Project Overview
Annual Reports
Commodities
- Nuts: hazelnuts
Practices
- Crop Production: irrigation
- Education and Training: demonstration, extension, networking, on-farm/ranch research, workshop
- Farm Business Management: new enterprise development, cooperatives, budgets/cost and returns
- Production Systems: general crop production
Abstract:
This ambitious, producer driven and implemented project was established to accelerate the short and long term development of profitable and sustainable woody-based agricultural systems in the Midwest. It integrated two woody crops into small-to-medium farm enterprises - woody florals and hybrid hazelnuts. It strategically targeted key barriers that limit commercialization and built on establishing stronger producer links to promote large-scale adoption. Producers “owned” this project, and ensured that solutions were feasible, relevant, and permanently integrated into their enterprises encouraging rapid spread.
Project objectives:
Objective #1
Increased woody floral visibility and demonstrated profitability through 12 new on-farm demonstration plantings in 4 states.
Objective #2
Develop a permanent network of 12 woody floral (WF) producer “agents” to promote specialty woody crops, and who are regarded as reliable local sources of information.
Objective #3
Significantly increase the number of woody floral growers as a result of project-supported direct landowner contacts and assistance by WF producer agents.
Objective #4
Conduct joint processing, marketing and market/product development via a specialty woody crop cooperative leading to greater farm profitability, greater market options for producers, and stronger producer-consumer links.
Objective #5
Enhance producer access (24/7) to woody floral information, hybrid hazelnut production, processing, marketing, price and financial return information via an improved web-based market information system.
Objective #6
Increased farm profitability by using superior cultivars of both WFs and hazelnuts, and through more efficient processing procedures and equipment.
Objective #7
Successful hazelnut tissue culture leading to the capacity to mass produce superior disease-resistant, hybrid hazelnut seedlings at a low cost.
Objective #8
Development of experience-based enterprise budgets for woody floral enterprises.
Objective #9
An expanded and strengthened specialty woody crop community of interest region-wide through the use of both “high touch” and “high tech” approaches.
Objective #10
Increased production and marketing knowledge of producers, agency personnel, florists, and teachers of vocational agriculture, floral design and natural resources in Native American Tribal Colleges through 8 targeted workshops, 5 field days, 3 publications, and quarterly e-newsletter.