Project Overview
Information Products
Commodities
- Vegetables: greens (leafy), greens (lettuces)
Practices
- Crop Production: cropping systems, season extension, shade cloth
- Education and Training: decision support system, demonstration, farmer to farmer, on-farm/ranch research
- Farm Business Management: budgets/cost and returns, feasibility study
- Sustainable Communities: local and regional food systems
Proposal summary:
This project seeks to develop optimal conditions for the production of fresh salad greens in a challenging climate - the hot, humid summers of the Midwest U.S.
We grow and harvest more than fifty varieties of produce in a typical season, with gross revenues exceeding $60,000/acre. More than a third of our income is derived from the production of leafy greens, including lettuce, spinach and various brassicas. These are high value crops with a local demand that is steadily increasing - from restaurants, grocery stores, and local consumers. Enhancing our farm's capacity to supply lettuce and other greens during the height of summer will improve the economic viability of our operation, increase our ability to meet the local demand, and contribute to a robust and healthy local food system. This project will serve as a model that can be replicated by farmers with similar challenging growing environments. We have tested the methods outlined in this proposal on a small scale, but this research will allow us to hone in on optimal growing conditions, collect valuable data to support our model, and conduct a cost-benefit analysis of our design.
Project objectives from proposal:
- Evaluate the effect of shade on summer greens production, including lettuce, spinach and mustard greens.
- Assess our capacity to provide locally-grown greens throughout the season, including in the height of summer.
- Compare and document yield and quality of crops grown with 50% shade, 30% shade, and without shade.
- Share our production system and findings with growers who face similar challenging summer growing conditions.