2015 Model State Program

View the project final report

Commodities

• Fruits: melons
• Vegetables: greens (leafy), sweet potatoes, Southern peas, Cowpeas
• Animals: goats, poultry

Practices

• Crop Production: conservation tillage, cover crops, crop rotation, high tunnels or hoop houses, nutrient management
• Education and Training: technical assistance, workshop
• Farm Business Management: budgets/cost and returns, business planning
• Pest Management: chemical control, genetic resistance, integrated pest management, mulching - plastic

Arkansas’s 2015-2016 Model State Program will focus on opportunities and trainings for Extension agents and associates, USDA staff, other agriculture professionals, and growers on issues important to increasing the sustainability of small and large scale producers in Arkansas. Proposed activities include cover crop and irrigation workshops for small acreage farmers a greenhouse food production workshop, a workshop on evaluating renewable energies and travel to two professional development conferences/workshops. Program activities were determined based on input from the Advisory Committee, faculty members in the Center for Agricultural and Rural Sustainability, participants from previous workshops and the availability of professional development opportunities offered by outside organizations. As a result of these opportunities the knowledge, interest and application of sustainable practices for small and mid-scale producers and agriculture professionals will continue to expand in Arkansas.

Objectives for the Arkansas Model State Program include:
1) To continue the Sustainable Agriculture Advisory Board and meet on an annual or semiannual basis so that they may be able to provide input towards state SARE activities.
2) To enhance the skills and abilities of agents and agriculture professionals to equip farmers with the knowledge, skills, and resources necessary for successful sustainable farming enterprises.