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The New Growers’ Guide to Producing Organic Food-Grade Grains in The Upper Midwest
This guide is intended for farmers interested in adding food-grade grains to their rotations, whether they are new to farming, or interested in incorporating these grains into an existing commodity grain, diversified vegetable, or livestock operation.
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 […]
From the Earth: Advancing Food Sovereignty with the Stockbridge-Munsee Community
With their From the Earth project, Tribal growers and educators with the Stockbridge-Munsee Community are increasing access to traditional foods using sustainable growing methods.
Generating Income from Pollinator Habitat on an Urban Farm
Mark Brannen of Benson Bounty in Omaha, Neb., used a SARE Farmer Rancher grant to establish native plant habitat on his 0.75-acre urban farm and assess what revenue stream he could get by selling cut flowers.
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.
Improving Honeybee Queen Quality and Diversity in Ohio
Hongmei Li-Byarlay is working to improve the quality and quantity of queen bee production in Ohio.
High-Efficiency, Year-Round Tropical Greenhouse in South Dakota
In Aurora, South Dakota, Shannon Mutschelknaus received SARE support to compare the various features of multiple passive solar greenhouse designs.
Prairie Strips as a Farmland Conservation Practice
Farmers and researchers in Iowa have been planting prairie strips in their crop fields to help reduce surface runoff.
Kansas Farmer Tests Heirloom Corn Varieties
Pantaleon Florez studied no-till growing methods of non-GMO, heirloom dent corn at Maseualkaulli Farm in Lawrence, Kansas.
High Tunnel Cucumber Production Guide
This cucumber production guide provides resources and recommendations tailored to the distinctive growing environment of high tunnels.
Producing Quinoa in North Dakota
Two North Dakota producers looked at quinoa production and marketing in North Dakota.
Cottage Food: Launch a Bakery from Your Farm Kitchen
A farmer-led team in Wisconsin created resources to help farmers diversify their income by selling baked goods.
Using Cover Crops to Reduce Plasticulture
Dana and Karin Jokela are working to reduce their use of plasticulture with cover crops.
Spring-Grazing Cover Crops with Nebraska’s Knuth Farms
When a fourth-generation farm in Mead, Nebraska began to diversify their primarily cash crop operation in 2012, they gave some thought to cover crops and livestock. Knuth Farms didn’t want to buy cattle or become beef producers, but they did want to diversify their income stream, capture some of the soil benefits of cover crops, […]
Illinois Farmer Builds Precision Seeder to Maximize Cover Crop Advantage
Ralph “Junior” Upton is no novice when it comes to no-till and cover crops. His grain farm in the northeast corner of Hamilton county Illinois is 100% no-till with 1,800 acres of corn, beans, and wheat, and approximately 1,200 acres in cover crops. Upton has been farming more than 50 years, and the farm has […]
Traditional Fertilizer, Modern Applications for Iroquois White Corn
Farmers have long relied on liquid fish fertilizers because they are a source burn-free nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Traditional Native American growers were well aware of the benefits that decaying fish could bring to their soil; they buried fish under mounded soil and planted the 3 Sisters (corn, beans, and squash) directly on top of […]
Selecting a New Array of Crisp Apples for Increased Consumer Demand and Grower Profit
Apples are the most consumed fruit in the U.S. The United States has 7,500 apple producers who grow, on average, 240 million bushels of apples each year. These producers grow the apples on an approximated 322 thousand acres of land (U.S. Apple Association, 2018). Two of those apple producers are Steven and Connie Doud, who own […]
Maximizing Pollinator Protection and Natural Pest Suppression in Minnesota Fruit and Vegetable Crops
Eric Middleton knows that beneficial insects can provide ecosystem services to agriculture, ranging from pollination to pest suppression. As a graduate student at the University of Minnesota, Middleton received a $12,000 NCR-SARE Graduate Student grant to compare how floral plantings in the margins of conventionally managed potato fields affect pollinator and predator abundance and richness, as […]
Developing a Method to Capture and Authenticate Single Varietal Honey on Diverse Landscapes
Between April and May the apple orchards and fields at Curtis Orchard and Pumpkin Patch in Champaign, Illinois boast plenty of blossoms for hungry pollinators. Curtis is part of an Illinois centennial farm, founded in 1873, offering apples, pumpkins, honey, and a variety of agritourism adventures. All fun aside, they’re quite serious about sustaining their […]