Progress 09/15/23 to 09/14/24
Outputs Target Audience:There were two target audiences for this project. First, the planning process and published Strategic Priorities Plan were for the members of the Wisconsin Emerging Crops Coalition who are helping the UW Emerging Crops Team advance a portfolio of new crops for Wisconsin. The Coalition consists of crop-specific trade groups, such as the WI Hops Exchange and the American Hazelnut Company, environmental organizations such as the Clean Wisconsin andBlue Water Green Lands, and farmer groups such as WI Farmer's Union.The Coalition members provided input and information throughout the planning process.The second target audience are farmers and intermediary stakeholders that are directly involved in the production, processing, or sale of emerging crops in WI. The Strategic Priorities Plan provides this audience with specific recommendations on actions that can be taken to advance each of the thirteen crops covered in the Plan. Changes/Problems:There were no major changes or problems to report. However, because emerging crops are dynamic and new things change quicklyit will be important for us to provide regular updates to the document. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project was an excellent professional development opportunity for the publication authors, Fischbach and Mirsky, who gainedan incredible amount of knowledge of each of the emerging crops. Most importantly, the Supporting Emerging Crops in Wisconsin document conveys that same information to stakeholders and the general public. It also identifies bottlenecks and strategies for overcoming those bottlenecks that should hasten emerging cropdevelopment in Wisconsin. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?As of September 30, 2004, the document had been disseminated to members of the UW Emerging Crops Team and to the WI Emerging Crops Coalition. During the 4th quarter of 2024 we have been working to prioritize which of the recommendations to focus on in the coming year. Once such prioritization is complete the intent is to make the document available to the general public, policy makers, and any and all stakeholders interested in supporting new crops development. The document will be posted on our UW Emerging Crops website. We will also be doing a podcast episode to talk about it. In February of 2024 we held the 1st annual Emerging Crops showcase event in Madison, WI where we highlighted each of the fourteen crops in our portfolio and featured the businesses and individuals working to advance those crops. In December 2024, Fischbach will be presenting the document and recommendations to the WI Farmers Union during their annual policy convention. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts What was accomplished under these goals?
Starting in fall of 2023 we interviewedkey stakeholders for each of fourteennew crops in our UW Emerging Crops Team portfolio inlcuding: hazelnuts, hops, CBD hemp, grain hemp, fiber hemp, fiber flax, aronia, elderberry, honeyberry, currants, kernza, winter camelina, culinary grains, table grapes. The interview focused on what activities were happening in the crop development, what challenges and bottlenecks did each crop industry face, and what ideas did stakeholders have for overcoming those bottlenecks. Using that information along with our own research of publications and web resources, we wrote an Industry Assessment and Strategic Priorities section for each crop. Each section includes an assessment and recommendations for each link in the value-chain: germplasm development, propagation, production, post-harvest processing, product manufacturing, and market development. We then compiled each section into the final Supporting Emerging Crops in Wisconsin document. The first draft was completed in August of 2024 and stakeholders provided feedback through September with the final draft published in early October. We are now working with the Emerging Crops Coalition to make plans for implementing the recommendations to overcome the bottlenecks.
Publications
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Fischbach, J., S. Mirsky. 2024. Supporting Emerging Crops in Wisconsin: Strategic Priorities to Accelerate Development of Emerging Crops in Wisconsin. University of Wisconsin Madison Emerging Crops Team.
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