Source: PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY submitted to NRP
ON-FARM RESEARCH FOR SUPPORTING SUSTAINABLE, ORGANIC, AND SPECIALITY AGRICULTURE
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
COMPLETE
Funding Source
SPECIAL GRANT
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
0191814
Grant No.
2002-34309-11760
Cumulative Award Amt.
(N/A)
Proposal No.
2002-06174
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Sep 1, 2002
Project End Date
Aug 31, 2003
Grant Year
2002
Program Code
[IS]- (N/A)
Recipient Organization
PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY
208 MUELLER LABORATORY
UNIVERSITY PARK,PA 16802
Performing Department
CROP & SOIL SCIENCES
Non Technical Summary
On-farm research that addresses sustainable agriculture issues is lacking in Pennsylvania. This project will help address the need for on-farm research that cooperates with farmers and county-based staff to anwer questions about sustainable practices.
Animal Health Component
100%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
100%
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
1020199106020%
1110210106020%
2052499106030%
2162499106030%
Knowledge Area
102 - Soil, Plant, Water, Nutrient Relationships; 111 - Conservation and Efficient Use of Water; 205 - Plant Management Systems; 216 - Integrated Pest Management Systems;

Subject Of Investigation
0210 - Water resources; 0199 - Soil and land, general; 2499 - Plant research, general;

Field Of Science
1060 - Biology (whole systems);
Goals / Objectives
To maintain a dedicated M.S. level person to coordinate on-farm research of primary interest to producers. The coordinator will draw on expertise of experiment station research specialists, cooperative extension personnel, and producers to identify, design, initiate, and oversee sustainable agriculture research of practical interest to producers in Pennsylvania. To Assist in identifying and training on-farm student interns who will work within the sustainable agriculture sector. To interface as a point-of-contact and assistance for producer organizations and individuals to assure increased success in government and foundation grants. To evaluate new technologies in replicated trials for benefits to sustainable agriculture, value added and specialty crops. To develop outreach programs within the Cooperative Extension system that will facilitate the transfer of research findings to interested clientele groups. To measure degree to which new practices have been adopted where technology has had time to be adopted.
Project Methods
The on-farm research coordinator will establish interactive relationships with sustainable agricultural groups such as the Rodale Institute, the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA), Pennsylvania Certified Organic, numerous county and state Extension personnel, and others with interests in sustainable agriculture. The coordinator will attend their meetings, assess and record the industry needs by ad hoc statements provided at meetings and individual discussions. The coordinator will serve as an outlet for some of the latest technologies developed in Pennsylvania State University (PSU) internal programs, especially those related to sustainable agriculture. The coordinator will also provide information developed regionally and nationally. Much of the information to be developed and shared with producers will result from replicated trials conducted on commercial farms. Results from those studies will provide farmers with integrated strategies that strive to improve profitability while minimizing inputs of pesticides, fertilizers, etc. These strategies will evaluate the use of plant cultivars (including biotechnology-modified cultivars), rotations, soil conservation strategies, tillage practices, soil organic matter building strategies, organic and chemical fertilizers, etc. The program will link the sustainable agriculture community to the numerous departments within the College of Agricultural Sciences and to regional resources to optimize their success. Results from on-farm trials will be communicated through web-based, and printed media, and during field days and the various grower meetings. Testimonials from cooperating producers will also be utilized. The probability that these on-farm research projects will produce quality information necessary to initiate change in production and management practices is high. Research trials will be planned (replicated) with the intent of subjecting results to statistical analysis, unlike results of most producer-initiated and conducted research that usually consists of only one replication (side-by-side comparison) of two or more treatments. The results will be evaluated for significance on productivity, input costs, disease or insect damage, weed competition, crop quality, crop value and economic return. As resources permit, the products produced can be evaluated for value-added attributes (antioxidants, CLA, etc). Best management practices that achieve goals of segments of the sustainable industry, such as IPM, organic certification, GMO-free, etc. are expected outcomes. Results will be quantified by employing accepted sampling techniques. Analyses will be conducted using SAS or similar statistical software.

Progress 09/01/02 to 08/31/03

Outputs
The project supported the continuation of the on-farm research and extension program for the state of Pennsylvania. The program idevelops and conducts projects in production agriculture within the Pennsylvania State University's College of Agricultural Sciences. Project funding supported partial salary for principal investigators, the salary of the project coordinator, program operating supplies, and travel within PA to trial sites and to neighboring states for conferences and workshops. The project also purchased a second set of truck wheel weighers (scales) to enhance the ability of the coordinator and extension educators to collect large plot data from on-farm trials. The coordinator, with assistance from county extension educators, state extension specialists, producers, and industry, identified research areas and initiated nearly twenty on-farm trials during the 2003 growing season. Subject areas of single location research studies include: 1.use of organically-certified copper fungicide to control early and late blight on organic tomatoes; 2. use of a parasitoid wasp to control European corn borer in sweet corn; 3. cultivating plant communities that encourage habitation of predators of aphids in organic vegetable production systems; 4. methods for controlling weeds in permanent pastures on an organic dairy farm, and 5. use of ethylene to shorten internodes of vine crops and improve fruit yields. A multi-location project that investigated potential for zone-tillage in PA corn production systems was continued on four farms in four counties. A second multi-location project was initiated to investigate the agronomic benefit of newly available Bt corn rootworm to corn growers in the state. Conclusions from much of the above research are limited as they represent only one year of data. Many of the same trials will be repeated in different locations or continued when possible in 2004. The program has provided a forum wherein relationships between producers, county and state extension personnel, the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA), industry, and others are able to be developed. The coordinator has participated in numerous local and experiment station field-days, grant writing workshops, and on-farm and alternative agriculture workshops. He continues to meet with members of PASA to identify research needs of that organization's membership. The coordinator was elected to the board of directors for Pennsylvania Certified Organic (PCO). He has helped develop three grant proposals to USDA NE-SARE. Grant proposals developed during 2002, one to USDA NE-SARE and one to USDA NEIPM, have been funded with work beginning during 2003.

Impacts
Interest in the On-Farm Research program is growing as groups and individuals become aware of the potential for the program to address production agriculture research needs locally. The relationships being built and strengthened are developing a network through which producers, county extension educators, PASA, and industry continue to be involved in the research process. This is especially important for producers. The coordinator and others within the Extension community ask producers to suggest the topics to be investigated and also be involved in the conduct of the actual research trials on their own farms. There has been a marked improvement in public relations between the land grant university and the clientele it is charged to serve as a result of engaging that clientele in the research process. Cooperative Extension has been instrumental in the project coordinator's efforts to expand the program and by providing a forum through which the program is publicized and by which results of recently completed trials can be disseminated to more than those directly involved in their conduct. The coordinator's participation on PCO's board facilitates dialogue between the University and the organic certification and production community that previously did not exist.

Publications

  • No publications reported this period


Progress 01/01/02 to 12/31/02

Outputs
This project is a continuation of the recently terminated project 3832. The project supports the On-Farm research and extension program for the state of Pennsylvania at the Pennsylvania State University. Funding from the project grant is used to support a project coordinator with salary, supplies, communication, and for travel to operate the program in its second year. Many of the research priorities for the 2003 growing season are yet to be determined. A multi-location project that investigated potential for zone-tillage in PA corn production systems that was conducted on 15 farms in ten counties during 2002 will be continued on fewer sites. Planning has commenced for a multi-farm (six to nine farms) study of renovation of pasture via no-till drilling and band application of herbicide at the time of planting to minimize pasture downtime and reduce herbicide usage. The project coordinator and a county agent recently submitted a grant proposal to USDA NE SARE for funding of the renovation study. The coordinator has also helped develop a grant proposal to USDA NE-IPM. A website to be used for dissemination of trial results and for solicitation of on-farm research ideas will be completed in several months. The coordinator will continue to network with county and state extension specialists, producers, industry, and others to identify research needs that can be addressed through on-farm research projects

Impacts
Interest in the On-Farm Research program is growing as groups and individuals become aware of the potential for the program to address production agriculture research needs locally. The relationships being built and strengthened are developing a network through which producers, county agents, PASA, and industry are becoming involved in the research process. This is especially important for producers; they can suggest the topics to be investigated and also be involved in the conduct of the actual research trial on their own farms. There has been a marked improvement in public relations between the land grant university and the clientele it is charged to serve as a result of engaging that clientele in the research process. Cooperative Extension has been instrumental in the project coordinator's efforts to expand the program and by providing a forum through which the program is publicized and by which results of recently completed trials can be disseminated to more than those directly involved in their conduct. As the On-Farm program continues and a track record is developed, interest will continue to grow and support will be strengthened as participants realize the program is a long-term venture with the potential to become increasingly useful to agriculture clientele in Pennsylvania.

Publications

  • No publications reported this period