Texas 2023-2024 MSP-Projects

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Commodities

• Agronomic: annual ryegrass, clovers, corn, cotton, grass (misc. annual), grass (misc. perennial), grass (turfgrass, sod), hay, hemp, medics/alfalfa, millet, oats, peas (field, cowpeas), peanuts, potatoes, radish (oilseed, daikon, forage), rice, rye, sorghum (sweet), sorghum sudangrass, soybeans, sunflower, triticale, vetches, wheat
• Fruits: berries (blueberries), berries (strawberries), citrus, grapes, melons, peaches
• Nuts: pecans
• Vegetables: asparagus, beans, beets, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbages, carrots, cauliflower, celery, eggplant, garlic, greens (leafy), greens (lettuces), lentils, okra, onions, peas (culinary), peppers, radishes (culinary), sweet corn, sweet potatoes, tomatoes
• Additional Plants: herbs, native plants, ornamentals, trees
• Animals: bees, bovine, equine, goats, poultry, sheep
• Animal Products: dairy, eggs, fiber, fur, leather, honey, meat

Practices

• Animal Production: animal protection and health, aquaculture, feed/forage, feed management, free-range, grazing management, grazing - continuous, grazing - multispecies, grazing - rotational, inoculants, livestock breeding, manure management, meat processing, meat processing facilities, meat product quality/safety, mineral supplements, parasite control, pasture renovation, pasture fertility, preventive practices, range improvement, rangeland/pasture management, stocking rate, stockpiled forages, vaccines, watering systems, winter forage
• Crop Production: agroforestry, beekeeping, conservation tillage, continuous cropping, cover crops, crop improvement and selection, cropping systems, crop rotation, drainage systems, drought tolerance, fallow, fertilizers, foliar feeding, food processing, food processing facilities/community kitchens, food product quality/safety, forestry, forest/woodlot management, greenhouses, irrigation, municipal wastes, no-till, nutrient cycling, nutrient management, organic fertilizers, plant breeding and genetics, pollination, pollinator habitat, pollinator health, row covers (for season extension), shade cloth, silvopasture, strip tillage, varieties and cultivars, water management, 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: byproduct utilization, energy conservation/efficiency, renewable energy
• Farm Business Management: budgets/cost and returns, business planning, cooperatives, farmers' markets/farm stands, financial management, new enterprise development, risk management, value added, whole farm planning
• Natural Resources/Environment: biodiversity, carbon sequestration, drift/runoff buffers, grass waterways, habitat enhancement, riparian buffers, riverbank protection, soil stabilization, strip cropping, wetlands, wildlife
• Pest Management: biological control, chemical control, competition, cultivation, cultural control, economic threshold, eradication, field monitoring/scouting, genetic resistance, integrated pest management, mulches - general, physical control, precision herbicide use, prevention, weather monitoring, weed ecology
• Production Systems: agroecosystems, dryland farming, integrated crop and livestock systems, organic agriculture, transitioning to organic
• Soil Management: composting, earthworms, green manures, nutrient mineralization, organic matter, soil analysis, soil chemistry, soil microbiology, soil physics, soil quality/health
• Sustainable Communities: community development, community planning, community services, employment opportunities, leadership development, local and regional food systems, new business opportunities, partnerships, quality of life, social networks, sustainability measures, urban agriculture, urban/rural integration, values-based supply chains

Texas’ Sustainable Agriculture Advisory Committee meets annually to oversee the state program for training agricultural professionals in concepts of sustainable agriculture.  The program involves a multifaceted effort that provides training opportunities for County Extension Agents, FSA personnel, NRCS personnel, producers, and other agricultural professionals and also incorporates concepts of sustainable agriculture in existing, state-wide training efforts. These training opportunities include conferences, field meetings and workshops held at various locations in Texas.

Another approach of the Texas Sustainable Agriculture Advisory Committee is to support travel of selected professionals to regional and national conferences on sustainable agriculture, with the intent of participants gaining knowledge and skills that they will share with other agricultural professionals in Texas. 

Program evaluation will be accomplished with pre- and post-tests designed to measure knowledge gained by participating in educational programs.  A subset of attendees will be mailed an additional survey instrument four to eight months after the training to determine if participants have adopted any of the sustainable concepts presented. The aim of the evaluation is assess knowledge gained and to determine whether new knowledge will be applied in future programs for their clientele.

• 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 35 new employees.
• 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 35 USDA and Farm Credit personnel.
• 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 1,000 agricultural professionals.
• Maintain a website to provide timely and updated information related to SARE and the SARE grant program to Texas clientele. Goal of 1,000 “hits” on updated website.
• 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 35 Extension agents and/or agency personnel.