Building Sustainable Families through a Celebration of Low-Impact and Organic Community-Supported Agriculture

Project Overview

CS10-075
Project Type: Sustainable Community Innovation
Funds awarded in 2010: $10,000.00
Projected End Date: 12/31/2012
Region: Southern
State: Tennessee
Principal Investigator:
Ruth Correll
UT Extension, Wilson County

Annual Reports

Commodities

  • Agronomic: oats, rye, sorghum (milo), sunflower, grass (misc. perennial), hay
  • Fruits: melons, apples, berries (other), berries (brambles), peaches, berries (strawberries)
  • Nuts: pecans, walnuts
  • Vegetables: broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, cucurbits, greens (leafy), peppers, sweet corn, tomatoes
  • Additional Plants: herbs, native plants, ornamentals, trees
  • Animals: bees, poultry, goats

Practices

  • Animal Production: free-range, grazing management, manure management, pasture fertility, grazing - rotational, feed/forage
  • Crop Production: conservation tillage
  • Education and Training: demonstration, extension, farmer to farmer, focus group, networking, workshop
  • Farm Business Management: whole farm planning, budgets/cost and returns, community-supported agriculture, cooperatives, marketing management, farm-to-institution, agricultural finance, market study, risk management, value added, agritourism
  • Natural Resources/Environment: biodiversity, habitat enhancement, soil stabilization, wetlands, wildlife, hedges - woody
  • Pest Management: allelopathy, botanical pesticides, chemical control, competition, cultural control, field monitoring/scouting, integrated pest management, mulches - living, physical control, mulching - plastic, cultivation, precision herbicide use, prevention, row covers (for pests), sanitation, soil solarization, trap crops, traps, mulching - vegetative, weather monitoring
  • Production Systems: holistic management, organic agriculture, transitioning to organic
  • Soil Management: green manures, organic matter, soil analysis, nutrient mineralization, soil microbiology, soil chemistry, soil physics, soil quality/health
  • Sustainable Communities: community planning, ethnic differences/cultural and demographic change, leadership development, local and regional food systems, new business opportunities, partnerships, public policy, urban agriculture, urban/rural integration, analysis of personal/family life, community services, social networks, sustainability measures, community development

    Abstract:

    Wilson County Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

    The Wilson County Sustainable Agriculture Coalition project has been very successful in linking producers and consumers to innovative and sustainable methods. On The Road Again tours have been planned and taken that highlights a plethora of sustainable practices on and off the farm. The best received have been the following: Lannom's Pumpkin Patch, Tojo Creek Gourd Ranch, and Chris and Rhonda's TreeLand. By taking advantage of what Wilson County, TN has to offer, these educational tours have taught producers and consumers alike that sustainable practices are currently being implemented and are easy to adapt to right here at home!

    Introduction

    Wilson County Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

    The Wilson County Sustainable Agriculture Coalition project has been very successful in linking producers and consumers to innovative and sustainable methods. On The Road Again tours have been planned and taken that highlights a plethora of sustainable practices on and off the farm. The best received have been the following: Lannom's Pumpkin Patch, Tojo Creek Gourd Ranch, and Chris and Rhonda's TreeLand. By taking advantage of what Wilson County, TN has to offer, these educational tours have taught producers and consumers alike that sustainable practices are currently being implemented and are easy to adapt to right here at home!

    Project objectives:

    • To provide valuable sustainable experiences for producers and consumers
    • To link producers and consumers together
    • To set the stage for local producers to teach others and give back to their community
    • To spark the interest of the local public on sustainable practices and local producers

    Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture or SARE.