|
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 FS07-217 and FS07-219. 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 FS07-218 and FS07-219. Another thing reviewers always look for is exactly what each cooperator will do in the project. Projects that utilize interactions among pests and predators and so result in fewer off-farm purchases for pesticides, like project FS07-212, meet one of Southern SARE 's funding goals and are always looked for by reviewers. 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 FS07-216 which is looking at extending the growing season. Strong outreach is also something that is important to a successful producer grant project. Sometimes, a different approach to an issue will meet the goals in the call for proposals, for example, innovative ways to meet an emerging market demand as in project FS07-220. Or finding better ways to utilize farm production waste like in FS07-213. Reviewers also look for good ways to analyze the data if a project is conducting trials. 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 result summaries from previously funded and completed producer grant projects, please go to our web site at http://www.southernsare.uga.edu/ or go to http://www.sare.org and click on the national projects database. Below are the 2007 funded Producer Grant projects with summaries from the proposals.
| ||||||||||||||||||||
FS07-212Control of Corn Earworm using Brazilian free-tailed bats, $999 Corn earworm infestation in sweet corn can cause significant damage to corn crop yields in Georgia . To prevent corn earworm damage, multiple insecticidal sprayings are required. Corn earworm is the larva of the corn earworm moth and each female moth can lay a thousand eggs in her lifetime. With the prevalence of these moths and the short duration of these insecticides sweet corn is a difficult crop to grow sustainably. We propose to demonstrate using the Brazilian free-tailed bat (Tadarida brasilienses) for control of the corn earworm moth. Through the development of genetic markers for the corn earworm moth and other members of the Noctuide family of moths by Dr. Gary McCracken from the University of Tennessee , it has been established that these moths make up the preferred prey of the Brazilian free-tailed bat. Studies in Texas revealed that 80-90% of this bats' diet may consist of corn earworm moths during the peak emergence periods. Over the past 10 years, we have established permanent resident colonies of Brazilian free-tailed bats, numbering about 3,500 during the seasonal peak population. These colonies of bats roost in several bat houses spaced throughout our 27 acre, certified organic pecan grove in Brooks County , Georgia . During the growing season of 2006, we participated in a bat study conducted by Dr. Gary McCracken, in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Dr. McCracken agreed to run DNA tests for corn earworm moth from guano of some of the sampled bats. The guano tested positive for corn earworm moth. We propose to plant a ¼ acre plot of sweet corn at the eastern edge of our pecan grove. This would place the plot within several hundred feet of bat houses. The bats will be the only control for the corn earworm moth. Dr. Jim Dutcher, an entomologist and one of our cooperators, will be assessing the corn plants for any evidence corn earworm damage or infestation. We will share the results of our project by posting the information on our website. Also we will present the information to other local county extension agent, who has agreed to give joint presentations to local farmers. We also plan to present the results at certified and/or sustainable farm workshops. We regularly give presentations about the benefits of bats, particularly in agricultural settings, and we would include the results of this project in our future presentations. Bat Conservation International will publish an article in their BATS magazine on the results of our project. Frank and Teresa Bibin
FS07-213 Recycling Mushroom Spent Compost, $8,027 Currently we have no venue to properly dispose the byproduct resulting from our mushroom production. The byproduct consists of the medium (spent compost) in which the mushroom grew. This medium is made up of degraded cellulose and lignin that during colonization by the mycelia of the fungus is enhanced by the nutrients released that otherwise would have stayed unavailable. As our business grows, if this byproduct is not put to good use we will become a point source contributor to nutrient leaching that could in the long run be detrimental to our water ways. We intend to develop a soil mix for potting or other farming applications based on the mushroom spent compost. This will provide the consumer with a ready to use high quality compost. This added value approach provides the mushroom producer with another revenue stream that also stimulates the recycling of agricultural byproducts. It is interesting to note that the plant material has been recycled twice since they it was used to produce the mushrooms which in turn improves the substrate transforming it into a high quality compost that will provide nutrients to other plants or crops. We will first define nutrient composition and physical properties of the mushroom spent compost. Then develop various formulations combining the spent compost with various amendments to define and select the best mix. The preferred formulations will be then tested against currently available commercial potting soil mix. This test will be conducted by growing three plant species measuring seed germination and seedling height. Our selected potting mix formulation will be sent for laboratory analyses to determine nutrient composition and physical properties profiles. Reed Hepperly
FS07-214 Sustainable Low-Cost Heating for Season Extension Structures, $14,928 A variety of factors is creating a growing demand for local produce in schools in our northeast Tennessee project region. The experience of farmers in the Clinch Appalachian Farm Enterprises is that local school child nutrition directors are eager to buy more fruit and vegetables from local farmers as one way of meeting new stricter federal guidelines for school nutrition as well as the growing demands of parents for healthier food, while winning community support for helping the local economy. But a big obstacle to increasing sales of local produce to schools is that the local growing season coincides with only half of the school year. Child nutrition directors want to be able to put fresh produce on salad bars throughout the year. Efforts in getting local farmers to employ season extension technology and methods are meeting with only modest progress, with a major obstacle being the cost of heating the season extension structures such as high tunnels, hoop houses and green houses in order to increase the variety of produce as well as the growing season of produce available for sale to schools and other institutions. Will Allen of Growing Power, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin has developed a system for transferring the heat from composting bins into greenhouses, as a way to supplement solar heating of the structure and thus allow a wider variety of produce to be grown, and a longer growing period than if this supplemental heating were not used. A system of using multiple compost heaps allows for one heap to take over heating as another cools down. Another result is rich compost that provides a cost-effective product that further assists the extended growing effort. An Outreach Field Day will be held on one or more farms of participating farmers. The Field Day will be advertised in local general and farm media and locations likely to reach farmers. Local farmers, farmer groups, and agricultural professionals will be individually invited. At the Field Day, the sustainable low-cost heating system for season extension structures will be demonstrated, and samples of compost and outreach information will be distributed to attending farmers and media. Farmer packets and Media packets will be prepared for handing out, which will include information on costs of developing season extension structures and the composting heating system, cost of operating the heating system, heating efficiency results observed, and resulting increase in sales of produce attributable to the extended growing season (sales data from farmers will be reported as aggregate and typical sales, without breaching confidentiality of individual farmer sales data.) In addition, farmer packets will include information on how to begin participation in the farm-to-school project, in season extension, and an annotated list of web and print resources and contact information for technical assistance providers. Media packets will include background information suggesting the implication of project results for agriculture in the region, and an annotated list of sources for more information. Photos will be taken of the project to enable development of a PowerPoint presentation, which will be made available on CD-Rom. The goal of this project is to enable more local farmers to grow and sell more produce to local schools for more of the school year by eliminating a key barrier to season extension: the prohibitive cost of heating their season extension structures. The method used by this project will be to train and to assist local farmers in planning and carrying out low-cost heating of season extension structures on their farms. We will demonstrate this solution works by relying on reports from participating farmers to track the increase in sales of local produce during "off-season" months to local schools, institutions, and other markets; to track the cost of setting up and operating these season extension structures and their low-cost heating systems; and to track the efficiency of these low-cost systems in heating season extension structures. Steve Hodges
FS07-215Diversify Production Methods of Medicinal Herb Crops with Tissue Culture, $9.946 Consumer demand for high quality medicinal herbs is increasing at a slow, but steady, rate. Many of these herbs are harvested exclusively from stagnant to declining wild populations. Yields from wild populations increase over 37% in the last five or six years. Now, some species of medicinal herbs are added to the federal and state threatened or endangered plant lists each year. A wild harvester can easily wipe out entire populations of a species in an area in a short period of time. Sufficient harvest volumes of medicinal herbs can only be consistently achieved with the incorporation of cultivated material into the supply channel. The medicinal herb market fluctuates in a way that differs from many agricultural markets. It is immature by industry standards and not as well organized as other commodities. It is also under pressure from federal agencies to ensure safe products which has many herbal product companies and regulatory agencies working together to develop standardized quality measurements and procedures. This means that it is an industry in constant flux! This can present an opportunity for a grower or value added entrepreneur, but it also means growers must maintain a level of flexibility that they may not have needed in other industries, for example with traditional commodity crops in the Southern region. The problem for herb farmers is that high quality seed and planting stock can be difficult to obtain and very expensive, especially for organic material. Large quantities of viable seed are not readily available commercially. Many of the medicinal herb seed dealers collect from the open field. The herb seeds are wild-crafted and the seed is extremely variable. Germination rates have not been tested. This leads to sporadic plantings in the field. Many medicinal herb seeds have very specific and long stratification requirements. Germination can be very slow and erratic. Rootstock can be difficult to obtain and store and some decay easily. Plugs or transplants are a more viable way to insure crop uniformity but there is an extreme shortage of nurseries providing large volumes of medicinal herb planting stock. Tissue culture has a number of advantages over traditional plant propagation techniques. This method produces disease-free plants, it produces rooted plantlets ready for growth, rather than seeds or cuttings, it has an extraordinarily high multiplication rate, producing thousands of plant starts in the same time it would take a conventional technique to produce tens or hundreds, it is a good way of multiplying plants that produce seeds in uneconomical amounts (if at all), and it often produces more robust plants, leading to accelerated growth compared to similar plants produced by conventional methods, thereby shortening the long periods of stratification time required by some medicinal herb seeds. Growing plants in tissue culture has steadily been gaining acceptance in the horticultural and the agricultural commodity industry, but very little research has been published concerning the tissue culture protocol for medicinal herb plants. I will offer 2 workshops for interested farmers in late fall of 2007. Each workshop will last 4 hours with a sign up limit of 25 farmers for each class. Each farmer attending these workshops will be provided with the supplies necessary to experience medicinal herb tissue culture firsthand. They will also be provided with an instruction manual to keep and information about the website, supply purchase and list serve. I will give a tour and demonstration of the project to participants of the 2007 Farm Tour which is being offered through the NC Extension Service by Rob Hawk, Haywood County Extension Agent. I want to make micro propagation an affordable process and bring the lab to the farm by simplifying the current method of tissue culture and designing and producing a laymen's instruction manual and tissue culture kit for the home. This will enable herb farmers to perform tissue culturing in their own kitchens without expensive equipment or chemicals, thereby reducing start-up costs to explore this option of propagation. Mary Janis
FS07-216Season Extension for Winter CSA and Restaurant Sales, $5, 829 The demand for local, sustainably produced farm products is steadily growing in Western North Carolina . At this time there are several CSA farms in the area, and many neighborhood tailgate markets. However, both the CSA's and markets generally begin in early to mid-May and finish by the end of October. Currently, there is very little local farm produce available from November through April. Many CSA members, tailgate market customers, and chefs that buy regularly at the markets are looking for a chance to purchase more local products in the off-season. Many of the local farmers get jobs off the farm for the winter months in order to make enough money to survive the winter and start production again in the spring. Working off the farm in the winter can be difficult for area farm businesses, as there are always a multitude of projects to be finished that make the Spring planting get off to a better start. It can also be difficult to get a good winter job that will only last November through February, typically the slowest time for the economy in Western North Carolina . If at least one member of the farm family, and hopefully two, could create a job on the farm in the winter by season extension and winter production, there would be smoother seasonal transitions, a chance to maintain relationships with customers and chefs, and the ability to provide local, fresh produce through the winter months. We propose to implement season extension techniques on our farm and establish a model winter CSA for the area. Having just arranged a long term lease on another field from a neighbor, we will have the opportunity to grow more potatoes and winter squashes in the summer. We plan to use our two 50 foot by 20 foot hoop houses on skids, our 30 foot by 30 foot greenhouse, and floating row covers to grow winter greens and root crops. After creating an indoor washroom in our greenhouse, it will be feasible to wash and prepare the produce for our customers. We will use one of our walk-in coolers to store the potatoes, onions, and cured squashes, as well as the greens and root vegetables when they are harvested for sale. These methods can be implemented on many farms in western NC, leading to increased farm income and the capacity of on-farm jobs during the winter. A winter CSA will also increase customer loyalty and health, by enabling customers to eat local, fresh, sustainably grown produce all year long. We will have a field day at our farm in the late winter of 2008 for local farmers, agriculture educators, CSA members (and potential members), chefs, and other customers. This field day will demonstrate our winter production methods and be an outreach to farmers who are interested in doing something similar. In January 2008, we will speak to farmers at the annual Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP) marketing conference on this winter production opportunity. We will also present the results at the Organic Growers School in March 2008, and at the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association conference in November 2008. We will generate a winter production fact sheet that will be helpful for the attendees of these events. We will show slides of our winter production beds, greenhouse washroom, finished product, and sample CSA boxes. The best yielding and storage varieties will be discussed as well as budgetary aspects of production. We will document and report the offerings of each winter CSA box and weekly offerings to chefs. Our promotional material will be available to anyone interested in the winter market. The outcome should be particularly relevant to the attendees of these events, as many come from western NC. We will also submit an article to Growing For Market with our winter production results and lessons learned. Good yields of storage vegetables and winter crops will lead to successful winter CSA and restaurant marketing. As the winter beds are harvested, records will be kept of the yield of each picking. Yields of storage vegetables will also be recorded. Having a consistent price for each item will enable us to figure the income generated by each crop. Our crops will be selected carefully by researching what other producers in all areas of the country are growing during the off-season. By the end of the winter season, we should have a clear idea of which crops yield the best and generate the most income, and which crops need to be replaced by something else. Records of sales to chefs will be maintained with an invoice book. Records of time spent planting, weeding, harvesting, and selling the winter produce will also be maintained, in order to track whether the time spent on these activities brings a fair wage. Annie Louise Perkinson
FS07-217Low Input No-Till Vegetable Production in the Shenandoah Valley. $9,988 A wholesale market, the Shenandoah Valley Produce Auction, began in 2005 and as a result the Valley, especially Rockingham and Augusta Counties , have seen significant increases in the number of vegetable and produce operations. However, current production practices often fail to provide for beneficial insect habitat, degrade soil organic matter and soil quality, encourage soil erosion and nutrient runoff, and may not be sustainable in the long run. Brian Jones and Maria Ignosh from Virginia Cooperative Extension will assist in developing the outreach and dissemination for this project. A field day will be held at my farm in the summer of 2008 to present the results of the project and demonstrate the methods and techniques involved in a low input no-till vegetable production system. This project will also be highlighted in a field day to occur in the summer of 2007 on my farm for another unrelated project. Michael Phillips
FS07-218Biodegradable Mulch, $3, 457 Many organic vegetable farmers in our area rely on plastic mulch for weed control, moisture retention, and soil warmth. At the end of the year it must be pulled and thrown out, which adds trash to landfills, takes a lot of time, and delays cover cropping. Biodegradable mulches are available, but since they are 3-4 times as expensive and not widely used, few farmers are willing to take the risk of trying them out. Thus, we may be missing out on a good technique that might be more sustainable than current methods, as well as more cost-effective when all factors (including labor) are taken into account. I propose that we experiment with biodegradable mulch on our farm and with two other area farms (one 70 miles to our north and one 90 miles to our south) to see if it can perform as well as plastic mulch. Using SARE money to buy the plastic and help us keep good records & compare results, we could then make informed decisions about when and where biodegradable mulch might be substituted for plastic in future years. We may also help biodegradable mulch become more widely available and less expensive by helping increase the demand for it. The main way we learn about new techniques is through informal conversation with other area growers at farmers' markets and social occasions. Many of our friends and neighbors will be very interested in our results. I will also submit our results to our Virginia Association of Biological Farmers (VABF) newsletter and propose that we offer our study as a workshop at the annual conference. We'd also include our write-up on our web site and make it available to other web sites, such as New Farm. We also all host farm tours & field trips and would talk about our demonstration then. I propose that we each use one row of biodegradable mulch in each of our successive squash and tomato plantings, with the remaining rows on plastic as usual. We'll plant two identical rows next to each other, meaning the same varieties in the same order, in order to have the best comparison. We'll keep track of any differences in how long it takes to lay the row and remove it again, and at least once a week we'll record and compare the harvests from each row. We'll also note any differences we notice in plant vigor, either through visual differences or resistance to pests or disease, as well as any difference in the performance of the drip tape we all use under the mulch. I also propose that each farm experiment with the biodegradable mulch for other crops beyond squash & tomatoes as we each see fit on our own farms. In this way I hope we can demonstrate that crops on biodegradable mulch can be as productive as those on plastic, either by producing similar yields or by having any reduction in yield cancelled out by reduced labor costs and landfill fees involved with plastic mulch removal. Eric Plaksin
FS07-219Treating Soil Compaction Using Woven Weed Fabric, $9,886 The main problem on the farm appears to be soil compaction. The soil is approximately 98% sand and 2% organic matter. Heavy rainfall at times causes compaction of the soil and has proven to be a problem when attempting to grow crops under no-till or minimum till production techniques. Compaction has become even more of a problem since converting to a chemical-free growing. Each year the weed pressure was so great that to 14-17 year old youth, managing weeds by hand removal was an impossible task. I first attempted using 48" plastic mulches, however, between walking on the mulch and the high winds of West Texas, the mulch was usually torn, blown off the rows and became of no use in weed management. I then turned to a woven plastic weed guard that was available in twelve foot wide rolls. Three acres of the field were covered with the fabric as mulch. Although it was more expensive to purchase and labor intensive to cut holes for planting vegetables, the manufacturer stated that the life expectancy would be five to seven years. This year was the third year to grow vegetables using the woven fabric. I noted a change in plant growth and plant health and at first attributed this to the continued drought conditions. However, upon examining plants and root structure it appears that the soil compaction prevented good feeder and tap root growth. Okra, tomatoes, peppers, squash, cucumbers and watermelons all showed signs of plant stress, even after irrigation and foliar feeding. I believe that this is a result of soil compaction. It is my thinking that this will prohibit the sustainability of vegetable production on the farm. My proposed solution is to roll up the woven fabric at either the one year or two year crop rotation; add compost and other nutrients; chisel and rotary till the soil; and then roll the woven fabric back over the plot. I will also be using humic acid on the north half of each plot to determine if the increased microbe action might slow down soil compaction. My study will be conducted on nine adjoining plots that are twelve feet wide and 55-60 feet in length. Tomatoes, peppers and onions will be planted on these plots. All plants will be started in the greenhouse and then transplanted into the field. The existing plots 1, 2, and 3 will be left as is. (Woven plastic with surface drip irrigation). Humic acid will be sprayed on the north half of each plot to determine what effect, if any, that the increased microbe action will have on soil compaction. On plots 4, 5, and 6 (currently covered with woven fabric that has been in place for three years), I will roll back the fabric; apply compost to the three plots; apply humic acid to the north half of the plots; chisel and rotary till; then roll the fabric back over the plots; and install surface drip irrigation. Plots 7, 8 and 9 are not currently covered with woven fabric. I will apply compost to the three plots; humic acid to the north half of the plots; chisel and rotary till; install surface drip irrigation; and then leave the three plots uncovered during the trial. These three plots will be hand weeded during the trials. Approved chemical-free insecticides will be used for the control of insects on all plots. Soil compaction tests will be conducted at the beginning of the study, mid year (July), and at the end of harvest (October). I will also observe plant health, fruit quantity and quality during the growing and harvest seasons. After final harvest random plants will be pulled up to observe feeder and tap root growth and health. The study will also be repeated in year two. However, in year two I will not roll up the woven fabric and rotary till plots 5 and 6. These will be used to determine whether or not production will be sustainable if chiseling and tilling is performed every second year, or must be performed annually. A comparison of all data collected on these plots and plot 4 will be made looking for differences in plant health, fruit quantity and quality and root development. Plot 9 will not be cultivated for year two and will be a no-till plot. Humic acid will be applied to the north half. During year two compaction tests will be conducted at the beginning of the crop year, mid season and at the end of the season. During both years my study will be a part of the Texas A&M Extension High Plains Vegetable Field Day. Each year Dr. Russ Wallace invites a group of High Plains Vegetable Growers to several vegetable farms to observe different production and marketing strategies. We will be on that tour during both years of my study. The soil compaction study will be highlighted by explaining the procedures followed and outcomes as well as pending issues. With the assistance of Dr. Wallace I will write a report that will be handed out during the field day. Photographs will also be available. The report will be published on the Extension and South Plains Food Bank web sites. Using these and other resources I will be able to extend the results to all interested growers, extension specialists, county agents and interested researchers. I have measured off the nine plots where I will be growing tomatoes, peppers and onions. I will plant an equal number of each vegetable on each plot and insure that an equal number are planted where the humic acid has been applied and the untreated area. During the growing season one gallon of fish emulsion will be applied through the drip system monthly. Each week a foliar application of sea weed will be made on all plants. I will measure soil compaction prior to rotary tilling, at planting, at mid season and at the end of the growing season. Records of all observations will be made and data compared. The following questions will be answer during my study: Roy Riddle
FS07-220Meeting the Needs of Microbreweries with Fresh Hops Production, $9, 762 Over the last twenty years the microbrewery industry has "boomed" all across the U.S. , including all Southern states. All of these businesses depend directly upon agricultural production of grains and hops with specialized beers, lagers and ales having various unique requirements. On the national scene, one relatively new but rapidly expanding trend is the production of brews using fresh hops rather than dried hops. For these brews, the need for "fresh", preferably organic hops means that there is a de facto regional restriction to areas with endemic hops production. Otherwise breweries outside these limited hops-growing regions face extreme expenses to acquire the needed fresh hops. Thus for microbreweries in the South to effectively compete for local market share and for national recognition, farmers in our region should develop hops as a new alternative crop for both the potential high value of the agricultural product and to support innovation in the microbrewery industry in our region. We propose to establish hops as a new alternative crop on our farm in Mebane , North Carolina with the primary aim the production of fresh hops for use by the local and regional microbrewery industry while following sustainable organic practices. For outreach to other potential producers, we will host an on-farm Field Day in Year 2 in late August or early September (during the second harvest season). We will try to have some beer that has been made with our hops for tasting. We will advertise with brochures and signage and will seek the advice of our local agriculture extension office to enhance distribution to other prospective farmer producers. We will also invite brewing supply stores and other microbreweries in our region. We will establish a website to specifically promote and describe our hops production program. We have discussed our tentative plans to grow hops with Julie Johnson Bradford, the editor of "All About Beer" magazine and she indicated a strong interest in running an article if we proceed with this plan. We are confident that several local newspapers would have interest in running articles on what would be the novel topic of local hops production. We will also be available for speaking engagements at regional agricultural and food/beverage-related events. We will convert underutilized pasture into a hops yard. We will lay out circles with a radius of 12 ft with a planting bed-width of 4 ft. We will remove a "doughnut" of turf with a turf cutter to a depth of 1½ in. (This material will be used as fill in adjacent pasture.) The turf remaining in the center and the periphery will be clipped with a mower. Edges will be maintained with an edger to keep weeds from invading the mulched area. Linda Sakiewicz
FS07-221Natural Comb Management of Honey Bees for Varroa Control, $15,000 The parasitic mite, Varroa destructor is a serious threat to honey bee colonies. The southeast has a very strong beekeeping economy including honey production, bee package production, queen production, and pollination of many crops grown in the southeast and beyond. Southeastern beekeeping products and services are shipped throughout the United States . Varroa mites have caused massive loss of honey bee colonies and the need for miticide applications, often done twice a year. The economic impact of Varroa mites on beekeeping in the south has been great. Due to the need for pollination in many other agricultural pursuits, this economic impact is continually felt across the agriculture economy as pollination prices increase due to the increased cost of managing hives with Varroa mites. A verbal report will be given at the Anderson County Beekeepers Association. A PowerPoint presentation will be developed for this purpose. The presentation will also be given at Roane/Morgan, Knox County , Blount County Beekeeping Association and a Crossville beekeeping group. We should be able to additionally address the Tennessee Beekeepers Association at their annual meeting. We will set up two study groups, at two different locations consisting of a total of 20 hives. Queens will be used from the same supplier. Each frame in all hives will be assigned a unique number. Group one will have 10 hives starting as 5 deep frame nucs made up from standard, 5.4mm comb hives, and be built up to "double deep" colonies. At another location, the 2nd group will have 10 hives started as 6 medium frame nucs from hives that where developed as foundationless hives the previous year. These will be built up to "3 medium" hives. Both groups will be developed over 2 years. The 2nd group, foundationless hives will have gone 3 years without the influence of foundation at the end of the 2nd year of the study. Michael Wilson
|
| Home | About Us | Calendar | Grants | Proposals | Projects | Publications | Forms | PDP | Contacts |
The content and opinions expressed on this Web page do not necessarily reflect the views of,
nor are they endorsed by, the University of Georgia or the University System of Georgia.
To contact the Webmaster, e-mail info@southernsare.org
© 2008 The University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
All Rights Reserved.