Archives: State Profiles

Project Highlight: Nebraska Ranch Enhances Winter Livestock Feeding with Fodder System

Bill and Rebecca Alward of Little Mountain Ranch and Garden LLC in southeastern Nebraska are reevaluating their approach to feeding livestock through the winter. With help from a $14,307 NCR-SARE Farmer Rancher grant, they set up a small-scale fodder system to grow fresh, nutrient-rich feed on-site. Designed to cut winter feed costs and boost the quality of nutrition for their hogs and cattle, the system offers a low-cost, high-impact way to keep animals healthy when pasture isn't an option.

The Alwards operate a diversified farm on 16.5 acres, producing forest-raised pork, grassfed beef, lamb, pastured poultry, eggs, mushrooms, and vegetables. They began winter farrowing hogs in 2020 and wintering cattle in 2020. Facing rising costs for grain and hay, they sought a more sustainable winter feed solution.​

The Alwards installed a heated indoor fodder system to sprout grains like wheat, rye, and triticale. They found that a 50-pound bag of seed yielded approximately 180 pounds of nutrient-dense fodder, providing a cost-effective supplement to their livestock's winter diet.​ The system requires approximately one hour of labor per day and occupies less storage space than traditional hay bales, making it suitable for small-scale operations.​

Wheat and rye were found to be the most effective grains for fodder production, offering high germination rates, yield, and palatability for both hogs and cattle.​ Prior to the fodder system, cattle were fed alfalfa hay at $8 per 50-pound bale. With the fodder system, weekly supplementation costs increased to $102, including $28 for alfalfa and $73.50 for fodder. However, the daily inclusion of fodder improved feed efficiency and reduced hay consumption.

For more information on this project, see sare.org/projects, and search for project number FNC22-1317.

Project Highlight: Hybrid Tractor Combines Efficiency and Reliability

Robert Braun of Pigeon River Farm in Clintonville, Wisconsin, is putting a modern twist on classic farm equipment. With a $14,957 NCR-SARE Farmer Rancher grant, Braun and collaborator Brian Buckta developed a hybrid dual-fuel Farmall M tractor that combines the fuel savings of electric power with the reliability of gasoline. They outfitted it with a Warp 9 electric motor, 144-volt industrial batteries, a custom speed governor, dual-belt pulley system, and real-time performance sensors.

Early tests have shown promising results. For example, fence trimming costs just $0.90 per session using grid power—compared to $9.00 for gasoline—with even greater savings when using solar energy. The hybrid system also handles heavier tasks, such as raking hay, with reduced operational costs and increased efficiency. Additionally, the electric-powered tractor operates more quietly than a standard Farmall M. ​

“The journey through this SARE grant project has been enlightening and transformative for our farm operation,” said Braun. “These learnings are not just pivotal for our operation but also hold valuable insight for the broader farming community, emphasizing the role of grants like SARE in fostering innovation and collective growth in sustainable agriculture.” 

For more information on this project, see sare.org/projects, and search for project number FNC23-1363.

Project Highlight: High-Efficiency, Year-Round, Tropical Greenhouse

In South Dakota, soybeans, corn, wheat, sunflowers, and alfalfa come to mind when considering the state's number one industry: agriculture. However, at Wayward Springs Acres in Aurora, farmer and mechanical engineer Shannon Mutschelknaus is taking a different route—one that combines engineering with horticultural passion to cultivate exotic, tropical crops far from their native climates.

As a child, Mutschelknaus was fascinated by plants and began collecting seeds, experimenting with the growth of tropical and subtropical trees. Over the years, he successfully propagated rare species like soursop, mamey, Garcinia humilis, cherimoya, Monstera deliciosa, and passion fruit. Realizing the strong demand for tropical fruit trees—often in short supply due to hurricane damage—he saw an opportunity to scale up his efforts with support from an NCR-SARE Farmer Rancher grant.

With that support, Mutschelknaus designed and built a high-efficiency greenhouse featuring an insulated rear wall, passive solar heat, and an in-ground “climate battery” system. This innovative setup utilizes underground tubing to store and redistribute heat, maintaining a consistent temperature in the greenhouse throughout the day and night, regardless of the weather conditions in South Dakota. Today, he’s not only growing leafy greens and tomatoes, but also rare fruits like loquats and cherimoya, offering a glimpse into what’s possible with creativity and innovation. His greenhouse plans, complete with clear visuals and easy-to-follow instructions, are now available to help other growers explore this unique approach.

View Wayward Spring's greenhouse plans and instructional videos at sare.org/projects; search for project number FNC19-1185. 

Project Highlight: ​Glass Rooster Cannery Boosts Local Food Systems in Ohi​o

Jeanine Seabrook of Glass Rooster Cannery in Sunbury, Ohio, has turned surplus produce into a thriving business, thanks to two NCR-SARE Farmer Rancher grants. The first grant helped her purchase a 40-gallon steam jacket kettle, enabling her to process 12,000 pounds of produce and create 8,000 jars in the first season. With the second grant, she added a climate-controlled holding area and additional equipment, which boosted her capacity to process over 30,000 pounds of produce by the 2021 season and expanded her line of value-added products, including jams, pickles, and sauces.

Through these projects, Glass Rooster has provided local farmers with a new revenue stream by turning unsellable produce into shelf-stable goods, reducing waste, and extending income during the off-season. Each jar generates between $1 and $3 for both the cannery and its partners. The program's success has led to increased demand, prompting Seabrook to consider further expansion.

Seabrook's efforts have not only bolstered local economies but also fostered community connections. The cannery provides processing services to farmers, offers home canning classes, and hosts agritourism events, thereby promoting sustainable agriculture and preserving traditional food processing skills.

"SARE grants have helped our viability as a business and demonstrated that small businesses can make a positive impact on the environment when we develop relationships with each other for the benefit of all," said Seabrook. "We hope to inspire others to develop similar local hubs, duplicating our efforts around the state and beyond."

For more information on this project, see sare.org/projects, and search for project numbers FNC16-1056 and FNC21-1304.

Project Highlight: Bale Grazing for Soil Health

When siblings Erin and Drew Gaugler, who grew up on a farm, decided to turn to agriculture full time as adults, they found themselves ranching on land in North Dakota severely degraded from years of mismanagement by previous occupants. Farming and overgrazing had left the soil with low fertility and susceptible to wind and water erosion.

The Gauglers began to rejuvenate the land with cover crops and intensive rotational grazing. They also became interested in bale grazing, or the practice of leaving hay bales in fields during the winter for livestock to graze. University research has shown that bale grazing can increase soil health and reduce winter feeding costs, but the Gauglers couldn’t find good examples of how to bale graze on a working ranch, giving them little guidance on moving forward.

Supported by a SARE Farmer/Rancher grant, the Gauglers set up and monitored a system that involved planting multi-species cover crops and grazing them in the fall, then putting out bales for livestock to graze over the winter. They used permanent and temporary fencing to rotate the animals and control their access to the hay. Bales were placed in areas that had especially low levels of organic matter. The Gauglers took soil samples and tracked body condition scores.

While some of their work is ongoing, the Gauglers have achieved one of their primary goals: showing themselves and their neighbors that bale grazing is viable. “Folks in the local area have asked us several questions about what we are doing with the bales, and they wonder how it works,” said Erin. “Drew and I have noticed that a handful of those same people have begun implementing bale grazing on their own operation.”

For more information on this project, see sare.org/projects, and search for project number FNC20-1218. 

Project Highlight: Saint Louis Beekeepers Set Up Queen Rearing Program

Jane Sueme and the Saint Louis Beekeepers (SLB) in Missouri advanced their local queen rearing program through a $37,675 NCR-SARE Partnership grant, aiming to provide regionally adapted, survivor-stock queens and nucleus colonies to local beekeepers. The project addressed the scarcity of locally bred queens in the Missouri and Illinois areas while promoting sustainable beekeeping practices. ​

Building on a previous NCR-SARE Farmer Rancher grant, the SLB Partnership project focused on improving queen bee production methods to meet growing demand for locally adapted stock, reduce reliance on imported queens, and increase colony survivability. Over the course of two seasons, SLB raised and distributed over 200 queens and nucs using diverse starter/finisher colony methods, refined grafting techniques, and monitored mating success across multiple apiary sites. Their work also included educational outreach, training beekeepers in queen rearing through hands-on workshops and printed resources. ​

"Being able to provide both mated queens and nucleus colonies from this survivor population, which successfully overwinters in our zone, increases the purchasing beekeepers' springtime hive strength and honey production, while decreasing the cost of stock replacement," said Sueme.

For more information on this project, see sare.org/projects, and search for project numbers FNC18-1145 and ONC22-114.

Project Highlight: Stone Creek Farm Pioneers Peach Production in Minnesota’s Cold Climate

Dan Sheild of Stone Creek Farm in central Minnesota has developed an innovative system for growing organic peaches in USDA hardiness zone 3, where winter temperatures can reach as low as -35°F. With support from an $8,840 NCR-SARE Farmer Rancher grant, Sheild constructed a 54x34-foot high tunnel equipped with light-proof silage tarps to protect peach trees from extreme cold and mitigate issues like fruit cracking and pest damage.

In 2021, Sheild grafted 14 peach cultivars onto four rootstocks and planted them in May. By fall, some trees reached heights of up to 66 inches. The following year, he applied organic foliar nutrient sprays and soil amendments to optimize tree health and growth. Sheild discovered that snow coverage significantly impacted temperature stability, with snow surrounding the high tunnel creating a temperature difference of up to 26°F between the interior and exterior.

With this growing method, Sheild reports that peach trees can produce 70 pounds of peaches per tree within 27 months. A 1,768-square-foot high tunnel housing 24 trees could generate $6,300 annually after Year 2, scaling to $50,400 per acre. Sheild's efforts have drawn over 70 farmers and agricultural professionals to field days and workshops at Stone Creek Farm, and media coverage has sparked interest in high tunnel peach production in Minnesota.

“The project was such an overwhelming success that it proved again, after eight years of growing peaches at this location, peaches can be grown as far north as central Minnesota. It’s exciting to think that we may have another fruit growing industry in the upper Midwest that has not been considered,” said Sheild. “I envision a connective association just for stonefruit growing in the near future.” 

For more information on this project, see sare.org/projects, and search for project number FNC21-1305.

Project Highlight: Innovating No-Till Planting for Small Farms

A group of Michigan farmers, led by Phillip Swartz of BeyondSustainable.Farm and Chanterelle and Sureau Vogtmann of Silverbeet Farm, has been working to develop an affordable no-till planting system for small farms. With support from a $17,965 NCR-SARE Farmer Rancher grant, they have been designing a system compatible with the BCS two-wheeled tractor to help small-scale vegetable growers adopt sustainable practices without needing expensive, large-scale equipment.

While large farms benefit from advanced machinery and smaller garden plots rely on hand tools, small farms often face challenges due to limited equipment. Their solution aims to make no-till planting more accessible and efficient for small growers, particularly for crops like tomatoes and winter squash. The team’s project focused on creating a roller-crimper and no-till planting system for small farms that integrates cover cropping.

Field trials showed that tomatoes yielded better with conventional tillage but benefited from the no-till system's ability to reduce disease pressure. Winter squash thrived with the no-till system, thanks to effective weed suppression and improved fruit quality. Soil health also improved, with organic matter increasing from 2.3% to 3.2%. The team plans to share their findings through how-to guides and fabrication plans, making their no-till system a practical option for small-scale vegetable growers.

"We believe that if a roller crimper and no-till planting system for the BCS two-wheeled tractor were readily available to small-scale vegetable growers, they would utilize those tools and there would be an increase in adoption of cover cropping and no-till practices on vegetable farms," said Swartz.

For more information on this project, see sare.org/projects, and search for project number FNC23-1397.

Project Highlight: Testing Sustainable Strawberry Production Methods in Kansas

Jonathon Conard of Tenth Street Orchard has been exploring a new approach to strawberry farming in Kansas with the help of a $5,898 NCR-SARE grant. He has been testing the combination of plasticulture and a matted-row system against traditional annual plasticulture methods.

Conrad tested a two-year strawberry production system, starting with plastic mulch in the first year and transitioning to matted rows in the second year. Within the second year, two treatments were compared: one in which all plants were retained with runners removed (crown treatment) and another in which plants were alternately removed, allowing runners to fill in (runner treatment). The study found that the crown treatment yielded the highest overall production and berry size. Soil organic matter remained consistent across treatments, and soil respiration and health scores improved over time, with the annual treatment showing the highest soil respiration by the end of the project.​

Conrad says the combination production method could be beneficial for growers, especially during poor growing seasons, as it allows for recouping some investment in the second year. However, this method requires additional labor for summer weeding and row maintenance. The project also highlighted that strawberry varieties vary in their runner production, which can impact the effectiveness of the runner treatment. To manage exposed soil in areas with slow runner establishment, adding a light layer of straw mulch or delaying the removal of plastic mulch until later in the summer may help suppress weeds and reduce labor costs.

"The grant has been a learning experience that has had a positive impact on our operation.  The data that has been collected has been useful to determine how our management practices are impacting soil health," said Conard.

For more information on this project, see sare.org/projects, and search for project number FNC21-1264.

Project Highlight: Iowa Farmer Promotes Cover Crops Adoption

Bob Recker, of Cedar Valley Innovation LLC in Iowa, received a $28,870 SARE Farmer Rancher grant in 2022 to encourage local farmers to use cover crops and improve soil health. Building on his past work with wide-row corn and cover crops, Recker’s project focused on real-world, on-farm trials on grower-owned plots. By comparing traditional farming practices with new techniques, he has been demonstrating how these practices can improve water runoff, soil health, and crop yields.

Recker partnered with local farmers Michael Cook, Graham Thompson, and Loran Steinlage to implement wide-row corn plots with aggressive multi-species cover crops. His previous research had already shown a significant reduction in water runoff—by 56%—with cleaner runoff water when using 90-inch twin-row corn with cover crops. This new project expanded on those findings, testing various cover crop treatments in real-world grower fields. With the use of small equipment for quick and efficient seeding, Recker’s research demonstrated that cover crops not only reduced soil erosion but also enhanced nutrient retention and increased soil organic matter, resulting in healthier, more productive soil.

Beyond just research, Recker engaged the farming community through extensive outreach, including consultations, on-farm demonstrations, tours, webinars, and field day workshops. His efforts directly led to 10 farmers adopting new, more sustainable practices and four new collaborations between growers. Farmers who participated in the project noticed tangible benefits, such as improved soil structure that made fields easier to work with in future seasons. One grower who began using cover crops for the first time even reported improved crop yields, especially during drought conditions, showing how these practices can help farmers thrive in challenging environments.

For more information on this project, see sare.org/projects, and search for project number FNC22-1348.

Project Highlight: Bringing Burgundy Truffles to Indiana

In 2022, Mimi Kokoska of Koko Earth Farms in Parke County, Indiana, received a $15,000 NCR-SARE Farmer Rancher grant to establish a truffle-hardwood orchard. The project aimed to introduce Burgundy truffle cultivation (Tuber aestivum) to Indiana, creating a new industry while improving soil health, promoting biodiversity, and providing additional income opportunities for local farmers.

The team planted 1,334 inoculated oak trees (bur and English oaks) in a high-density, 11-foot triangular pattern, which helps encourage canopy closure conducive to truffle growth. They also focused on enhancing soil quality by applying lime and planting a custom blend of grasses, forbs, and legumes to improve soil health and provide a favorable environment for truffle production. Despite challenges like drought, wind damage, and weed management, the project successfully laid the foundation for a potential truffle industry in Indiana.

The project has engaged local farmers and agricultural professionals in the process. Over 70 farmers and 10 industry experts participated in events, resulting in four new collaborations, including an additional grant to support the orchard's growth.

"Truffles are highly prized for their umami aroma and flavor," said Kokoska. "A supply of fresh truffles would improve market opportunities, soil health, food systems and quality of life, culinary and gastronomic experiences, agroforestry and tourism in the region."

For more information on this project, see sare.org/projects and search for project number FNC22-1334.

Project Highlight: Heirloom Corn Varieties for Spirit Production

Farmers are increasingly seeking innovative ways to diversify their crops and tap into new markets, and a recent project led by farmer Will Glazik and the IDEA Farm Network in Illinois is demonstrating how heirloom corn could unlock exciting opportunities. Glazik's $17,530 NCR-SARE Farmer Rancher project explored the potential of growing heirloom corn varieties, such as Bloody Butcher, Wapsie Valley, and Hopi Blue, specifically for craft spirits production.

Using chemical analyses and blind taste testing, Glazik's project identified the distinct characteristics that each heirloom corn variety imparted to the spirits. The results showed that certain heirloom varieties had the potential to create unique flavor profiles that could differentiate small-batch distillers from mass-produced spirits. For farmers, this means new avenues for selling their crops to local distilleries that are looking to create one-of-a-kind products.

The project’s impact extends beyond just growing and distilling. By engaging local farmers and distillers through networks like the Artisan Grain Collaborative and ReGenerate Illinois, the project shared valuable insights and encouraged the adoption of heirloom corn in spirit production. Presentations at Midwest grain conferences and distillers guilds helped farmers see the potential for diversifying their crops and tapping into a growing market for locally sourced, craft spirits.

"While talking to distilleries, there is a lot of interest in the outcomes of this project," said Glazik. "Many distillers are interested in making the best whiskey possible and are wanting to purchase local grains directly from farmers." 

For more information on this project, see sare.org/projects, and search for project number FNC20-1219.