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FFA to receive grant funding to learn about specialty crops
By Robert Pore
robert.pore@theindependent.com
Nebraska is strongly associated with corn and soybean crops, which the state is among the nation's production leaders.
But there's a growing movement to help further diversity Nebraska's agricultural landscape. This week the Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) has awarded ten projects funding to enhance the competitiveness of the state's specialty crop industry.
Specialty crops are defined as fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops (including floriculture).
Consumer demand for locally grown food in the United States is expected to rise from an estimated $4 billion in 2002 to as much as $7 billion by 2012.
According to the 2007 U.S. Census of Agriculture, vegetables, melons, potatoes, sweet potatoes crops in Nebraska was valued at $63.8 million; fruits and nut trees, $2.59 million; nursery, greenhouse, floriculture, $41.2 million; and cut Christmas trees and short rotation woody crops. $592,000.
Nebraska's organic farming industry is also growing. According to the 2007 Census of Agriculture, there were 190 organic farms in Nebraska with 82,407 organically certified acres in production.
According to NDA Director Greg Ibach, the ten projects will share $285,452.98 in specialty crop block grant funding.
"Nebraska's specialty crop production is an important segment of our state's overall agricultural industry," Ibach said. "We are pleased with the quality of the projects and the potential these projects have to help our specialty crop industry grow in the future."
One of the ten projects awarded the grants are with Nebraska FFA chapters.
According to Ibach, the grant will help several Nebraska Future Farmers of America Chapters provide hands-on classroom educational materials and workshops in order to reestablish the youth's connection to specialty crop agriculture, engage young farmers in the production and selling of locally grown fruits and vegetables, and aid in the expansion of specialty crop commodities sold at Nebraska's farmers' markets;
The other grant recepients:
-- Partner with Nebraska Dry Bean Commission to increase the utilization of dry edible bean recipes by the Nebraska Child Nutrition Program and commercial enterprises through promotion of existing dry bean recipes.
-- Partner with the Community CROPS (Combining Resources, Opportunities, and People for Sustainability) to improve the capacity of socially disadvantaged and beginning farmers through the utilization of workshops, farm tours, farmer-to farmer mentoring, and networking opportunities in the specialty crop industry.
-- Partner with the University of Nebraska - Lincoln to create a cost-effective model or prototype for growing horticultural crops during the winter months in Nebraska.
-- Partner with the University of Nebraska at Lincoln to compare the compositional profiles (total phenols/flavonoid, vitamin E/A/carotenoids) and the antioxidant capacity of damaged and whole Great Northern Beans when subjected to various shelf-life and cooking unit operations.
-- Partner with the University of Nebraska at Lincoln to determine the periods during potato production in which limited irrigation would least impact market yield of potatoes.
-- Partner with the University of Nebraska at Lincoln to evaluate the success of hybrid hazelnut propagation techniques suitable for large scale multiplication of hybrid hazelnut cultivars and prepare for future evaluations of the adaptability and durability of propagated hazelnut seedlings in commercial field production systems.
-- Partner with the University of Nebraska at Lincoln to further identify and characterize isolates collected from surveys in which isolates were identified as Curtobacterium flaccumfaciens pv. Flaccumfaciens, tested as pathogens on dry beans, and then evaluated on all relevant crops.
-- Expand an Internet Mapping Service web site, which indicates the locations of Nebraska's vineyards for pesticide industry groups and individual pesticide users, to include the identification of other specialty crops including fruits, vegetables, nuts, berries, honey, and organic crops.
-- Partner with the University of Nebraska at Lincoln to identify and evaluate mycoflora species and mycotoxin contaminations in Nebraska hybrid hazelnuts and recommend preventive measures to control risk of mold and mycotoxin contaminations.
The funding was awarded through the USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant Program, which is authorized in the Farm Bill.
Overall, Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan said 55 grants totaling approximately $49 million for 745 projects were awarded to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops, which are defined as fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture and nursery crops, including floriculture.
"Developing local and regional food systems that spur economic opportunity is the purpose of our 'Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food' initiative and these grants today are a significant part of achieving that goal," said Merrigan. "We are pleased to be continuing this partnership in every state across the country to support their diverse efforts to promote healthy eating and grow specialty crop markets by expanding access to fresh, local foods."
Merrigan said the 'Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food' initiative emphasizes the need for a fundamental and critical reconnection between producers and consumers. The effort builds on the 2008 Farm Bill, which provides for increases and flexibility for USDA programs in an effort to promote local foods.
Since May, an inter-agency USDA 'Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food' task force has been working to align existing USDA programs with the needs of local and regional food systems; conducting outreach activities so that the linkages are understood; helping communities build local food systems by providing new initiatives; and engaging the American public in conversation about local and regional agriculture.
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Nebraska is strongly associated with corn and soybean crops, which the state is among the nation's production leaders.
But there's a growing movement to help further diversity Nebraska's agricultural landscape. This week the Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) has awarded ten projects funding to enhance the competitiveness of the state's specialty crop industry.
Consumer demand for locally grown food in the United States is expected to rise from an estimated $4 billion in 2002 to as much as $7 billion by 2012.
According to the 2007 U.S. Census of Agriculture, vegetables, melons, potatoes, sweet potatoes crops in Nebraska was valued at $63.8 million; fruits and nut trees, $2.59 million; nursery, greenhouse, floriculture, $41.2 million; and cut Christmas trees and short rotation woody crops. $592,000.
Nebraska's organic farming industry is also growing. According to the 2007 Census of Agriculture, there were 190 organic farms in Nebraska with 82,407 organically certified acres in production.
According to NDA Director Greg Ibach, the ten projects will share $285,452.98 in specialty crop block grant funding.
"Nebraska's specialty crop production is an important segment of our state's overall agricultural industry," Ibach said. "We are pleased with the quality of the projects and the potential these projects have to help our specialty crop industry grow in the future."
One of the ten projects awarded the grants are with Nebraska FFA chapters.
According to Ibach, the grant will help several Nebraska Future Farmers of America Chapters provide hands-on classroom educational materials and workshops in order to reestablish the youth's connection to specialty crop agriculture, engage young farmers in the production and selling of locally grown fruits and vegetables, and aid in the expansion of specialty crop commodities sold at Nebraska's farmers' markets;
The other grant recepients:
-- Partner with Nebraska Dry Bean Commission to increase the utilization of dry edible bean recipes by the Nebraska Child Nutrition Program and commercial enterprises through promotion of existing dry bean recipes.
-- Partner with the Community CROPS (Combining Resources, Opportunities, and People for Sustainability) to improve the capacity of socially disadvantaged and beginning farmers through the utilization of workshops, farm tours, farmer-to farmer mentoring, and networking opportunities in the specialty crop industry.
-- Partner with the University of Nebraska - Lincoln to create a cost-effective model or prototype for growing horticultural crops during the winter months in Nebraska.
-- Partner with the University of Nebraska at Lincoln to compare the compositional profiles (total phenols/flavonoid, vitamin E/A/carotenoids) and the antioxidant capacity of damaged and whole Great Northern Beans when subjected to various shelf-life and cooking unit operations.
-- Partner with the University of Nebraska at Lincoln to determine the periods during potato production in which limited irrigation would least impact market yield of potatoes.
-- Partner with the University of Nebraska at Lincoln to evaluate the success of hybrid hazelnut propagation techniques suitable for large scale multiplication of hybrid hazelnut cultivars and prepare for future evaluations of the adaptability and durability of propagated hazelnut seedlings in commercial field production systems.
-- Partner with the University of Nebraska at Lincoln to further identify and characterize isolates collected from surveys in which isolates were identified as Curtobacterium flaccumfaciens pv. Flaccumfaciens, tested as pathogens on dry beans, and then evaluated on all relevant crops.
-- Expand an Internet Mapping Service web site, which indicates the locations of Nebraska's vineyards for pesticide industry groups and individual pesticide users, to include the identification of other specialty crops including fruits, vegetables, nuts, berries, honey, and organic crops.
-- Partner with the University of Nebraska at Lincoln to identify and evaluate mycoflora species and mycotoxin contaminations in Nebraska hybrid hazelnuts and recommend preventive measures to control risk of mold and mycotoxin contaminations.
The funding was awarded through the USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant Program, which is authorized in the Farm Bill.
Overall, Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan said 55 grants totaling approximately $49 million for 745 projects were awarded to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops, which are defined as fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture and nursery crops, including floriculture.
"Developing local and regional food systems that spur economic opportunity is the purpose of our 'Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food' initiative and these grants today are a significant part of achieving that goal," said Merrigan. "We are pleased to be continuing this partnership in every state across the country to support their diverse efforts to promote healthy eating and grow specialty crop markets by expanding access to fresh, local foods."
Merrigan said the 'Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food' initiative emphasizes the need for a fundamental and critical reconnection between producers and consumers. The effort builds on the 2008 Farm Bill, which provides for increases and flexibility for USDA programs in an effort to promote local foods.
Since May, an inter-agency USDA 'Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food' task force has been working to align existing USDA programs with the needs of local and regional food systems; conducting outreach activities so that the linkages are understood; helping communities build local food systems by providing new initiatives; and engaging the American public in conversation about local and regional agriculture.
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