TENNESSEE FARMERS WHO HAVE BEEN IN THE FOREFRONT FOR PROMOTING NO-TILL MANAGEMENT REQUIRES BOTH PHILOSOPHICAL AND RESEARCH-BASED GUIDANCE TO TRANSITION TO ORGANIC FARMING IN WHICH TILLAGE IS NOT CURRENTLY COMPLETELY AVOIDABLE. CONSEQUENTLY, THE STATE LAGS FAR BEHIND IN ORGANIC GRAIN PRODUCTION DESPITE THE FACT THAT CONVENTIONALLY GROWN GRAINS (CORN, SOYBEAN, WHEAT) CONTRIBUTE TO 33% OF TENNESSEE'S GROSS AGRICULTURAL INCOME. EXCITINGLY, MANY CONVENTIONAL PRODUCERS ARE INTERESTED IN SHIFTING TO ORGANIC MAINLY DUE TO RAPIDLY INCREASING DEMAND FOR ORGANIC PRODUCE. THROUGH EXTENSIVE INTERACTIONS WITH PRODUCERS AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS IN TENNESSEE, THE PROJECT TEAM HAS IDENTIFIED THE KEY CHALLENGES THAT PREVENT PRODUCERS FROM TRANSITIONING TO ORGANIC, AND PROPOSED THIS FIRST INTEGRATED RESEARCH, EXTENSION AND EDUCATION ORGANIC GRAIN PROJECT TO TACKLE THOSE CHALLENGES. THE OVERARCHING GOAL IS TO EVALUATE FOUR ORGANIC GRAIN CROP ROTATIONS ON CERTIFIED ORGANIC LAND AT TWO LOCATIONS OF TENNESSEE ON AGROECOLOGICAL (YIELD, WEED CONTROL, NUTRIENT CYCLING, SOIL HEALTH, AND GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSION) RESPONSES, PEST AND DISEASE MANAGEMENT, AND PROFITABILITY. THE FOUR UNIQUE ROTATIONS WERE DESIGNED BY CONSIDERING DIFFERENT PRIORITIES OF FARMERS, WHICH INCLUDE (I) MAXIMUM PRODUCTION, (II) MAXIMUM PRODUCTION WITH MODERATE TILLAGE REDUCTION, (III) REDUCED TILLAGE FOR ENHANCING SUSTAINABILITY, AND (IV) COVER-CROP BASED LOW-INPUT SYSTEM AVOIDING RELIANCE ON EXTERNAL NUTRIENT SOURCES. THE RESEARCH OUTCOME WILL BE DISSEMINATED TO STAKEHOLDERS THROUGH WELL-DEVELOPED EXTENSION AND EDUCATION PROGRAMS. BY PROVIDING CRITICAL INFORMATION TO TENNESSEE PRODUCERS ON REGIONALLY SUITABLE ORGANIC GRAIN MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES TO ACHIEVE PROFITABILITY WHILE MINIMIZING ECOLOGICAL TRADE-OFFS, THIS PROJECT WILL CONTRIBUTE TO ENHANCING SUSTAINABILITY OF AGROECOSYSTEMS.