Missouri Alternatives Center's Bimonthly Electronic Newsletter 800-433-3704 "AG OPPORTUNITIES" March-April 2000 (Vol 10 No 5) * Small Farms * New Family Farms * Agricultural Alternatives How to Conduct Research on Your Farm or Ranch (reprinted with permission from USDA's Sustainable Agriculture Network) On-Farm Research With Crops Once you've identified an objective, you can design an experiment to collect the desired information. The best way to have faith in your results is by designing research plots that you can compare against each other -- again and again. That means replicating your treatments, which will allow you to distinguish between random variation in the system and the real effects of the treatments. Analyzing data in a valid statistical manner is virtually impossible without replicated treatments. Most scientists would advise at least three replications. Researchers also randomize treatments to eliminate a potential bias that might exist in the system. Treatments are often laid out in blocks, or defined plots, for comparison purposes. For example, if organic matter gradually increases from west to east across a field and a two-treatment experiment is laid out in a simple alternating pattern--such as A-B-A-B, each "B" treatment will have a built-in bias when compared to its corresponding "A" treatment. Randomizing the treatments will help eliminate the effect of such a bias whether it is evident or not. While researchers use several different experimental designs for field trials, on-farm researchers studying cropping systems typically use either of the two shown below. Randomized Complete Block Design The most popular experimental design used for field research, the randomized complete block design groups treatment plots together and randomizes them within replicated blocks. The following example shows how a trial testing three nitrogen rates (0, 80 and 160 lbs/A), each replicated three times, might be laid out in a randomized complete block design. 0 160 80 160 0 80 0 80 160 Block 1 Block 2 Block 3 Split-Plot Design Another popular and useful design for on-farm researchers is the split-plot design. This design allows you to test two different factors and how they might interact. For example, to determine how much you can reduce nitrogen in corn after a hairy vetch cover crop, the split-plot design could be used in the following manner. As the name implies, split-plot design is a two- step process. Set up your main plot (vetch, no vetch), then overlay a second treatment (N-rates). Such experimental designs are particularly well suited to farmers. Treatments can be laid out in strips, with length of the plots determined by the length of the field and the width by the equipment you use. 0 80 160 80 160 0 160 0 80 160 80 0 vetch no vetch vetch no vetch Considerations in Applying Treatments and Collecting Data Variation within your experiment can come from many sources. Some of those sources are known and some are not. Some variation can result from how treatments are applied and data is collected. In 1994, an Illinois farmer set up an on-farm research project testing reduced rates of a herbicide mix on ridge-tilled soybeans. He tested four rates -- full, three-quarters, half and zero. He then used a standard randomized complete block design, properly replicating each treatment, but he did one thing wrong: He rotary-hoed all the zero-rate plots. With that, comparing the zero-rate plots to the other treatments was like comparing apples to oranges. An element of variation was introduced to one treatment that was not applied to all treatments. Treat every plot exactly the same except for that part that is intentionally varied -- the treatments. Data collection is another potential source for mistakes. All measurements should be taken under the same conditions using the same methods. Be as uniform as possible when applying treatments and collecting data. However, to analyze an experiment properly, you must have data from each individual treatment plot. Taking an average number from all the treatment "A" plots and an average from all the treatment "B" plots will not be usable for analysis. Tips for crops researchers * Keep it simple, especially at first: Limit your project to a comparison of two or three treatments. As you gain confidence, try something a little more challenging. * Seek help: Key times for professional assistance are at the design stage and then again when analyzing your data. * Replicate and randomize: Plan on enough field space to do more than one strip of each treatment being tested. Mix treatments within blocks. * Stay uniform: Treat all the plots exactly the same except for the differing treatments. If possible, locate your experiment in a field of uniform soil type. * Harvest individual plots: Record data from each individual plot. Don't lump all treatment types together or you'll lose the value of replication. * Remain objective: The results may not turn out as you hoped or planned. Be prepared to accept and learn from negative results. * Repeat the same research project multiple years: Climate is never the same from year to year. Repeat your experiment until you are comfortable with the results under varying conditions. * Don't under-estimate qualitative or unexpected results: Look for changes outside your test parameters that may result from your experiment. Maybe you've introduced a new legume for grazing, but then find your soil organic matter has increased. * Manage your time wisely: Expect to devote extra time to your research during busy harvest seasons. Make sure you can carry out your experiment even though you are busy, or get extra help. Four Year Vegetable Rotation Proves Sustainable When the 1990 Farm Bill required that each farmer design a conservation plan, Pennsylvania grower Allen Matthews found himself looking at a seven- year rotation of vegetables, small grains and hay. USDA recommended that rotation, in 80-feet-wide contour strips, on his steeply sloped 150-acre farm near Pittsburgh. The plan didn't sit well with Matthews. He received a SARE grant to test whether growing three years of vegetables--peppers, pumpkins and sweet corn intercropped with cover crops--followed by a year of clover, would control erosion as well, or better. He knew growing higher-value vegetable crops more frequently would earn greater profit than growing vegetables, corn, a small grain and three years of hay, but he wanted to measure how much. "The seven-year rotation would have allowed us to grow vegetables only once every seven years, and we're a vegetable farm!" he says. "What led us into on-farm research was practicality: We wanted to keep our farm operating." With help from his local soil conservation district and NRCS field staff, Matthews created a five-acre test on his hillside. On half of the slope, he grew 80-feet-wide strips of the crops designated in the seven-year plan. On the other, he grew vegetables in narrow rows interseeded with three types of clover. To measure soil loss, they dug diversion ditches midway down the slope and at the bottom. The ditches caught soil and collected runoff on Matthews' 15- percent grade. The findings were significant. Matthews' soil loss measured just 10 percent of what NRCS deemed allowable. "We demonstrated that by doing alternative practices, we could still use the four-year rotation," he says. Matthews plants peppers in close-together double rows, then seeds clover between as a living mulch. Not only does the clover blanket the soil and reduce erosion, but it shades out weeds and fixes nitrogen. After harvesting, Matthews overseeds clover, then allows the field to remain in the cover crop for the subsequent year. Then he plants sweet corn. After keeping records of labor and input costs, Matthews discovered he earned $848 per acre more in the "sustainable" plots, which, when multiplied by the 2.5-acre test plot over five seasons, totaled $10,000. "It really clarified the profit per acre for different crops," he says. "After our records showed us how intense [the labor requirements are for] sweet corn compared to pumpkins and peppers, we tripled our pumpkin acreage." Matthews also credits the research project with pushing him toward direct- marketing his produce. Assembling records of costs and returns pointed out how little he earned in the wholesale market. "We'd drive three hours, round- trip praying they'd buy something so we'd get something out of it," he recalls. Today, he retails most of his crops at Pittsburgh-area farmers markets, restaurants and grocery stores. (The full bulletin can be found at: http://www.sare.org/san/onfarm99/index.htm or available by calling 301-504- 6422.) Free-Range Poultry Production and Direct Marketing Workshop March 31, 2000 At the Newman Center, Columbia, MO The workshop will feature the Modern American Free-Range Production System for chickens and turkeys developed and presented by Herman Beck-Chenoweth at the Resilience Locust Grove Research Farm in Ohio. Thirty-five workshop participants will receive the Free-Range Poultry Production and Marketing manual and a companion video free. Also, three people will receive a scholarship to attend a hands-on workshop in spring 2000 to the Beck- Chenoweth farm in Ohio. Make sure to join us for the Missouri Organic Association's Annual Conference the next day, April 1st at the same location! Cost: $15.00 includes lunch and local foods reception. Make checks payable to: University of Missouri and mail to 531 Clark Hall, Columbia, MO 65211. Deadline for registration is March 27th. For more information, call the Missouri Alternatives Center at 1-800-433-3704. Sponsored by: Missouri Alternatives Center; Missouri Organic Association; Sustainable Agriculture Extension Program, University of Missouri/Lincoln University; North Central Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Marketing Outreach Workshop April 11-13, 2000 At the Agricenter, Memphis, TN This marketing workshop is a joint effort with Southern University and A&M College, Baton Rouge, LA. USDA and Southern University staffs are working together to develop a hands-on workshop to help limited resource farmers maximize their economic potential through alternative crop selection, efficient production techniques, and innovative marketing methods. It will give producers hands-on experience in developing effective marketing plans, and producing and marketing quality products. Product quality demonstrations on livestock (beef, goats, hogs, and poultry) will be conducted during the workshop. Our target audience is limited resource farmers in AL, AR, KY, LA, MS, MO, and TN. For more info call 225-771-3660 or visit the website at: http://marketingoutreach.usda.gov/info/index.htm Sessions include: Enhancing Product Marketability 1. The Marketability of Products 2. Grade Standards for Livestock 3. Enhancing Agronomic Crops 4. Enhancing Livestock Quality 5. Grade Standards: Vegetables and Agronomic Crops 6. Enhancing Vegetables Quality 7. Surviving in a HACCP World 8. Enhancing Fruit Quality Farm Management to Enhance Marketability 1. Farm Policies/Programs 2. Developing a Farm Management Plan 3. Minimizing Your Losses/Risk Management 4. Cooperatives/Boards 5. Financing Your Operation 6. Developing a Marketing Plan 7. Contracting Product Quality Demonstrations (Outdoor Labs) 1. Understanding Your Soils. 2. Integrated Pest Management 3. Tillage Practices 4. Irrigation 5. Vegetables 6. Trees/Agroforestry 7. Livestock I (beef cattle, swine, goats) Product and Marketing Diversification 1. Selling at Farmers' Market/Direct Marketing 2. Timber: An Untapped Resource 3. Organic Farming: A Growers View 4. Building Markets for Specialty Commodities 5. Access to Export Markets 6. Small Farm School Lunch Initiative 7. SARE Program 8. Pastured Poultry 9. Greenhouses *** In the News *** Food products can be labeled "certified organic" on the front of the package only if 95 percent or more of the ingredients have been organically grown. If at least 50 percent of the product's ingredients are organic, then its label may show "made with organic ingredients." If less than 50 percent of the ingredients are organic, the word "organic" cannot appear on the front of the package, but the individual organic ingredients may be named as such on the ingredient list. (Organic Gardening, Nov/Dec 1999) Taken from Nov/Dec Organic Gardening "Gardener to Gardener" section - We needed a small, inexpensive greenhouse, and my wife suggested using an old children's swing set our neighbors had given to us. (You can often find these swings at garage sales for give-away prices.) I removed the swings and wrapped the frame with 6-mil clear plastic. I made clamps from 4" lengths of plastic pipe to hold the clear plastic in place and I put direct around the bottom edges of the frame to keep out the cold air. On one end I installed a zippered door, cut from an old dome tent we had used for covering plants on frosty nights. Ferry-Morse Seed Company will be launching its Source of Nature line of certified organic vegetable, flower and herb seeds this spring in most garden stores. All 80 varieties in the new line are open-pollinated which means in most cases you can save seed from your crops to plant the next season. You can also order seeds on-line at: www.ferry-morse.com (Organic Gardening, Jan/Feb 2000) On Dec 6, 1999 Secretary Glickman named 19 members to serve on the USDA Advisory Committee on Small Farms. The committee, authorized for two years, will review USDA programs and strategies to implement small farm policy and advise the Secretary on approaches to improve the department programs. Gene Garrett from the University of Missouri will represent Missouri. Gene is Director for the Center for Agroforestry. (CSAS Newsletter, January 2000) The Fund for Rural America was revived last month with $60 million in funding from the USDA, to be spent for research and economic development. Of the $60 million, $45 million will fund programs that had been previously cut by budget measures, and research centers that had already been designated before funding was deleted in 1998. The remaining $15 million will fund existing backlogged projects that were in the pipeline two years ago. USDA also awarded $120 million to the new Initiative for Future Agriculture and Food Systems, which will fund competitive research, education, and extension grants that will focus on production agriculture, natural resource management, farm efficiency, and profitability, emphasizing family farms. (Alternative Agriculture News February 2000) Last month USDA received poor grades on the second annual report card from the Time to Act Campaign, formed to promote the recommendations of the National Commission on Small Farms and made up of people who are Commission members. The report card measures USDA progress during the past year in implementing the recommendations. According to Chuck Hassebrook of the Center for Rural Affairs and a Commission member, the Campaign gave the agency a "D" on ensuring fair market access to family farmers. Other grades were: Beginning Farmers B-; Civil Rights D; Conservation C; Credit C; Farm Workers D-; Market Development B+; Research and Extension C-; Outreach and Organization C; and Risk Management C+. For a copy of the report, contact Marie Powell at the Center for Rural Affairs, (402) 846-5428, or visit the Center's Web site at www.cfra.org. (Alternative Agriculture News February 2000) A Community Supported Agriculture mailing list has been started courtesy of UNC MetaLab's Lyris server. The market-farming list may also be of interest to many of you; information about it, this list and other agriculture and permaculture forums can be found at http://metalab.unc.edu/intergarden. The Organic Materials Review Institute has made available its "Brand Name Product List," which represents OMRI's recommendations and opinions regarding the acceptability or unacceptability of products used in organic production, processing, and handling. Manufacturers may apply to have their brand name products reviewed by OMRI's technical staff, after which a review panel of experts votes on the product's status. Also available are 16 Technical Advisory Panel reviews that were conducted for the U.S. National Organic Standards Board, against criteria approved by the NOSB. The Brand Name Product List and the reviews are available on the Internet at www.omri.org. The USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program in the North Central Region will award its ninth round of innovative producer grants in 2000. Farmers and ranchers can apply for $5,000 to $15,000 to conduct research or education/demonstration projects that further the goals of sustainable agriculture. Applications were available Feb 1st and due April 28. Up to $5,000 are available for individual producers and up to $15,000 for groups of three or more producers investigating any sustainable practice or concept. Part of the grant funds will be earmarked for special marketing and agroforestry projects in cooperation with the National Agroforestry Center and the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service. Funding decisions will be made in late-June 2000. Funds will be available in mid- fall for the 2001 crop production season. Call 402-472-7081 or send e-mail to ncrsare@unl.edu for an application. You can also find the application at www.sare.org/ncrsare. Contact Ken Schneider, 402-472-0809, kschneider1@unl.edu. *** In Print *** *European Market for Organic Products: Economics and Policy* is described, with ordering information, on the Internet at www.uni-hohenheim.de/~i410a/ofeurope/ *Greenbook '99: A Decade of Tools* available from MN Dept of Ag, Energy and Sustainable Agriculture Program, 90 West Plato Blvd, St Paul, MN 55107, 651- 296-7673. *Reap New Profits: Marketing Strategies for Farmers and Ranchers* Free. 20- page bulletin from USDA's Sustainable Agriculture Network offers tips on how to get started in alternative marketing, with examples of people using such strategies in the field. Describes how to start farmers markets, establish pick-your-own operations and farm stands, begin entertainment farming, open a CSA, join or start a cooperative, sell to restaurants or through mail order and the Internet. Describes ways to direct-market meat and process and add value to farm products. Call 301-504-6422, email aadeyemi@nal.usda.gov, or print from http://www.sare.org/san/market99/index.htm. *Expanding the Organic Food and Agriculture System in the US's Upper Midwest: Strategies and Lessons of a Pilot Project* $10. South Dakota State University, Economics Dept, Brookings, SD 57005-0895, 605-688-4141. Information on the recent FDA hearings on biotechnology are at the Ag BioTech InfoNet website, http://www.biotech-info.net/policy.html. *Pastures for Profit: A Guide for Rotational Grazing* Available from the Univ of MN Distribution Center, 800-876-8636. *Around the World at Farmers' Market: A Guide for Small-Scale Commercial Grower-Vendors of Ethnic and Heirloom Vegetables, Fruits and Herbs* complete production and marketing book on ethnic and heirloom produce. Available from Hagoth Press, Rt 1, Box 263, Kirksville MO 63501-9734, $30.00. *Organic Dairy Farming* discusses cropping systems, rotational grazing, marketing, and certification. Available from Community Conservation Consultants, Rt 1, Box 96, Gays Mill WI 54631, 608-735-4717, ccc@mwt.net, $8.00. *Farm Appliances and How to Make Them* Reprinted from 1887, with lots of practical homemade items for use around the farm and home. Available from Lyons Press, 123 W 18th St, New York, NY 10011. *** On the Calendar *** March 1-An Evening with AgriMissouri, Jefferson City, MO. Call 888-MO-BRAND. March 3-4-Tree Farm Stewardship Day, Columbia, MO. Call 573-634-3252. March 3-5-MO Association of Meat Processors Annual Conference, Columbia, MO. Call 660-827-0005. March 5-Southwest Missouri Spring Horticulture Conference, Mountain Grove, MO. Call 417-926-4105. March 16-18-Upper Midwest Organic Farming Conference, LaCrosse, WI. Call 715-772-6819. March 17-AgriExpo 2000-Pre-Conference Workshop: Cooperative Development, Jefferson City, MO. Call 573-882-1150. March 18-AgriExpo 2000-Guiding Entrepreneurs to Success-2nd Annual Value Added Agriculture Conference, Jefferson City, MO. Call 753-882-1150. March 25-Farm Family 2000 Direct Marketing and Enterprise Diversification, Silex, MO. Call 573-485-7261. March 25-Southwest MO Spring Horticulture Conference, SMSU State Fruit Experiment Station, Mountain Grove, MO. Call 417-926-4105. March 31-Free Range Poultry Production and Direct Marketing Workshop, Columbia, MO. Call 800-433-3704. April 1-MO Organic Association Annual Conference, Columbia, MO. Call 800- 433-3704. April 6-7-American Black Walnut Nut Production Conference, Springfield, MO. Call 417-276-6010. April 11-13-Marketing Outreach Workshop, Memphis, TN. Call 225-771-3660. May 20-Fiber Fair, Marshfield, MO. Call Gladys Gaeke, 417-589-2914. June 8-10-MO Forest Products Association Spring Technical Session, St Louis, MO. Call 573-634-3252. June 11-15-MO Agribusiness Academy, St Louis, MO. Call 573-751-5618. June 13-15-Grant Writing Workshop I, Springfield, MO. Call Southwest RC&D, 417-732-6485. July 11-13-Grant Writing Workshop II, Springfield, MO. Call Southwest RC&D, 417-732-6485. Aug 8-10-Grant Writing Workshop III, Springfield, MO. Call Southwest RC&D, 417-732-6485. Aug 28-29-Alternative Agriculture Expo, Sioux City, IA. Call 712-546-8858. University Outreach and Extension does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability or status as a Vietnam-era veteran in employment or programs.