducted on three sites in Mid-Norway during 2019.
Recycled fertilizers may increase organic farming integrity. Lots of nutrients are leached into the sea. Can we combine cod heads and seaweed residues to a complete fertilizer for organic growing?
Since 2011, grass-clover yields and soil characteristics have been studied at Tingvoll farm, with application of digested and non-digested slurry from organic dairy cows. Results are available below.