Commodities

Cornell team digs into cover crops as livestock feed

Cornell University agronomist Quirine Ketterings conducted her Northeast SARE Research and Education project to better understand the incorporation of winter cereal cover crops— triticale, winter rye and wheat—into silage corn rotations. This double crop system enables farmers to provide both corn and cover crops as livestock feed. Because growing cover crops as dairy forages means […]

RI student studies production and marketing potential of amaranth

Amaranth is a traditional leaf vegetable in over 50 countries, yet little research exists on growing this crop in temperate climates like the Northeast U.S. University of Rhode Island student Sarah Schweig saw the potential that this crop might hold for farmers looking to diversity their farms in our densely populated, ethnically diverse region. Therefore, […]

Penn State student studies poultry bedding alternatives

In the Northeast, wood shavings are the predominant bedding material on which commercial broiler chickens are raised. Because their availability and cost fluctuates and new concerns have emerged around biosecurity risks of transporting bedding to and from farms, Pennsylvania State University Master of Science student Amy Barkley used her Northeast SARE Graduate Student grant to […]

Sustainable year-round sheep milking management

The U.S. sheep dairy industry is currently a seasonal business as traditional dairy sheep breeds tend to follow an annual 180-day lactation. With her Northeast SARE Graduate Student grant, Nikola “Niko” Kochendoerfer of Cornell University, explored the possibility of year-round sheep milking management using meat breed ewes (Finn and Dorset crossbreeds). These breeds are capable […]

Guild by association: Partnership grant organizes Maryland cheesemakers

Although consumer demand for local Maryland artisanal and farmstead cheeses is high, state regulatory hurdles have created significant barriers for this emerging industry. Working with Ginger Myers, agricultural marketing specialist with the University of Maryland Extension, a committed group of farmstead cheese producers and agriculture support specialists teamed up to form the Maryland Cheesemakers' Guild […]

Weed Weasel prototype provides weed cultivation options for small-scale farms

Weed management is crucial on vegetable farms of all scales but may be particularly challenging for small-scale farms as hand weeding is time consuming while tractor cultivation may not fit with smaller acreages. So, with his Northeast SARE Partnership grant, Jan “Lu” Yoder of Woodmetalcanvas in Westport, MA collaborated with local farmers to build, test […]

Geese on Pasture

Wesley Bascom of Gozzard City LLC conducted a Northeast SARE Farmer Grant project to look at pastured goose production in northern Vermont. Wesley wanted to track the impact of different levels of grain supplementation for geese on pasture. He divided the goose flock into three groups of approximately 60 each and supplemented one group with […]

Pollinator buffers improve poultry farm sustainability & neighbor relations

Like many farms across the region, Hill Farms, Inc. in Houston, Delaware has seen in increase in residential development surrounding their farm. Because maintaining positive neighbor relations is important to this poultry operation, owner Tina Hill conducted a Northeast SARE Farmer Grant project to install a mixed vegetative buffer adjacent their poultry houses. Tina was […]

Project expands leafy green production in WV's Eastern panhandle

The Eastern Panhandle region of West Virginia is the fastest growing area in the state and is adjacent to large, diverse populations like Washington, D.C. and Baltimore. To meet the emerging demand for fresh produce from regional wholesale markets like hospitals, school districts and other institutional buyers, Lewis Jett of West Virginia University conducted a […]

Sustainable wine course goes online

In the vineyard industry, the task of communicating to customers is often left to winery sales and hospitality staff who may not know much about the farming end of the business. Whitney Beaman of Bedell Cellars in Cutchogue, NY recognized that educating winery employees who hold customer-facing roles (including tasting room, wine club and wholesale […]

Maine leads project using winter ecology to manage small ruminant parasites

For many small ruminant operations, grazing is central to farm profitability. However, grazing livestock increases risks of losses due to parasite-infested pastures. Haemonchus contortus, Barber pole worm, is a particular threat to sheep and goat farms throughout the Northeast region. Although H. contortus (as a subtropical parasite) has adapted to northern climates, Jim Weber of […]

2017 Northeast SARE Annual Report

A look back at the past 30 years of SARE and a look to the future. This edition includes a listing of 2017 project awards by state and includes a snapshot of program results.

Developing a criteria to select colostrum samples of poor quality

Good colostrum management is essential to the health of newborn replacements and life-long profit.

Oyster Mushroom Cultivation in the Northeast United States

Guide to oyster mushroom production using straw cultivation.

Testing the use of spent brewery grain in three mushroom species

What is the effect of spent brewery grain in the production process of three mushroom species? 

Powering Your Farm Off-the-Grid

Is it possible to operate a farm off-the-grid, and what are the challenges and opportunities? Raymond Luhrman will take you on a virtual tour of Fox Creek Farm and describe how his family operates their 350 member  Community Supported Agriculture operation from electricity produced right on site. This webinar is part of the New Generation Energy Webinar Series, partially funded by the Northeast SARE's New York Professional Development Program.

Minimizing the risks of Vibrio bacteria in farm-raised oysters grown in intertidal elements of the Delaware Bay

New Jersey’s oyster farms are concentrated on the extensive intertidal sand flats of the lower Delaware Bay where they are exposed twice daily during low tide. Previous studies from the Pacific Northwest indicate that intertidal exposure accelerates the proliferation of Vibrios, increasing the risk to human health.

Native bees and flowering cover crops

While managed colonies of European honey bees are most frequently used for crop pollination, wild or native bees commonly provide the same pollination services for ‘free’ without the costs of renting or maintaining honey bee hives.