Progress 06/01/08 to 12/31/09
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Multiple research projects within the on-farm research (OFR) program at Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences and several projects being conducted at the Rodale Institute were supported by this CSREES project. A multi-year NE-SARE project supported cover crop management activities with a novel cover crop roller. Projects conducted on farms in NY, PA, and MD concluded that no-till organic grain production is possible when a heavy cereal rye cover crop is rolled ahead of no-till soybeans. The mat of cover crop is thick enough and degrades slowly to provide season-long weed control, especially when soybeans are drilled into narrow rows. However, legume only or legume/cereal mixtures decompose too rapidly to provide weed control in no-till corn. A field day during October 2008 was attended by nearly 120 farmers and their advisors; the concept enjoys much interest as growers seed to reduce input costs of production and to improve the environment through reduced loss of topsoil and plant growth nutrients. A non-replicated set of cover crop strip plots was established during each of three late summer/fall planting dates to determine optimum times to plant the cover crops being promoted for central Pennsylvania. A fall 2008 and a spring 2009 field day were held at the farm. Expectations for farmer interest in the project were exceeded as nearly two dozen farmers and advisors attended each event, seeking more information regarding the selection and utility of cover crops within the various grain crop rotations in the state. A project seeking to reduce insect pest damage on organic cucurbit crops was continued on three mixed vegetable farms. A lightweight row cover produced in Europe with superior durability compared to domestically available materials is gaining favor with these and other PA farmers. A soybean seedling loss project partially funded by the PA Soybean Promotion board determined that soybean seeds treated with very low rates of fungicide and insecticide resulted in thicker stands when compared with untreated seed from the same seedlot. Findings from these trials were shared during farmer meetings during the recent two winter meeting seasons. Commercially available fertilizer additives were evaluated during the 2008 growing season for their ability to reduce volatility losses from urea when applied to the field surface ahead of corn planting. Reducing the need to over-apply nitrogen to maintain high yields, to reduce the overall cost of crop production, and to reduce the loss of nitrogen into the environment were goals of this project. These trials were again conducted during 2009, again at three locations in Pennsylvania. The planning for a series of new cover crop trials began during spring 2009. Ten extension educators located across Pennsylvania are participating in additional cover crop strip trials that will continue into 2010. The crops in the Farming Systems Trial (FST) at Rodale endured a wetter and cooler than normal growing season. The grain yields on many plots were reduced compared to historical averages for this long term trial. PARTICIPANTS: Principle investigators David Sylvia and William Curran supervise the On-Farm Research Coordinator, Ronald Hoover, and provide general direction to the program. As coordinator, Mr. Hoover makes many of the daily decisions for the activities of the various projects being supported by the OFR program. Extension specialists at Penn State who provide direction and actively participate in this program include Doug Beegle, William Curran, Kathleen Demchak, Sjoerd Duiker, Shelby Fleischer, Marvin Hall, William Lamont, Greg Roth, and John Tooker. The numerous county-based extension educators who interact directly with farmer clientele in arranging and conducting the various trials include Paul Craig, Andrew Frankenfield, Kevin Fry, Jeffrey Graybill, Mena Hautau, David Hartman, Mark Madden, Thomas Murphy, Jonathan Rotz, John Rowehl, Eugene Schurman, Delbert Voight, and J. Craig Williams. The project included subcontracts with The Rodale Institute (TRI). The OFR coordinator and Michele Gauger of the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) were awarded grants from the NE SARE program to conduct one of the cover crop and the cucurbit pest projects. Funds from these grants as well as those from this CSREES project have enabled both organizations to conduct applied research projects, to hold field days, and to participate at numerous conferences and workshops. The funding supplied to Rodale through a subcontract partially funded numerous positions: Paul Hepperly and Alison Grantham (research directors), Maria Pop (outreach event coordinator), and David Wilson and Rita Seidel (research associates). TARGET AUDIENCES: The primary target audiences for which new information is developed by the PSU OFR program and at Rodale are crop, vegetable, and livestock farmers. The goal of the programs is to develop and conduct projects that are primarily or entirely focused on applied production challenges. Farmers and their production system challenges are always the focus when projects are developed and when presentations are given at meetings and workshops. Occasionally, the presentation may be of a more technical nature, where the intended audience is primarily the advisors who work with farmers: cooperative extension, USDA-Natural Resource Conservation Service, conservation districts, crop management association technicians, and the agribusinesses who supply goods and services to farmers. There continues to be increasing interest among vocational agriculture educators in the state for the lessons being learned from these applied projects. In increasing numbers, these teachers are attending outreach events and are interested in developing some project protocols and results into high school-level projects. Also, some project methods and results have been condensed into teaching modules or lesson plans. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Project funding is intended to be used to accomplish projects during a complete growing season. Because the termination date of this project occurs prior to the completion of the growing season, and because grant funds are needed for outreach programs being offered by staff at the Rodale Institute during the summer and fall of 2009, an extension of the termination date was sought and was granted.
Impacts
Results generated from the PSU OFR and Rodale Institute programs are being disseminated through the farm press, on websites, at local producer meetings and statewide conferences, and during local field days where one-on-one interaction is often possible. Many of the timelier, producer-valued data are also shared with county extension educators during in-service trainings, who then share it with their farmer clientele. Presenters from the two institutions have participated in more than two dozen regional field days and field crop production/weed control clinics during 2008 and 2009 where total attendance exceeded two thousand. These participants included farmers, federal and state conservation program personnel, and researchers and outreach staff from federal, state, and non-profit entities. Increased attention has and is being given to documenting the changes in producer attitudes and practices as a result of their attendance of the various informational programs. 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. Dairy farms that participated in the completed reduced dietary crude protein (CP) feeding study are realizing the production and economic benefits of reducing protein levels in their milking herd rations. An additional environmental benefit from reduced protein feeding is less nitrogen being excreted in urine and feces; losses of nitrogen from animal waste into ground and surface waters are being reduced by this practice. Findings from two years of soybean seed treatment studies indicate that there may be merit in buying treated seed and that this additional expense may be more easily justified during years when soil moisture and soil-borne disease organisms are plentiful. While treatment does add to the cost of the seed, there are indications that seeding rates can be reduced enough to result in a net savings to the farmer in the cost of planting an acre of soybean. The numerous cover cropping studies being conducted at PSU and Rodale have generated huge interest in this topic amongst farmers and the extension educators who serve them. With the assistance of the OFR coordinator, ten county-based extension educators and several state specialists have formed a team that began cover crop strip test plots in ten counties in PA fall 2009. The results from the cucurbit insect pest exclusion project continue to generate interest amongst organic farmers seeking an alternative means of controlling otherwise unmanageable pests in their crops. The newly available woven mesh product from Europe is working well, and is durable enough to allow growers to use the material for many years. The farmers who cooperated on this study plan to continue the practice on their farms and are sharing their favorable results with others who likewise indicate a strong interest in adopting this practice. Consistent results from Rodale's FST continue to capture the attention of farmers who strive for high system output without the extensive use of off-farm crop production inputs.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 06/01/08 to 05/31/09
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Numerous and varied research projects in which the on-farm research (OFR) program at Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences is engaged are supported by this CSREES project. A multi-year NE-SARE supported cover crop management project being conducted along with researchers at The Rodale Institute (TRI) will soon be completed. The focus of the project is to determine the utility of a cover crop roller for use by organic farmers who would like to reduce their tillage ahead of row crop production. The OFR coordinator has project related responsibilities for on-farm research and demonstration projects in NY, PA, and MD, as well as providing assistance with two related experiment station research projects. Some very promising and some marginal data were collected during the 2008 harvest season. A field day during October 2008 was attended by nearly 120 farmers and their advisors; the concept enjoys much interest as growers seed to reduce input costs of production and to improve the environment through reduced loss of topsoil and plant growth nutrients. A separate, smaller cover crop trial that investigated legume cover crops ahead of corn production resulted in very pronounced improvements in corn grain production where heavy legume cover crop was produced. A non-replicated set of cover crop strip plots was established during each of three late summer/fall planting dates to determine optimum times to plant the cover crops being promoted for central Pennsylvania. A fall 2008 and a spring 2009 field day were held at the farm. Expectations for farmer interest in the project were exceeded as nearly two dozen farmers and advisors attended each event, seeking more information regarding the selection and utility of cover crops within the various grain crop rotations in the state. A project seeking to reduce insect pest damage on organic cucurbit crops was continued on three mixed vegetable farms. A lightweight row cover produced in Europe with superior durability compared to domestically available materials is gaining favor with these and other PA farmers. A soybean seedling loss project partially funded by the PA Soybean Promotion board was completed during late 2008. Soybean seeds treated with very low rates of fungicide and insecticide were compared to untreated seed of the same seedlot. Several presentations of the findings were shared during late 2008 and early 2009. Commercially available fertilizer additives were evaluated during the 2008 growing season for their ability to reduce volatility losses from soil surface-applied urea fertilizer used on a corn crop. Reducing the need to over-apply nitrogen to maintain high yields, the overall cost of crop production, and the loss of nitrogen into the environment are the goals of this project. These trials are again being conducted during 2009, again, at three locations in Pennsylvania. The planning for a series of new cover crop trials began during spring 2009. Ten extension educators located across Pennsylvania will develop project ideas with the OFR coordinator and several statewide extension specialists that will commence during late summer 2009. PARTICIPANTS: Principle investigators David Sylvia and William Curran supervise the On-Farm Research Coordinator, Ronald Hoover, and provide general direction to the program. As coordinator, Mr. Hoover makes many of the daily decisions for the activities of the various projects being supported by the OFR program. Extension specialists at Penn State who provide direction and actively participate in this program include Doug Beegle, William Curran, Kathleen Demchak, Sjoerd Duiker, Shelby Fleischer, Marvin Hall, William Lamont, Greg Roth, and John Tooker. The numerous county-based extension educators who interact directly with farmer clientele in arranging and conducting the various trials include Paul Craig, Andrew Frankenfield, Kevin Fry, Jeffrey Graybill, Mena Hautau, David Hartman, Mark Madden, Thomas Murphy, Jonathan Rotz, John Rowehl, Eugene Schurman, Delbert Voight, and J. Craig Williams. The project included subcontracts with The Rodale Institute (TRI). The OFR coordinator and Michele Gauger of the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) were awarded grants from the NE SARE program to conduct one of the cover crop and the cucurbit pest projects. Funds from these grants as well as those from this CSREES project have enabled both organizations to conduct applied research projects, to hold field days, and to participate at numerous conferences and workshops. The funding supplied to TRI through a subcontract partially funded three positions: Paul Hepperly (research director), Maria Pop (outreach event coordinator), and David Wilson (research associate). TARGET AUDIENCES: The primary target audiences for which new information is developed in the OFR program are crop, vegetable, and livestock farmers. The goal of the program is to develop and conduct projects that are primarily or entirely focused on applied production challenges. Farmers and their production challenges are always the focus when presentations are given at meetings and workshops. Occasionally, the presentation may be of a more technical nature, where the intended audience is primarily the advisors who work with farmers: cooperative extension, USDA-Natural Resource Conservation Service, conservation districts, crop management association technicians, and the agribusinesses who supply goods and services to farmers. There continues to be increasing interest among vocational agriculture educators in the state for the message being shared from these applied OFR projects. In increasing numbers, these teachers are attending outreach events and are interested in developing some of the projects into high school student level projects. Also, some project methods and results have been condensed into teaching modules or lesson plans. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Project funding is intended to be used to accomplish projects during a complete growing season. Because the termination date of this project occurs prior to the completion of the growing season, and because grant funds are needed for outreach programs being offered by staff at the Rodale Institute during the summer and fall of 2009, an extension of the termination date was sought and granted.
Impacts
Results generated from the OFR program are being disseminated through websites, at local producer meetings, statewide conferences, and field days. Many of the timelier, producer-valued data are also shared with county extension educators during in-service trainings, who then share it with their farmer clientele. The OFR coordinator participated in six regional field days and field crop production/weed control clinics during 2008 and early 2009 where total attendance was approximately three hundred. He also presented or co-presented results from recent OFR projects at two winter meetings or conferences where attendance totaled approximately one hundred fifty. These participants included farmers, federal and state conservation program personnel, and researchers and outreach staff from federal, state, and non-profit entities. Increased attention has and is being given to documenting the changes in producer attitudes and practices as a result of their attendance of the various informational programs. 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. Dairy farms that participated in the nearly completed reduced dietary crude protein (CP) feeding study are realizing the production and economic benefits of reducing protein levels in their milking herd rations. An additional environmental benefit from reduced protein feeding is less nitrogen being excreted in urine and feces; losses of nitrogen from animal waste into ground and surface waters are being reduced by this practice. Findings from two years of soybean seed treatment studies indicate that there may be merit in buying treated seed and that this additional expense may be more easily justified during years when soil moisture and soil-borne disease organisms are plentiful. Increasing seed prices are causing soybean farmers to look at ways to reduce production costs. While treatment does add to the cost of the seed, there are indications that seeding rates can be reduced enough to result in a net savings to the farmer in the cost of planting an acre of soybean. The numerous cover cropping studies being conducted within this program and others at Penn State have generated huge interest in this topic amongst farmers and the extension educators who serve them. With the assistance of the OFR coordinator, ten county-based extension educators and several state specialists have formed a team that will conduct cover crop strip test plots in ten counties in PA beginning in fall 2009. The results from the cucurbit insect pest exclusion project continue to generate interest amongst organic farmers seeking an alternative means of controlling otherwise unmanageable pests in their crops. The newly available woven mesh product from Europe is working well, and is durable enough to allow growers to use the material for many years. The farmers who cooperated on this study plan to continue the practice on their farms and are sharing their favorable results with others who likewise indicate a strong interest in adopting this practice.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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