Crop Production

Sustainable Pest Management in Greenhouses and High Tunnels

From 2007 to 2009, Cornell researchers in New York used a SARE grant to study the efficacy of biological insect control in minimally heated greenhouses and high tunnels or hoop houses. This fact sheet reports the results and provides detailed advice on how growers can use natural enemies to manage insect pests in minimally heated greenhouses and unheated high tunnels.

FARMDATA

FARMDATA is an online system for tracking and reporting crop production data, particularly for organic vegetable growers. The system can be used for keeping records on seeding, transplanting, harvest, cover crops, compost, fertilization, irrigation, pest scouting and spraying activities, packing, distribution and customer invoicing. FARMDATA uses smart forms that help with calculations and remember key data.

2014 National Conference on Cover Crops and Soil Health

All session recordings and slide presentations from the National Conference on Cover Crops and Soil Health are available online. Held in 2014 in Omaha, Neb., the event brought together 300 agricultural leaders and innovators to explore how we can make American agriculture more sustainable through improved soil health. Attendees represented agricultural industry, the farm community, academia, government, commodity and conservation organizations.

Broadcast of Opening Sessions

Watch opening sessions of the conference, held on Tuesday, Feb. 18 and broadcasted live to 230 locations across the country as part of the Cover Crops and Soil Health Forums.

General (Plenary) Session Presentations

General (plenary) presentations on cover crops and soil health.

Soil Health Principles

This session covered basic principles necessary to build soil health.

Innovative Ways to Seed Cover Crops

This session featured a panel of farmers talking about their experiences with a variety of approaches to seeding and establishing cover crops.

Selecting Cover Crops

This session addressed the relative pros and cons of various cover crop species, including the less common cover crops and cover crops suited to grazing use.

Terminating Cover Crops for Maximum Benefits

Learn about the various cover crop termination strategies, including considerations for the use of herbicides, roller crimper and other termination options.

Integrating No-Till or Strip-Till with Cover Crops

Maximize soil conservation and soil health benefits of cover crops by combining this practice with no-till or strip-till systems.

Cover Crops as Part of an Overall Nutrient Management System

Learn from soil health experts about some of the latest research on impacts of cover crops on soil nutrients.

Environmental Impacts of Cover Crops

Speakers in this session discussed both local and off-site environmental impacts of using cover crops.

Grazing Cover Crops and Benefits for Livestock Operations

This session explored integrating cover crops with livestock operations.

No-Till and Cover Crop Innovations Increase Dairy Profits

Summertime for dairy farmers in New England is anything but slow. Silage corn must be planted and harvested in a short window to provide high-quality forage for cattle, leaving little time to plant cover crops to replenish the soil. Under pressure to get corn planted early, farmers may delay the first cutting of hay, sacrificing […]

Water Use Efficiency in Tomatoes

University of California at Davis graduate student Felipe Barrios-Masias and Professor Louise Jackson saw promise in alternative irrigation methods that could use less water but still produce high yields, leading to increased agricultural sustainability and efficiency. Until successfully obtaining Western SARE funds, they were finding it difficult to receive funding for the on-farm research. However, […]

On-Farm Fertigation Trials in Kansas City-Area Organic High Tunnels

Five certified organic farms in the Kansas City area did one-year comparisons of the use of compost, fertigation and foliar feeding on high tunnel tomatoes, with respect to quantity and quality of yields.

Using Low Tunnels to Extend the Growing Season for Organic Strawberries in Alabama

This project was designed to determine if the strawberry harvest season could be extended, potentially allowing farmers to get their strawberries to the market early for premium prices.

Comparing Four Ultra-Low-Cost Season Extension Structures on a Missouri Farm

This project compared winter production using four structures: EZ Build-n-Gro Cold Frames (Farmtek); cattle panel greenhouses; modified low tunnels; and standard small cold frames.

Organic Winter Production Scheduling in Unheated High Tunnels in Colorado

Colorado State University researchers and five farmers explored winter production scheduling for optimal yields of hardy organic vegetable crops in unheated high tunnels.