University of Georgia State Training Grant- MSP22

View the project final report

Commodities

• Agronomic: buckwheat, clovers, millet, oats, rye, sorghum sudangrass, sunflower, wheat
• Fruits: berries (blueberries), grapes, melons
• Nuts: pecans
• Vegetables: broccoli, cabbages, greens (leafy), onions, peppers, tomatoes
• Additional Plants: native plants
• Animals: bees, bovine, poultry
• Animal Products: eggs, honey, meat

Practices

• Animal Production: grazing management, grazing - rotational
• Crop Production: conservation tillage, cover crops, cropping systems, crop rotation, fertilizers, food product quality/safety, high tunnels or hoop houses, nutrient management, organic fertilizers, pollinator habitat, season extension
• Education and Training: demonstration, display, extension, farmer to farmer, technical assistance
• Farm Business Management: budgets/cost and returns, business planning, farm-to-restaurant, farmers' markets/farm stands, marketing management, new enterprise development
• Pest Management: cultivation
• Production Systems: organic agriculture, organic certification, transitioning to organic
• Soil Management: nutrient mineralization, organic matter, soil quality/health
• Sustainable Communities: local and regional food systems, sustainability measures

The SARE Advisory Committee had a conference call on February 17, 2022 to discuss committee memberships, review activities for the year, and discuss future training needs. The SARE Logic Model training objectives are conservation tillage systems, organic production, grazing-based animal production systems, composting, direct marketing, and local food systems. The Committee decided upon trainings and conferences to support for the upcoming year that would address several of the SARE Logic Model training objectives. Specifically we discussed holding joint in-field education programs between FVSU, UGA and the Rodale institute as well as separate hands-on trainings at the UGA Horticulture Farm. Cover crop trainings were proposed featuring warm season cover crops. Further, we will continue to support the Journeyman Farmer Program that is designed to advance beginning farmers and ranchers in Georgia.

The Georgia Model State Program developed a Logic Model to guide our training efforts. The Logic Model, reflects needs of Georgia as directed by the SARE Advisory Committee. To reach our long-term goal of “Increased use of sustainable agriculture practices by producers at multiple scales supported by a knowledgeable network of agricultural professionals ensuring a high proportion of diverse, profitable, and environmentally-friendly farm operations”, we identified the following six areas for training workshops: conservation tillage systems, organic production, grazing-based animal production systems, composting, direct marketing, and local food systems.  In 2022 we began to pivot the UGA SARE program to focus more on organic food production and urban/periburban agriculture to address needs from the rapidly growing metropolitan areas in Georgia.