Differentiating Small Farm Produce Offerings through Nutritionally Superior Cultivars, Marketing, and Extension Programs

Direct marketing is integral to the prosperity of most small and medium-sized fresh vegetable producers. We are examining whether the perceived health benefits of nutritionally superior vegetables can enhance market competitiveness, and if organic or conventional management practices result in differing nutritional value of these crops. Key goals in our approach are as follows:

1. Analyze the antioxidant health properties of 10 cultivars (Table 1) for each of six vegetables commonly sold through direct marketing channels: broccoli, garlic, lettuce, melons, spinach, and tomatoes. We expect to discover considerable diversity of antioxidant nutritional properties. Varieties with exceptional properties may provide a competitive supply niche for producers. These vegetables will be simultaneously grown on paired organic and conventional plots over two production seasons at the Horticulture Research Center near Fort Collins, Colorado. The control of weeds and critical pest control variables unique to organic or conventional practices will help identify important production barriers and potential nutritional differences.
2. Develop enterprise budgets for producers of cultivars with enhanced nutritional quality.
3. Assess consumer interest and demand for nutritionally-superior produce using a national survey and consumer panels. Estimate willingness to pay for this differentiated product and evaluate potential labeling, promotional and educational marketing strategies. We will emphasize consumers who buy directly from producers (small farm marketing channels), and will conduct taste panels on promising varieties to assess consumer acceptance.
4. Develop appropriate educational materials for small farm producers to influence adoption of nontraditional produce cultivars with superior nutritional quality, and similarly, provide and assist with educational programming to help producers promote these new produce lines to consumers.

		The project is a multi-disciplinary collaboration between four different departments and programs at Colorado State University (see below). This will be an ongoing project for the years 2005-2007. The project is supported by the National Research Initiative of the USDA Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service, grant number 2005-00667.

Principle Investigators and Contact Information:

Click on one of the links below for more information about this project:

• Materials and Methods
• Preliminary Results from 2005