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The following projects were selected for funding this year by the Southern SARE Administrative Council because they all demonstrated particular strengths that Southern SARE looks for in Producer Grant projects. The reviewers of Producer Grants use the guidelines in the call for proposals to guide them in their evaluations of all the proposals submitted to the program. The more closely a project follows the guidelines, the better chance it has of being funded. Each of the projects funded this year received a thorough technical review. Then the final review and funding decisions were made by the Southern SARE Administrative Council. No single project is an example of the perfect project; every project has its own strengths and every project can be made a little bit better. But there were certain things that the reviewers noted that stood out in this year's crop of funded projects. Summaries of the proposals with their project numbers and titles can be found below. The reviewers always look for proposals that are well organized like projects FS06-198, FS06-200 and FS06-208. If they can easily read the proposal and clearly see what the producer or producer organization wants to do, and how they are going to do it, the reviewers can more easily understand the goals. Reviewers also look for good project designs and goals as in project FS06-198 and FS06-208. Another thing reviewers always look for is strong letters from cooperators that let the reviewers know exactly what the cooperator intends to do in the project. Reviewers always look to see that the project addresses a serious problem that affects a number of growers or an industry. This was the case for FS06-201 and FS06-205. Strong outreach is also something that is important to a successful producer grant project. Sometimes, just a different approach to an issue, for example using existing infrastructure to produce alternative crops--for which there is an existing market--results in a good proposal as in project FS06-206. Or finding better ways to manage a diverse operation like in FS06-209. Reviewers also look for good ways to analyze the data if a project is conducting trials like in the case of FS06-208. So, the reviewers don't simply look for projects dealing with particular crops or animals. They look for projects that best meet the goals for sustainable agriculture that are listed in the call for proposals. We have high hopes for these newly funded projects but it will be a year or two before we know their outcomes and results. To see the results from previously funded and completed producer grant projects, please go to http://www.sare.org and click on national projects database. Below are the 2006 funded Producer Grant projects with summaries from the proposals.
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FS06-197 Increasing Economic Viability and Promoting Sustainable Agriculture through Agritourism, $7, 485 To diversify our enterprises into complimentary endeavors and to create a hands-on learning environment, we plan to have a five acre corn maze and small area for interaction with farm animals. Since the sustainability of family farms is directly tied to a community's connection to agriculture, education and experience will be a central focus of this agritourism project. Before groups enter the maze they will choose from a variety of questions based on themes involving agriculture. A school group may choose questions that were designed for their grade level or a family may choose questions about sustainable farming. As visitors go through the maze they will have numbered points where they will stop to answer a question. Answering the question correctly will give the group the correct direction to turn at that point in the maze. As they finish the maze they will be encouraged to visit with the animals and browse the farm stand, which will sell apples, value added products made by other local farmers, ready to eat food, and our frozen grass-fed beef and lamb, and pasture raised pork. To evaluate the effectiveness of our solution we will measure the increase of gross revenue, the change in sales of existing products, the number of return customers and the number of school groups. We will do this by keeping detailed financial records in Quick Books, a computer accounting program, and by counting the number of ticket sales and return customers. The educational component of the maze will be evaluated through feedback from teachers and the general public through surveys and a suggestion box. Teachers will be asked to rate components of the experience on a scale of one to five. Amy Ager
FS06-198 Evaluation of Mulches for Organic Cantaloupe Production in Semi-Arid Regions, $9,855 The Texas High Plains presents unique and challenging growing conditions. It is hot, dry climate, with an average of 18 inches of rain a year in Lubbock , TX . Gusty winds from 15-30 mph are common. There is also a relatively abundant supply of high quality nonrenewable ground water and very clear skies and an over 200 day growing season. The sandy soils don't hold water very long and, when dry and bare, blow away in the slightest gusts of wind. Tillage causes the most severe wind erosion but the weeds in our organic fields need cultivation several times during a growing season. For vegetables, many farmers have turned to plastic mulch, but the high (and ever-increasing) price and large amount of waste it produces raises questions as to its sustainability. With winds blowing the soil away, and a dependency on a nonrenewable source of water, a conservation tillage system that leaves high amounts residue on the surface to prevent water evaporation and soil erosion is needed. There has been fairly good results with no-till planting a cash crop into a winter cover crop. A thick stand of winter cover, mechanically killed, provides a weed-suppressive mat, reducing the need for cultivation. Also, the layer of field-grown mulch minimizes evaporation and soil erosion. For our specific situation, organic cantaloupe, a fall planted cover of cereal rye and hairy vetch or cereal rye and Austrian winter pea will be used and planted directly in to. This will suppress weeds for several weeks, hold down the soil, and prevent excessive water loss. I have measured out small research plots adjacent the 23-acre field we will be growing cantaloupe in 2006. Dr. Russ Wallace and I have designed a randomized, complete block design with three treatments and a control. I have already planted the cover crops. Because cantaloupes need a fair amount of nitrogen, we typically grow a leguminous winter cover crop and incorporate it in the spring. This will be our control. The three treatments are an 'Elbon' cereal rye and Austrian winter pea mix, an 'Elbon' cereal rye and hairy vetch mix, and a black plastic mulch, laid after the cover has been incorporated. As another variable, we will be both transplanting and direct seeding, to see if that affects the success. We will be measuring emergence of the seeds to see if that is affecting yield. Days to first harvest, yield and quality will be measured because these factors drastically effect the marketing of the crop. Soil temperature and moisture will be measured to determine the effectiveness of the different covers to preserve moisture and keep the soil cool. We will measure weed control to determine the effectiveness of the different treatments. Cover crop biomass will be calculated to see if too much or too little biomass is a problem. We will also plant on two different dates to see if the planting dates affect the effectiveness of the systems. We plant cantaloupes every two weeks for several months in Lubbock , so it is possible that the early spring planting may be too early to effectively kill the cover crops and the black plastic would work best to catch the early market. We will conduct this research for two years, making adjustments as needed. John Chandler
FS06-199 Capillary Irrigation for Container Nurseries : a practical alternative to overhead irrigation? $9,867 Most commercial nurseries use overhead irrigation for containers larger than small plugs and smaller than 5 gallons. Overhead irrigation is inefficient, typically wasting more than half of applied water and polluting the environment with leached fertilizer. Capillary irrigation uses considerably less water than overhead irrigation and dramatically reduces nitrate and phosphate runoff. But growers have been slow to embrace this technology. In the absence of regulatory pressure to conserve water or reduce runoff, capillary irrigation will only replace overhead irrigation if it answers more immediate concerns of growers.. Test plots will consist of: capillary system installed on native soil, with water supplied through drip lines only and capillary system installed as a retrofit in existing overhead irrigation area, with water supplied primarily through drip lines but with overhead irrigation available if needed and overhead irrigation without capillary system. The study will be conducted in our native plant nursery in northeastern North Carolina , using a wide variety of woody and herbaceous species. All plants will receive standard care (composted media, pre-emergent herbicide, supplemental magnesium, diluted sulfuric acid to maintain pH as needed, supports to keep plants upright, etc), with the exception that trade one gallon containers on the capillary mats will receive 2/3 of the fertilizer applied to similar plants receiving overhead irrigation alone. Ellen J. Colodney, M.D.
FS06-200 Establishing Natural Controls of Competitive Fungi in the Production of Shiitake Mushrooms, $8,832 Using the log cultured method in producing shiitake mushrooms, I have experienced that competitive fungi has been a major hindrance in establishing consent fruiting cycles and preserving the full use of a cultured log. Fungus infections have been one of the major causes of shiitake farm failures. Current training publications are more focused on the sawdust method and contamination prevention. Little information can be found on competitive fungi prevention for the cultured log method. The southern portion of the United States share common trees species, climates and fungi life cycles. By establishing sound documented methods of competitive fungi control, the production of shiitake mushrooms would become a more attractive alternative crop for southern small farmers. On my shiitake farm in the past five years most competitive fungi infections have occurred while the logs are in the resting or incubating stage of the fruiting cycle; attacking the outer portions of the log destroying the bark. Once the bark is destroyed the shiitake spawn dies. Current publications teach that the logs should be openly stacked or laid on the ground in a well shaded woodland environment. This method subjects the logs to competing fungi. All life cycles have necessary environmental parameters for life. Alternating these parameters to discourage unwanted fungi growth while yet preserving the necessary parameters for the shiitake spawn cycle would be a worthy and organic solution to the problem. I will create six out-door temporary resting stations. Each station would consist of an altered environment setting that would alter light, air flow, humidity and water. Fungus life cycles are depended on these factors. Removing or adjusting these environment settings would have an environmental effect on fungus growth. Three of these stations would be placed in a woodland environment and the other three would be placed in an open field environment. All stations will be kept separate from current farming operations allowing a comparing method of what would occur if no environmental changes were made. Station 1: The logs would be placed in a woodland environment. The logs would be singled stacked up-right on a rack with a closed-in plastic barrier and darkened with an overhead shade cloth. Station 2: The logs would be placed in a woodland environment. The logs would be multi-stacked up-right in a holding bin with a plastic barrier around the sides and darkened with an overhead shade cloth. Station 3: The logs would be placed in a woodland environment. The logs would be laid on the ground. Half of the logs would utilize ground cover matting underneath the logs and the other half would be placed directly on the ground. A shade cloth would be placed over all of them. Station 4: The logs would be placed in an open field environment. The logs would be singled stacked up-right on a rack with a closed-in plastic barrier and shaded with an overhead shade cloth. Station 5: The logs would be placed in an open field environment. The logs would be multi-stacked up-right in a holding bin with a closed-in plastic barrier and shaded with an overhead shade cloth. Station 6: The logs would be placed in an open field environment. The logs would be laid on the ground. Half of the logs would utilize ground cover matting underneath the logs and the other half would be placed directly on the ground. A shade cloth would be placed over all of them. Each station would consist of a hundred newly inoculated logs of the same tree species and spawn strain. I will continue to use the current recommendations in maintaining the cultured logs. The proposed altered environments would not affect the shiitake spawn. However the altered environments should have an effect on other fungi that feeds on the outer portions of the cultured log. By comparing the rate of infections, impact on fruiting of the mushrooms and harvested amounts of mushrooms of each station, I would be able to determine which method would be more practical and profitable for crop production or what other environmental controls should be installed. James Day
FS06-201 Evaluating Poultry Breeds Suitable for Pastured Production, $7,988 The Cornish Cross commercial breed has become the standard for American palates. However, it is not well-suited to production on pasture. And it is also not an active forager. Other breeds that historically were used for both egg and meat production have the potential for pastured meat production, but have limitations due to a slower rate of growth (lower feed conversion rate, longer time from hatching to slaughter which ties up equipment) and more dark meat and less breast meat than the birds Americans have been getting in supermarkets for the past 60 years. The project will entail comparing nine different breeds of chickens raised in the same system on pasture. Before the chickens arrive, I will determine the types of foliage in my pasture. I will study 4 batches of 9 breeds of chicken run from March to November: Cornish Cross, straight Cornish, Barred Rock, Delaware , New Hampshire , Wyandotte , Naked Necks, Rhode Island Red, and Redbro. I will grow each breed separately at 10 per batch in 9 tractors. I will observe and note foraging characteristics of each breed and compare them to one another. I will track the cost of housing, feed, processing, and final sale per species of chicken on pasture and compare the costs and profitability of raising each breed to see which breed does best under our conditions in west-central Alabama . In a second year of a follow-up study, I could collaborate with several other local farmers to replicate the activities of the first year after narrowing down the nine breeds to three or four. We would follow the same line of inquiry, monitoring costs and comparing differences in their batches of birds. I will try to discover the best combination of chicken type and grow-out rate to satisfy the demands of the small farmer, who wants to develop a system that raises a tasty, marketable pastured bird raised as quickly as possible. I will measure the weight of a random sample, three birds of each breed of bird, every week and on the day of processing, and also the finished carcass weight, in order to compare growth rates of each breed. I will also measure total feed, feed/chicken, feed cost/lb. I will keep track of age onto pasture, age at slaughter, number sold, and mortality. I will also develop a taste test, based on accepted sensory evaluation methods, to be given to the public at the end-of-the-year Field Day, which will derive from a test that Anne Fanatico, Agricultural Specialist at the National Center for Appropriate Technology, has conducted. Bill Findley
FS06-202 Small Scale Rabbit, Production, and Marketing Project, $10,000 Within the past three years, the rabbit industry in Alabama has become an emerging industry. The Tri-State Rabbit Growers Association has developed a network of partnerships. This project will train Limited Resource/Small Scale, African American farmers, how to produce and market rabbit products to supplement their families income. An opportunity will be developed in a rural community that provides hands on training for Limited Resource/Small Scale African American farmers in rabbit production, processing and marketing. I will use this information by providing hands on, outreach/training opportunities on my farm utilizing potential producers in my community. When the producer feels comfortable to start their own operations I will provide guidance, brood stock and training at their farm to set up a rabbit production, and marketing operation. Information concerning this model will be recorded as such and used as a marketing and outreach tool that can be duplicated in other rural communities across the state of Alabama and the south. The new producers will be encouraged to network with the Tri-State Rabbit Growers Association. Jeanette Grayson
FS06-203 A Demand-Driven Approach to Specialty Crop Market Development, $12, 324 Achieving access to profitable markets is commonly and correctly cited as one of the major hurdles in the development of successful and sustainable small farm and farm-based enterprises. Enterprising fruit and vegetable growers in the proposed project region find themselves in the enviable situation of having ready access to a demand-driven market for their crops. Under growing pressure from parents, health practitioners and public officials, and a soon to be implemented Federal mandate for the formation of local health councils, school system food service and child nutrition service directors in the project region are actively seeking out sources of locally grown and locally produced foods in an effort to improve the quality and nutritional value of foods served to children in the schools. The problem this project proposes to address is that current school system food preparation practices rely on prepared and processed foods as opposed to fresh, unprepared foods. Limitations in the variety of fresh foods commonly served in school cafeterias, poor childhood eating habits, pressures to minimize or reduce school food program expenses and the unfortunate opposition of the school year and main crop season in our region are problems we hope to deal with. Our answer to the problem is to direct human and financial resources to the task of market development with the specific goal of promoting and increasing sales of locally produced foods to local and regional school systems. We propose to do this by implementing a training program that will impart proven sales and promotional skills to participating growers, training growers and other program stakeholders and staff in organizing successful and effective "retail events"; and assisting with the coordination of an initial series of four such retail events. This is primarily a market development/sales growth project. In order to demonstrate that the program is effective, we will measure during the project cycle: changes in volume of sales of locally grown foods to participating school systems; changes in product type and variety of locally grown foods purchased by participating school systems; net gains/losses in income to participating growers from program sales; changes in prep and plate waste volumes in school cafeterias as a result of increased purchases of locally produced foods; and changes in share of locally produced foods as a percentage of totalschool food purchases. Dianne Levy FS06-204 Developing Dual Purpose Quail for Small Farmers, $7,600 Farmers in the South have long sought alternative crops and livestock to enhance and replace their income from other less lucrative commodity-based enterprises. Coturnix Quail can be a profitable enterprise for farmers who wish to create a consistent revenue source with relatively small capital requirements and little space. Several improved strains have been developed over the years including meat-type strains and egg-type strains, Texas A&M and XLD respectively. The A&M's put meat on quickly and provide a marketable carcass at 10 weeks. The XLD are sexually mature at 7 weeks and laying large eggs nearly every day by 9 weeks. However, farmers who are raising either type are limited to either market and do not have the flexibility of a diversified product offering. This research proposes to incorporate the features of both strains into a dual-purpose breed that will enhance the profitability of farmers in the South and beyond. Retail and wholesale sale of quail eggs for human consumption can be an important part of small farmers' income. The Southern United States has a culinary history with quail eggs and many chefs are rediscovering their utility in salads and many other dishes. With the recent opening of a USDA inspected poultry processing plant in Kentucky , there is now an opportunity to sell quail meat as well as eggs locally. Farmer's across the South have access to this plant or others like it. In the past, extra males from egg-strains have been discarded, now with proper breeding they can become a marketable product. This proposal will incorporate a series of matings ending in a dual-purpose Coturnix quail strain. The highly efficient reproductive rate of quail has created a useful position for them in breeding and genetic experiments at many universities. The quick cycle will enable this researcher to complete four (4) generations of matings and provide a sizable sample for analysis at each generation. Black Forest Poultry already breeds Texas A & M Coturnix quail and has access to quality XLD stock. Highly detailed record-keeping has been an important part of our farm-business since its inception. We will capitalize on this strength to record the relevant data from weight gain, feed conversion, egg production, livability, egg size changes and final carcass weights. We will use this information to show that over a period of four generations of cross-matings, we can maintain a highly productive egg strain while adding meat to the male side of the breeding. Martin H. Meers
FS06-205 Cover Crop Optimization for Sustainable Forage Systems on a Southern Dairy Farm, $9, 872 Grass forage crops are grown throughout the South for both dry hay and livestock grazing. Virtually all of these species (e.g. bermuda grass and sorghum-sudangrass for summer production and small grains through the winter) have a very high nitrogen demand which is met by the use of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers. For organic producers, nitrogen management of hay and pasture species remains a major limiting factor. However, the use of nitrogen-fixing cover crops in production of grassy hay and grazing crops is rare. For our Grade-A goat dairy, we have been forced to use two to four ton/acre applications of poultry manure for adequate nitrogen nutrition of rotationally grazed summer and winter pasture; this is hardly a long-term sustainable practice. This study proposes to investigate the use of leguminous cover crops, grown in the off-season, to supply the nitrogen needs of both summer and winter pasture species. Since these species are among the most widely grown hay crops in the region, the study's results will provide important information for southern hay growers as well as graziers. The overall goals of the study are to quantify the effects of leguminous cover crop species grown during the off-season (November to March for summer pastures and May to September for winter pasture) on soil nitrogen content and subsequent grazing/hay crops. By maintaining actively growing plant cover through more of the year and minimizing tillage we also seek to build organic matter levels and improve overall soil health. Our observations with non-controlled trials of cover crops on our farm in the past few years suggest that these goals are achievable, but that in order to succeed, we will need to answer two specific questions: 1. Can summer leguminous cover crops provide adequate nitrogen to support grazing and/or hay production the following winter? 2. Can winter leguminous cover crops provide adequate nitrogen to support summer forage growth? Two fields will be utilized to address the questions identified above: Winter pasture species will be a mixture of small grains (oats, wheat and triticale). These species are the most widely utilized winter forage species in the region. Cover crops utilized in this experiment will include a mixture of velvet bean (Mucuna pruriens) and lablab (Lablab purpureum). To assess the effectiveness of these cover crops, soil nitrate levels will be measured just prior to maximum vegetative growth of the forage crop. Forage yield will be measured as dry hay in three cuttings to simulate grazing intensity. Forage quality will also be measured and all treatments will be compared with two controls (manure and no inputs). WHRI staff and interns will manage all aspects of the field trials, and Dr. Ray Smith will assist in the analysis and interpretation of forage results. For summer pasture, we will utilize sorghum-sudangrass, the grazing species most preferred by our dairy goats and widely planted as a hay crop throughout the region. Three legumes (crimson clover, hairy vetch and Austrian winter pea) will be sowed in the fall and incorporated in the spring before planting sorghum-sudangrass. As with the winter pasture, soil nitrate content will be measured just prior to maximum forage vegetative growth, and compared to manure and a no-input control. Forage quality and tonnage will also be measured in all treatments and analyzed as described above for winter pastures. Neil R. Miller
FS06-206 A Diversifying and Marketing Strategy for Sustaining Small Farm Agriculture, $9, 976 Small farms in the south are faced with the constant struggle of trying to make a living from farming alone. Various things contribute to this struggle. Many farmers have to take outside jobs to make ends meet, giving up on their dreams of farming for a living, thus affecting generations to come. In less than a decade, more than 500 small farms have been lost in Watauga County , NC alone. Diversity is key to the future success of farms and is particularly valuable for tobacco farmers at this stage. Diversity and capitalizing on new markets is of utmost importance to the future of sustainable farming for small farms. Our solution will come in a multi-part plan: diversification, the expansion of profitable selling opportunities, and the direct targeting of specific customers. We want to create a fall farm weekends series of events. In the mountains of Western NC , we have a particularly strong tourism industry. We are modeling our "Fall Farm Weekends" after a system that is currently used in this choose & cut industry. Our strongest agri-tourism industry is choose & cut Christmas trees. We have identified choose & cut patrons as our new target consumers. They typically have disposable income and travel to our area on a regular basis. We also know that they enjoy coming to a farm and choosing what they want to take home. We believe that offering the "choose your own" concept during the fall season will allow us to capture a market that is untapped. In particular, we plan to operate Fall Farm Weekends that will offer these customers an opportunity to pick their own fresh pumpkins and gourds. We will operate an open-air market on these weekends selling fresh fall harvest produce such as cabbage, potatoes, winter squash, and lettuce; fall decorations including corn shocks, hay bales, and Indian corn in addition to pumpkins and gourds; as well as handcrafted items like bird houses and knitted and woven items. Pumpkins and gourds will be displayed and sold at the open-air market if weather conditions have prohibited our leaving them in the field. Selecting crops that we have determined are higher yield and less labor intensive will increase profits and decrease labor. These crops will be grown on our farm and also contracted from other local producers, opening additional sales opportunities for them. Priority for grower participation will be given to some of the county's hundreds of farmers who did not grow tobacco this year. The Fall Farm Weekends will give us another source for the sale of any extra apples grown at our orchard. Our first year will be used to test product mix and the niche market we are targeting, with our second year opening up to a larger consumer audience and additional products like ornamental grasses, greens, and dried flowers. Starting small will allow us to develop a precise system for collaborating with our choose & cut cooperator and its customers. Since we will be operating on weekends during the month of October, this will allow us to capitalize on the customers who decorate for fall, Halloween, and Thanksgiving and having handcrafted items on site will also capture the interest of early Christmas shoppers. Since we have already identified these customers as having disposable income, premium prices can be charged for items sold during the Fall Farm Weekends, allowing for better profits. Surveying these patrons will help us determine other products that we can have available for them to purchase and identify other potential seasons or events that will make the farm a family entertainment and education destination. With our solution, diversification not only means trying different crops but also a new way of marketing. The combination of diversification, expanded selling opportunities, and better profits lend themselves to sustainable and secure farms. Since we have already identified our target customers, we will operate a direct mail and email campaign to invite them to the Fall Farm Weekends. We will be able to measure the success of this campaign by the number of customers who participate in our Fall Farm Weekends. We will survey customers during the weekends to get feedback on what could be done to improve the weekends, to discover other needed products, and to identify other profitable seasonal events. We will be able to add additional successful events to the calendar from compiling survey data from our customers. We will also survey the contracted farmers, finding out what benefits they got from the weekends, what they would do differently, and what additional or different items they would like to produce. A similar survey would be taken of cooperators providing handcrafted items. Nancy C. Moretz
FS06-207 Networking Sheep and Goat Producers: Strength in Numbers, $10,000 In our area ( Northwest Arkansas ), we have a large ethnic population and large affluent population that both want the products of sheep and goats, but don't know where to find them. We have a group of limited-resource and part-time farmers who are raising excellent sheep and goat products, but don't know how to sell them. And lastly, we have a group of producers who are isolated from each other and do not have a way of communicating. We also have a wonderful group of support personnel, including local Extension agents, who want to help but don't know how, because the emphasis in this area has been large-scale confinement poultry and cattle operations, with little information available for other kinds of livestock enterprises. The primary objectives of this project will be to establish a goat and sheep producer network to include counties from Northwest Arkansas and Northeast Oklahoma for education and support, while encouraging sustainable agricultural methods. This will be done through gathering and compiling producer data and publishing a directory in print form and on a web-site. The directory will be available through the local Extension office and web-site to consumers as well. Additionally, we will hold six educational events in Northwest Arkansas and will participate in six producer meetings to offer support and information to producers. The public events will increase awareness about sheep and goat products, and introduce the farmers to potential customers. The events and festivals will be educational both for the public and producer, and will attract a diverse audience such as ethnic groups that enjoy eating lamb and goat, fiber enthusiasts, and agricultural businesses from this area. In addition, we will use the events and meetings to distribute and collect surveys to inform support personnel (such as Extension) about needed programs and information, therefore helping them to help the producers. Finally, I will build a web-site holding a producer directory and educational materials, and maintain the site for one year. We will compile a list of sheep and goat producers at the beginning of the project and continue to add as the network expands. We will track the growth of this network from March 2006 to March 2007. We will conduct a needs assessment survey of the network. This information will be used to guide future programs and strengthen and update the producer network. We will distribute and collect evaluations of each event and meeting and use this input for future topics. Janice Neighbor
FS06-208 Evaluation of Compost Tea Application to Control Foliar Diseases in an Heirloom Tomato Crop, $9,720 Heirloom tomatoes are an important cash crop for organic farmers. However, the susceptibility of tomato varieties to foliar diseases such as early blight ( Alternaria solani), leaf spot ( Septoria lycopersici ) , and bacterial spot ( Xanthomonas campestris ) limits their season in the humid climate of northern Georgia . Identifying effective natural treatments that can delay the onset of foliar diseases would extend the heirloom tomato season, and ultimately make growing heirloom tomato varieties more profitable for organic growers. The goal of our project is to test the efficacy of aerated compost teas as treatments to delay onset of foliar diseases in and increase yield of heirloom tomato crops. Compost teas have been shown to help control a variety of foliar diseases on horticultural crops. We are aware of several recent studies that examined the capability of compost teas to suppress diseases of tomatoes. However, these studies focused on hybrid tomato crops grown in research plots. We are interested in testing heirloom varieties grown under production conditions. Our specific aims are to: 1) make and determine the microbial community structure of two compost tea formulations, 2) determine the reproducibility of the microbial communities extracted in the two compost tea formulations, and 3) determine the efficacy of each formulation of compost tea by comparing a) presence and degree of foliar disease, b) fruit yield, and c) length of season in tomato plants treated with each compost tea formulation to tomato plants treated with water over the course of the growing season. We will use four replicate plots of 16 Cherokee purple tomato plants to test our three treatments. The experimental design will be a randomized complete block design (RCBD). Starting at the time of transplant, five plants in each replicate plot will be sprayed with water each week as a negative control, five plants will be sprayed with KISCT, and five plants will be sprayed with 5SCT. All plants will be sprayed on the same day of each week. Microbial analysis of the compost tea and leaf samples will be performed one time per month. A sample of each formulation of compost tea will be taken and analyzed for total and active bacteria, and total and active fungi. Leaf coverage will be assessed by taking leaf samples before compost tea application and 20-30 minutes after application from the top, middle and bottom of the inside and outside of five plants from each treatment. Each week, the plants will be examined to determine: 1) presence of fungal and bacterial foliar disease, 2) percentage of leaf surface exhibiting foliar disease, 3) fruit yield (weight of diseased and non-diseased fruit), and 4) plant death. The efficacy of the compost tea formulations will be determined using a RCBD analysis of variance model. The variables tested using the model will include: 1) number of days of delay of onset of any fungal or bacterial foliar disease normalized to the water-only control, 2) weekly ratio of leaf surface exhibiting disease normalized to the water-only control, 3) weekly and total seasonal yield, and 4) weekly ratio of viable plants receiving each treatment. The relation between the microbial biomass, activity and community structure in the compost tea and on the plant leaves (independent variables) and foliar disease (dependent variable) will be assessed using univariate and, if appropriate, multivariate analysis. Daniel Parson
FS06-209 Developing Model CSA Software for Multi-cropping and Harvesting, $4, 459 Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms in Florida , the fourth most populous state, have a diverse customer base that demands a wide variety of fresh market produce. Farmers growing a range of fruit and vegetable crops with multiple harvest times on small acreage, like those involved in Community Supported Agriculture, frequently cannot adequately manage complex crop production, harvesting, and delivery schedules for their customers. When new crops are introduced, or even just new varieties with different harvest dates, schedules and planting sites often must be rearranged. Crops must be planted frequently but factors such as crop rotation and field characteristics must also be considered. As new customers are added, additional adjustments must be made. Of course, any of these changes during the growing season affect the entire planting and harvesting schedule during that season. Successful CSAs often use hand-written ledgers or customized spreadsheets to track farming activities. Commercially available farm management software is typically designed either for single harvest of monoculture crops on large farms or for a limited variety of crops, is expensive, and thus not readily adaptable for use by small-scale diversified growers. Furthermore, few growers have the computer programming skills and/or time to develop programs to fulfill this need. When potentially useful software is available, it is geared mostly toward temperate zone growers. In south Florida , the subtropical climate allows for an 8 to 10 month growing season for fruits and vegetables and provides opportunities for year-round growing if desired. This presents unique challenges for growers to maintain soil fertility by using sustainable management practices like cover cropping and crop rotations within a demanding multicrop production schedule. Crop scheduling tools with flexible input options like crop cultivars, growth habits, zone-specific planting information, maturity dates, yield estimates, and other characteristics important in intercropping, succession planting, and companion planting can help improve production efficiency and sustainability for small farms. CSA farms as well as farmers-market farms and those serving local restaurants can improve their profitability by having access to good farm planning systems designed with their unique needs in mind. Developing such software would improve production and harvesting efficiency for small CSA farms in Florida , producing food locally, and could serve as a model systems for similar farms in other regions. Using the internet resources, information in journals and trade publications, and discussions with other CSA farmers about their experience with CSA/small farm management programs we will find and review currently available CSA and small farm management systems in whatever form they occur- paper systems, spreadsheets, software products. We want to figure out what's working, what's not, and what's needed, and if already in use, how can it be improved? Screening programs with the most potential will allow us to identify critical parameters needed for a program to improve production and harvesting efficiencies. Based on this review and analysis, we will 1) define variables for crop production, harvest, and delivery components, with emphasis on crop planning and rotation plans, planting and harvest schedules; 2) develop a set of standardized definitions and guidelines suitable for creating a model system for CSA multiple cropping and harvesting that would provide for farmer inputs for crop cultivars, growing conditions, harvesting dates and other factors. We will then hire a part-time programmer to work with us to formulate our concepts within a software context which will lay the groundwork for a full-blown system to be developed with a future grant.. We will focus first on Florida farms with a possible 8-10 month growing season producing fruits and vegetables and then determine how our software framework can be made flexible enough for to growers in other production regions throughout the southeast and other areas. Our objective is to define a conceptual framework for CSA and small farm multicropping and harvesting rather then to demonstrate that a completed system will increase production efficiencies. Accordingly, we will discuss the results of our work in planned CSA workshops in year 1 and 2 where we will ask growers to compare these concepts with systems already in use,. especially in terms of efficiency of crop production, delivery and profits. M. Pikarsy and N. Roe will also field test several currently available farm management schemes on their own and possibly other CSA farms and compare test systems with current practices in terms of the above production efficiencies. Margaret Pikarsky
FS06-210 Which Edamame Variety is best for a Market Garden?, $4, 459 Small farmers face severe challenges in today's agricultural situation. Low commodity prices are pushing sons and daughters of farmers out of agriculture to look for higher paying careers. Demand for tobacco, a crop that until now has provided a steady income to farmers throughout Mid-Atlantic and Southern states, has fallen off as efforts to reduce smoking succeeded. The federal government has cut tobacco quotas by half for the last several years. Alternative crops are needed. Interestingly, at the same time, the new USDA Food Pyramid recommends that each American eat 4-5 servings of fruits or vegetables daily. Spurred on by the dietary guidelines, Americans have recently increased the proportion of fresh fruits and vegetables in their diet, and decreased the amount of meat they eat. A serious search for alternative sources of protein is underway in many homes. And the demand for food free of pesticides, chemical fertilizers and genetic modification is expanding and is a main cause for the explosive growth of the natural food industry over the past 15 years. In this climate, a convenient, tasty, and even familiar vegetable, the vegetable soybean, or edamame, is becoming welcome on the table and at the supermarket. But which variety is best in the market garden? Which is most resistant to pests and disease? Which produces the highest yield? Which consistently has the most beans per pod? Which looks best steamed and ready to eat? And most importantly, which is the tastiest? The solution to these queries lies in taste research. We'll plant the six varieties, then monitor and measure the results for objective data. For the subjective part, we'll hold tasting sessions with human subjects who will describe and rate the varieties in a blind taste test. We will measure the yield and season objectively. A panel of tasters will rate each edamame variety on taste, texture, eye appeal and ease of shelling. Patricia Stansbury
FS06-211 Value from byproducts of the Southern Wine Grape Industry, $9, 925 We propose to help solve two problems linked to sustainability. The problems to be addressed by this project are as follows; (1) health claims are being made about Southern grape byproducts without good scientific research to back up the claims, thereby limiting the market for the byproducts and (2) over 50 percent of the grape, by weight is discarded in the juice and winemaking process, which leads to disposal costs and water quality problems that are becoming expensive and threatens the survival of the Southern wine grape industry. Resveratrol, quercetin, ellagic acid and other antioxidant compounds have shown to have tremendous health benefits. It is reported that these healthy antioxidants are in Southern grapes. Scientific studies are needed to demonstrate to the farmer and the public how much potentially beneficial material actually exists in the Southern grape, like Muscadines. Large quantities of secondary byproducts do not have a marketable value and are considered an environmental problem for water quality and disposal. This byproduct could produce additional income for the Southern farmer and improve the health for our citizens if health benefits can be scientifically proven. Our proposal is to resolve these two problems simultaneously by testing and demonstrating that the byproducts from the Southern wine grape industry (skins, seeds) can be used to develop natural active components, nutraceutics, vitamins, antioxidants etc. Over half of the Southern grape, vitas roudaflora, is discarded in the wine making process. The use of a waste product would increase the value of the Southern grapes/wine industry by developing marketable products which could be the basis for healthy food products or dietary supplements and aid in the reduction of residues for the environment thereby improving water quality and reducing disposal cost for the producer. The project is tailored to study the grape that is native to the South, the muscadine. We will measure the amount of healthy antioxidants in the dried wine grape byproducts. We will know if we have been successful if the amount and levels can be measured in high enough levels to improve the health of people and animals. The amount of resveratrol the concentration of quercetin (considered very biologically active antioxidant); ellagic acid and others will be compared with other similar products on the market. Ben Webb |
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