Progress report for LS24-391
Project Information
The current global climate variability, increasing human population, and economic burden on producers have exacerbated the need for improvements in current agricultural practices. These improvements require a systems approach with the goal of maintaining, and preferably improving, the sustainability of current cropping systems and their economic viability under changing climatic conditions, while ensuring environmental sustainability. Cover crops have been identified as a management practice that can achieve these goals. However, cover crop adoption, even though growing, still struggles to meet ideal levels of agronomic and environmental needs partly due to a lack of site-specific management protocols and planting equipment. The proposed project will leverage existing research plots established in 2020 so that even in a span of a three-year grant, the long-term (4-7 years) effects of cover crops on soil health can still be evaluated. The proposed project will use a multidisciplinary systems approach to improve soil health parameters and cover crop adoption through research, outreach, and support for small scale farmers in the Southeastern region. This goal will be achieved by addressing the following questions: 1) how can cover crops influence soil physical and thermal properties measured in situ, 2) what soil health indicators and cash crop growth parameters can be influenced, 3) how do cover crops affect the interdependence between soil health indicators, disease incidence and pest damage, cropping systems and environmental sustainability, and economic viability of farming systems, and 4) to what extent does providing education, outreach, and support to local and small-scale farmers improve cover crop adoption? This project focusses on Southern SARE program objectives of enhancing productivity (evaluating cropping systems productivity relative to heat transport in a changing global climate, Obj. 1), enhancing stewardship (by using cover crops to improve soil health, Obj. 2), improving profitability (by evaluating the pest damage, disease incidence, and economic viability of cover crops, Obj. 3), and promoting the resilience of producers (providing education, outreach and support through a no-till seed drill to producers, Obj. 4). The proposed project is unique because it will be one of the first projects to help local farmers improve cover crop adoption through peer education involving collaborating farmers, and by making a no-till cover crop seed drill readily available for farmers to use. This project will also encourage collaboration between researchers and farmers and the participation of students in various institutions within the Southeastern region. Results of the project activities will be published in peer-reviewed journals, summaries will be made available on social media, via research and institutional websites and promoted through extension educational programs. Education and outreach efforts will lead to the development of lesson and activity plans for improving high school student interest and engagement in sustainable agriculture. This resource will be made available on institutional websites, and added to the ‘educator resources list’ on the participating state Departments of Education website.
- Investigate the influence of cover crops (3-4 mix of winter wheat, crimson clover, triticale, hairy vetch, canola (rape), radishes, turnips, and cereal rye) on in situ measured soil properties (saturated hydraulic conductivity, water content, soil water potential, soil temperature, soil thermal conductivity, and heat capacity) at 0-10, 10-20 and 20-30 cm depths (farmers will be involved with sensor installation and cover crop selection). Learning Outcome: participating farmers learn the philosophies behind research design, sensor identification and integration in research. Farmers will also learn about the mechanisms by which cover crops can help improve soil resilience under variable atmospheric conditions. Action Outcome: 12 producers (in both Tennessee and Kentucky) incorporate sensors and technology for monitoring soil properties, with the added benefit of improving precision agriculture.
- Evaluate cover crop influence on soil health indicators (e.g., soil organic carbon, soil bulk density, water retention, pore size distribution, water infiltration, soil N, pH, microbial biomass, and greenhouse gas [CO2, CH4, N2O] emissions), insect and disease incidence, and cash crop growth plant parameters (height, biomass, chlorophyll content, yield). Collaborating farmers and students will help with measurements and sample collection. Learning Outcome: participating farmers and students will learn how to evaluate various soil health indicators, in situ and ex situ, and how to use cover crops to optimize soil health indicators and crop productivity. Action Outcome: producers increase cover crop usage to reduce insect and disease incidence, and improve soil health and resilience.
- Assess the influence of cover crop management on the interdependence of soil health indicators, cropping systems and environmental sustainability, and economic viability. Learning Outcome: participating farmers, students, and collaborators will learn how to determine economic viability of cropping systems, understand how systems research is conducted and how a systems approach can help improve cropping systems and environmental sustainability. Action Outcome: researchers will develop guidelines for a systems approach to sustainable agriculture.
- Provide outreach education to local producers on the use of cover crops and a systems approach to improve soil health and cropping systems sustainability and resilience. Disseminate research results, with farmer help and input, through extension service training and materials. Support local and minority farmers through the purchase of a cover crop seed drill that will be made available to these farmers at no cost to them. Learning Outcome: 80 farmers in Tennessee and Kentucky learn to use cover crops to improve the economic productivity of their cropping systems. Action Outcome: Educators organize farmer-led field days and provide recommendations on climate-smart agricultural strategies. Resource-limited producers have increased access to cover crop planting equipment.
Cooperators
- - Technical Advisor
- - Technical Advisor
- - Producer
- - Producer
- - Technical Advisor
- - Producer
Research
- Research fields were originally set up in 2020, on two farmer
fields, using a randomized complete block design with two levels
of cover crops; cover crop vs no cover crop. The first field,
belonging to one of the farmer collaborators, Mr. Jamie Weaver,
is a 242-ha farm (1.5 ha of which will be used for this study) in
Coffee County, TN. The soil is classified by the USDA as Captina
silt loam (Fine-silty, siliceous, active, mesic, Typic
Fragiudult). This farm has been under 22 years of no-till
management with various cover crops. The cash crops grown on this
farm have been in a corn (Zea mays)/soybean (Glycine
max [L.] Merr.) rotation over the last 22 years. The second
field, which belongs to another farmer collaborator, Mr. Will
Hutchinson is an 81-ha farm (1.5 ha of which will be used for
this study) in Rutherford County, TN. The soil on this farm is
classified by the USDA as Dickson silt loam (Fine-silty,
siliceous, semiactive, thermic Glossic Fragiudult). This field
was under a corn/soybean rotation during 2017-2020 and a corn
monoculture during 2021 – 2022, and soybean during the 2023
planting season. For this study, it will be maintained under
continuous corn. Further, Mr. Hutchinson’s farm has been under
no-till management since 2018 when cover crops were first
introduced.
The cover crops of choice during the first year of this project
will be a mixture of cereal rye (Secale cereal L.),
crimson clover (Trifolium pretense L.), hairy vetch
(Vicia villosa L.), triticale (Triticale
hexaploide Lart.), and oats (Avena sativa). These
cover crops were selected in consultation with the collaborating
farmers because of their hardiness, adaptability to various
climatic conditions, ease of management, biomass production, and
popularity among producers (based on the last national survey of
cover crops; SARE 2020). They also provide other ecological
benefits such as atmospheric nitrogen fixation, weed suppression,
and soil conditioning. Subsequent cover crops will be determined
using the Universities of Tennessee and Kentucky recommendations
for the region and the interactive Southern Cover Crop Council’s
resource guide (https://southerncovercrops.org/cover-crop-resource-guide/row-crops/)
to help match the producer’s goals with the most appropriate
cover crop species. These cover crops will be planted in the fall
after the harvest of the cash crop and terminated in spring. They
will be terminated using a roller-crimper. The cash crops that
will be grown for the duration of the proposed project will be
corn and soybean, with a corn/soybean rotation on Mr. Weaver’s
farm and continuous corn on Mr. Hutchinson’s farm. The soil will
also be under no-till management throughout the study. For
this study, a randomized block design will be used with 3
replicates of cover crops and 3 replicates of no cover crops.
Each plot (on both farms) will measure 20.1 m in length and 7.4 m
in width (with a 3 m wide buffer between each plot).
In situ saturated hydraulic conductivity will be
measured using a Guelph permeameter, A Spectrum WaterScout SM 100
sensor and Watchdog 1400 irrigation station will be used to
continuously measure in-situ water content and
temperature at 0-10, 10-20, and 20-30 cm depths in each plot.
Watermark® sensors (based on electrical resistance of
the soil) will be used to measure in situ soil water
potential. The sensors will be buried at the aforementioned soil
depths. These sensors will be connected, wirelessly, to a
cloud-based web service (SensMit® Web) to allow
real-time access to the field data. Thermal property sensors
(TP01) and heat flux probes (HFP01) (Hukseflux Thermal Sensors
BV) will be used to make continuous measurements of soil thermal
conductivity and heat capacity, respectively, at 0-10, 10-20, and
20-30 cm depths. These sensors and probes will be connected to
dataloggers that will enable researchers to make continuous
measurements at various depths for the duration of this project.
Ambient temperature, humidity and precipitation will be measured
using automated weather stations (Campbell Scientific).
Exploratory data analysis will be used to identify general
patterns in the data. Additionally, analysis of variance will be
conducted on soil property data using the general linear model
procedure in SAS. Single degree of freedom contrasts will be
divided into ‘cover crop vs. no cover crop’. Analysis of variance
will also be conducted to determine the effects of cover crops on
in situ measured soil properties. Dr. Samuel Haruna (PI)
and Mr. Will Hutchinson (farmer) will be involved in sensor
installation with help from undergraduate students. Mr.
Hutchinson will benefit from improved understanding of the
philosophy and role of sensors and their integration in
agriculture for improved cropping systems resilience.
A potential challenge for this objective is weather variability
which might delay cover crop planting, soil sampling and sensor
installation. However, this will provide important information on
best management practices to combat this challenge in the region.
This will be included in the education and outreach report that
will be generated from this study.
- Cover crops can influence the various soil health parameters
and the subsequent cash crop growth because of their above- and
belowground biomass (Haruna et al., 2020). To fully understand
the contributions of cover crops, soil samples were collected
during the fall of 2020 (before cover crop planting) to evaluate
the antecedent soil properties (e.g., SOC, pH, bulk density, soil
N, and microbial biomass) and the spatial variability of these
properties on both fields. Soil samples will be collected using
cylindrical cores (volume = 147 cm3) from each plot at
0-10, 10-20, and 20-30 cm depths. These depths were chosen
because most of the roots of our chosen cover crops are
concentrated at these depths (Bodner et al., 2019) and therefore,
we expect the influences of cover crops to be more prominent at
these depths. These soil samples will be collected each spring
(beginning during spring 2025) just before the cover crops are
terminated for the evaluation of the influence of cover crops on
soil health parameters.
Saturated hydraulic conductivity will be measured using a
constant head permeameter already available in the soil science
laboratory at MTSU) using the methods of Reynolds and Elrick
(2002). Water retention will be analyzed using the methods of
Dane and Hopmans (2002). The core method (Grossman and Reinsch,
2002) will be used to analyze soil bulk density. Water
infiltration will be analyzed using double ring infiltrometers
already available as part of Dr. Samuel Haruna’s (PI) soil
science laboratory at MTSU. Soil pH will be analyzed by
potentiometry using an electronic pH meter. Soil organic carbon
and nitrogen will be measured using the combustion method in a
Skalar PrimacsSNC-100 (Skalar Analytical B.V., The
Netherlands) already available in the soil science laboratory at
MTSU.
Soil microbial community and activity is an important aspect of
crop production (e.g., rhizobacteria can trigger in fixation of
atmospheric nitrogen into the soil through a symbiotic
relationship with legumes) and greenhouse gas emission (because
of their metabolic activity). Thus, this objective will
synthesize data from the first objective and measured microbial
activity to determine the role of cover crops and soil thermal
properties on greenhouse gas emissions. Another set of samples
will be collected using a soil auger at the aforementioned soil
depths for aggregate stability and microbial community structure.
Soil microbial community structure will be determined on samples
collected from the research plots using phospholipid fatty acid
analysis (PLFA) (Quideau et al., 2016). This method will enable
researchers to estimate total microbial biomass and observe broad
changes in soil microbiota composition. Available software can
automatically name the PLFAs in a sample, categorize them by
microbial origin and perform biomass calculations and ratios. Dr.
Seockmo Ku’s (Collaborator at Texas A&M) previous research
has shown promising results in reducing the time required for
microbial enrichment and detection (Ku et al., 2016). His
participation in this research will lead to the development of
quality research materials on microbial analysis with long
shelf-life. Dr. Ku’s expertise in microbial detection and
isolation from various media will be a valuable resource when
identifying and analyzing soil microbial communities in this
project.
A portable gas analyzer, Gasmet ® DX4040, will be used to measure
greenhouse gas emissions. This analyzer uses Fourier Transform
Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy to measure the concentration of
greenhouse gases emitted from soils. This analyzer is already
present at MTSU and has been used for various studies on
greenhouse gas emissions by Dr. Song Cui (Co-PI). Greenhouse
gases of interest include methane (CH4), carbon
dioxide (CO2) and nitrous oxide (N2O).
Plant height, chlorophyll content, and biomass will be measured
at different stages of crop growth to improve understanding of
the effects of cover crops on the development of the subsequent
cash crop. Chlorophyll content will be measured weekly (after
emergence) using a Soil Plant Analysis Development (SPAD-502Plus)
meter (Konica Minolta®). Grain yield will be measured using
crop-cut methods.
Drs. Samuel Haruna (PI) and Song Cui (Agronomist, Co-PI) will
lead this effort with help from Mr. Jamie Weaver (farmer
collaborator). This objective will also enable researchers
determine the link between cover crops, soil thermal properties,
greenhouse gases, and the yield of the subsequent cash crop.
Due to his interest in soil health, Mr. Weaver will benefit from
improved knowledge on how cover crops can improve cropping system
sustainability by improving soil health indicators. Further,
results will be disseminated through seminars and workshops in
Tennessee (to be led by Dr. Chaney Mosley, Co-PI, with help from
local farmers: Mr. Jamie Weaver and Mr. Will Hutchinson), and
Kentucky (to be led by Drs. Edwin Ritchey and John Grove, Co-PI,
with help from local farmers including Mr. Joel Reddick).
A potential challenge to this objective is that 3 years may not
be enough to detect significant effect of cover crops on soil
health parameters. However, by leveraging an existing research
established in 2020, we believe that significant effects will be
noticed during 2025 and 2026 (effectively, 5 to 6 years after
establishment).
- Using the soil health data and plant growth parameters
obtained from objectives 1 and 2, the interdependence between
soil health indicators, crop growth and productivity,
environmental sustainability, insect damage and disease
incidence, and the financial viability of current cropping
systems will be analyzed. We will use visual (Bock et al., 2020)
and smartphone based applications (e.g., You Only Look Once, YOLO
v4; Chen et al., 2021) to detect and score disease incidence and
pest damage in the field. A partial budget analysis will be used
to determine the financial viability of cover crops and
demonstrate the economic value of providing a no-till seed drill
to underserved farmers. Also, we propose to extrapolate local
soil quality and economic results regionally by accessing the
USDA’s Agricultural Resource Management System (ARMS). Analysis
of variance will be conducted on soil health indicators,
microbial biomass, and greenhouse gas data using the general
linear model procedure in SAS for both single degree contrasts
and interaction effects. Further, we will use principal component
analysis and simple machine learning algorithms to evaluate and
understand the complex data that will be generated. Researchers
will seek to develop guidelines for successful cover crop
integration into current cropping systems for greenhouse gas
mitigation. Results will be published in scientific journals
online. Drs. Justin Gardner (Agricultural Economist, Co-PI) and
Samuel Haruna (PI) will lead this objective with help from
undergraduate students and other collaborators. We will leverage
Dr. Song Cui’s (Co-PI) machine learning expertise in analyzing
these complex data and relationships. - A no-till seed drill will be purchased and made available for
use by lower income and minority farmers, at no cost to them to
encourage the adoption of cover crops. The cost of this seed
drill and transportation is built into the budget for the current
project.
Building on the results of the previous objectives, we will
determine the profitability of using cover crops in crop
production systems in the southern US. From the yield analysis
data, we will evaluate the economic viability of using cover
crops on corn profitability. This information will enable
educators to instruct farmers and citizens on using cover crops
to improve crop productivity and enhance the resilience of their
cropping systems. Furthermore, we will develop a strong outreach
program between the participating universities, farmers, and
local NRCS offices. We will disseminate results through in-person
and hybrid events such as seminars, workshops, and field days in
Tennessee (to be led by Dr. Chaney Mosley), and Kentucky (led by
Drs. Edwin Ritchey and John Grove, and Mr. Joel Reddick
[farmer]). First year workshops will include farmer survey on
reasons for including or not including cover crop in their
management practices. This will help investigators incorporate
farmer opinion in final recommendations. Field days will
facilitate the education of citizens and high school students.
Further, we will create research briefs to summarize and
highlight research results in a way that is easy for the public
to understand. These briefs will be hosted on MTSU and University
of Kentucky websites and in extension offices. This will
guarantee long shelf-life for these resources. Further, research
results will be developed into lesson plans with laboratory
activities for agriculture teachers. Social media sources
(Twitter, Facebook, YouTube® shorts, etc.) will be used to
further disseminate results.
Additionally, we will also host high school agriculture
teachers for several hours during the Annual Agriculture Teachers
Conference. During these meetings, a survey will be conducted on
ways to improve student engagement in sustainable agriculture.
Results will be developed into lesson plans with laboratory
activities for agriculture teachers. This resource will be made
available on institutional websites. Public engagement with these
resources can be tracked through the number of clicks and
downloads.
An external evaluator (Dr. Ying Jin, James Madison University)
will play a critical role during the life of the project. Dr. Jin
has previous experience evaluating various projects at local,
regional, and national levels. The evaluator will meet with
researchers, educators, and farmers during the first year of the
project to evaluate the agronomic (planting, harvesting) plan,
sensor installation plan, soil sample collection method, and
workshop/seminar survey plan. During the second and third years
(2025 and 2026), the evaluator will meet with researchers,
educators, and producers to evaluate project activities from the
previous year. Furthermore, during the second-year evaluation,
the evaluator will provide suggestions on how to improve the
project during the third year. At least 1000 citizens are
projected to benefit from the education efforts across the
Southeast region.
Educational & Outreach Activities
Participation Summary:
Information dissemination will occur throughout the proposed project with different target audiences (i.e. farmers, producers, agriculture teachers, students, and the public). Franz et al. (2009) conducted focus groups of 94 farmers and 21 extension agents/specialists in Tennessee, Louisiana, and Virginia on farmers’ preferred learning methods. Over 90% of the respondents preferred hands-on learning, demonstrations, and farm visits. Therefore, the research team in Tennessee and Kentucky will focus outreach efforts on organizing farm visits, conducting hands-on learning activities, and providing demonstrations for the target audience while accommodating for those unable to attend in-person events. Participants will complete pre- and post-questionnaires at extension activities to identify knowledge change determine intended use of knowledge and skills gained. This will enable the external evaluator (Dr. Ying Jin) to evaluate the effectiveness of the outreach activities. Table 1 provides a summary of proposed outreach activities.
Table 1. Summary of Outreach Activities
|
What |
When |
Where |
Who (Facilitator) |
Target Audience |
How / Methods |
|
Field day aimed at supporting prospective producers and young future agriculturalists |
Year 1 |
Coffee and Rutherford Counties, Tennessee |
Dr. Song Cui, (Co-PI), Dr. Samuel Haruna, collaborating farmers (Mr. Will Hutchinson, Mr. Jamie Weaver, Mr. Joel Reddick), USDA-NRCS staff (Mr. Adam Daugherty, Ms. Jackie Reed, and Mr. Chris Hancock). |
Current and prospective producers, collegiate agriculture students, and the public interested in cover crops |
Utilizing SARE's Farmer Field Day Toolkit and expertise of facilitators. |
|
MTSU Raider Roundup |
Fall Semester (Annual) |
Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) campus |
MTSU faculty, Dr. Samuel Haruna and Dr. Song Cui |
High school students |
Demonstrations, workshops, hands-on learning activities |
|
High school experiential learning days |
Late Spring of 2025 and 2026 |
MTSU facilities and farm laboratories |
MTSU faculty, Dr. Samuel Haruna and Dr. Song Cui |
High school agriculture teachers and students |
Tours and research-focused activities |
|
Annual Agriculture Teachers Conference |
TBD |
MTSU facilities |
Dr. Chaney Mosley (Co-PI), Edwin Ritchey, and John Grove (Co-PIs) |
High school agriculture teachers |
Curricular resources shared by in-person presentations and websites |
|
Collaboration with state Farm Bureaus in Tennessee and Kentucky |
Summer 2025 and 2026 |
Statewide (TN & KY) |
YF&R, cooperating farmer (Mr. Jamie Weaver) |
YF&R members, prospective agriculturalists |
Networking activities, leadership conferences, farm tours, and meetings |
|
Lessons learned and suggestions for improving cover crop adoption |
2025 and 2026 |
MTSU facilities |
Collaboration with PIs and farmer collaborators |
Participants and cooperating farmers |
Sharing contact information for advice and support |
Please note: TBD = To Be Decided, MTSU = Middle Tennessee State University, YF&R = Young Farmers and Ranchers.
The Cooperative Extension Service maintains mailing lists at the county levels that will be used to market outreach activities to perspective participants. Conservation Districts, USDA Rural Development, Area Development Districts, Kentucky Center for Agricultural and Rural Development (KCARD), and the Kentucky Office of Ag Policy are additional sources that will be utilized to reach appropriate members of the target audience, including historically underserved producers. Recognizing that in-person outreach, though preferred by farmers, may not always be feasible, we will create research briefs to summarize and highlight research results in a way that is easy to understand to communicate project results with those unable to participate during in-person activities. These briefs will be shared on MTSU and UK websites and hard copies will be distributed to extension offices, guaranteeing a long shelf-life for these resources. As social media is appreciated in agricultural extension service delivery (Barau & Afrad, 2017), we will also disseminate results through social media outlets including X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and YouTube Shorts. According to the Tennessee Farm Bureau (2022), attendance and field days can range from a dozen to thousands. Therefore, we estimate at least 1,000 citizens will benefit from extension and education efforts across both states by the combined strategy of in-person and online outreach.
We will work with the USDA-NRCS office in Coffee and Rutherford Counties, Tennessee, to organize farm field days and provide demonstration on the choice of cover crops and best management practices to enhance crop yield. Beyond field days and extension publications, we will collaborate with local NRCS offices and organizations such as the Farm Bureau’s Young Farmers and Ranchers (YF&R) to share information with the target audience at hosted events such as the YF&R summer farm tour. Further, we will work with local school-based agricultural educators to create curricular resources that will be shared across various websites (e.g., institutional websites, state Departments of Education educator resources list) and distributed where agriculture teachers convene (e.g., FFA conventions, agriculture teacher conferences).
We will host field days aimed at supporting prospective producers and young future agriculturalists utilizing SARE’s Farmer Field Day Toolkit, which provides tips and tools for facilitation. The target audience for field days will be current and prospective producers interested in cover crops. This learning opportunity will also be open to students and the public. We anticipate reaching at least 100 local current and prospective producers across the Southern US. This field day will allow participants to learn from an Agronomist (Dr. Song Cui, Co-PI), a Soil Scientist (Dr. Samuel Haruna), collaborating farmers (Mr. Will Hutchinson, Mr. Jamie Weaver, and Mr. Joel Reddick) and USDA-NRCS staff (Mr. Adam Daugherty, Ms. Jackie Reed, and Mr. Chris Hancock). These field day personnel are qualified to facilitate based on their experience and their roles in the industry. Mr. Will Hutchinson is a former Vice-Chairman (and current board member) of the Rutherford County Soil Conservation District. Mr. Jamie Weaver (another collaborating farmer) is the former President of the Coffee County Farm Bureau and a current board member of the Coffee County Soil Conservation District. Mr. Joel Reddick is the 2022 Kentucky Leopold Conservation Award winner. Mr. Adam Daugherty is the USDA-NRCS Manchester Field Office District Conservationist (Coffee County). Ms. Jackie Reed is the USDA-NRCS Murfreesboro Area Resource Soil Scientist (Rutherford County). Mr. Chris Hancock is the USDA-NRCS Murfreesboro Area Resource Conservationist (Rutherford County). Their influence and experience working with local producers will be of significant help during the outreach efforts.
For outreach in secondary agricultural education, MTSU hosts an annual event in the fall semester for high school students around middle Tennessee called Raider Roundup. Raider Roundup brings high school students to MTSU campus for one day where they have an opportunity to learn about various segments of agriculture including: soil health, plant growth and productivity, milk production, fermentation science and agribusiness. Through demonstrations, workshops and hands-on learning activities students are able to access a range of agricultural content. This event has been growing in popularity and attracts an average of 500 high school students. This will serve as an opportunity to educate the students on the role of cover crops in soil productivity and sustainability.
The lead institution (MTSU) also hosts area high school agriculture education programs for experiential learning days, where students visit farm laboratories and learn about research from MTSU faculty. This allows students an opportunity to tour facilities including our Small Farm unit where we are growing produce with organic practices, and our Soil Lab where we conduct most of our research. These tours will be hosted by our own MTSU faculty, Dr. Samuel Haruna and Dr. Song Cui. On average, 3 schools per year, totaling 100 students, participate in these activities.
Additionally, we will also host high school agriculture teachers for several hours during the Annual Agriculture Teachers Conference. During these meetings, with an attendance of roughly 300 agriculture teachers, a survey will be conducted on ways to improve student engagement in sustainable agriculture. Results will be developed into curricular resources with laboratory activities for agriculture teachers. These resources will be made available on institutional websites. Public engagement with these resources will be tracked through the number of clicks and downloads. MTSU’s Dr. Mosley will lead outreach efforts to agriculture teachers in Tennessee and Drs. Edwin Ritchey, and John Grove (Co-PIs) will conduct these efforts in Kentucky. Dr. Chaney Mosley (Co-PI) is an Assistant Professor of Agricultural Education at MTSU. He is also the national president of Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE). His experience and network from collaboration on several state and national agricultural education activities will be leveraged for the success of the outreach programs.
Researchers and educators will work closely with state Farm Bureaus in Tennessee and Kentucky to encourage and recruit farmer participation within our outreach. One of the cooperating farmers (Mr. Jamie Weaver) is a former president of the Coffee County Farm Bureau with experience and in outreach activities. Within each state, the Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers YF&R program boasts multiple opportunities for outreach through various networking activities including statewide seasonal leadership conference, farm tours, and monthly meetings at the county level. The YF&R organizations in these states will be a target audience during the collaborative efforts with state Farm Bureaus. The YF&R organization is the ideal target group to receive this information since their membership (ages 35 and younger) makes up the next generation of farmers. This group of farmers will be more likely to be receptive to new recommendations and any changes in behavior achieved by this project will be long lasting. Dr. Edwin Ritchey (Co-PI) currently leads an effort in Kentucky focusing on beginning farmers and ranchers. We will leverage his experience, contacts, and resources for this outreach effort.
In order to ensure the end-user participation in the project, the YF&R members will be given an opportunity to ask questions during outreach activities. As peer teaching and learning plays a huge role in knowledge and participation (Franz et al., 2009), YF&R members will have the opportunity to discuss their farming operations with the group.
During the second and third years of the project (2025 and 2026), outreach activities will focus on the lessons learned and suggestions for improving cover crop adoption. To gather ideas for lessons learned and suggestions in the first year, we will provide participants with contact information of the PIs and farmer collaborators. This will ensure that we are able to provide advice and support concerning better management practices of using cover crops to improve the sustainability of their farming operations. This will also ensure that we are able to learn together, which may provide opportunity for further educational pursuits.
Project Outcomes
Information Products
- Do Cover Crops Influence In Situ Soil Water Potential After Termination?
- Soil thermal properties: influence of no-till cover crops
- Effects of cover crop on selected abiotic and biotic soil health indicators
- Does no-till cover crop influence in situ measured soil water potential and saturated hydraulic conductivity?