Fresh From the Field, April 18, 2019

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Fresh From the Field is a weekly album showcasing transformative impacts made by partners supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

Editor: Falita Liles                                                                                                 April 18, 2019


Success Stories 

k9515-1. Photo by R. R. Smith USDA ARS photo. USDA NIFA Fresh From the Field.

Over Clover

Researchers at Utah State University determined that a cover crop of clover seeded with an irrigated wheat crop outcompeted weeds and had no detrimental effect on wheat growth and development. Wheat yields were not significantly less than herbicide-alone treatments. Clover continued to grow and did not suffer from diminishing irrigation during dry down and after harvest.

Read more at the Western Integrated Pest Management 2018 Annual Report.


News Coverage

Ramps. USDA photo by Lance Cheung. USDA  NIFA Fresh From the Field.

Ramping Up for Home Harvesting

North Carolina State University Extension continued its Backyard Ramp Patch Project, giving out more than 15,000 ramp bulbs to the community to establish their own resources and lessen the impact of over harvesting native stocks. Extension agents also worked with the National Park Service to establish a new rule for members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians to harvest native greens in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

To learn more about the Backyard Ramp Patch Project, please visit the project page at NIFA’s Data Gateway


Library

Cattle in grass. USDA photo by Lance Cheung. USDA NIFA Fresh From the Field.

Bringing Independent Farmers into the Marketplace and Local Supermarkets

Access to profitable retail and wholesale markets is a challenge for small- to mid-scale family farmers. “The days of showing up with your cantaloupes in the back of the pickup are no longer a way to make a living,” said Diana Endicott of Kansas City, Missouri. “So you have to be willing to make a change.” A Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) grant helped Endicott and other area farmers launch a marketing cooperative that secured access for their all-natural beef products in 19 local supermarkets. A second SARE grant explored consumer demand for natural beef at the retail level, contributing to a 33 percent increase in sales.

This new video shows how Good Natured Family Farms has grown into a network of more than 100 farms that sells a range of products through 30 area supermarkets and generated $4.5 million in sales in 2015.

Watch the SARE video about independent farmers


Tweet of the Week

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Kansas Agrability. USDA Fresh From the Field. NIFA Impacts