Project Overview
Commodities
- Agronomic: canola, clovers, grass (misc. annual), grass (misc. perennial), grass (turfgrass, sod), hay, peas (field, cowpeas), peanuts, potatoes, radish (oilseed, daikon, forage), rice, rye, sorghum (milo), sorghum (sweet), sorghum sudangrass, soybeans, sugarbeets, sugarcane, vetches, wheat
- Fruits: apples, apricots, avocados, bananas, berries (blueberries), berries (other), berries (strawberries), cherries, citrus, figs, grapes, melons, olives, peaches, pears, persimmon, plums
- Nuts: almonds, macadamia, pecans, pistachios, walnuts
- Vegetables: asparagus, beans, beets, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbages, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cucurbits, eggplant, garlic, greens (leafy), greens (lettuces), okra, onions, peas (culinary), peppers, radishes (culinary), rutabagas, sweet corn, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, turnips
- Additional Plants: herbs, native plants, ornamentals, trees
- Animals: bees, bovine, equine, fish, goats, poultry, rabbits, shellfish, sheep, swine
- Animal Products: dairy, eggs, fiber, fur, leather, honey, meat
- Miscellaneous: mushrooms, syrup
Practices
- Animal Production: animal protection and health, aquaculture, feed/forage, feed additives, feed formulation, feed management, feed rations, free-range, genetics, grazing management, grazing - continuous, grazing - multispecies, grazing - rotational, herbal medicines, heritage breeds, homeopathy, housing, implants, inoculants, livestock breeding, manure management, meat processing, meat processing facilities, meat product quality/safety, mineral supplements, parasite control, pasture renovation, pasture fertility, preventive practices, probiotics, processing regulations, range improvement, rangeland/pasture management, stocking rate, stockpiled forages, therapeutics, vaccines, watering systems, winter forage
- Crop Production: agroforestry, application rate management, alley cropping, beekeeping, biological inoculants, catch crops, conservation tillage, continuous cropping, contour farming, cover crops, crop improvement and selection, cropping systems, crop rotation, double cropping, drainage systems, drought tolerance, fallow, fertigation, fertilizers, foliar feeding, food processing, food processing facilities/community kitchens, food product quality/safety, forest farming, forestry, forest/woodlot management, grafting, greenhouses, high tunnels or hoop houses, intercropping, irrigation, low tunnels, multiple cropping, municipal wastes, no-till, nurseries, nutrient cycling, nutrient management, organic fertilizers, plant breeding and genetics, pollination, pollinator habitat, pollinator health, postharvest treatment, ridge tillage, row covers (for season extension), season extension, seed saving, shade cloth, silvopasture, strip tillage, stubble mulching, tissue analysis, terraces, varieties and cultivars, water management, water storage, windbreaks, winter storage
- Education and Training: decision support system, demonstration, display, extension, farmer to farmer, focus group, mentoring, networking, on-farm/ranch research, participatory research, study circle, technical assistance, workshop, youth education
- Energy: anaerobic digestion, biodiesel, bioenergy and biofuels, biofuel feedstocks, byproduct utilization, energy conservation/efficiency, energy use, geothermal, renewable energy, solar energy, wind power
- Farm Business Management: agricultural finance, agritourism, apprentice/intern training, budgets/cost and returns, business planning, community-supported agriculture, cooperatives, e-commerce, farm-to-institution, farm-to-restaurant, farmers' markets/farm stands, farm succession, feasibility study, financial management, grant making, labor/employment, land access, market study, marketing management, new enterprise development, risk management, value added, whole farm planning
- Natural Resources/Environment: biodiversity, carbon sequestration, drift/runoff buffers, grass waterways, habitat enhancement, hedgerows, hedges - grass, hedges - woody, indicators, riparian buffers, riverbank protection, soil stabilization, strip cropping, wetlands, wildlife
- Pest Management: allelopathy, biofumigation, biological control, biorational pesticides, botanical pesticides, chemical control, competition, compost extracts, cultivation, cultural control, disease vectors, economic threshold, eradication, field monitoring/scouting, flame, genetic resistance, integrated pest management, mating disruption, mulches - general, mulches - killed, mulches - living, mulching - vegetative, mulching - plastic, physical control, precision herbicide use, prevention, row covers (for pests), sanitation, smother crops, soil solarization, trap crops, traps, weather monitoring, weed ecology, weeder geese/poultry
- Production Systems: agroecosystems, aquaponics, dryland farming, holistic management, hydroponics, integrated crop and livestock systems, organic agriculture, organic certification, permaculture, transitioning to organic
- Soil Management: composting, earthworms, green manures, nutrient mineralization, organic matter, soil analysis, soil chemistry, soil microbiology, soil physics, soil quality/health, toxic status mitigation
- Sustainable Communities: analysis of personal/family life, community development, community planning, community services, employment opportunities, ethnic differences/cultural and demographic change, food hubs, infrastructure analysis, leadership development, local and regional food systems, new business opportunities, partnerships, public participation, public policy, quality of life, social capital, social networks, social psychological indicators, sustainability measures, urban agriculture, urban/rural integration, values-based supply chains
Abstract:
Project objectives:
1) Annually conduct training for new employees of Texas A&M AgriLife Extension (AgriLife) and the Cooperative Extension Program (CEP) at Prairie View A&M University regarding sustainable agricultural practices and Southern Region SARE programs. Goal of training 20 new employees.
2) Annually include USDA -Farm Service Agency (FSA), USDA- Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) and Farm Credit System personnel in seminars and trainings regarding sustainable agriculture practices and Southern Region SARE programs held locally or on a state-wide basis. Goal of training 20 USDA and Farm Credit personnel.
3) Annually participate in three outreach efforts, such as field days and industry conferences, to inform producers and agricultural professionals regarding the SARE program. Goal of reaching 500 agricultural professionals.
4) Maintain a website to provide timely and updated information related to SARE and the SARE grant program to Texas clientele. Goal of 500 “hits” on updated website.
5) Annually conduct training for Extension agents and agency staffs to learn to instruct socially disadvantaged
farmers, landowners and community leaders, including African-Americans, Hispanics, Asians, Native Americans, women and persons who have limited resources of land, labor and capital regarding sustainable agriculture practices and Southern Region SARE programs. Goal of training 20 Extension agents and/or agency personnel.