The Rocky Mountain Small Organic Farm Project - Variety Trials
Click on the links below to see data collected from 2004 through 2008. Site information (soils, weather, etc.) about the Horticulture Research Center - the home place of the Rocky Mountain Small Organic Farm Project can be found on our Study Area web page. Click here for notes on varieties grown for the 2005 CSU CSA and go to the "Production" link.
Colorado Department of Agriculture Block Grant
The CDA block grant awarded the Specialty Crops Program at CSU in 2007 provided support for evaluation of a wide range of vegetable varieties under organic field and high tunnel production conditions. The information gained from these trials is intended to benefit Colorado farmers, especially small organic farmers. Organic specialty crop production represents a rapidly growing segment of Colorado’s agricultural industry, however many of the unique challenges organic producers face, have not been well studied and lack appropriate solutions. Additionally, many small organic producers are novice “non-traditional” farmers who rely upon extension personnel for information about appropriate production and niche marketing options. It was the goal of this project to continue to build upon a comprehensive platform of applied research and demonstration projects, initiated by Colorado State University’s Specialty Crops Program (CSU SCP), to serve the specialty crop producers of Colorado.
The objectives of this project match those of the Specialty Crops Block Grant program for 2007 in their effort to support Colorado’s specialty crop producers through technical support which will enhance their competitiveness and enhance the consumption of Colorado’s specialty crops. Sustainability is addressed by the organic production methods being used and demonstrated in this project.
As part of a whole-farm approach to research and demonstration, this proposal addresses three objectives fundamental to the comprehensive approach.
- First was the evaluation of performance of a wide range of high value specialty crops under this region’s environmental conditions and organic production practices; 330 varieties of 21 different vegetables were evaluated.
- Second was the evaluation of high tunnels for season extension of high value crops, and the potential benefit of screened tunnels to reduce two significant insect transmitted diseases (psyllid yellows and curly top virus).
- Third, the educational component; demonstrations and results were presented to producers and extension agents during a Specialty Crops Program Field Day at the Horticulture Field Research Center, and at the Colorado Agriculture Big and Small Conference in Greeley. Student interns participating in the production and research efforts of his project gained valuable experiential learning.
The beneficiaries of this project will include organic vegetable producers, students, research and extension personnel serving this segment of agriculture in Colorado and regionally. Consumers will ultimately benefit from this project by having more choices of reliably produced local fruits and vegetables. The entire community benefits where local food systems are reinforced in production and marketing arenas. The final report can be downloaded here (MS Word).
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