Commodities

Ecological Christmas Tree Farming Guide

A guide sharing research about ecological Christmas tree farming including case studies of a few farms. This guide looks at the history of Christmas tree farming, current conventional practices and ecological practices including coppice culture tree farming.

Growing Forest Mushrooms in Other Settings

A recent Northeast SARE Farmer Grant project worked with several farms to test different methods of growing mushrooms alongside other crops, as well as measuring how much profit they could bring to farmers’ bottom line. In Farmer Grant project FNE24-077, “Forest Mushroom Production On Ready-to-Fruit Blocks”, Farmer Grant Project Leader Willie Crosby, of Fungi Ally […]

Using Mycelium in Aquaculture Farming

Building on the successes of previous experiments using MycoRafts for marshland restoration and mycelium buoys for oyster farming, project leader Sue Van Hook of Greenhorns in Maine, researched a number of approaches to creating lobster buoys from mushroom mycelium – the fibrous tissue from which mushroom fruiting bodies emerge.

Expanding Aquaculture by Farming Scallops Alongside Oysters

A recent Northeast SARE aquaculture project demonstrated how Maine seafarms can farm multiple crops in the same space by raising scallops in lantern nets arranged below oyster cages.  In Northeast SARE Farmer Grant FNE23-052, Growing Bay Scallops on a Maine Oyster Farm as a Strategy to Diversify Crops and Adapt to a Warming Gulf, Winnegance […]

Industrial Hemp In Vermont

While farmers are interested in diversifying crops by growing hemp for fiber, they lack information on the best strategies to grow and process hemp fiber in Vermont, and access new markets. The guide, Industrial Hemp in Vermont, and the videos on this page help close this knowledge gap and overcome barriers for a variety of […]

Winter Cattle Lice

Lice infestations during winter housing represent a significant challenge for cattle producers, particularly organic operations raising cattle without chemical inputs. This series of fact sheets from University of Vermont Extension describes the life cycle of cattle lice, control strategies based on integrated pest management (IPM) principles, and the use of essential oils as alternative controls. […]

Johne’s Disease Fact Sheets

Johne’s disease is an infectious disease of ruminants that reduces profitability of infected herds and is difficult to control. These University of Vermont fact sheets (combined into a 16-page PDF) answer questions about what Johne's disease is, how it spreads and how to control the disease.

Strawberry Production Guide

Strawberry Production Guide for the Northeast, Midwest and Eastern Canada is intended as a comprehensive resource for both novice and experienced strawberry growers in northeastern North America. It provides information on all aspects of strawberry culture. The second edition has been updated and revised throughout, and includes expanded and new information on variety selection (Ch. […]

Optimizing the Economic Return of Pasture-Raised Broilers

This set of publications were developed by Cornell University and are intended to help producers of slow-growth and conventional broilers understand their costs of production and track the performance of their flocks. A third fact sheet shares guidance on breaking down a carcass into desired cuts. Calculating Costs of Production Farmers must figure out their […]

Growing Seed Crops

Northeastern farmers and seed keepers are interested in increasing seed production for on-farm, community, and commercial use. This series of Cornell University fact sheets shares useful production information for a range of vegetable crops. Growing of Lettuce Seed Crop Fact Sheet Basics of Growing Carrots, Beets and Onions for Seed in the Northeast Timing of […]

An Introduction to Honey Bee Breeding Program Design

Honey bee breeding is a long-term, labor-intensive process that is becoming more popular and accessible. This 10-page fact sheet from Penn State Extension, An Introduction to Honey Bee Breeding Program Design, introduces beekeepers to the basics of starting a honey bee breeding program.

Guide to interseeding cover crops into corn systems in the Northeast

Although substantial gains in cover crop acreage have been seen across the northeast, proper establishment of cover crops continues to be challenging for dairy operations which rely heavily on corn silage. Farmers are interested in exploring the concept of solar corridors that integrates row crops with solid-seeded cover crops in broad strips. The broad strips […]

Exploring the Potential for Fig Production in the Northeast

The vast majority of domestic fig production in the United States is concentrated in California, because the cost of overwintering fig trees in colder climates is a barrier to the expansion of commercial production. But on one farm in Yardley, Penn., Craig Boyer is exploring a new method of overwintering figs with the aim of […]

Forest Farming Best Practices

Wild and wild appearing ginseng is up to 100 times more valuable than alternatives grown under shade cloths. GNE19-221 investigated strategies for wild-simulated forest planting for ginseng, where forest farmers introduce ginseng to an area and allow it to grow with little intervention. The project, conducted by graduate student Karam Sheban with faculty advisor Marlyse […]

New Possibilities for Producer Cooperatives

Northeast SARE Partnership Grant project explores producer cooperatives Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA) recently released a case study of two long-standing producer marketing cooperatives. Over the course of more than two years as part of Northeast SARE Partnership Project ONE19-332, CISA provided in-depth support to Our Family Farms (OFF) and The Pioneer Valley Grower’s […]

Down by the Bay: Project Supports Safe Oyster Production

Oyster production is a key contributor to the local food economy in New Jersey’s Delaware Bay. The “merroir” of the Bay’s tide flats gives oysters their unique and desired taste. However, recent increases in illnesses caused by raw oyster consumption threaten the Bay’s oyster farming future. The culprit is Vibrio parahaemolyticus (Vp), a bacterium commonly […]

Implementing a Food Safety System for Small-Scale and Raw Milk Cheese Plants

The purpose of this guide is to assist small-scale and raw milk cheesemakers in conducting Hazard Analyses of their processes to ensure they are producing the safest product possible and to meet the requirements of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). The author, Dr. Kerry E. Kaylegian of the Pennsylvania State University, created this resource […]

Forage Brassicas

Forage Brassicas are annual crops that can grazed during the spring, summer and fall to extend the grazing season. This fact sheet provides an overview to establish and graze kale, rape, radish, swede and turnip.

Considerations and Recommendations When Establishing Custom Grazing Relationships

This guide and set of recommendations are intended for organic dairy farmers and other livestock graziers interested in starting a custom grazing relationship with a neighboring farmer or landowner. Successful custom grazing can provide or increase grazing acreage for those farmers who need it and can also provide opportunities for smaller, beginning, leased, and diversified […]

Managing Staph aureus on the Organic Dairy

Staphylococcus aureus is a bacterium that causes mastitis in dairy cattle. Staph aureus mastitis is highly contagious and can easily spread among the herd. Organic dairy farmer Katie Webb Clark conducted a Northeast SARE Farmer Grant project to test milking hygiene and preventative management protocols used in the U.S. and New Zealand, trialed Manuka honey […]