More than 100 people gathered recently on a drizzly day at Rodale Institute's 333-acre farm near Kutztown for its annual Farm Field Day.

The all-day event was filled with presentations on Rodale's ongoing research into organic agriculture.

Participants, more than half of them active farmers, came from 10 states and traveled from as far as Canada and Missouri, including a busload from the Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario.

"It's a great learning experience," said Ronald Axtell, who farms a few hundred acres in Binghamton, N.Y.

Axtell also said he is "heading toward organic." The chance to meet other farmers was another draw for him.

Louise Belt, a vegetable grower who has been reading Rodale Inc.'s Organic Gardening since she was a kid, came from Wildwood, Mo., for the event, after hearing farm director Jeff Moyer speak to the Missouri Organic Association.

"His talk on the Farming Systems Trial was just so thrilling," Belt said.

She was particularly impressed with the idea many tons of carbon dioxide could be sequestered, if all U.S. farmers converted to organic methods.

Moyer later told The Press the use of cover crops takes additional carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and incorporates it into the soil.

The use of manure and compost for fertilizing also adds carbon, while chemical fertilizers do not.

Another participant, Victoria Austin, manages a rapidly growing Community-Supported Agriculture farm at Creekside Cultural Center, Len-hartsville, Berks County.

Now in its third year, membership has gone from five to 15 families.

"I don't think we could have done it without Rodale [Institute]," Austin said.

Austin goes to the institute to talk with them, she said, to see what they're doing and if they're dealing with some of the same problems she has encountered.

"They're always willing to help," Austin said. "The field day is a great way to see who else is out there and what they're doing. And you get so much for so little money."

Austin has also attended workshops at the institute with her young daughter Margaret, who is interested in herbs and flowers.

"They never bat an eye that she's 9 years old," she said.

The day began with slide presentations in the Big Barn, which was decorated with festive lights.

Then, participants stepped out into the drizzling rain, many covered in provided blue ponchos, for an introduction to the institute's new composting and beekeeping projects.

Troy Hinke, compost production specialist, discussed the institute's current experiments with composting.

The program, based on the research of Dr. Elaine Ingham, chief scientist at the institute, strives to promote growth of beneficial fungi, as well as beneficial bacteria, in the compost.

Hinke said he goes to the Appalachian Trail to collect mycelium strands from under rotting logs to use as an inoculant.

He stressed the importance of keeping the pile aerobic, rather than focusing on temperature and timing.

Hinke said he tries to turn the compost as little as possible, rather than the five times in 15 days advised by the USDA Organic Standards.

The morning's presentations also included a brief introduction to the institute's new beekeeping program, using top-bar beehives.

These allow the bees to build their combs naturally, rather than in a structure determined by the design of the hive.

Hinke said only 10 percent of the honey will be taken, in order to leave enough for the bees.

Research has shown, he said, bees fed on high-fructose corn syrup were obese, and showed some incidence of Colony Collapse Disorder.

Encouraging beekeeping is important, said Hinke, because of the current decline in this activity, which is vital to agriculture.

He noted there were formerly 7 million beekeepers in the U.S. and there are now 2 million.

The institute will offer a class in beekeeping next February.

After a hurried lunch, everyone piled onto wagons for a tour of the institute's experimental plots and other projects.

A highlight of the tour was the institute's organic no-till farming, which has been a part of the Farming Systems Trial since 2008.

The wagons stopped in front of a large tractor outfitted with a roller-crimper on the front end, the institute's innovative method for rolling down cover crops planted to suppress weeds.

Moyer explained to The Press he designed this implement in 2002 and built the first one with an associate.

They are now built by I&J Manufacturing, Lancaster County, and plans for the device, which is not patented, are available on the institute's website.

"There are hundreds of them out there now," Moyer said. "They're all over the world. They're in South Africa, and Penn State has a couple of them."

Opposite the roller-crimper was a plot of largely weed-free soybeans with rolled-down rye carpeting the ground between the rows.

Also on view was the planter used on the rear of the tractor.

This includes a Sharktooth Residue Manager to enable planting through the rye, which is seeded quite heavily at 9,000 pounds per acre, according to a sign on the plot.

During the morning presentations, researcher Christine Ziegler spoke about the advantages of organic no-till farming.

It keeps the soil covered, she said, helping it to retain moisture and remain cool, while reducing tractor passes that consume energy and cause erosion.

The roller-crimper kills the cover crop naturally, without the use of toxic herbicides.

Disadvantages are crops cannot be planted as early, and the cover crop can encourage pests such as cutworms.

Other exhibits included the Institute's Tree As A Crop program, a hog-raising operation, vegetable plots, and an organic dairying operation launched in partnership with neighboring farmer James Burkholder.

With the institute's assistance, Burkholder has been able to transition to organic production, and now sells milk to Organic Valley.

Burkholder spoke outside his barn area about the new venture.

"There's not just a transition for the cows and the land," said Burkholder. "There's a transition for the farmer."

He has found the relationship with Organic Valley beneficial, however.

"They definitely care about the farmer," he said.