Showing 1-20 of 23 results
Diversifying Small Farms with Cereal Grains
FOREST, Virginia – Virginia farmer Michael Grantz is testing what it takes to incorporate cereal grains into a small-scale, diversified vegetable and cut flower farm for soil health as a cover crop and a value-added product for local markets. Grantz has managed a quarter acre plot of wheat and rye on he and his wife’s […]
Adding Livestock Farm Diversification with Yaks
MOREHEAD, Kentucky – On a frigid January morning at Morehead State University, Kentucky farmer Greg Dike keeps his fingers crossed for good news as MSU veterinary technology professor Philip Prater completes the pregnancy tests of four yak heifers from Dike’s farm. Yes, you read that right…yaks. Dike has been championing yaks since 2013 as an […]
Common Ground Podcast
Welcome to Common Ground from the University of Georgia's Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program. Sustainable agriculture stories from the Southern USA, introducing farmers, ranchers, and those who support them as well as innovative practices from around the Southern United States, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Listen in as they tell their stories […]
Sustainable Agriculture Leadership Program Supports Historically Underserved Farmers and Ranchers
This program seeks to champion the leadership contributions of those who serve historically underserved audiences within the Southern region. Participants receive sponsorship support to conduct education or training activities about sustainable agriculture.
Farm to Fork in North Carolina
This guide provides key action ideas for building a sustainable food economy in North Carolina.
Sustainable Food Systems for Georgia’s Agrarian Future
In Georgia, demand for local, sustainable food exceeds the supply, but a lack of infrastructure limits the development of a local, sustainable food system. Through a Southern SARE planning grant, the Georgia Sustainable Agriculture Consortium was formed to coordinate and leverage resources across the state of Georgia and to determine the necessary components of a […]
Mount Pleasant Local Food and Farm Assessment
Download the Mount Pleasant Local Food and Farm Assessment. The Town of Mount Pleasant Planning and Development Department and Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP) collaborated to assess the needs and opportunities in Mount Pleasant, S.C. associated with developing a regional food system. To complete this assessment, they used qualitative and quantitative data on the region’s agricultural […]
Private Landowners Guide to Forest Certification in the South
"Private Landowners' Guide to Forest Certification in the South," developed by the LSU Ag Center and Mississippi State University Extension, helps forest landowners understand forest certification.
Finding Common Ground with Farmers and Policymakers on Urban Agriculture Development in Puerto Rico
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – The damage to small farms in Puerto Rico from Hurricanes Maria and Irma in 2017 brought to light the disconnect between communities interested in urban agriculture initiatives and local governments that don’t recognize their social and economic benefits. To provide solutions, researchers at Ana G. Méndez (formerly Metropolitan University) in […]
Benefits to Farmers Who Donate Fresh Produce to Food Banks
RALEIGH, North Carolina -- The Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS) Whole Crop Harvest initiative has released a new video to encourage farmers to donate produce to food banks. Donations to food banks provide alternatives for farmers when they are unable to sell all of their fresh produce, says Rebecca Dunning, a North Carolina State […]
Agriculture in U.S. Virgin Islands Challenging, But Prevailing with Sustainable Agriculture Practices
CHRISTIANSTED, St. Croix – For months, a 14,000-gallon water tank has been sitting on its side in the middle of Frederick Miller’s Moringa tree orchard. Winds from Hurricane Maria had rolled the tank down the hillside of his farm, and he still hasn’t figured out yet how he’s going to move it. Yvette and Dale […]
Check Out These Resources to Calculate Food Waste on the Farm
RALEIGH, North Carolina – For farmers concerned about food waste on the farm, North Carolina State University researchers are developing tools and other educational resources that would help farmers calculate on-farm produce losses and then find ways to bring those products to market. In a newly funded Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education Grant (LS17-280), […]
Despite Challenges, the Farm-to-Childcare Relationship Holds Promise
RALEIGH, North Carolina – North Carolina State University researchers are exploring the relationship between farmers and childcare facilities – a segment of the local food movement that holds a myriad of economic and social opportunities. Graduate student Jacob Rutz and local foods Extension specialist J. Dara Bloom, through a $10,636 Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research & […]
NCSU Researchers Develop Protocol for Measuring Food Waste on the Farm
RALEIGH, North Carolina – A North Carolina State University study quantifying food waste on the farm seems to suggest that the amount of edible and marketable vegetable crops being left in the field after primary harvest is much higher than previously thought. In a Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education (SSARE) Graduate Student Grant, researchers […]
Getting a Glimpse of Sustainable Agriculture in Tennessee
NASHVILLE, Tennessee – Sustainable agriculture is growing in Tennessee and members of the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SSARE) program got a glimpse recently of the innovations, research, and marketing and productions methods driving that growth. Nearly 50 SSARE staff, members of the Administrative Council, and state ag coordinators were treated to a daylong […]
Some Invasive Trees are Good for Mushroom Production
TALLAHASSEE, Florida – Some non-native invasive trees in the Southeast have proven to be ideal substrates for growing edible mushrooms, according to the results of a USDA Agricultural Research Service study funded by a Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education (SSARE) On-Farm Research Grant. USDA-ARS researcher Stephen Hight, in collaboration with small farmers in southern […]
SARE Fellows Tour, a Look at Sustainable Ag Across the Country, Makes a Stop in Texas
D’HANIS, Texas -- Travis Krause lets out a loud cattle call. Within seconds, his herd appears in the distance among the tall grass, brush and trees of the South Texas Plains, and makes a fast trot to where the young farmer is standing. The animals line up side by side as if preparing for a […]
What Can Be: Regional Food Systems
This video outlines the economic redevelopment project of Working Landscapes in Warrenton, North Carolina, telling the story of two rural leaders who moved home to Warren County to contribute to their local economy by building a small processing center.
North Carolina Study Shows Local Foods a Driver for Economic Development, Especially in Rural Areas
RALEIGH, North Carolina – North Carolina farms that sell directly to consumers are more interconnected with their local economies than non-direct-to-consumer farms, and have a greater multiplier effect of generated revenue, based on the results of a North Carolina State University survey. The results, which could have applicability on a regional level, are intended to […]
Principles of Sustainable Agriculture
GAINESVILLE, Florida – Taking charge of change, building community relationships, recognizing resource limitations, striving for a high-quality product, and balancing passion with practical business sense are just some principles that tend to make a farmer a role model in sustainable agriculture practices. University of Florida researchers took the knowledge and expertise of agricultural professionals and […]