Project Overview
Commodities
- Agronomic: annual ryegrass, canola, clovers, corn, cotton, grass (misc. annual), grass (misc. perennial), grass (turfgrass, sod), hay, medics/alfalfa, oats, peanuts, radish (oilseed, daikon, forage), rice, rye, sorghum (milo), sorghum (sweet), sorghum sudangrass, triticale, vetches, wheat
- Fruits: berries (brambles), citrus, grapes, melons, peaches
- Nuts: pecans
- Vegetables: beans, eggplant, garlic, greens (leafy), greens (lettuces), okra, onions, peas (culinary), peppers, sweet potatoes, tomatoes
- Additional Plants: cut flowers, native plants, ornamentals, trees
- Animals: bees, bovine, equine, fish, poultry, sheep
- Animal Products: dairy, eggs, fiber, fur, leather, honey, meat
Practices
- Animal Production: animal protection and health, feed/forage, feed additives, feed formulation, feed management, feed rations, free-range, grazing management, grazing - continuous, grazing - multispecies, grazing - rotational, 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, range improvement, rangeland/pasture management, stocking rate, stockpiled forages, vaccines, watering systems, winter forage
- Crop Production: agroforestry, beekeeping, biological inoculants, conservation tillage, continuous cropping, cover crops, crop improvement and selection, cropping systems, crop rotation, drainage systems, drought tolerance, fallow, fertilizers, food product quality/safety, forest farming, forestry, forest/woodlot management, greenhouses, municipal wastes, nutrient cycling, nutrient management, organic fertilizers, plant breeding and genetics, pollination, pollinator habitat, pollinator health, silvopasture, strip tillage, 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, technical assistance, workshop
- Energy: bioenergy and biofuels, byproduct utilization, solar energy, wind power
- Farm Business Management: agritourism, budgets/cost and returns, business planning, community-supported agriculture, cooperatives, farm-to-restaurant, farmers' markets/farm stands, value added
- Natural Resources/Environment: biodiversity, habitat enhancement, hedges - grass, hedges - woody, riparian buffers, riverbank protection, soil stabilization, wetlands, wildlife
- Pest Management: allelopathy, biological control, chemical control, competition, cultivation, cultural control, economic threshold, eradication, field monitoring/scouting, integrated pest management, mulches - general, mulching - vegetative, mulching - plastic, physical control, precision herbicide use, prevention, weather monitoring, weed ecology
- Production Systems: integrated crop and livestock systems, organic agriculture, transitioning to organic
- Soil Management: green manures, nutrient mineralization, organic matter, soil analysis, soil chemistry, soil microbiology, soil physics, soil quality/health
- Sustainable Communities: analysis of personal/family life, community development, community planning, community services, leadership development, quality of life, social networks, sustainability measures, urban agriculture, urban/rural integration, values-based supply chains
Proposal abstract:
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 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 assessing knowledge gained and to determine whether new knowledge will be applied in future programs for their clientele.
Project objectives from proposal:
The following training objectives will be accomplished through the training plan also
shown below.
1. At least fifteen Agriculture Extension Agents and five NRCS Field Technicians will
become knowledgeable about sustainable grazing systems.
2. At least fifteen Agriculture Extension Agents and five NRCS Field Technicians will
become knowledgeable about direct on-farm marketing and local foods sales.
3. At least ten Extension Agents and five NRCS Field Technicians will become
knowledgeable about organic production of field crops and inform producers of such
information related to organic crop production systems.
July Texas County Agricultural Agents Association Meeting
Vanessa Corriher-Olson and John Smith will deliver SARE educational programming and
will develop, establish, and staff a booth highlighting SARE educational materials and
approaches.
July Sustainable Water Quality and Quantity Training
John Smith will serve on the organizing committee and will deliver sustainable
agriculture educational programming based on AC recommendation for Extension
agent and mentor farmer education on irrigation water quality and quantity. John also
will deliver programming highlighting sustainable methods and SARE educational
approaches.
Aug. Sheep and Goat Expo, San Angelo
John Smith will deliver rainwater harvesting for sustainable livestock operations
educational programming to attending Extension personnel and mentor farmers whose
leadership is key to increased adoption of science-based management practices in
sustainable and organic enterprises. The training will include SARE Producer Grant and
on the Farm Research opportunities.
Aug. Sustainable Gardening
Nelson Daniels and John Smith will deliver irrigation water quality and private water
well management, rainwater harvesting and SARE educational programming to
attending Extension, NRCS and Texas Dept. of Agriculture personnel and mentor
farmers whose leadership is key to increased adoption of science-based management
practices in sustainable and organic operations.
Aug. Texas Beef Cattle Short Course. A booth will be used to accommodate a display
highlighting SARE educational materials and approaches.
Nov. Annual Agriculture Day at Prairie View A&M educational booth space. A booth will
be used to accommodate a display highlighting SARE educational materials and
approaches.
Dec. Cooperative Extension Program ANR agent training, Prairie View
Nelson Daniels will provide SARE educational training to 10 Prairie View A&M
Cooperative Extension Program agents who will travel to Hempstead from across the
state
Feb. 2026 Fort Bend Regional Vegetable Conference, Rosenberg
Nelson Daniels and John Smith will deliver irrigation water quality and private water
well management, rainwater harvesting and SARE educational programming to
attending Extension, NRCS and Texas Dept. of Agriculture personnel and mentor
farmers whose leadership is key to increased adoption of science-based management
practices in sustainable and organic operations.
Jan. 2026 Texas Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (TOFGA) Conference,
Nelson Daniels and John Smith will deliver irrigation water quality and private water
well management, rainwater harvesting and SARE educational programming to
attending Extension, NRCS and Texas Dept. of Agriculture personnel and mentor
farmers whose leadership is key to increased adoption of science-based management
practices in sustainable and organic operations.
April 2026 Organic Production Seminar and Tour Registration Fees. Tour registration fees will
be provided to support training for 40 County Extension Agents.
April 2026 Cooperative Extension Program Small Farm Field Day
May 2026 Ranch Raised Beef. A booth will be used to accommodate a display
highlighting SARE educational materials and approaches.
June 2026 Production, Marketing and Sales of Local Foods Training - Training will focus on
food safety for cottage foods, farmers markets, on-site animal processing, and Whole
Foods purchasing of locally grown produce.