Utah State PDP Program 2020

Project Overview

WSP19-021
Project Type: PDP State Program
Funds awarded in 2019: $28,636.00
Projected End Date: 03/31/2022
Host Institution Award ID: G238-20-W7506
Grant Recipient: Utah State University
Region: Western
State: Utah
State Coordinator:
Marion Murray
Utah State University

Information Products

Commodities

  • Agronomic: hay, hemp, wheat
  • Fruits: apples, apricots, berries (brambles), cherries, melons, peaches, pears, plums
  • Vegetables: broccoli, carrots, greens (leafy), onions, peppers, sweet corn, tomatoes
  • Additional Plants: herbs, native plants, trees
  • Animals: bees, bovine

Practices

  • Animal Production: animal protection and health, feed/forage, grazing management, preventive practices, range improvement, rangeland/pasture management, winter forage
  • Crop Production: cover crops, crop improvement and selection, crop rotation, fertilizers, greenhouses, high tunnels or hoop houses, pollinator habitat, row covers (for season extension), season extension
  • Education and Training: demonstration, extension, networking, on-farm/ranch research, participatory research, technical assistance, workshop
  • Farm Business Management: farm succession
  • Natural Resources/Environment: biodiversity, habitat enhancement
  • Pest Management: biological control, biorational pesticides, botanical pesticides, chemical control, cultural control, economic threshold, field monitoring/scouting, integrated pest management, mating disruption, mulches - general, physical control, prevention, row covers (for pests), sanitation, trap crops, traps, weather monitoring
  • Production Systems: dryland farming, organic agriculture, transitioning to organic
  • Soil Management: organic matter
  • Sustainable Communities: quality of life, urban agriculture, urban/rural integration

    Proposal abstract:

    Because Utah is the 9th most densely urban, and the 2nd driest, state in the nation, the Utah WSARE PDP Advisory Committee recognizes that Utah’s Professional Development Program (PDP) must address these challenges in agriculture to help agricultural professionals protect natural resources and human safety while enhancing the quality of life for our producers, particularly within specialty crops and forage and rangelands. The Utah PDP will achieve this through various trainings and awards. A fall 2020 WSARE professional development workshop will target approximately 125 agricultural professionals and focus on cover cropping and soil and weed management. Awards for professional travel or event hosting will target sustainable agriculture issues in Utah. The Urban and Small Farms Conference provides training in crop production and marketability, and the Utah/Arizona Range Livestock Workshop and Tour provides training in sustainable rangeland and livestock health and rancher profitability. Both of these multi-day conferences will be held in spring 2021, reaching over 325 and 300 professionals and producers, respectfully. These activities are based on both successful past outputs, and agreement with the Utah WSARE PDP Advisory Committee.

    Project objectives from proposal:

    There are four objectives for this proposal:

    1. Professional development workshop, held in fall of 2020
    2. Professional development travel/event awards, awarded throughout 2020-21
    3. Support of Utah Urban and Small Farms Conference (USFC) and the Utah/Arizona Annual Range and Livestock Workshop, held in February and April of 2021, respectfully
    4. Promotion of WSARE grants, publications, and services; and general outreach in sustainable agriculture, conducted throughout the duration of the award
    Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture or SARE.