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2008 Research and Education Projects

Southern SARE recieved 124 preproposals in 2008. After review 44 were invited as full proposals. After technical review of the full proposals, the Administrative Council chose 11 projects for funding with amounts ranging from $100,00 to $230,000 with a funding total of $1,813,000.

The 2008 project chart below gives insight not only about what SARE reviewers look for in a grant but also a glimpse into what's currently on the mind of researchers. The following abstracts introduce the new projects.

Investigators will be entering their new projects into the data base and following up with annual reports throughout the life of the project. View the reports at www.sare.org

LS08-202 Crop-livestock Systems for Sustainable High Plains Agriculture

Over the past 100 years, the Texas High Plains grasslands evolved into a $20+ billion agricultural industry centered largely on cotton and finishing beef cattle in feedlots. Agriculture was made possible with fertile soils, cheap energy and fertilizers, and irrigation water from the Ogallala aquifer. Today, energy and related costs are escalating rapidly, and water in the Ogallala is declining at a rate of over 1 foot per year. Recharge is negligible, and water demand is expected to exceed supply within the next 10 to 20 years. With marginal profits, cotton acres are now declining and new industries, including dairies and ethanol plants are proliferating causing increased acres of corn, a crop that dramatically increases irrigation water demands. Sorghum could replace corn silage for the dairy industry and reduce water use. Moreover, with limited cropping of minimally irrigated, water-use efficient plants and a perennial grass grazing-based beef industry, integrated systems could be sustained indefinitely, but alternatives must be energy efficient and economically viable. Current trends cannot be continued. Our SARE-funded research, begun 10 years ago, showed that an irrigated, integrated, cotton-forage-beef stocker cattle system reduced irrigation water (24%) and nitrogen fertilizer (40%) with similar profitability to a cotton monoculture. Despite such promising results, these systems need refocusing to address emerging issues. Additional SARE-funded comparisons of a dryland, integrated cotton-native grass-stocker cattle system and a deficit-irrigated perennial grass-stocker cattle system remain relevant. With state funding, monitoring of 26 producer sites is further testing monocultures and integrated systems under irrigation and dryland conditions. With this historic and ongoing platform of replicated research and on-farm producer systems, we can generate information on energy use and energy economics so urgently needed to design efficient agricultural systems. Furthermore, by redesigning the original irrigated integrated systems to compare perennial forages for finishing beef cattle with a sorghum monoculture, we can further reduce water use and meet a growing market demand for forage-fed beef. Additionally, sorghum may flexibly meet needs for grazing, silage, or biofuels.

Specific objectives are:

1. To compare integrated crop and beef cattle (stocker and forage finishing) systems (both irrigated and dryland) and a forage sorghum monoculture for dependence on water (irrigation + precipitation) and energy, and impact on soil quality and erosion, and economic returns.

2. To determine energy use, energy efficiency, and energy economics of integrated systems and monocultures, representing both dryland and irrigated agriculture, using both new and long-term replicated field-scale systems and 26 on-farm producer managed systems.

3. To translate results from Objectives 1 and 2 into practices incorporated in agriculture in the High Plains and other applicable ecosystems.

Systems will be compared for system and component water and energy use and efficiencies, plant and animal product quantity and quality, input requirements, economic profitability, and soil conservation and quality. A Farming Systems Research and Extension approach will be used to increase awareness, knowledge sharing, and adoption of appropriate technologies within the region and beyond using participatory methods with producers and industry as full partners to establish true Communities of Practice.

Why We Picked it

• A strong case has been made to address key ag issues (energy, natural resource conservation, sustainablity and diversification) in the area. The area of focus is narrow and detailed, however it is in a significant ag region.
• Farmers are involved through the 21-farmer Texas Alliance for Water Conservation. This team is already assembled and in-place.
• Pre-existing infrastucture of networking advisory boards bring strength and capability to their effort.
• The objectives and methods are regional in nature and combine on-farm and on-station research components.
• An integrated system approach in additon to background information from previous studies enforce the holistic approach from the team participants.
• The PI's plan to rely a great deal on farmer-to-farmer communication for dissemination of results. This can be a very effective means of information delivery.

Vivian Gore Allen
Horn Professor
Texas Tech University
Box 42122
Dept Plant & Soil Sciences
Lubbock , TX 79409-2122
Ph: 806-742-1625
Fax: 806-742-0988
Em: felician@ttu.edu

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LS08-203 Exploiting the organic peanut market: refining production systems for the Southeast

The purpose of this project is to make it possible for regional growers to cash in on the burgeoning demand for organic peanuts in the U.S. The Southeast today is on the verge of creating an organic peanut industry. Our team of researchers and farmers proposes to assist in this impending leap. It is a leap from simply being able to grow organic peanuts, itself a daunting task that we are just beginning to achieve, to a bona-fide industry in which Southern farmers participate without unreasonable risk. Currently there is great momentum in this direction. The excitement is palpable. Yet many elements of the infrastructure are not yet in place, and it is critical that current work continue so that the leap at hand may land us gently in a green field of profitable organic peanuts.

This work builds on past SARE projects which have established the value of particular rotations for controlling root-know nematodes in peanuts in Alabama and Florida, studied cover crops to encourage beneficial insects, and demonstrated the need for information to transition to more sustainable peanut production methods in North Carolina (10,14,33,39,41). We are also enthused to work with a new Southern SARE Research and Education grant studying transitions to organic production on the coastal plain, which includes peanut in the rotation (no reports have been written yet) (E. Cantonwine, personal communication).

Ojectives include:
1. Improve stand establishment so that a dense, closed canopy is achieved as rapidly as possible under organic conditions. Plant pathologists and agronomists on the team will use replicated, controlled trials under growth chamber, greenhouse, and field conditions, factorial experiments will be conducted to determine ideal planting conditions and timing for cultivars used in organic production, efficacy of organic seed treatments and other methods to minimize seed rot and damping off, and conditions that ensure rapid early growth and canopy closure. Those treatments that are least effective will be discarded, and those most effective in the field will be integrated into on-farm trials. These trials will be highly informed by our previous experience with cooperating farmers. How these practices integrate with other operations such as tillage, irrigation, and weed management will be a priority of these studies.

2. Develop a successful organic weed management strategy for peanuts. Weed scientists and agronomists on the team will build on our earlier work to assess all acceptable organic techniques for weed management, emphasizing those that have been most successful and those that continue to show promise. These include proper seedbed preparation, optimal planting time and moisture conditions, frequent mechanical cultivation with adaptable equipment (e.g. flex-tine cultivator), and limited, but perhaps essential, use of organic herbicides and hand-weeding. Hydro-mulch technology will be refined and evaluated again. The most effective techniques will continue to be incorporated into on-farm trials with intensive participation of the research team. Again, our experience with on-farm trials until now will weigh heavily on specific treatments chosen.

3. Create an overall viable production system for organic peanuts by integrating earlier work with results of Objectives 1 & 2 in on-farm trials, this time including economic and marketing components. Involvement of team scientists during stand establishment and until canopy closure, when peanuts are most vulnerable, will be more intensive. In addition, we propose to: (a) work closely with new projects encouraging organic peanut production; (b) assess cost/revenue data and develop a decision-making tool for growers considering organic peanuts which integrates an economic model; and (c) interact with processors to address the current limitation of organic handling, and, if necessary, study the feasibility of a cooperative processing facility. An economist will be added to the team to address goals (b) and (c).

4. Make this system available to farmers not only by continuing our current outreach efforts through conventional channels, but also by finalizing an organic peanut production manual and a computer-based decision-making tool. The preliminary production guide which became available on line in early spring 2007 will be refined and published in print form. The decision tool for prospective organic peanut growers will be completed, and agents and growers will be instructed in its use, and in organic peanut production generally. We will continue to conduct field days at the research sites and the farms. A self-contained traveling exhibit will be made available for use by any of the collaborators and others.

• Examines economic and production sustainability of a potentially important new industry for the SE.
• There is a clear integration of multiple institutions including UGA, Valdosta State University, NCState, and the USDA (Carroll Johnson). Farm participation is also present from both Georgia and North Carolina.
• Good assemblage of farmers, academics and government team members.
• Continued fine tuning of their methods and approaches as they learn more each year is an excellent method of evaluation. Outreach efforts also afford an opportunity to assess impact.
• They list specific experimental objectives in variety evaluation, seedling disease evaluation under experimental conditions, and weed management evaluations including cultural practices and specific weed control measures. These experiments will be used as a basis of on-farm evaluations. Finally developing outreach materials to share with growers is listed and critically important.
  

  Mark Boudreau
  Herbert Green Agroecology, Inc.
  200 Michigan Avenue
  Asheville , NC 28806
  Ph: 828-215-2093
  Fax: 828-299-4841
  Em: markb@greenagroecology.com

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LS08-204 Sustainable control of gastro-intestinal nematodes in organic and grass-fed small ruminant production systems

The focus of this project is to develop and test environmentally-friendly, non-chemical GIN control strategies in organic small ruminant production systems in the southern USA. Despite emerging markets for organic meat products, growth of this industry has been slow, primarily due to a perceived need for anthelmintic drugs to control GIN infection in sheep and goats. This strategy is not sustainable even for non-organic production systems due to widespread anthelmintic resistance in small ruminant GIN. Testing alternative, plant-based control technologies that target different stages of the parasite life cycle and educating producers to the potential use of integrated non-chemical GIN control in organic small ruminant production systems is the primary goal of this project. By testing these technologies in goats and sheep throughout the southern US, we anticipate that recommended practices will be applicable to a wide geographic area and be adaptable to many different management systems, goat and sheep breeds, and climatic zones. The main emphasis of this project will be on simple, effective, inexpensive techniques, such as rotational grazing, introduction of higher quality forages to existing pastures, use of condensed tannin-rich forages, combined with using the FAMACHA system to identify and cull parasite-susceptible animals to improve herd or flock genetics for parasite resistance. We expect this approach to lead to farmer-friendly technologies that will be both affordable and sustainable by reducing dependence upon chemical dewormers while improving animal health. Use of natural deworming agents will also reduce potential chemical residues in the animal and the environment

1. Examine the use of sericea lespedeza and other condensed tannin-containing plants, as fresh or dried forage (hay, pellets), for gastrointestinal nematode control in sheep and goats.

2. Examine alternative forage systems for organic and grass-fed small ruminants to decrease gastrointestinal nematode infection and increase weight gains.

3. Test integrated, forage-based gastrointestinal nematode control systems for organic and grass-fed small ruminant production on-farm.

4. Complete impact assessment of non-chemical gastrointestinal nematode control techniques on small ruminant producers.

Why We Picked it

• The integration with farming systems allows for assesment at all levels from researcher to producer. The environmental, economic and social benefits of the project have been described in light of the needs of organic agriculture and limited resource farmers. Further another important factor noted in the project is the need for continued training and awareness in this area for sustainability of small rumminant production. This project has the potential to impact pre-baculerate students and is an inovative way to engage future researchers in agriculture.
• The methods and data collection should result in usable results and information that will be useful for producers and others in the small ruminant industry. The data collection will result in a large amount of information.

Joan M. Burke
USDA, ARS
6883 S. State Hwy. 23
Booneville , AR 72927
Ph: 479-675-3834
Fax: 479-675-2940
Em: joan.burke@ars.usda.gov

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LS08-205Selecting a Sunn hemp cover crop genotype for weed suppression and seed production

Sunn hemp ( Crotalaria juncea L.) is a tropical legume that is grown as a source of fiber. It also is an excellent cover crop and green manure because of its ability to produce a substantial amount of biomass and fix nitrogen. Adoption of sunn hemp in farming systems has been hindered by the high cost and limited availability of seed from the main commercial production sources in Hawaii and South Africa. Production of seed on the US mainland could be a lucrative alternative seed crop for organic growers, provide a source of organic seed as required by the USDA organic regulations, and reduce dependence on seed imports. Currently, the only commercially available variety is 'Tropic Sun', a short day plant with a long growing season. Obtaining viable seed prior to frost is possible in the southern US, but incorporating this production within existing cropping systems presents challenges.

We propose a interdisciplinary project to explore genetic, physiological, entomological, and cultural factors that influence flowering in sunn hemp. Additionally, because of its potential to provide multiple ecological services, we want to determine how cultural practices aimed at increased seed production such as breaking apical dominance may affect biomass accumulation, nitrogen fixation, and weed suppression.

Our objectives are to: (1) evaluate the effect of different geographical locations on biomass accumulation, flowering and seed yield of the USDA's sunn hemp germplasm collection; (2) identify bee species visiting sunn hemp flowers to determine which are effective pollinators and quantify their visits; (3) assess the phenotypic variability of flowering and characterize the sensitivity to environmental factors; (4) investigate the effects of breaking apical dominance on weed suppression and seed yield, and compare the allelopathic potential of the accessions; (5) determine how cultural practices for sunn hemp seed production influence nitrogen accumulation, decomposition, and plant available soil nitrogen; and (6) evaluate the economic costs and benefits of sunn hemp domestic seed, cover, and fodder crops.

Outreach will include: presentation of the research findings to state and county extension faculty at the Florida Extension Symposium; field days for extension faculty and growers in Florida and Puerto Rico; and extension publications for use by county extension faculty and growers. The project will be evaluated by the SARE advisory council for the University of Florida and Florida A&M University. These studies represent a foundation for development of new cultivars with attributes of an outstanding cover crop and green manure and allow a new enterprise for organic growers.

This proposal integrates the strengths of an interdisciplinary team consisting of an organic grower and scientists in Georgia, Florida, and Puerto Rico to better understand sunn hemp flowering and seed set and the feasibility for its implementation as a new high-value alternative season seed crop in the Southeastern US.

Why We Picked It

• Seed sources are a crucial component of the production of food and fiber in the south. There are not enough organic seed sources to meet the demand from organic farmers. This is particularly true with new crops like cover crops, the use of which SARE promotes. This work will develop information on the behavior and yield of the Sunn Hemp (Crotalaria juncea L.) cover crop and, in the longer term, provide farmers with a useful cover crop and sources of seeds.
• This proposal is a good example of a systems approach to conducting research. They have involved diverse institutions, a farmer, a farmer organization and state and federal governmental organizations. It is common to see this type of proposal look at yield and some soil variables. But this proposal has involved many disciplines to address issues that, in the long run, will provide the kind of information needed to make this project successful.
• Methods and design are appropriate and adequate to meet project objectives. Methods are technically sound and directly address each objective. Experiments are conducted at multiple locations in three geographic areas which should not only allow an understanding of crop behavior in diverse locations but adds some needed redundancy in the event of unforeseen climate or other problems.
• The outreach strategy consists of three major components. The first is presentation of the research findings to state and county extension faculty at the annual Florida Extension Symposium. The second is field days for extension faculty and farmers. The third is the publication of research results in extension publications for use by county extension faculty and growers and in refereed journal articles. In this way, project results will be disseminated to farmers, extension faculty and extension educator and to the research community.
• The research is a balance of applied and basic research. The results may have an impact on the availability of sunn hemp cultivars as well as lower seed costs for organic growers in the southeast. A better understanding of sunn hemp culture and physiology and the impact on potential residue and N management is an expected outcome.

Carlene A. Chase
University of Florida
Horticultural Science Dept.
PO Box 110690
Gainesville , FL 32611-0690
Ph: (352-392-1928 x 206
Fax: 352-392-5653
Em: cachase@ufl.edu

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LS08-206 Sustainable agriculture in Virginia and North Carolina : a multi-state assessment of the economic, social and political context

This project evaluates suitability of the “context” of sustainable agriculture in Virginia and North Carolina. Context refers to the public policies, economic conditions, and social values that affect the development and continuance of sustainable agriculture within a 'local food system' setting. A descriptive model of context will be developed using: 1) a literature review and case study meta-analysis, and 2) study region focus groups. The model will be used to provide outreach materials to Extension educators assisting producers and policy makers managing the challenges associated with the adoption of sustainable agriculture within local food systems across Virginia and North Carolina. It is anticipated that prescriptive conditions may be developed through model validation and extrapolated to others regions in the U.S. The states of Virginia and North Carolina will be analyzed to establish the “contextual suitability” for sustainable agriculture as practiced in community food systems. The contextual suitability is the likelihood that the local political, social, and economic conditions provide a supportive environment for the establishment and continuance of a community food system. Currently, no specific contextual measures exist to directly measure the suitability. For this reason our project starts by establishing criteria to define the most influential aspects of the context on community food systems and indicators by which criteria can be measured. Criteria will be defined from a review of existing literature and regional case studies.

Suitability will be calculated in four parts: 1) define suitability criteria through an inductive social research process, 2) define indicators of the criteria using publicly available data, 3) calculate contextual suitability from the indicators with a geographic information system (GIS), and 4) validate and test the model.

The social research process utilizes two methods to determine suitability criteria: 1) a case-study meta-analysis, and 2) community-based focus groups. First, nationally recognized and well documented case studies of community food systems will be collected for meta-analysis (i.e. objective #1). A case study meta-analysis is a method used to look for similar characteristics among multiple case studies. The purpose of meta-analysis is to make theoretical generalizations about when and why the context encourages community food systems to flourish. A research assistant affiliated with North Carolina State University (NCSU) will conduct the meta-analysis and literature review. Cases to be included in the meta-analysis will be chosen in consultation with the principle investigator and other project partners.

In meta-analysis the researcher creates a cross-case summary table in which the rows are case studies and the columns are variable-related findings or other study attributes (ex., time frame, research entity, case study design type). The cell entries indicate a given study supported a given variable relationship. For this study, the Community Capitals model will be used to code case study attributes to better understand the factors that are present and influential in successful community food systems supportive of sustainable agriculture.

A second research method, focus groups, uses the meta-analysis data to define the suitability criteria, and ground the modeling process in the local contexts within the study region (i.e. objective #2). Focus groups ensure that the suitability model captures important aspects of the context as perceived by the communities being studied thereby providing detailed information not available via other sources such as variations in social attitudes across cases. Additionally, participatory research methods like focus groups can lead to improved communication of research findings to target audiences.

Six case study communities will be selected from across the study area. Extension faculty will select the case study communities because of their perceived status as exemplary community food systems. A cross section of local actors from within the case study communities (e.g. farmers, market managers, restaurateurs, consumers) will be asked to participate in a local focus group to review meta-analysis data, and provide first hand experiences to guide criteria description. Questions to be asked during the focus groups will be defined dependent on the findings of the meta-analysis.

Each focus group is expected to be held in a public facility and have approximately 20 participants per group. Focus groups will be convened for approximately two hours and facilitated by the NCSU project partners. Researchers will ask pre-defined probing questions to initiate a semi-structured group interview. Focus group data then be transcribed and prepared for analysis.

Following the focus group research, meta-analysis and focus group data will be synthesized using software for qualitative data analysis. A detailed content analysis performed by a NCSU research assistant will be used to generate a final set of contextual suitability criteria, and possible indicators of those criteria.

Indicators for each criterion will be generated using publicly available data. Some criteria may necessitate multiple indicators. For instance, a criterion might be “strong land use governance”. In which case, indicators might include “number of land use conservation ordinances” or “the presence of zoning”. In some cases, indicators may not be readily available in public data sets. For instance, the social research may find that consumers who participate in successful community food systems share a social value for “eating health”. Since no publicly available data exists to directly indicate how many people in an area value “eating healthy”, a proxy measure such as expenditures on processed food (as a percentage of total food expenditures per county) might suffice. Because of the complexity of this task, the principle investigator and project partners will work closely with a graduate research assistant from Virginia Tech to co-define the indicators. The research assistant will then use the selected indicators to create a geographic information system (GIS) for modeling contextual suitability within the study area (i.e. objective #3).

The geographic information system depicts each indicator spatially as an individual layer of data across the region. For the purposes of this project the model resolution is expected to be at the county scale. In a GIS suitability analysis data on each layer is assigned a ranked point value for its contribution to a more or less suitable context (e.g. 1= least contribution, 5=contributes highly). For example, a data layer would be defined as the presence or absence of "zoning" (e.g. the indicator) and those counties that have zoning would be assigned a rank score of "1" while those without zoning get a rank score of "0". In this way, counties with a score of "1" would indicate a "stronger land use policy" (e.g. the suitability criteria). By summing suitability scores across layers a total suitability can be determined.

Each indicator's suitability ranking will be defined using available literature, meta-analysis and focus group data, follow up communications with focus group participants, and expert opinion of the researchers. The suitability model will be constructed using ArcMap 9.2 from Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (ESRI).

The suitability model will then be validated to determine if it accurately predicts known community food systems. The model should indicate case study communities as being highly suitable (i.e. high suitability score) contexts for a community food system. The model will have limited validity if the model fails to accurately depict known community food systems or if it indicates high suitability where no community food system is known to exist. In each of these cases, a post-hoc analysis will be conducted to further understand why the model acted as it did. Phone interviews with local Extension agents and other key community members will help explain discrepancies between the model and true conditions.

The suitability model output offers a learning opportunity to further refine what is known about community food systems, and by inference, the likelihood that sustainable agriculture is being practiced. In addition, the focus group work offers a learning opportunity for participants to share their experiences with other interested communities. Therefore, outreach materials will be developed to communicate the project methods, research findings, and model results. Training materials will be developed to communicate the benefits of and challenges to sustainable agriculture and community food systems. A local contextual analysis procedure will be promoted, for use by Extension agents at the local level, based on findings of the modeling process (i.e. objective #4).

Why We Picked It

• Working towards policy changes for sustainable agriculture. Study incorporates economics, social, cultural and political context. Relevance to sustainable agriculture is well stated
• Farmers, market managers and consumers will be included within six case studies to review researchers' data and to provide a "reality check" in model development.
• While the focus of this study is policy driven, it does include a holistic approach but integrating the many factors (economic, social, cultural) that influence policy.

Jonah Fogel
Virginia PI&SU
2810 N. Parham Road, Suite 300
Richmond , VA 23294
Ph: 804-527-4234
Fax: 804-527-4260
Em: jfogel@vt.edu

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LS08-207Enhancing the long-term sustainability and profitability of small, limited resource farmers in the Black Belt South through marketing research & education

The overall goal of the proposed research study is to explore how the long-term sustainability and profitability of small, limited-resource farmers can be enhanced through collaborative marketing research. This study will analyze the marketing potential of small, limited-resource farm enterprises at the local, state, and regional levels.

The objectives are: (1) to provide an analysis of the vegetable/produce market structure on small, limited-resource vegetable farmers in the Black Belt region and how this structure influences their sustainability and profitability, (2) to identify existing and potential collaboratively marketing opportunities for small, limited-resource farmers in the Black Belt region, (3) to develop and implement an outreach and technical assistance program that will enhance awareness of various marketing opportunities and ultimately enhance the marketing potential of small farmers. These questions will be answered through a review of literature, semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and using a modified market chain survey. The proposed study fosters understanding of markets that target small, limited-resource farm enterprises. In addition, the proposed study will expand small, limited-resource farmers knowledge base to assist them in making informed marketing decisions; as well as increase their understanding of the distribution and procurement of fruits and vegetables from the perspective of small farm enterprises.

Why We Picked It

• This project helps to advance Southern SARE's sustainable agriculture goals by strengthening market access of small and minority farmers living in the rural south. This will meet goals of maximizing individual farms by building capacity to deliver crops and product to meet local and regional needs, which assists individual farmers as well as the communities in which they live. The project's goal of increasing income (as a short term impact) will also allow these farm families to prosper and be fully viable as economic operations, creating more stability (long term).
• Farmers are involved as one of the sources of data through survey and focus groups, and will also participate in the development of a marketing plan. The proposal plans a multi-disciplinary research team consisting of farmers, extension, agricultural economists, community-based organizations, rural development specialists, and an anthropologist.
• This project assembles an appropriate and experienced interdisciplinary team for project research, evaluation and outreach. Limited resource farmers are integral to project methodology via a collaborative participatory research approach.
• Project plan is holistic in that it works from where farmers are, analyzes need and barriers, and then develops plan (with farmer input) that enables groups to overcome the currently existing barriers to market access. The project utilizes a systems approach for these small farmers.

Tasha M. Hargrove
Tuskegee University
200G Campbell Hall
Tuskegee , AL 36088
Ph: 334-727-4524
Fax: 334-727-4451
Em: tmhargrove@tuskegee.edu

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LS08-208Marketing of locally produced sustainable animal fiber products

The purpose of this project is (1) to determine if consumers are willing to pay a premium for locally produced, certified organic, environmentally friendly, or “all natural” fibers and (2) to develop marketing plans for Southern animal fiber producers to obtain maximum benefit from additional branding of products made from locally grown, sustainable animal fiber.

Consumer interest in where their products are made and how they have been made has been increasing substantially in recent years. Unfortunately, most American fiber producers are not currently in position to take advantage of this consumer trend. This project will identify economic opportunities for sustainable animal fiber producers and operators who have incorporated or are considering incorporating fiber-bearing animals in their land management system in the Southern region. The key strategic feature of our proposal is in appealing not only to sustainability-focused, so-called LOHAS (lifestyles of health and sustainability) consumers, but also to consumers with interest in where their products are produced.

The project will bring about potentially considerable economic, environmental, and social impacts to the Southern agriculture. In terms of economic benefits, the determination of premiums, if any, consumers will pay for apparel products labeled for their sustainable attributes such as “All Natural”, “Environmentally Friendly”, or “Organic” will help provide incentive for fiber producers to pursue, track and communicate sustainable production methods including organic production. Marketing opportunities for animal fiber will encourage the use of fiber producing, browsing animals such as sheep, goats and camelids (llamas and alpacas) that can contribute to the health of an organically or sustainably managed pasture, farming, or other land systems. The benefits of the project would also reach proportionally more women and minority producers than projects targeting other livestock systems.

The project specifically aims to develop pricing, labeling, and marketing strategies for US animal fiber producers in marketing products using their fiber including wool, mohair, and alpaca. This objective will be addressed using the Vickrey auction method, common in the experimental economics field. A total of 240 consumers, divided into auction sessions of 20 people, will participate across three locations in the regions producing animal fiber; Texas, Georgia, and Virginia. Each session will use socks made with wool, and mohair and alpaca blends to collect bids in four rounds. In each round consumers will be presented with a set of socks with different attributes to bid on. The attributes will include: Locally Grown, and sustainable production attributes such as All Natural, Environmentally Friendly, and Organic. Different information will be given to consumers in each round to see how various presentations influence willingness-to-pay for the attributes. The collected bids are direct estimates of the values consumers are willing to pay for these fiber products. The auction participants will be asked to complete a questionnaire to collect demographic, attitudinal, and behavioral information. Based on the analysis of the data, pricing, labeling, and marketing plans for Southern fiber producers will be developed. The findings will be communicated through extension bulletins and presentations at industry meetings.

Why We Picked it

• The proposal does a good job of identifying a problem with clear possibility of research impact. Cameliids have some clear potential for a subset of committed and skilled producers.
• The investigators are well-qualified. Each has refereed publications on related topics.
  
  Gwendolyn Hustvedt
  Texas State Univ-San Marcos
  Dept Family & Consumer Sci.
  601 University Drive
  San Marcos , TX 78666
  Ph: 512-245-4689
  Fax: 512-245-3829
  Em: gh21@txstate.edu

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LS08-209 Producing, processing and marketing forage-finished beef for consumers in the southeastern United States

With the increase in the price of fuel and feed grains, recent projections have shown that finishing local cattle on forage would be more profitable than transporting them to the Midwest to be finished in feedlots. With 50% of mature beef cows located in the southeastern U.S. (Little, 1985), a significant opportunity is presenting itself to small cattle farmers in the Southeast. We have already done significant consumer acceptance studies and found that one-third to one-half of consumers in the Southeast prefer the taste of forage-finished beef. We have identified specific producers that want to participate in a pilot-scale production, processing, and marketing study. In a previous study, we surveyed small packing plants around the state of Alabama to determine the capacity that each would have above current production and identified those that are interested in processing beef for this venture. Finally, we have specific companies that already have distribution systems in place that would allow us to get the product to the consumers and process and market forage-finished beef on a small scale that could be replicated by interested cattlemen and processors. If we are able to establish a pilot scale production and processing system for forage-finished beef, it has the potential to add nearly $100 million to the Alabama economy alone.

Our specific objectives are to: 1) improve cattle producer's knowledge of managing and marketing forage-fed beef, 2) develop a processing and marketing system to support the production of forage-fed beef products, 3) develop partnerships between cattle producers and small, local beef processors, 4) provide farmer and cattle background information to consumers and collect consumers' feedback. We will be able to do this through partnerships that we have already established like cattle farmers Paul Swisher and Randall Hastings who have already agreed to be a part of this project. We will utilize established packing plants like the Lamber-Powell Meat Laboratory and distributors like Twin-City Wholesale in Opelika. We currently have all of the tools and participants needed to carry out all of our objectives.

Why We picked it:

• Project emphasizes forage-based finishing of cattle, utilization of local processing facilities and meat outputs into local markets. When successful, it could demonstrate a market pathway for cattle producers into the distant future and provide alternatives to shipping feeder calves out of the area.
• Both short and long term impacts attained from this project will signifcantly enhance the economic opportunity and susitanability of agriculture in the South. Forage-fed beef through local processing facilities and enhanced marketing model seem to be novel startegy for small scale cattle producers and processors in the region.
• Through field days and the use of survey instruments the cattlemen associations and and small scale processors will be involved in data collections and therefore enhnance the project evaluation process.
• The project has four well defined objectives. Adequate timeline is proposed. With the use of the bar coding inventory system the project will have a unique opportunity to link the producers to their customers
• The methodology will involve technology transfer directed to cattle producers/processors. Perhaps using the students a vigorous research literature can be developed to enhance the existing one.

Chris Kerth
Auburn University
209 Upchurch Avenue
Auburn , AL 36849
Ph: 334-844-1503
Fax: 334-844-1519
Em: kerthcr@auburn.edu

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LS08-210Reduced tillage in organic systems: a soil and water quality imperative

This project is designed to examine effects of organic weed management on crop productivity and soil and water quality variables. Two fundamentally different approaches are being attempted by North Carolina farmers: a conventional tillage, cultivation intensive approach, and a reduced tillage system utilizing weed suppressive cover crops and mulches. When surveyed and in focus groups organic farmers cite weed pests as their most serious and intractable problem. Current weed management strategies in organic production systems are centered on cultivation. This has been shown to be effective in many cases, but loss of soil carbon, the importance of particulate organic matter fraction and the potential for soil erosion and water quality issues must be addressed if organic grain systems are to be sustainable.

The development of high residue cultivation and zone-tillage equipment and organic herbicides has renewed interest in reduced tillage systems for organic farmers. However, these systems are unproven and the growers engaged in these practices are concerned about their ability to control weeds over the long-term. Likely a hybrid system of no-till planting of some crops and conventional tillage for other crops is ideal. In addition to how such a hybrid system would impact weeds, data is needed on the environmental impacts. Quality data from infiltrating water collected below the root zone of organic systems is of particular interest do to the paucity of data in the literature associated with organic systems and because of the ability to directly compare these data with data collected from other systems located on the Farming Systems Research Unit at CEFS. Conservation tillage approaches that rely on allelopathic smother crops, and strategic, light, surface cultivation has the potential to drastically reduce reliance on tillage for weed control. These practices, combined with recent advance in conservation tillage implements and high residue cultivation tools, are redefining organic weed management.

Genera Objectivesl: To provide the preliminary data necessary for the implementation of effective weed control strategies based on conservation tillage practices and light, surface cultivation suitable for organic grain production systems in the southeastern USA. Based on initial experimental data, the most promising practices will be integrated into the existing long-term farming systems experiment located at The Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS).

Specific Objectives:
1. To compare alternative organic weed management systems: one with major emphasis on cultivation and tillage and another with major emphasis on conservation tillage.

2. To monitor the impacts of the weed management strategies in objective 1 on water quality (NO3, PO4, DOC), soil physical properties, soil C and N dynamics, microbial activities associated with the organic systems under comparison and with non-organic systems which are part of the existing experimental design at CEFS.

3. Use The Organic Farm Panel comprised of farmers, county agents, non-profit partners and researchers and meets twice annually to set the agenda for organic research and extension activities conducted by CEFS.

Why We Picked it

• This proposal has a realistic plan for assembling researchers, farmers, and consumers. It seems that The Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS) already has a format in place for involving key stakeholders. In addition to utilizing the established CEFS workshop series and CEFS newsletters, the information dissemination and outreach plan outlined in this proposal sounds feasible.
• This project could potentially affect a major grain farming system. One farmer has vowed to test this no-till method on 1000 acres in 2008, while another has vowed 750. The study plots listed in this proposal include not only include private working farms, but also on the CEFS, an 810 hectare facility established as a long-term research facility.
  

  J. Paul Mueller
  North Carolina State University
  Campus Box 7620
  Raleigh , NC 27695
  Ph: 919-515-5825
  Fax: 919-515-5855
  Em: Paul_Mueller@ncsu.edu

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LS08-211A multi-disciplinary approach to improve the environmental performance of niche pork production systems and marketability of Heritage swine breeds

This project will investigate niche pork production systems that address market demands and natural resource conservation concerns, with a specific focus on maximizing vegetative ground cover and nutrient distribution in pastures and understanding marketability of heritage breeds produced in alternative production systems. Several wholesale buyers are offering North Carolina growers twice the current market price to supply this demand. This represents an important opportunity for small-scale, limited resource farmers across the southeast. The majority of niche pork buyers require that pigs be raised outdoors on pasture or in deep-bedded hoop barn systems. In the case of North Carolina's outdoor production systems, most operations are not sustainable if one evaluates nutrient loading, soil loss, and water quality impacts. Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) planners recognize the near total lack of information available to guide them in developing conservation plans that addresses resource concerns on outdoor swine farms across the southeast. Lastly, consumer interest in heritage breed pork continues to rise however little is known about taste characteristics and production potential in alternative systems.

Therefore, the purpose of this project is 1) to determine how stocking rates affect vegetation survival, soil disturbance and nutrient distribution under different management schemes on perennial pasture; 2) to determine the effect of grazing management on nutrient loading and nutrient distribution in pastures; 3) to determine which of four vegetation types will continue to protect the soil when gestating sows have access for grazing and lounging during the gestation period; 4) to analyze the growth characteristics for heritage crossbreds to be raised in the hoop barn; 5) to compare meat quality of heritage crossbreds produced with different sire lines; 6) to increase awareness of research results by niche pork producers and buyers, extension agents and NRCS staff.

Why We Picked it

• The outcome will benefit small scale hog producers with a niche market, heritage swine breeds, and consumers that are seeking a supply of pork raised not in confinement. This broadens the supply and variety of pork products, utilizes natural settings and provides data for small scale farmers to get into the market without huge investments.
• While the research will be carried out primarily within institutional facilities, the project design and dissemination of results is tied to a diverse variety of participants - from partner organizations, NGOs, breed groups, and external extension organizations. These outlets are all made up of farmers or have direct links to farmers.
• Since the primary site for this study is different outdoor pastureland settings, many considerations were made for stocking density, soil type, testing different vegetation types, monitoring surface and sub-surface impacts as well as monitoring the frequency of movement of the animals over the designed space. This represents a holistic approach.
• Each organization noted that will provide input into the project design and be used to disseminate research results has a broader constituency for spreading the research results further. In addition, this is a very popular topic with meat eaters and the data could be published in lay journals for even further spread of the results.
  
  

  Sang H. Oh
  North Carolina A&T State Univ.
  1601 E. Market Street
  Greensboro , NC 27411
  Ph: 336-334-7672
  Fax: 336-334-7288
  Em: soh@ncat.edu

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LS08-212Integrating tropical legumes with condensed tannins into ruminant grass-based diets for sustainable production

In Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, urban spawn has forced beef producers to diversify (an increase in sheep and goats farms) and move pastures to less productive marginal lands. Ruminant production are crucial to the economies of both islands and are reliant on tropical grasses, though abundant in the wet season, are of low quality and cannot meet the nutritional requirements of growing ruminants. Concentrates typically used to bridge this nutrient requirement gap are imported at considerable costs and are not economically viable. In the emerging small ruminant industry, producers are now faced with parasitism of gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) resulting in marked production losses both pre- and post weaning of small ruminants.

Today there are confirmed data that indicates that GIN has developed resistance to anthelmintic drugs. Creep grazing or conserved tropical legumes containing condensed tannins (CT) to provide supplementary nutrients may reduce parasite loads and will likely enhance growth rates and increase profitability, but these hypotheses needs to be verified in on-farm research trials.

The objectives of this study are: 1). to assess intake, digestibility and nitrogen balance of lambs fed diets of tropical grass hay (eg., blue stem; Dicanthium annulatum) supplemented with tropical legumes with condensed tannin (CT) [rhizoma peanut (Arachis glabrata Benth.); desmodium (Desmodium heterocarpum (L.) DC. Subsp. ovalifolium (Prain.) cv. Maquenque, calliandra (Calliandra calothyrus)] and pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan); 2). to determine average daily gain and parasite load of lamb-crops creep grazing CT tropical legumes (rhizoma peanut, demodium, calliandra and pigeon pea); 3). to establish on-farm demonstrations of CT legumes and their effects on parasite control on small ruminants; and 4). to prepare economic costs and returns of forage and small ruminant production on conventional dewormers vs. dewormer banks. Were it to be established that these tropical legumes containing CT can consistently increase ruminant performance and health and on a long-term basis decrease methane emissions, there would be widespread potential for sustainable livestock production in the Caribbean islands.

Why We Picked it

• Small ruminant production in warm climates is difficult to maintain due to elevated nutritional and parasite load needs in both sheep and goats. The market is there but family farms in isolated locations such as Puerto Rico and St. Croix pay an elevated price, both financially and environmentally, for providing proper protein and diets and effective anthelmentic treatment. This proposal seeks to resolve both problems sustainably with the use of condensed tannin-containing legumes, both a short- and long-term solution if questions of quality and anti-quality factors are resolved for the proposed legumes.
• This proposal's greatest strength lies in its multiplicity of institutions, locations (the three S-SARE tropical locations that might benefit), researcher disciplines, and farmer participation. Farmer participation is especially strong in on-farm trials and dissemination of findings.
• This proposal does not explicitly take an holistic approach. But this is difficult in a small budget project like this one. Nonetheless, it appears designed with an holistic mindset and would would fit well into a larger (again, this is a relatively small budget proposal) holistic research project.
• They have made an effort for outside entities to evaluate their project. One of these is a farmer group which should provide some honest input.
• The authors appear to be qualified and the team balanced between the animal and plant components. Where these are weakest (veterinary supervision), they have budgeted for a consultant.
  
  

  Elide Valencia
  University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez
  Box 9030
  Mayaguez , PR 00681
  Ph: 787-265-3851
  Fax: 787-833-7765
  Em: elideval@uprm.edu

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