2001 Annual Report for LNE01-143
Farmer-Run Research Organization for Southern New England
Summary
We have established three farmer research groups, and we have three to four other groups in the early stages of formation. A large amount of our time and effort has been directed at educating the agricultural community about farmer research groups. We believe the establishment of farmer research groups and the establishment of a non-profit organization of farmers to perform research will require the cooperation of all segments of the agricultural community. This would include agency personnel like Extension, FSA and NRCS, commercial providers of service and inputs like fertilizer sales people, and state agencies like the state departments of agriculture and the environment.
Objectives/Performance Targets
Functioning multi-farm farmer research groups generating scientifically valid results with demonstration trials and innovation trials.
Formation of a functioning non-profit farmer research organization in the southern New England region. The objectives of the organization will be to develop and implement farmer-run research trials, generate and test new technologies for farm sustainability, and to educate farmers, environmental organizations and the public about their research results.
Accomplishments/Milestones
Target 1. We have two farmer research groups that have established experiments, and two groups that will establish experiments this spring. The two groups that have established experiments are the manure-stacking group and the amino sugar-nitrogen soil test group.
The stacking group is composed of three farmers in Connecticut. The main objective of their experiment is to develop a method to minimize the amount of leachate from manure stacks. The reason for this experiment is that many dairy farmers do not have liquid manure storage lagoons and need to stack their semi-solid manure in fields for up to six months. The farmers want to continue stacking the manure, but they realize they will have to minimize the amount of leachate and runoff from the stacks to satisfy environmental guidelines.
The amino sugar-nitrogen soil test group is composed of six farmers, three from Connecticut and three from Massachusetts. The main objective of this experiment is to evaluate a new soil test for nitrogen that might enable the development of a nitrogen fertilizer recommendation for corn from a soil sample collected in the fall. The group in Connecticut is planning a field day in late July to explain the experiments to the agricultural community. The farmers in the group also have requested that we provide education about scouting corn for corn earworm and corn rootworm at the field day.
The third group, comprising three farmers, will establish field experiments to evaluate the yield of corn when fertilized with hen manure compared with corn that is fertilized with only fertilizer. It is a common belief in eastern Connecticut that application of hen manure will provide greater corn silage yield compared to corn that is fertilized only with fertilizer. The experiments will be established in March and April 2002.
The fourth group of five farmers is preparing to evaluate direct cut grass silage. This group is interested in inexpensive silage production, and in using small fields that are scattered around their communities to provide forage. Use of these fields for forage should also contribute to the preservation of open space. The group has met several times by conference calls.
Target 2. It is too early to report on the formation of an organization of farmers for the purpose of implementing farmer-run research trials.
Impacts and Contributions/Outcomes
The Natural Resources Conservation Service has provided the Central Massachusetts Dairy Farmers with a grant of $8,800 from EQIP funds to establish farmer research groups. This grant was a direct result of education provided by our project. One of the members of our team, Sue Ellen Johnson, also submitted a proposal to the Massachusetts DFA to obtain money for a direct-cut vacuum forage chopper for use in the direct cut vacuum grass silage group. This proposal was a direct result of the formation of a farmer research group to evaluate direct cut vacuum grass silage.