Source: PURDUE UNIVERSITY submitted to NRP
EMPOWERING INDIANA`S ORGANIC FARMERS: ASSESSING REGIONAL AND FARM SCALE SOIL HEALTH WITH A FARMER NETWORK
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
ACTIVE
Funding Source
OTHER GRANTS
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1031284
Grant No.
2023-51106-40947
Cumulative Award Amt.
$999,297.00
Proposal No.
2023-04729
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Sep 1, 2023
Project End Date
Aug 31, 2027
Grant Year
2023
Program Code
[112.E]- Organic Transitions
Recipient Organization
PURDUE UNIVERSITY
(N/A)
WEST LAFAYETTE,IN 47907
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Soil health is the foundation of successful organic production and many services that organic agriculture provides. Indiana is ranked fifth in the U.S. in agricultural production, but its organic industry is lagging behind neighboring states. Although a new wave of organic transitions in Indiana is happening, a lack of support network for organic growers and insufficient knowledge about the complete soil health benefits of organic agriculture and how to effectively evaluate and maintain soil health are hindering farmers' ability to build more productive organic production systems. The project aims to address these barriers by (1) establishing an Indiana Organic Network (ION) to facilitate on-farm research, peer learning, and communications among existing and transitioning organic farmers; (2) working with ION farmers to conduct a statewide soil health census of organic farms as well as in-depth soil health assessments on selected organic grain, pastured livestock, and vegetable farms to understand the impacts of organic management on soil health, especially at depth; (3) developing biological soil microbial activity kits to measure biological soil health in-situ; (4) developing geospatial models to support soil health benchmarking at farm scale; and (5) developing a web platform to serve as an information hub to guide farmers for effective organic soil health management. With the partnership between Purdue University, conservation groups, organic industry, and other stakeholders, the multidisciplinary team will conduct research and extension that will provide vital assistance to organic and transitioning farmers in Indiana to facilitate smooth transitions and promote successful organic production in the state.
Animal Health Component
40%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
30%
Applied
40%
Developmental
30%
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
1020110107050%
1010199303050%
Knowledge Area
102 - Soil, Plant, Water, Nutrient Relationships; 101 - Appraisal of Soil Resources;

Subject Of Investigation
0110 - Soil; 0199 - Soil and land, general;

Field Of Science
1070 - Ecology; 3030 - Information and communication;
Goals / Objectives
The long-term goal of this project is to support the transition and enhancement of organic farming in Indiana, by working directly with the ION farmers, to comprehensively assess soil health and evaluate the impact of various organic management at regional and farm scale. Specific objectives include: 1. Establish the Indiana Organic Network (ION) to facilitate communication, peer-learning, and information exchange among farmers, researchers, conservation groups, and agricultural professionals; 2.Perform state-wide assessments of soil health of Indiana organic farms to identify the key drivers of soil health variation across scales and characterize the impacts of different organic management practices at deeper soil depths; 3.Develop and validate farm-scale geospatial models to improve soil health benchmarking using remote sensing, soil survey, and soil data, to provide guidelines for soil sampling locations and monitoring strategies; 4.Develop new methods for on-farm measurement of soil biological processes, targeting rates of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling; and 5. Produce an ION website as an information hub to provide organic farmers with regionally-specific knowledge and resources for effective soil health management.
Project Methods
One primary objective of our proposal is to foster collaboration and engagement among farmers who are interested in organic agriculture and quantifying the benefits of soil health in Indiana. To achieve this goal, we will establish the Indiana Organic Network (ION) to connect diverse stakeholders, including farmers, researchers, soil conservation groups, and industry partners. ION will serve organic farmers throughout the state by building community, facilitating peer-learning and resource sharing, and enabling on-farm research.The aim of Obj. 2 is to characterize the state of soil health on organic farms in Indiana and assess the effects of various management practices on soil health. This objective will be divided into two parts: a state-wide census of surface soil health of organic and transitioning farms in Year 1 (Obj. 2.1), and in-depth soil health measurement on selected organic grain, pastured livestock, and vegetable farms in Year 2 and 3 (Obj. 2.2).Obj. 2.1: State-wide soil health census of organic farms. We propose to conduct the first state-wide census of soil health on organic and transitioning farms in Indiana in Year 1. Our aim is to provide free soil health testing to ~100 farmers, and correlate variation in soil health with geographic, soil, and management characteristics.Obj. 2.2 In-depth soil health assessments at selected organic grain, pastured livestock, and vegetable farms. In Year 2 and 3, based on data collected for the soil health census in Obj. 2.1, we will conduct more in-depth soil health measurements on selected organic grain, pastured livestock, and vegetable farms to quantify the full soil health benefits of organic practices, including those at deeper depths. In Y2, we will target 15-20 organic grain farms and 5-10 pastured livestock farms, and in Y3, we will target 15-20 organic vegetable farms. We will select farms that demonstrate significant differences in their management practices in response to the most asked questions by the farmers (Table 1). For instance, we aim to select organic grain farms that have varying degrees of tillage intensity, from full tillage, reduced tillage, to no-till, and farms with limited cover crop growth to full-season cover crops.We propose to develop innovative tools for soil health benchmarking using geospatial approaches that will predict farm-scale soil health variation. The aim is to integrate different environmental and management variables to: optimize sampling intensity and sampling locations for modeling soil properties (Obj. 3.1) and develop digital soil mapping models for a comprehensive farm-scale characterization of organic farms identified in Obj. 2.2 which possess a high degree of diversity in soil and management factors (Obj. 3.2).Accurate measurements of organic mineralization rates in soils are valuable to organic farmers who rely on natural processes to supply mineral nutrition to crops, and serve as an indicator of soil health. However, measures of soil bioactivity are typically conducted ex situ in controlled laboratory conditions which bias estimates (Wienhold, 2007). Our project aims to develop two in situ approaches to improve the measurement of biological process rates in soils. In Obj. 4.1, we will adapt the 'buried bag' method into a 'do-it-yourself' kit for measuring N mineralization. In Obj. 4.2, we will design, fabricate, and test a 'biological sensor of soil health' (bioSSH) to resolve rates of C and N mineralization at high sensitivity.We will produce a soil health 'information hub' to provide general guidance and targeted information as a feature of the ION website. The information hub will provide an interactive recommendation webtool of customized resources for the current or transitioning organic farmers, and conventional farmers considering transitioning (Obj. 5.1). We will also build a prototype of a map-based webtool to guide soil health benchmarking by recommending sampling location, sample number, etc. for future deployment on the information hub (Obj. 5.2).

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

Outputs
Target Audience:Since the commencement of the project, the project team has made a concerted and sustained effort to engage with organic growers and stakeholders throughout Indiana. A key scientific component of the project, and one of the major milestones achieved in the first year, has been the initiation of a comprehensive statewide soil health census of organic farms. Recognizing the importance of reaching as many organic farmers as possible, the team employed a variety of outreach strategies and leveraged multiple communication channels. These included an active presence on social media to recruit growers, as well as presentations at significant events such as the Indiana Organic Grain Farmer Meeting, the Indiana Small Farm Conference, and the Indiana Grazing Schools in spring of 2024. Through these diverse efforts, the team successfully connected with a broad network of organic farmers, many of whom expressed interest in participating in soil health research on their farms. As a result of these collaborative efforts, the project was able to collect soil samples from 46 organic farms across the state, marking a substantial step forward in advancing soil health research in Indiana's organic farming community.This project has generated significant excitement for soil health and organic research in Indiana. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project has provided several opportunities for training and professional development based on its progress thus far. First, Annie Benson, an MSc student, was recruited to lead the statewide soil health census, offering her valuable hands-on experience in coordinating large-scale data collection and engaging with organic farmers. This role allows her to develop expertise in soil health monitoring and organic farming systems. Additionally, Arsen Yerlan, a PhD student who joined the project in August 2024, will be conducting in-depth soil health assessments and developing in-situ soil health kits. This provides him with an opportunity to build advanced research skills in soil science and contribute to the development of practical tools for farmers. These roles foster a strong learning environment for both graduate students and researchers, enhancing their scientific and leadership skills within the context of organic farming and soil health. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results of the project have been disseminated to communities of interest through several key avenues. The project team utilized various platforms to engage with Indiana's organic farming community and other stakeholders. A website for the Indiana Organic Network (ION) has been developed (http://purdue.ag/ion) and is set to be launched in February 2024, serving as a central hub for sharing project progress, findings, and resources. Additionally, social media platforms, including X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook, were created to facilitate broader outreach and communication with the organic farming community. The project team took advantage of major events such as the Indiana Organic Grain Farmer Conference (February 28, 2024), where the official introduction of the ION and the project was presented to organic farmers across the state. This conference, along with other farmer-focused gatherings, provided an opportunity to share the project's objectives, progress, and preliminary findings with a wide audience. Farmer recruitment efforts through these platforms and events have sparked significant interest and enthusiasm, allowing the project team to directly connect with organic farmers who are eager to participate in soil health research. By engaging with these communities through a combination of online platforms and in-person events, the project ensures that its results and ongoing efforts are widely shared and accessible to those who can benefit the most. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?1. Completing the data analysis and dissemination of the 1st year's statewide soil health census. 2. Host a webinar in 2025 to report the results back to growers. 3. Host an in-person Advisory Committee meeting in February 2025. 4. Host two field days/workshops on farmers' fields (grain and vegetable focused) in the summer. 5. Start in-depth soil health analysis on selected farms.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The long-term goal of this project is to support the transition and enhancement of organic farming in Indiana, by formalizing an "Indiana Organic Network (ION)" and work with the ION farmers, to holistically evaluate soil health under various organic management systems at regional and farm scale.Since the beginning of the NIFA funded project in September, 2023, a website for ION (http://purdue.ag/ion) has been created and will be launched in February 2024. The project team usedthe Indiana Organic Grain Farmer Conference (February 28, 2024) to make an official introduction of the ION and the project to Indiana's organic farmers. Social media platforms on X, Facebook account,and Facebook group werecreated. A statewide soil health census of organic farms across Indiana is underway. Soil samples were collected from 46 organic farms across the state. Farmer recruitment using different platforms generate lots of interest and enthusiasm. Annie Benson, MSc student, was recruited to lead this statewide soil health census work. Arsen Yerlan,PhD student started in August 2024 and will beconducting in-depth soil health assessment and develop in-situ soil health kits in Year 2-4 of the project. The search for a postdoctoral researcher to develop geospatial models of soil health characterization of organic farms has completed.

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