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Organic farmers are getting some help weeding out problem plants thanks to a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant of more than $500,000 awarded to Ohio State University.

According to information gathered by Ohio State, perennial weeds are a bigger challenge to organic growers than annual species, because perennial weeds quickly grow back after cultivation.

Ohio State researchers will examine new methods of rooting out perennial weeds without using synthetic weed controls. The scientists said perennial weeds are "among the most serious impediments to the adoption expansion and sustainability of organic farming."

"As organic farming becomes more and more popular, it’s important to have research dollars to make sure it's not only popular but viable from a producer's standpoint," said Chris Henney, OFBF director of policy development.

On-farm studies and experiments at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center will be used to gauge which biologically based weed control techniques can be integrated with soil building measures and be readily adopted by farmers. The project will focus on vegetable crops such as peas, squash, lettuce and tomatoes.

The Ohio State research team noted that perennial weeds limit the adoption of organic methods by conventional farmers.

"We want to learn how perennial weeds respond to a real-life farming situation and how farmers respond to changes in those weed populations," said John Cardina, an Ohio State associate professor of horticulture and crops science.

USDA recently announced a total of $4.5 million in grants to help researchers address organic agricultural issues. The grants focus on improving the competitiveness of organic producers and assisting farmers and processors who have already adopted organic standards to grow and market high-quality organic agricultural products.

"To succeed in organic agriculture, producers must be creative and willing to take certain risks – attributes that American farmers have exhibited since the early days of farming," said U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns.

Caption: Canada thistle is among the weeds posing a problem to organic farmers. Photo by istockphoto.com/Kathy Puckett