Progress 09/01/23 to 08/31/24

Outputs
Target Audience:Experiential learning (field plot research) internshipand special topics courses - undergraduate minority students (3 Hispanic). Conduct ongoing research through on-farm visits (approximately one dozen) and one-on-one consulting to assist New Mexico, small farmers, including those representing minority groups (Hispanic, Native-American, i.e. Isleta Pueblo, Navajo Nation). Support growers with farm management decisions and cover crop trials, Support from university scientists, andprofessional farm consultants associated with Southwest Grain Cooperative and Rodale Institute. An educational presentation on cover crop research by a graduate student to the public at Fabian Science Center field day Las Cruces, NM 10/10/23). Educational and organizational grower-cooperator meeting (Albuquerque New Mexico, 10/20/23) includes an educational presentation on cover crop research by graduate students to researchers and farmers/cooperators. Experiential learning opportunities for growers through farmer-to-farmer visits (Isleta Pueblo, Belen, NM, 10/21/23). Dr. Pratt (PD) and a graduate student attended the WSARE "Building Relationships" summit meeting in December 12-13, 2023, in Phoenix, Arizona. Graduate student made an oral presentation on first-year results from cover crop field research. Educational presentation to hay growers by a graduate student entitled "Using Cover Crops in Transitioning from Traditional Agriculture to Climate-Adaptive Organic Farming in the Southwestern US." New Mexico Crop Production Association 2024 Conference held in Ruidoso, NM on January 29-30, 2024. An educational presentation on cover crop research to the public by NMSU scientist (K. Djaman) and Rodale Consultant (S. Hilborn-Naluai) to public at Farmington Ag Science Center Field Day(June 27, 2024). Changes/Problems:Some farmer collaborators failed to plant cover crop trials due to personal reasons or circumstances beyond their control. It may be necessary to recruit additonal collaborators. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?In-person meeting (Fall 2023) with farmers and researchers in attendance. Our graduate student, Mr. Aminou Saibou, made a powerpoint presentation on his research findings, and farmers discussed their experiences with the candidate cover crops during the 2023 season. Discussions about cover crops and soil health ensued during the in-person meeting. We also had farm visits following the meeting at three farms (two at Isleta Pueblo and one near Los Lunas, NM - the Moya Farm.) We have continued individualized instruction and mentoring throughout the year. These have entailed in depth conversations about problem solving, daily management, longer term crop rotation and soil husbandry planning. Student interns have gained valuable practical experience in planning and management of field crops. One intern completed the LEADING Hispanics to Federal Agency Employment program (2023/2024). The graduate student has gained valuable experience in the conduct of cover crop fieldresearch. The graduate student has realized professional development by making educational presentations to other researchers, farmer/cooperators and the public at the Western SARE meeting in Phoenix (2023), at the New Mexico Crop Production Association 2024 Conference, and at the College of Agriculture Consumer Science Open House. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The public was reached at a field day in Las Cruces (Fabian Garcia Science Center October 11, 2023) and the public (including the Navajo Nation) was reached at a field day at the Farmington Ag Science Center on 27th June, 2024. Presentation "Developing Region-Specific Guidelines for Cover Crops in New Mexico." What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Continue ongoing outreach and consulting to assist New Mexico small farmers. Support growers with farm management decisions and cover crop trials, Support from university scientists, and professional farm consultants associated with Southwest Grain Cooperative and Rodale Institute. Ongoing conversations with farmers will reveal if there are specific traditional farming practices that are compatible with organic principles. We are in the process of developing "in-house" educational articles for future distribution. Further elaborate soil moisture usage/retention by different cover crops and different planting densities. Examine the potential of open-pollinated varieties of sorghum and millet to replace sorghum-sudangrass hybrids as candidate summer cover crop species for seed production. Conduct more systematic research on the optimal configuration of promising cover crop blends e.g. time of planting respective components of blends, relative contribution of components (grass v. legume) to final biomass. Facilitate consideration of farmers forming a Cooperative through assistance from the Rocky Mountain Farmers Union. Zoom meeting planned in December 2024 with Dan Hobbs, RMFU Cooperative Specialist. We will also be presenting at the Organic Seed Alliance Conference in Corvallis, Oregon, in February 2025. The title of our panel presentation is: "Grown by Southwest Farmers for Southwest Farmers: Trials and Pipeline for Regionally Adapted, Certified Organic Cover Crop Seed".

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Major Goal 1) Identify constraints to adoption of organic farming practices - Through interviews, site visits, and group meetings, we ascertained the following: Primary constraints on small farmers preventing adoption of regenerative organic practices include: the cost of certification fees and time spent on paperwork finding and/or creating new market opportunities additional knowledge about cover crops in the southwestern environment is needed concern about the cost of cover crop seed (primarily because of added shipping costs to our region) lack of planting, harvesting, and processing equipment when presented with a new crop opportunity Risks associated with transitioning to a new cropping system often inhibit farmers from doing so. Building and maintaining soil health takes time, and learning new skills and knowledge can be a challenging process. We learned that familiarity with organic management techniques per se is not a primary constraint in deciding to undertake organic certification. Many farmers have already been using some organic management practices. In addition to the above-mentioned obstacles, barrierstoadoption of organic certification tend to be farm-specific or case specific. Major Goal 2) - Determine compatibility of traditional and organic system, increase system resiliency and farmer interest in organic certification We have emphasized participatory research during the first two years of our project by conducting research in both (university) cover crop field experiments and in on-farm trials. We have made progress in introducing cover crops to farmers and connecting a clear relationship between their utility in both traditional and organic systems. Native/Indigenous farmers have told us that they are averse to using agricultural chemicals, even though they have been encouraged to do so by conventional extension educators over the years. Understanding that the soil is a living ecosystem helps farmers remember traditional values of sound land stewardship for the benefit of future generations. THe opportunity to seesoil moisture data has also given farmers more confidence that a limited irrigation strategy can still result inecosystem services from a variety of summer cover crops. Increased grower knowledge and awareness of procedures and requirements for organic certification was also achieved. Major Goal 3) Assist farmers with initiation of organic transition on their farms by producing and distributing educational materials in various media and host workshops to increase farmer knowledge of organic transition and certification requirements We continued making use of educational materials from California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF), which will be our certifying agency, and the Rodale Institute. Ongoing support from our collaborators (Dr. Tim Vos, and Ms. Samantha Hilborn-Naluai) has shown the importance of cover crops as both a management tool and "soil builder" in the development of Organic System Plans. Farmer participation in field trials of cover crops gave them first-hand experience and observations to share with the entire group. The fall meeting in Albuquerque also focused on SeedLinked as a tool for farmers to use to report and share data. The co-founder of SeedLinked, Dr. Nicolas Enjalbert, joined us through video-link during the fall meeting. Growers improved their ability to conduct on-farm variety trials and how to use SeedLInked. Their understanding of trial rating systems and shared results improved. Growers have increasingly realized that organic certification is not merely a bureaucratic necessity. One farmer collaborator has completed the organic certification process. Another has submitted their application, undergone inspection, and should receive final certification next month. Major Goal 4) Promote knowledge and benefits of cover crops - Cover crops in the Southwest have not been as widely used as they should be. We shared knowledge about the benefits of cover cropping as a foundational practice for building soil health and fertility.Farmers realized the benefits of cover crops, but growing them under current mega-drought conditions is challenging. Growers learned that water conservation can be achieved by selecting drought and heat tolerant cover crops, and withholding irrigation longer than originally thought possible.Through research and educational efforts we are demonstrating the importance of cover cropping for soil water-holding capacity, which then would lead to a more resilient cropping system in the context of future climate change uncertainties. Farmers gained direct experience with the planting of summer cover crops that wasintegral to their knowledge base of cover cropping. Benefits and limitations realized included: • Successful cover crop planting with both grain drills and by broadcasting • Certain cover crops weremore or less competitive with weeds • Some cover crops weremore resilient under stress and producedseed heads/pods even during shorter seasons • Farmers learned timing of planting and irrigation is important to success of cover crops Major goal 5) Identify summer-planted cover crop species and blends that provide ecosystem services and contribute to farm income under limited irrigation We now have results from trials of the candidate grass and legume species across two seasons at two locations. Data from one 2024location is still being analyzed but some trends are coming into focus: 1) all candidate cover crops do well at one or more of the multiple eco-system services desired, but none of them appear to be "super plants" capable of high performance for theecosystem services measured -- biomass production, weed suppression, forage quality and water conservation. Sorghum-sudan grass hybrids make the most biomass and appear to have the best weed-supressive ability. 2) The legume species do not produce as much biomass as the best performing grasses, but they have very good forage quality. Some specific observations are also becoming more apparent: 1) there appears to be some preferential adaptation across elevations...e.g. foxtailmillet appears to be more adapted to higher elevation sites.2) Sunn hemp biomass production appears to be highly variable across environments. 3) Tepary bean hashigh forage quality. Performance of the grass/legume blends requires further study. Major goal 6) Determine the abilities of regionally adapted cover crops to produce seeds with modest irrigation We started performing observations this year. At some sites, it appears that birds may be a problem for sorghum and millet seed crops. A trial harvest of foxtailmillet showed that some weed species with similar seed size will have to be more efficiently removed from the harvested seed. No results to report at this time. Major goals 7 and 8 have been initiated. Nothing to report at this time.

Publications

• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2024 Citation: Saibou, A., Schutte, B., Djaman, K., Pratt, R. & Idowu, J. (2024). Using Cover Crops in Transitioning from Traditional Agriculture to Climate-Adaptive Organic Farming in the Southwestern US. New Mexico Crop Production Association 2024 Conference held in Ruidoso, NM on January 29-30, 2024. https://newmexicocropproductionassociation.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/2024-conference-agenda.pdf https://research.nmsu.edu/Other/RCW/OralPresentations.html

Progress 09/01/22 to 08/31/23

Outputs
Target Audience:Experiential learning (field plot research)internships-undergraduate minority students(1 Hispanic, 2 Native American) Ongoing outreach through sIte visitsand one-onone consulting to assistNew Mexico and Colorado small farmers, including those representing minority groups (Hispanic, Native-American, i.e. Isleta Pueblo, Navajo Nation). Supportgrowers with farm management decisions and cover crop trials, Support from university scientists, andprofessional farm consultants associated with Southwest Grain Cooperative and Rodale Institute. Educatational and organizational grower-cooperator meetings (Spring - Farmington NM, Fall - Albuquerque New Mexico). Educational presentation on cover crop research by graduate student to grower/cooperators (Albuquerque, NM 10/20/23). Educationalpresentationon cover crop research by graduate student to public at Fabian Science Center field day (Oct. 10, 2023) Educationalpresentationon cover crop research to public by NMSU scientist (K. Djman) and Farm Adviser(T. Vos) to public at Farmington Ag Science Center(Aug 17, 2023) Experiential learning opportunities for growers through farmer to farmer visits (Isleta Pueblo, Belen, NM, 10/21/23). Education outreach for regional growers, millers, bakers, and consumers - Grain School in the Field (8/4/23, Cortez Colorado) Southwest Grain Cooprative discussing cover crops using grains and legumes (T. Vos, Farm Adviser) Education outreach for regional growers, millers, bakers, and consumers -Grain School in the Field (8/5/23, Cortez Colorado) Biodiversity in the Field with New Mexico State University (R. Pratt, NMSU Professor), Rocky Mountain Farmers Union, and Apple Biodiversity Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?In-person meeting (spring 2023) to introduce farmers and researchers to each other, provide information on grant, discuss cover crop and soil health In-person meeting (fall 2023) to review the season. This included farmer collaborator farm visits that included individualized instruction and mentoring, having in depth conversations together about problem solving, daily management, longer term crop rotation and soil husbandry planning. Student interns have gained valuable practical experience in planning and management of field crops. The graduate student has gained valuable experience in the conduct of cover crop field trial research . The graduate student has realized professional development by making educational presentations to grower/cooperators and the public. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The public was reached at a field day in las Cruces (Fabian Garcia Science Center) and the public (indlucding the Navajo Nation) was reached at a field day at theFarmington Ag Science Center. The public (primarily growers, millers and bakers) was reached through presentations (2) at the Colorado Grain School in the Field event. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Continue ongoing outreach and consulting to assistNew Mexico and Colorado small farmers. Supportgrowers with farm management decisions and cover crop trials, Support from university scientists, andprofessional farm consultants associated with Southwest Grain Cooperative and Rodale Institute. Provide criteria and examples for trait evaluation using hedonic one to five (stars) rating scale when using SeedLInked variety trial evaluations. Ongoing conversations with farmers will reveal if there are specific traditional farming practices that are compatible with organic principles. We are in the process of developing"in-house"educational articles for futue distribution. Continue research plot and on-farm trials of cover crops.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Major Goal 1) Identify constraints to adoption of organic farming practices - Through interviews, site visits, and group meetings, we ascertained the following: Primary constraints on small farmers preventing adoption of regenerative organic practices include: the cost of certification fees and time spent on paperwork, finding and/or creating new market opportunities, lack of knowledge about organic farming systems lack of planting, harvesting, and processing equipment when presented with a new crop opportunity In many cases, producers are located far from urban centers, which makes the logistics of marketing a challenge. Risks associated with transitioning to a new cropping system often inhibit farmers from doing so. Building and maintaining soil health takes time, and learning new skills and knowledge can be a challenging process. Major Goal 2) - Determine compatibility of traditional and organic system, increase system resiliency and farmer interest in organic certification Traditional farming practices include livestock as an integral part of the system, which represents a strong link tothe regenerative paradigm. We are working on cover crop trials in research plots and on-farm trials. We have made progress increating a bridge and demonstrating a clear relationship between traditional and organic systems. Also, many Native/Indigenous farmers will tell you that they are averse to using agricultural chemicals, even though they have been encouraged to do so by conventional extension educators over the years. Understanding that the soil is a living ecosystem helps farmers remember traditional values of stewardship and taking care of the land for future generations. Increaed grower knowledge and awareness of procedures and requirements for organic certification was achieved. Major Goal 3) Promote knowledge of the benefits and limitations of cover crops in the Southwest Zoom meeting focused on the organic transition process and requirements. Discussed the development of Organic System Plans as both a thought experiment and valuable management tool. Growers realized that organic certification isnot merely a bureaucreatic necessity. Zoom meeting focused on SeedLinked as a tool for farmers to use to gather data. Growers improved their ability to conduct on-farm viriety trials and how to use SeedLInked. Their understanding of trial results advanced. This year we have been making use of educational materials from CCOF, which will be our certifying agency, and Rodale Institute. Major Goal 4) Promote knowledge and benefits of cover crops - Cover crops in the Southwest have not been as widely used as they should be. Wesharedknowledge about the benefits of cover cropping as a foundational practice for building soil health and fertility. Growers learned that water conservation can be achieved by selectingdrought and heat tolerant crops, which is the focus of the cover crop trials we've undertaken. Growers realized the benefits of cover crops are clear, but growing them under current mega-drought conditions is very challenging. Through research and educational effortswe are demonstratingthe importance of cover cropping for soil water-holding capacity, which then would lead to a more resilient cropping system in the context of future climate change uncertainties. Farmers gained directexperience with the planting of summer cover cropsis integral to the knowledge base of cover cropping. Benefits and limitations irealized ncluded: Successful trialing of cover crop planting with drill Certain cover crops being less competitive with weeds Certain cover crops being more resilient under stress and producing seed heads/pods Farms learned timing of planting is very important to success of cover crops Major goals 5 through 8 are in progress. Nothing to report at this time.

Publications