Commodities

Soil Health and Crop Benefits to Integrating Biochar and Poultry Litter in Plasticulture Tomatoes

TIFTON, Georgia – Biochar, a soil amendment, mixed with poultry litter, an organic fertilizer, improved soil health and increased crop performance in south Georgia tomatoes, compared to biochar mixed with synthetic fertilizers, a University of Georgia study shows. Funded through a Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SSARE) Graduate Student Grant, horticulture professor Ted McAvoy […]

Soil for Water

This series of 11 semi-structured interviews was carried out by Virginia Tech and Virginia Cooperative Extension to better understand farmers’ and ranchers’ agroecological motivations and values related to the protection and conservation of water resources. The series highlights diverse farms of Virginia’s agricultural community through a narrative inquiry framework. Introduction to the Soil for Water […]

Yak Meat Production Enterprise Budgets

Instructions: Enterprise Budget Worksheet for Yak Meat Production This guide offers instructions for using the Enterprise Budget Worksheet for Yak Meat Production, below. Excel tool: Enterprise Budget Worksheet for Yak Meat Production This decision tool is targeted for those interested in raising yaks for meat production. The goal is to assist individuals in accounting for […]

Sustainable Strawberry Production Video Series

The videos on this page were developed by the University of Arkansas as part of a training program to help Extension and Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) agents share information with strawberry growers about sustainable practices. The videos plus additional information about the training program are also available at the University of Arkansas Sustainable Practices […]

Sustainable Upland Cotton Production

This project developed a set of 12 video training tools to enhance skills and knowledge about sustainable cotton production for Cooperative Extension agents. The 12 videos are listed below. They were created by a team from Texas A&M University, Louisiana State University, and Oklahoma State University. Cotton Growth and Development Beltwide Seed Quality Survey Basic Soil […]

Through Field Trials, Some Taro Varieties Suitable for the Southeast

ASHEVILLE, North Carolina – Farmers across the Southeast are catching on to the production ease, culinary connections, and value-added diversity of taro – an ancient root crop that has been an integral part of the diet of civilization for thousands of years. With the right varieties, the tropical crop can be a viable, versatile, delicious, […]

Urban Mushroom Symposium held by UGA Urban Ag Center

GRIFFIN, Georgia – On Friday, March 7, 2025, Southern SARE participated in a first-time University of Georgia (UGA) Mushroom Symposium with 132 attendees including producers, growers, controlled environment agriculture professionals, and mushroom enthusiasts. Organized by the UGA Center for Urban Agriculture and held at the UGA Griffin Campus student learning center, attendees learned from research presentations, […]

Virginia Farmer Advancing Edible Winter Pea Breeding to Expand Grain Versatility

KEEZLETOWN, Virginia – On a shelf at Tangly Woods, a 6-acre homesteading farm at the base of the Shenandoah Mountains, sits the 1982 land survey map book for Rockingham County with a description of the farm property’s soil stating, “Not suitable for agriculture.” But for the past two decades, Jason Myers-Benner and his family have […]

Co-Cultivating Rice and Fish to Reduce Methane, Increase Income

FAYETTEVILLE, Arkansas – University of Arkansas researchers are partnering with rice farmers across the state on a project to reduce winter methane emissions in rice fields while providing an additional income stream to acreage. With a $30,000 On-Farm Research Grant, funded by Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SSARE), bioengineer Benjamin Runkle is adding fish […]

Can Indigenous Agricultural Methods of Puerto Rico Mitigate Erosion and Feed the Island?

UTUADO, Puerto Rico - Graduate student Joseph Anthony Navarro thinks that sustainable agroecological practices can preserve biodiversity and was awarded a $16,491 SSARE grant to research it. He asks the question, “Can Taino be an alternative to traditional intensive Agriculture?” According to Joseph, a Conuco is an elevated bed of soil, organic matter, and plant/tree residues (mulch) for easy harvesting/weed management. “My […]

Ag Professionals Receiving Training on Accessible Beekeeping through SARE Grant

Front Royal, VIRGINIA  Justin Ruger, a beekeeper and founder of Accessible Beekeeping was granted a $75,589 Southern SARE Professional Development Program Grant to provide the historically underserved community of people with disabilities the knowledge and skills to participate in apiculture to increase their quality of life and independence. He uses YouTube videos and trains organizations at multiple universities and state extensions. Justin lost his […]

In Revitalizing the Chestnut Industry, a North Carolina Farmer is Chasing the Perfect Nut

BURNSVILLE, North Carolina – Ron Fritz has a vision to restore the grandeur of the American chestnut tree in Western North Carolina. The retired food scientist turned farmer sets his gaze on the forested hillsides of the Blue Ridge Mountains outside his small chestnut orchard and recounts the stories told of American chestnut trees that […]

Saving Seeds for Resilient Local Systems

An inclusive online video series, funded by Southern SARE, helps promote seed-saving among Southeastern farmers and encourages a deeper exploration into seeds, heritage and ethics.

Getting the Most Sap from Each Tap in Black Walnut Syrup Production

MCDOWELL, Virginia – Long before the Civil War, land on the mountainous slopes of the Allegheny Mountains in western Virginia had been cleared for logging and cattle grazing. Today, agriculture is still prominent, but in the form of syrup tapped from hardwoods – maple, hickory, elm, black walnut – that have retaken the landscape. Syrup […]

Using Native Plants as a Cover Crop for Soil and Vegetable Production Benefits

SANDSTON, Virginia – Patches of partridge pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata) dot Patrick Johnson’s permaculture farm, still holding on to their yellow summer flowers while setting pods to drop seed in the coming colder temperatures. Johnson is excited to see the native plant growing wild on his Airport Food Forest Farm; he believes the legume will make […]

Using Aerated Compost Tea as a Fertilizer Alternative in Organic Vegetable Production

LEESBURG, Virginia – With the rising costs of fertilizers, farmers are seeking alternative options to supplement soil health for crops. One microgreens farmer in Virginia is testing the validity of aerated compost tea as a viable option for small-scale vegetable growers, especially for those who wish to pursue organic production practices. In a two-year Southern […]

Exploring Algal Blooms as Biofertilizer in Vegetable Production

MIAMI, Florida – Algal blooms, which can grow excessively on lakes and other slow-flowing bodies of water, are an environmental, ecological, economic, and social problem. But Florida International University (FIU) researchers are seeking to reverse those issues by using the microscopic organisms as biofertilizer in agricultural crops. Agroecologist Krish Jayachandran and Earth and Environment post […]