Progress 10/01/20 to 09/30/21
Outputs
Target Audience:Target audience: academic, row crop producers, and the general public. Effort: formal classroom and laboratory instruction (i.e., research training via semester-long project), symposiums, and producer outreach events. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?1. Worked with a MS student in food science to increase skills in data analysis. This student has started a PhD program in horticulture and will work on a similar project. 2. Work with a research associate on data analysis, but more importantly professional development (academic writing). This associate is currently applying to PhD programs in community development and food systems. 3. There are 2 additional graduate students in rural sociology that are related to this work. Their work is funded via USDA NRCS conservation innovation grant. Thus, it is located on the production side and is focused on conservation technology. However, these projects are related to governance as they focus on social networks and stakeholder engagement, both of which are directly applicable to the development and governance of mid-sized values-based supply chains. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Due to the current status of each sub-project, the presentation of results has been limited to academic and technical audiences. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Complete manuscripts on the meal kits and local food supply chain (Twitter). Draft manuscripts on social networking and engagement strategies. Leverage the NRCS CIG project to propose an NSF project that will center on specialty crop producers engaged in smaller supply chains
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
This project has moved forward to understand the functioning of small and mid-sized production to consumption chains. The goal is to examine how governance structures (i.e., rules, habits, customs) influence food safety and security, as well as the biophysical environment. 1. A graduate student collected a new set of agricultural water samples from a sample of small-scale specialty crop producers in AL which extended a previous food safety feasibility study. There are two key issues under consideration: the degree to which growers' agricultural water may be contaminated by harmful pathogenic bacteria, and the extent of growers knowledge about the regulations and implementation process of water quality testing as specified in the FSMA Produce Safety Final Rule for small- and medium-scale fruit and vegetable producers. These data were used to complete an M.S. Thesis in Food Science and found that contamination from agricultural water was not a significant problem. However, both growers and Experiment Station personnel require food safety training as it related to on-farm production and handling. 2. A project conducted several years ago is nearing completion. This study examines the potential use of a meal kit in a low-income community; the kit was designed to be sold at a small, nearby, grocer to customers using SNAP benefits. We extended the analysis to consider the feasibility of the proposed Ameria's Harvest Box and the implementation of the Farmers to Families initiative. Analysis of the latter programs suggests that the approaches used do not address two critical constraints: the foods contained in the Farmers to Families (and proposed Harvest Box) are not likely to meet consumer's needs, and food work requirements--meal design, prep, plating, cleaning--were not considered. Thus, some of the intended outcomes (i.e., getting more women into the workforce, increasing dietary quality) will not be achieved. 3. To look at how consumers responded to supply chain disruption, Twitter and Google Trends data were collected. The goal is to test the assertion that consumers pivoted toward regional supply chains and/or locally produced foods. 4. The NRCS CIG project includes an incentive program for the adoption of conservation practices, specifically cover crops. There is a significant set aside for underserved producers designed to aid in conservation adoption and an agreement structure to increase engagement and network development; both of which will be tested.
Publications
- Type:
Theses/Dissertations
Status:
Submitted
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Chevez, Z. 2021. Assessing Microbial Quality of Agricultural Water Used for Irrigation of Produce on Small Alabama Farms. M.S. Thesis, Department of Food Science, Auburn University.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Olive, L. and M.R. Worosz. 2021. Better than Blue Apron: Foodwork recognized and redefined to include the perspectives of Black women. Manuscript to be submitted to Appetite.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Thomson, R. R. Moiser, M.R. Worosz. 2021. COVID research across the social sciences. Manuscript to be submitted to Social Science Research.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Worosz, M.R., B. Ortiz, A. Gambel, L. Duzy, and R. Prasad. 2021. Future Farmer. Invited poster presented during 2020-2021 Faculty Research Symposium, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, 29 Jan.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Worosz, M.R., B. Ortiz, A. Gambel, L. Duzy, and R. Prasad. 2021. Future of Farming: Building a Transdisciplinary Team. Invited presentation during the Engagement Workshop Series, Advancing Scholarship and Practice of Stakeholder Engagement in Working Landscapes, 10 11 Jun.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Stewart, H.* and M.R. Worosz. 2021. Climate Resiliency: The Co-Development of Knowledge for Adapting Sustainable Practices Among Alabama Row Crop Farmers. Southeastern Section, of the 70th annual meetings of the Geological Society of America, Auburn, AL, 01 02 Apr.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Chevez, Z.,* M. Hyden, S. Qin, E. Monu, T. Huang and M.R. Worosz. 2021. Microbiological Quality of Fresh Produce from PSR-exempt Farms and their Connection to Food Safety Environment and Handling Practices. Poster presented during Poster Session 2 Food Toxicology; General Microbiology, Laboratory and Detection Methods; Microbial Food Spoilage; Pre-harvest Food Safety; Produce; Sanitation and Hygiene, Viruses and Parasites; Water during the annual meetings of the International Association of Food Protection, Phoenix, AZ, Jul 20.
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Progress 10/01/19 to 09/30/20
Outputs
Target Audience:Target audience: academic, general public. Effort: formal classroom and laboratory instruction (i.e., research training via semester-long project) and symposiums, as well as popular news articles. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Worked one-on-one with a graduate student to develop research skills, as well as twi new students who started Aug 2020. Taught an undergaduate course focused on a semester-long community-based research project. Undergraduate students leaving this class have been found to have developed measurable critical thinking and information literacy, as well as basic research skills. Began the first set of meetings with row crop producers who will participate in a new demonstration project. This project is not only a significant training opportunity for farmers, it is also a significt professional development opportunuty for the extension-research team. In addition to leaning more about cover crop implementation, working with soil moisture probes and the like, our core goal is to use novel engagement strateges and to understand of the co-development of knowledge processes. Our engagement and co-development research may have a significant impact on the adoption of new technologies beyond AL and row crop production. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?During this period, information on COVID related supply chain disruption was disseminated via two mass media articles. One was targeted toward broad audiences whereas the second was specifically targeted to secondary education. An additional article was also published in a major mass media outlet and it specifically addressed another governance issue; the potential impact of the proposed PRIME on small-scale cattle producers. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Submit completed articles on the (a) community meal kit and (b) FSMA. Finish data collection on COVID and local foods production-consumption chain and construct a manuscript (abstract already accepted). Continue to develop learning nodes for engagement and co-development study. Construct a manuscript on engagement (abstract already accepted).
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
This project has moved forward to understand the role of formal and informal rules on mid-sized supply chains. The goal is to examine how these governance structures (i.e., rules) influence food safety and security, as well as the biophysical environment. 1. A graduate student collected a new set of data from AL farmers to extend a feasibility study of the implementation process and regulatory requirements for water testing as specified in the FSMA Produce Safety Final Rule for small- and medium-scale fruit and vegetable producers. A previous student drafted preliminary results for publication suggesting that water quality is not a significant food safety concern in AL to date. Moreover, these results suggest inconsistencies among the recommended testing options and hence present an additional challenge for producers. 2. A graduate student and now colleague at Northwestern University developed a meal kit using community-based research methods with a low-income community. This meal kit was designed to be sold at a small grocer. Using this data, we extend the work to explore the feasibility of implementing the USDA's proposed America's Harvest Box initiative. Data suggest that it would not be viewed as an acceptable substitute for a portion of SNAP in part because it does not address the constraints of food work or consider food voice. 3. Collaborating with colleagues at Auburn University, Penn State, and Pace University, a new project was started to look at the increased media and consumer attention to local foods in the era of COVID. This project, which is in the very early stages of data collection, will include both a nationwide twitter scrape, a twitter scrape of the southern black-belt counties, and a survey of CSA members in New York state. The southern data is currently being collected. 4. With a team of Cooperative Extension Agents and 2 new graduate students, a new project was started to look at both (a) effective engagement strategies and (b) processes of co-development of knowledge about regenerative agriculture among mid-sized row crop producers in AL. Despite COVID restrictions, project planning and data collection has begun.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Olive, L.and M.R. Worosz. Better than Blue Apron: Foodwork recognized and redefined to include the perspectives of Black women. Manuscript to be submitted to Appetite.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Gradl, J.,* E. Monu, and M.R. Worosz. Assessing the pre-harvest agricultural water and food safety practices of small produce farms in Alabama. Manuscript submitted to Food Control.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Awaiting Publication
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Worosz, M.R., Farrell, B. and C.A. Jenda. 2020. Teaching critical thinking via the Wicked Problem of food insecurity. portal: Libraries and the Academy, 20(4):621-53.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Ransom, E., M. DuPuis, and M.R. Worosz. 2020. Why is there too much milk and not enough toilet paper? Invited submission for grades 7 to 10, Actively Learn, 15 May, (https://read.activelylearn.com/#teacher/reader/authoring/preview/1537518/notes).
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Ransom, E., M. DuPuis, and M.R. Worosz. 2020. Why farmers are dumping milk down the drain and letting produce rot in the fields. Lead story in The Conversation, 23 Apr.( https://theconversation.com/why-farmers-are-dumping-milk-down-the-drain-and-letting-produce-rot-in-fields-136567)
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
McKay, H. (and M.R. Worosz, not properly credited). 2020. Revived legislation seeks to end monopoly of meat industry, open market to small farmers amid coronavirus pandemic. Invited response, Fox News, 12 May (https://www.foxnews.com/us/revived-legislation-seeks-to-end-monopoly-of-the-meat-industry-open-the-markets-to-small-farmers-amid-coronavirus-pandemic).
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Progress 10/03/18 to 09/30/19
Outputs
Target Audience:Target audience included an economically disadvantaged community that including a high percent of low-income minorities, Other audiences were academic. Efforts included formal classroom and laboratory instruction (i.e., research training via semester-long project). Other efforts included formal conference presentations and manuscript preperation. Changes/Problems:Five graduate students completed their programs in the last year, and currently, there are no students to fill the gaps. All new funding is directed toward different projects that were funded late Fall 2019. Thus, publication of manuscripts has been delayed and recruitment of the new graduate students has yet to begin. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Worked one-on-one with 5 graduate students to develop research skills, as well as students in undergaduate course who work on a semester-long research project. During this reporting period, these skills have led to the completion of 4 M.S. theses, 1 PhD dissertation, and a study of the development of critical thinking skills, including information literacy, among undergraduates. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Via formal presentations to academic audiences. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?1. Two manuscripts are in progress from a M.S. thesis analyzing the meal kit is in progress and will be submitted. Also in progress is a meta-analysis of the barriers to using local foods in school lunch programs. 2. One manuscript from a Ph.D. dissertation addressing the FSMA water testing rule is under review. This project has been expanded (with a new M.S. student in food science) to collect additional and more representative data over 2 growing seasons. 3. One manuscript detailing an undergraduate course has been tenatively accepted for publication. 4. At least one manuscript will be developed from the local beef food safety these. 5. The sod-based rotation with beef study led to the development and funding a new project that will involve working directy with a team of grower to co-develop knowledge about irrigation and conservation.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
1. Explored the consistancy between stated research goals, actual reserarch design and implementation, and research claims surrounding trials of a sod-based rotation with cattle (i.e., examine barriers to increasing diversity on mid-sized farms). 2. Examined a comprehensive dataset of print media rhetoric surrounding local beef food safety (i.e., identify marketing barriers). 3. Tested the feasibility of implementing the regulatory requirements and water testing process as specified in the FSMA Produce Safety Final Rule for small- and medium-scale fruit and vegetable producers. 4. Examined the feasibility of developing a SNAP approved meal kit using community input into the design, and feasibility of distribution of a meal kit from a small- to mid-scale, local grocer serving an at risk population.
Publications
- Type:
Theses/Dissertations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Hargrove, J. 2019. Sod-Based Rotation Systems: Research for Whom? M.S. Thesis, Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology, College of Agriculture, Auburn University, Auburn AL.
- Type:
Theses/Dissertations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Olive, L. 2018. Better than Blue Apron: Creating a Community-Based Meal Kit Program. M.S. Thesis, Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology, College of Agriculture, Auburn University, Auburn AL.
- Type:
Theses/Dissertations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Stitt, A. 2019. Alabama & Georgia Media Sources and Their Claims About Alternative Food Networks. M.S. Thesis, Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology, College of Agriculture, Auburn University, Auburn AL.
- Type:
Theses/Dissertations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Shelley, M. 2019. Food Safety Scandals and Scares: Media Presentation of Local Beef. M.S. Thesis, Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology, College of Agriculture, Auburn University, Auburn AL.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Gradl, J.* E. Monu, and M.R. Worosz. 2018. Assessing the Food Safety Practices and Agricultural Water Used to Grow Produce on AAES Farms. Graduate Student Poster Showcase, Auburn University College of Agriculture, Alumni Center, Auburn, AL, 25 Oct.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Worosz, M.R., Farrell, B. and C.A. Jenda. Forthcoming 2020. Teaching Critical Thinking via the Wickedness of Food Insecurity. portal: Libraries and the Academy, 20(3).
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Hargrove, J. * and M.R. Worosz. 2019. Sod-Based Rotation Systems: Same Problem, Different Day. Paper presented at Justice and Tyranny: Mobilizing Rural Sociological Imaginations, during the annual meetings of the Rural Sociological Society, Richmond, VA, 07 10 Aug.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Stitt, A., * M. Shelley, * and M.R. Worosz. 2018. Scares, Scandals, and the Media: The Case of Local Beef. Graduate Student Poster Showcase, Auburn University College of Agriculture, Alumni Center, Auburn, AL, 25 Oct.
- Type:
Theses/Dissertations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Gradl, J. Assessing the Scientific Basis of the Food Safety Modernization Act Produce Safety Rule and Microbial Quality of Water Used to Grow Produce in Alabama. Ph.D. Dissertation, Department of Food Science, College of Agriculture, Auburn University, Auburn AL.
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