Encouraging Expanded Organic Sweet Potato Production in North Carolina

Project Overview

FS12-260
Project Type: Farmer/Rancher
Funds awarded in 2012: $15,000.00
Projected End Date: 12/31/2014
Region: Southern
State: North Carolina
Principal Investigator:
John Kimber
NC SweetPotato Commission Foundation

Annual Reports

Commodities

  • Vegetables: sweet potatoes

Practices

  • Crop Production: cover crops, organic fertilizers
  • Education and Training: demonstration, on-farm/ranch research
  • Farm Business Management: budgets/cost and returns
  • Production Systems: organic agriculture, transitioning to organic

    Summary:

    The Grant administer, John Kimber, resigned, to be replaced by myself, Socorro "CoCo" Daughtry.


    Our main research contributor/liason, had a child and chose not to return to the University at this time to finish her final projects / degree. This has left us with a hole in our research process.


    I worked with the folks at the University but no one in the program had time to continue on in the research we accomplished year one of our grant cycle.


    It was at this time we declared this project complete.


    It is unfortunate how circumstances worked out, but we do hope to better capable and organized when coming to SARE for future projects.

    Project objectives:

    1. Develop and deploy a survey of organic growers to gather information on current in-state organic growing methods,
    2. Apply the survey data to facilitate designing and conducting comparative organic sweet potato growing tests. The tests will couple prior NCSU research with current on-farm practices to create several scenarios. Replicated tests will occur at several on-farm locations and at the NCSU organic research station,
    3. Gather and compile the resultant data (cultural practices, yield, quality, and costs), and
    4. Present the findings to NC sweet potato growers through field days and direct outreach.

    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.