Source: PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY submitted to NRP
ON-FARM RESEARCH AND EDUCATION IN SUPPORT OF SUSTAINABLE AND ORGANIC AGRICULTURE
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
COMPLETE
Funding Source
SPECIAL GRANT
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
0204164
Grant No.
2005-34309-15911
Cumulative Award Amt.
(N/A)
Proposal No.
2005-06170
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Sep 1, 2005
Project End Date
Dec 31, 2006
Grant Year
2005
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
Agricultural producers continue to search for ways to improve the productivity, sustainability, and profitability of their farming operations. Results from applied research projects conducted with farmers on their farms are highly valued in the farm decision-making process. This project supports the continued development of the applied research and extension activities of the On-Farm Research program at Penn State.
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
1021599107010%
2041610107020%
2051699107030%
2121820116010%
2131610114010%
2161699107010%
3073910106010%
Knowledge Area
212 - Pathogens and Nematodes Affecting Plants; 204 - Plant Product Quality and Utility (Preharvest); 102 - Soil, Plant, Water, Nutrient Relationships; 205 - Plant Management Systems; 216 - Integrated Pest Management Systems; 213 - Weeds Affecting Plants; 307 - Animal Management Systems;

Subject Of Investigation
3910 - Cross-commodity research--multiple animal species; 1699 - Pasture and forage crops, general/other; 1599 - Grain crops, general/other; 1610 - Pasture; 1820 - Soybean;

Field Of Science
1060 - Biology (whole systems); 1070 - Ecology; 1160 - Pathology; 1140 - Weed science;
Goals / Objectives
1) Continue to support a dedicated M.S. level person who will coordinate on-farm research that will be of primary interest to producers engaged in sustainable production practices. 2) 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. 3) Assist in identifying and training on-farm student interns who will work with producers who strive to practice sustainable agriculture. 4) Interface as a point-of-contact and assistance for producer organizations and individuals to assure increased success in government and foundation grants. 5) Develop working relationships with other NGO's (PASA and The Rodale Institute) to develop and conduct research projects of value to sustainable agriculture producers. 6) Evaluate new technologies in replicated trials for benefits to sustainable agriculture, value-added and specialty crops. 7) Develop outreach programs within the Cooperative Extension system that will facilitate the transfer of research findings to interested clientele groups. 8) Measure degree to which new practices have been adopted where technology has had time to be adopted. 9) Identify production issues that warrant detailed study by specialists at the agricultural experiment station.
Project Methods
The on-farm research coordinator will continue to establish interactive relationships within the sustainable agricultural community with groups such as the Rodale Institute, the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA), Pennsylvania Certified Organic (PCO), numerous county and state Extension personnel, and others with interests in sustainable agriculture. The coordinator will attend their general meetings, serve on advisory boards, and assess and record producer 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 assist in the transfer of information developed regionally and nationally. Discussions with interested participants (extension agents and farmers)indicate that the best way to encourage participation in on-farm research is to supplement the locally available labor with an on-farm program assistant(s). This person would be available to travel to various project sites and provide the additional labor as needed. As such, the subcontract for a shared position with PASA was established and will continue to fill some of this need and to increase the number of sustainable agriculture projects being conducted. Much of 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 where appropriate), rotations, soil conservation strategies, tillage practices, soil organic matter building strategies, pasture improvement practices, organic and chemical fertilizers, etc. The coordinator 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 trails 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 trial results will be evaluated for significance on productivity, input costs, disease or insect damage, 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 and quantification techniques. Statistical analyses of data will be conducted using SAS or similar software.

Progress 09/01/05 to 12/31/06

Outputs
The state-wide on-farm research (OFR) and extension program is focused on developing and conducting projects in production agriculture within the College of Agricultural Sciences at Pennsylvania State University. The project budget supports the salary of the project coordinator, program operating supplies, travel to OFR sites and to neighboring states for conferences and workshops, and subcontracts with the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) and The Rodale Institute (TRI). The collaboration between PASA and the OFR program includes two projects; a cover cropping research and a small ruminant enterprise risk assessment and improvement study. The small ruminant project is a collaborative work with faculty in the Penn State Department of Veterinary Sciences to improve health and production of small ruminants on small farms in Pennsylvania. A risk assessment module developed previously identifies where time and resource should be allocated on a farm to improve the productivity and profitability of sheep and goat farms. Results indicate a need for the operators of many of these farms to focus on some of the basics of management, including soil testing and liming to adjust soil pH, improving pasture productivity through renovation and rotational grazing, and monitoring and managing for internal parasites in their animals. Team members continued to make farm visits to conduct risk assessments and collect forage, soil, and animal fecal samples to better identify areas in need of attention. The OFR coordinator, county extension educators, state extension specialists, producers, and industry, identified research areas and initiated or continued over thirty crops or soils management on-farm trials during the 2006 growing season. Studies continued for a second year at eight locations to determine the effect of foliar fungicides on grain yield and foliage preservation where foliar disease pressure was low. Twelve county extension educators and farmers monitored soybean fields during the season to identify when plant mortality occurs. Preliminary evidence indicates most loss occurs between planting and emergence of the soy plant. Four studies were conducted to document the opportunity to conserve nitrogen that is often otherwise lose from field surface applied manure with a commercially available product. No increase was observed for corn grain or silage yields where the product was used. Follow-up studies may be warranted. Continued projects include a twelve-location project documenting reduced environmental impact by reducing the level of phosphorus fed to dairy cow. Cow performance has not been adversely affected. Another continuing multi-location project is focused on improving pasture productivity on difficult northern PA soils by no-till interseeding newer forage cultivars behind broadcast or band applications of herbicide. The program supports numerous on-farm and experiment station field days and on-farm and alternative agriculture workshops.

Impacts
Information being generated within the OFR program is being disseminated through websites and at numerous producer meetings and field days. This information is also shared with county Extension educators during in-service trainings, who then share it with their farmer clientele. It is expected that producers will be eager to learn about and try some of the newest production practices and products being evaluated. The interest in learning about the new ideas is great, as several hundred farmers have attended the numerous events where information was shared; the degree to which adoption is taking place is not as well known. However, many producers have indicated to presenters and in surveys that they have or will make changes to their operations based on the latest ideas being shared. Interest in making more productive and profitable use of pasture continues to grow. Dairy farms that participated in the reduced dietary phosphorus (P) study by feeding less P have continued the practice of feeding less P, which has resulted in less P being applied in manure to fields. This reduces the environmental impact of P being moved from fields in runoff from heavy rain. Preliminary findings from the soybean population studies indicate that additional attention needs to be given to the soy seed and the environment into which it is planted if farmers are to avoid excessive stand loss and the need to over-plant seed. The small ruminant project has facilitated cross disciplinary learning by bringing together extension staff in the veterinary, animal, and crop sciences.

Publications

  • No publications reported this period