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Crop Production

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Beekeeping in Northern Climates Manual and Workbook

The "Beekeeping in Northern Climates" Manual and Workbook are companion resources created by the University of Minnesota's Bee Lab to help beekeepers understand and apply region-specific best practices. Beekeeping in Northern Climates Manual The third edition of "Beekeeping in Northern Climates Manual" is a guide from the University of Minnesota Bee Lab for both new and experienced […]

Blooms for Mason Bees

With support from SARE, the Osmia Bee Company in Ohio is designing a seed mix to support springtime pollinators — particularly mason bees. They developed a guide with the intention that the information could be used as a starting point and adapted for other field trials. This project leverages the rich collaborative network maintained by […]

Pollinator-Friendly Cover Cropping for Vegetable Producers in the Upper Midwest

Growers are increasingly interested in adding cover crops to rotations to improve soil health, break disease cycles, and provide ecosystem services. In addition to these benefits, cover crops present an opportunity to add crucial floral resources and habitat for pollinators and other beneficial insects on the farm. However, identifying appropriate cover crop species and management […]

The Fruit and Nut Compass

The Fruit and Nut Compass is a farm business planning tool to help both new and experienced producers project the financial costs and returns from an enterprise focused on perennial crops.

Cover Crop Termination

Farmers use cover crops to slow erosion, improve soil health, enhance water availability, smother weeds, help control pests and diseases, and increase biodiversity on their farms. Although cover crops can be partially grazed or used as forage, they are usually terminated before planting production crops. While row crop producers tend to prefer using herbicides to terminate, most vegetable/horticulture crop producers employ tillage as their primary means of termination. Some organic no-till producers use roller-crimpers to kill the cover crop and leave the mulch on the soil surface to conserve water. NCR-SARE has supported various research projects that have explored the advantages and limits of various cover crop termination strategies.

Elderberries

As opportunities have emerged to increase both the production and processing of elderberries across the value chain, the historically medicinal plant is gaining popularity among farmers. With the resurgence of elderberry cultivation in the North Central region and the rest of the United States, NCR-SARE has funded a variety of projects featuring elderberries.

Spring Wild Bees of Wisconsin Online Identification Guide

The Spring Wild Bees of Wisconsin online guide is designed to help users identify wild bees commonly found in Wisconsin in the spring and early summer by their color, shape, size, and habitat. Users can learn to distinguish among different types of bees and learn about the important roles they play in nature and agriculture.

Cover Crops

Cover crops can slow erosion, improve soil, smother weeds, enhance nutrient and moisture availability, help control many pests, and bring a host of other benefits to farms across the country. NCR-SARE has supported projects by researchers, producers, and educators who are using this time-tested method of revitalizing soil, curbing erosion, and managing pests.

Training Manual for Applied Agroforestry Practices

The Training Manual for Applied Agroforestry Practices helps to explain agroforestry practices and their applications. It is designed for natural resources professionals and landowners, and includes worksheets and exercises for use as an educational tool. Additionally, the manual is designed to assist in the decision process so that, when established or managed, the agroforestry practice is most effective at achieving the desired objectives.

Handbook for Agroforestry Planning and Design

The steps provided in the Handbook for Agroforestry Planning and Design will allow you to identify what agroforestry products can grow on your land, which of these products you can sell profitably, and how to develop basic business and marketing strategies. 

Soil Health

Healthy soil is essential for maintaining efficient growth, fertility, and water quality in crop production. SARE has supported advances by producers, researchers, and educators as they examine the on-farm benefits of using cover crops, crop rotation, manure amendments, composting, and more.

Women Caring for the Land: Cover Crops Booklet

Women landowners say that they want their family farms to remain healthy and productive for future generations. But many feel they don't have all the information they need to protect their land. This booklet introduces cover crops as an option, one of the simplest techniques to try with the most visible benefits. 

Women Caring for the Land: Improving Conservation Outreach to Female Non-Operator Farmland Owners Curriculum Manual

With the help of an NCR-SARE Research and Education Grant and funding from other sources, WFAN developed an award winning curriculum called Women Caring for the LandSM (WCL), which is designed to serve female non-operator landowners who are interested in learning more about conservation and other land management topics. The materials are also appropriate to teach youth about sustainable agriculture through hands-on conservation activity lesson plans.

Agroforestry

Agroforestry practices can help landowners diversify products and markets, boost farm income, improve soil and water quality, and reduce erosion, non-point source pollution, and flood damage. NCR-SARE values the integrated practices of agroforestry and has funded grants that have enhanced wildlife habitat and improved biodiversity while sustaining land resources for generations to come.