Recipient Organization
ALABAMA A&M UNIVERSITY
4900 MERIDIAN STREET
NORMAL,AL 35762
Performing Department
Natural Resources & Environmental Sciences
Non Technical Summary
Farmers in the southeastern U.S. are in an excellent position to profit by supplying the expanding market for canola. Mild winters, adequate winter rainfall, a potential for double-cropping and the availability of local oil processing facilities make the southeastern region a promising site for canola production. Increased interest in canola production in the southern region was predicated by local producers of its potential as renewable feedstock for biodiesel production driven by the rise in global energy demand, depletion of fossil fuel sources and environmental risks associated with greenhouse gas emissions and climatic change. In this project a diverse team of researchers has been assembled to promote and establish canola as an alternative winter crop through farmer education and on-farm demonstrations and consequently increase the number of canola producers and canola acreages in the region. Participants include Virginia State University, Virginia Tech, University of Maryland, North Carolina State University, Louisiana State University, University of Georgia and the University of Tennessee. Our specific objectives are: 1) identify and adopt high yielding (non-HT) canola cultivars that are best adapted in various states/locations in the region to increase supply and production of nutritious seed oil, renewable feedstock for bioenergy and quality animal feed; these are among emergent issues important to U.S. agriculture and the economy; 2) promote outreach and farmer education through on-farm production and demonstration plots and develop extension materials for southern farmers on various aspects of canola farming including planting, cultivation, harvest, and canola seed processing from seed to oil; and 3) cultivate partnership between farmers and industries to sustain and support expansion of canola production in the region.
Animal Health Component
100%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
100%
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
Canola production in the US and elsewhere in the world was primarily driven initially by public demand for healthy food. To develop agricultural technology for canola production in the south, considerable amount of federal dollars have been expended on scientific research to answer questions on basic and applied aspects of canola production. These studies showed that canola could be successfully produced in the southeast and thus, is a viable crop in the region. As an alternate to winter wheat, canola fits well in soybean production systems. Early maturing canola can maximize oilseed production on given land area by double cropping it with soybean. Although winter canola has been shown to grow well in north Alabama and the Piedmont region of Georgia, it has not been grown commercially in large acreages anywhere in the region. The commercial production of canola has been limited by lack of market sink. However, currently, local farmers as well as the biodiesel and business industries would like to see increased winter canola production in the region. The United States accounts for only 1% (1.5 million acres) of the total area of canola under production in the world. According to the ERS/USDA (2010), the United States is the number one importer of canola oil and meal from Canada. The U.S. usually imports 95 - 98% (approximately $235 million/year) of the Canadian canola meal, approximately 70% of the oil valued at about $345 million/year and an average of 255,000 tons of seed per year valued at roughly $85 million. Significant percentage of imports paid to canola industries by U.S. companies can be transferred to U.S. growers, especially in the southern states where winter canola yield is 20-30% higher than that of the spring type canola grown in Canada. This proposal seeks to create new economic prospects for farmers in the southern states by encouraging farmers to grow and increase acreages planted to canola. Additionally, this proposal may fill the need for a reliable and uninterrupted source of feedstock for biodiesel in the region, specifically by diverting soybean oil into the biofuel industry. Participants in this project seek to create collaborative partnership among producers and industries in addressing issues towards successful commercial production of canola in southern U.S. This project proposal aims to achieve the following objectives: (1) Identify and adopt high yielding canola cultivars that are best adapted in various states/locations in the region to increase supply and production of nutritious seed oil, renewable feedstock for bioenergy and quality animal feed; these are among emergent issues important to U.S. agriculture and economy; (2) Promote outreach and farmer education through on-farm production and demonstration plots and develop extension materials for southern farmers on various aspects of canola farming including crop rotation, planting dates, seeding rates, cultivation, harvest and storage; and (3) Cultivate partnership between farmers and industries to sustain and support expansion of canola production in the region.
Project Methods
Alabama A&M University, in collaboration with several institutions (Virginia State University, Virginia Tech, University of Maryland, North Carolina State University, Louisiana State University, University of Georgia and the University of Tennessee) and in partnership with AgStrong, Inc. and Resaca Sun Products, LLC (oilseed processors), Calbeck Consulting, LLC and INVOTEC (seeds suppliers) and Bridgeforth Farms and Daily Family Farms (commercial growers in North Alabama), proposes to show the economic, environmental and agricultural benefits toward increasing canola acreages in the southern United States. Each participating institution will identify at least one cooperator farmer with production farm preferably centrally located and accessible to significant number of farmers within the state. Cooperator growers will participate in a no-risk on-farm production of canola. Farmers will be provided with seeds and other available resources. Cooperator farmer's canola production field(s) will serve demonstration plots for visit by other producers during annual field days organized and coordinated by key personnel involved in a particular study location. Key personnel will recommend and/or provide high performing cultivar(s) for use by respective farmer cooperator(s), design experimental plans for layout in demonstration farms to generate necessary agronomic and management information for farmers in the area. Because not all issues could be resolved in such a short period of time, therefore, each participating institution will address the most important challenges they deem farmers in their respective area face with respect to growing canola. Such challenges may include determining best crop rotation system for double cropping with canola as an alternative to wheat, site selection, planting dates, seeding rates, cold hardiness, management needs addressing soil fertility and fertilizer requirements, and pest (insects, diseases and weeds), harvest and storage, etc. Meetings and discussion between scientists and farmers will be conducted during the planning session prior to demonstration plot set up. Other engagements with growers will be planned in coordination with normally scheduled extension meetings, co-ops and industries-sponsored training session and regional agriculture meetings. Additionally, each institution will provide technical data/information on canola production requirements specific to their respective state. All information will be compiled and used by the team to develop a "Farmer's Guide for Growing Canola in the South". Copies of educational materials will be distributed to farmers in the area during meetings and/or field days. At least one field day per year will be conducted by key personnel in each location. Cooperation by state agricultural extension systems will be solicited.