www.sare.org resources a-farmers-guide-to-crop-quality-for-wholesale-outlets A Farmer's Guide to Crop Quality for Wholesale Outlets This 20-page guide aims to support beginning farmers looking to improve quality and consistency of farm produce in order to expand sales to include wholesale accounts. Focused on tomatoes, cucurbits and greens, the guide includes photos of good and poor crop quality, as well as best practices for post-harvest handling techniques that will enhance crop […]
www.sare.org resources is-fish-waste-compost-worth-the-mess-and-effort Is Fish Waste Compost Worth the Mess and Effort? Dale Snyder with Sweetgrass Garden Co-op in South Carolina discusses the results of using fish waste compost on vegetables. Based on the data from the one-year Southern SARE-funded study, fish waste compost aided in disease resistance in tomatoes and boosted yields in cucumbers. Want more information? See the related SARE grant (FS11-257), Is Fish […]
www.sare.org resources farmdata FARMDATA FARMDATA is an online database system for inputting and reporting crop production records, particularly for organic vegetable growers. This system includes production records such as seeding, transplanting, harvest, cover crop, compost, fertilization, irrigation, pest scouting, spray activities, packing and distribution records and customer invoicing. The FARMDATA portal, accessible by both smartphone and desktop computer, uses […]
www.sare.org resources farm-food-safety Farm Food Safety Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) are measures that can be taken by farmers to prevent microbial contamination of fruits and vegetables as they are produced, packed, handled and stored. And since some wholesale buyers require farmers to be USDA certified as GAPs compliant, Penn State University developed the Farm Food Safety Website to provide growers with […]
www.sare.org resources expanding-winter-harvest-and-sales-for-new-england-vegetable-crops Expanding Winter Harvest and Sales for New England Vegetable Crops The Winter Production, Storage and Sales website is maintained through a partnership of the UMass Extension Vegetable Program, the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension and two local food organizations, Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA) in western MA and Seacoast Eat Local (SEL) in eastern NH. This project addresses the need for expanding winter […]
www.sare.org resources organic-seed-soils-and-sustainable-business Organic Seed, Soils and Sustainable Business This project provided agricultural professionals with more knowledge of organic seed, soil management and sustainable business practices. From the trainings, a webinar and tutorial were developed. Webinar participants can expect to learn about the Organic Seed Production tutorials and how to most effectively access in-depth organic seed production information available. The Organic Seed Production Tutorial […]
www.sare.org resources grafting-for-disease-management-in-organic-tomato-production Grafting for Disease Management in Organic Tomato Production Come learn about tomato grafting and how it can be utilized to manage diseases in organic open-field and high tunnel systems. Frank Louws of North Carolina State University and Cary Rivard of Kansas State University will provide information regarding rootstock selection as well as the grafting procedure itself. The webinar will be recorded and will […]
www.sare.org resources walk-in-coolers-for-winter-storage Walk-In Coolers for Winter Storage Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA) checked in with some experts—farmers and engineers—to develop resources for farmers interested in on-farm winter storage options, available for free download here. Each resource offers a case study for a specific facility design, and both outline the following considerations for a winter storage facility: Crop Considerations Storage Facility Layout […]
www.sare.org resources video-series-efficient-and-safe-food-handling-processes Video Series: Efficient and Safe Food Handling Processes These videos include simple, low-cost techniques that help farms reduce labor needs and expenses during harvest, wash and pack. The videos were produced through a 2010 SARE grant that reviewed produce handling and food safety protocols on 10 case study farms, and identified shared techniques that proved to be efficient and effective. Links to […]
www.sare.org resources organic-broccoli-production-manual Organic Broccoli Production Manual Each summer, the Twin Cities experiences a shortage of locally grown, organic broccoli. So a team of local, organically-certified farmers worked to scale up organic broccoli production to meet the needs of wholesale accounts in the region. This guide provides steps that the Twin Cities farmers took in an attempt to scale up organic broccoli […]