2006 Professional Development ProjectsBack to Why We Picked ThemThis years slate of new projects cover the entire range of sustainable ag topic areas from pastured livestock to no-till systems to broad based principles of sustainable production. Keep up with these projects by reading progress reports which are posted online each April. Just click on Projects and follow the link to the data base.
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ES06-083 Pasture Pork 101: Comprehensive Agent Training in Pasture-based Hog production, $62,000
Since 1970, numbers of hog farms in North Carolina has decreased while numbers of hogs per farm has increased (Honeyman 1996). Despite this rise of industrial hog production, many North Carolina farmers have turned to small-scale hog farming enterprises as a way to diversify and bring more income to their farms. With this trend, there is a new demand on county extension agents to provide guidance on pasture-based hog systems with which they may not be familiar. In response, collaborators from North Carolina State University (NCSU), North Carolina A&T State University (NCA&TSU), Carolina Farm Stewardship Association (CFSA), American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (ALBC), and a diverse group of farmer advisors have developed a comprehensive series of trainings in pasture-based pork production. With this series, entitled Pasture Pork 101, we can encourage a shift in agents' attitudes towards sustainable agriculture and empower them to offer their own county-based workshops and to work one-on-one with their local farmers.
The series will include seven, one-day workshops on all aspects of hog production and will be held at "model farms" located in the three distinct regions on North Carolina (Mountains, Piedmont, and Coastal), giving extension agents a hands-on training appropriate for their own environment and a contact for their own future workshops hosted in their counties. Proposed workshop topics include: Planning and Managing for Profitable Pastured Pigs, Breeding and Gestation, Farrowing Management, Pasture Management, Nutrition and Herd Health, Pork Muscle Quality and Value-Added Processing, and Pork Marketing. Independent evaluation consultations will assess project effectiveness.
What the reviewers had to say:
- Excellent project with a very good plan for training and evaluating outcomes in a much needed area.
- Strong linkages with ongoing SARE projects and other NGO acti
- Strong working relationship between Land Grant Universities and the Dept of Agriculture.
- Impressive history of completing and implementing SARE projects.
- NC is a leading hog production state with many farmers interested in alternatives.
- Workshops will be regionally distributed.
- A Farmer Advisory Committee served as a primary source of input for developing this proposal, and it appears to have significant farmer participation in the demonstration and training components.
Susan Mellage
North Carolina State Univ
Box 7609
Raleigh , NC 27695
Ph: 919-515-7346
Fax: 919-515-2505
susan_mellage@ncsu.edu
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ES06-084 Smart Drenching and FAMACHA Integrated Training for Sustainable Control of Gastrointestinal Nematodes in Small Ruminants, $72,955
Infection with gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) parasites, particularly Haemonchus contortus, is the most important constraint to profitable sheep and goat production in the southern USA, Puerto Rico and US virgin Islands. Controlling parasitic nematodes in small ruminants by exclusive use of chemical is no longer a viable approach due to widespread anthelmintic resistance in sheep and goat GINs. A more sensible, sustainable approach to controlling parasites is 1) to take steps to maximize effectiveness of anthelmintics through smart drenching techniques, 2) reduce exposure of susceptible parasites to the drugs by treating only those animals identified as needing treatment based upon the FAMACHA, and 3) utilize novel pasture management strategies that interrupts parasite life cycle and enhance the animal's resistance or resilience to GIN infection. In the proposed project, a multi-institutional ( 1890, 1862 and International), multi-disciplinary team of researchers, extension educators, and producers will develop a training curriculum on sustainable small ruminant parasite control for agricultural professional and educators who serve farmers and other interested people in USDA's southern region based on previously funded SARE Grant LS02-143; educate and equip small ruminant producers and their advisors (extension agents and other agricultural professionals, including farmers who will serve as trainers; State and USDA field personnel) with the knowledge required to facilitate adoption of sustainable parasite control strategies that integrate conventional and novel control technologies. Results will be disseminated to clientele via Extension, young farmer, producer workshops, project web page, and various institutional print and extension publications.
What the reviewers had to say:
- Connected to previous SARE grant.
- Technology is from South Africa and apparently is effective.
- Will develop training materials and resource manual
Seyedmehdi Mobini
Fort Valley State Univ
1005 State University Drive
Fort Valley , GA 31030
Ph: 478-825-6427
Fax: 478-825-6376
mobinis@fvsu.edu
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ES06-085 Sustainable Organic No-Till Systems: A Training Program for CES and NRCS Field Professionals, $104,623
This proposal seeks to inform and train Cooperative Extension Service (CES) and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) field agents in (1) cover crop based no-till organic production systems and (2) beneficial habitat planting ("farmscaping") for biological insect pest management, for vegetables and agronomic crops. While no-till and IPM are widely recognized and promoted to farmers as best management practices, few CES and NRCS professionals are conversant with no-till cover crop management and farmscaping strategies suited to organic crop production.
The proposed training will utilize and complement the project director's on-going research and outreach program in organic no-till vegetable production and farmscaping. SARE-PDP funds will be used to develop a broad-scale demonstration and teaching plot at Virginia Tech, and smaller satellite plots at North Carolina A&T State University and two working farms. Training-the-trainer sessions for CES and NRCS professionals will take place at each site during 2006, and trainees will train farmers in these techniques in 2007, with support and guidance from project staff. Training manuals on cover crops for organic no-till and on farmscaping, will be drafted, utilized in the 2006 sessions, updated based on user feedback, and published in final form at the conclusion of the project.
Anticipated short- and long-term results include (1) increased availability of learning tools and participant expertise in organic no-till systems, (2) adoption of cover-cropping, no-till and farmscaping systems by organic growers, and (3) improved farm productivity and soil quality. Success will be assessed by surveying and monitoring trainee and farmer participants.
What the reviewers had to say:
- Seems to be well thought out proposal.
- PI and collaborators have all been successful in publishing and finalizing previous work.
- Resources very good leverage and support with sustained outcomes
Ronald D. Morse
Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University
306-C Saunders Hall
Blacksburg , VA 24061
Ph: 540-231-6724
Fax: 540-231-3083
morser@vt.edu
ES06-086 Southern Region Educator Trainings in Eight Farming Systems using unique tools and approaches, $123,751
In this two-year project, the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group and partners will provide professional educators dynamic trainings in up to eight sustainable farming enterprises. Our key partners in this project are a diverse collaboration of Southern farmers, nonprofit agriculture organizations, and 1862 and 1890 institution faculty.
We will make use of proven, unique curricula that we developed and employed over the past two years in training more than 1000 farmers in the South. This curricula uses professionally-produced award-winning videos that provide detailed "virtual farm tours" of successful farming operations in the South; teams of trainers that consist of experienced farmer presenters and professional educators; enterprise manuals that provide cutting-edge information on the farming enterprises featured in the trainings; and many web-based informational resources that educators and farmers can easily access during and after the project.
We will bring to the project six completed curriculum packages and experienced trainers. We will develop two new videos and curriculum packages. The eight farming systems covered by this project will be: 1) Value-added Dairy Enterprises; 2) Pasture-based Dairies; 3) Management Intensive Grazing of Beef; 4) Cut Flower Production; 5) Organic Horticulture Production & Marketing; 6) Pastured Turkey Production; 7) Meat Goat Production; and 8) Pastured Broiler Production. Trainings will be delivered region-wide in at least 8 state workshops with PDP collaborators and via two Internet-based web-casts. The project goal is to equip a minimum of 300 educators with new training methods and valuable tools for long-term use in educating producers in sustainable systems.
What the reviewers had to say:
- Good diversity of collaborators
- Potential for region-wide impact
- Materials and trainers have already worked with 1000 farmers
- Wide breadth of subject matter
David Zodrow
S-SAWG
106 Thunderbird Rd.
Fredericksburg , TX 78624
Ph: 479-443-5127
davidzodrow@aol.com
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