Nov 20, 2000

Training will address
on-farm experiments

To help farmers tailor the best sustainable agricultural practices for their farms' unique circumstances, North Carolina State University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences has launched an equally unique training program.

The two-track course -- held both in the classroom and literally in the field -- teaches growers and North Carolina Cooperative Extension agents to cooperatively plan, design and implement scientifically valid on-farm experiments in sustainable agriculture, says Dr. Keith Baldwin, Extension horticultural specialist at N.C. State.

Sustainable agriculture is an integrated system of plant and animal production practices that are ecologically sound, economically viable and socially responsible. The idea behind the experiments, targeted for the 2001 growing season, is to make scientifically valid comparisons of various sustainable agricultural practices, Baldwin says.

Following the course's academic portion this autumn -- Training in Alternative Research Strategies for Sustainable Farming Systems -- grower-and-Extension agent teams will conduct on-site experiments this winter on growers' farms in the mountains, Piedmont and coastal plain.

Three regional meetings to be held in December and January -- "Planning an On-Farm Research Project" -- are the first of three regional training workshops for interested growers. Growers can attend these first meetings without their Extension agents, Baldwin says.

The second set of these regional meetings for agents and growers will be held next spring and the third, next fall. Course participants also will conduct field days and demonstrations to train other farmers to conduct their own experiments.

"The course sessions are practical, focused on getting an on-farm experiment in the ground," Baldwin says, "and the interpretation of the collected data gets special attention."

North Carolina, among the nation's most agriculturally and geographically diverse states, grows more than 70 commodities across widely varying climates and soils. That diversity means that no universal solutions apply to production problems that cut into a farmer's profits, Baldwin says.

"The folks who traditionally set up research studies and on-farm trials can't be everywhere in the state," he says. "Nor can they answer all the pressing questions unique to the individual counties and regions. "But with proper training, farmers can work with their county Extension agent to conduct an on-farm test that helps accurately identify useful cropping strategies that can lower production costs."

The course is sponsored by competitive grants from the Southern Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Established in 1988, SARE has funded nearly 1,200 projects to promote research and education about sustainable agriculture by examining how to improve agricultural profitability, protect natural resources and foster more viable rural communities.

To learn more, contact Baldwin at 919.515.1199 or keith_baldwin@ncsu.edu.

--A. Latham