Baker, Daniel Adjusting to Vermont: Stress Among Latino Farmworkers and State Policy Development
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Vermont is a new Latino destination where many of these Spanish-speaking immigrants have work on dairy farms. The health status of these workers has been a concern and recent research in Vermont found that barriers to health care of Hispanic dairy farmworkers include fear of immigration, law enforcement, language issues and lack of transportation. Relatively few workers reported health problems, of those who did a surprisingly large percentage reported experiencing depression or anxiety. This
finding highlighted how little is known about the mental health impacts of stress and isolation on these farmworkers. This proposal seeks to conduct a rapid assessment of depression and anxiety among Latino dairy farm workers, building on the research teams experience working with this population. The results will be shared with health care providers in Vermont through an annual statewide meeting and work with agencies providing services to these workers. The development of Vermont
state policies to address the mental and physical health issues faced by Latino dairy workers will also be investigated.
Barrington, David Collaborative Research: Digitization TCN: The Macroalgal Herbarium Consortium: Accessing 150 Years of Specimen Data to Understand Changes in the Marine / Aquatic Environment
NSF via the University of New Hampshire
Macroalgae are a diverse group of aquatic organisms that occur in four divisions (phyla) spanning two kingdoms. They are the foundation of many marine, estuarine and freshwater benthic ecosystems and provide food, substrata and protection for a myriad of other aquatic organisms.
The Pringle Herbarium has joined this multi-institutional initiative to access 150 years of specimen data to understand changes in the marine/aquatic environment. Our contribution of the small University of Vermont collection to this effort will contribute to the overall goals of the consortium:
1) To establish a Macroalgal Herbarium Consortium (MHC), a network of 48 U.S. institutions with small, medium and large macroalgal collections that will collectively develop and share tools, workflows, knowledge and experience that will streamline specimen digitization and data access.
2) To digitize all of the more than 1.1 million macroalgal herbarium specimens in the MHC collections and to make the data easily accessible in a way that will (a) facilitate ecological research documenting biodiversity as well as spatial and temporal changes in marine, estuarine and freshwater environments; (b) inform environmental managers and regulatory agencies, and (c) engage the public and promote an appreciation of the importance of macroalgae and natural history collections.
At the Pringle Herbarium, the digitization tasks will be carried out by students and interns hired for the project. It will provide them with an enriched educational experience, skills for using state of the art bioinformatics tools, and an appreciation of the value of their contribution to an important national effort.
The Macroalgal Portal developed for the project and the education materials developed at the participating museums will encourage public engagement and instill an understanding of the importance of macroalgae and biodiversity collections.
At the Pringle Herbarium, we have just begun activity relating to the project. Undergraduate Nicolette Whiting has been working 5-8 hours a week on the algae, mainly getting the collection in order to digitize, including checking the very old names on the specimens. Imaging or databasing has not begun.
Barrington, David Developing the US National Virtual Herbarium
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
This project continues a program to implement web sharing of the extensive plant-information resources of the Pringle Herbarium in coordination with the development of the Unites States Virtual Herbarium, an approved multistate project involving 12 experiment stations and over 70 herbaria nationwide. The objectives of the project are to 1.) supervise the development of the Pringle Herbarium’s digital images and data, 2.) provide our specimen data to the web through regional and taxon-specific national portals, 3.) participate in the U.S. Virtual Herbarium community’s goal of integrating our specimen data with those of the other participating herbaria through appropriate portals, and 4.) continue to attract funding for including the remaining 190,000 specimens in on-line resources.
The Hatch Multistate Funding has a critical role in our activities, as it provides the backbone of the salary funding for Dorothy Allard, who coordinates all of the students, volunteers, and employees who are doing the actual data entry and imaging of specimens. Our current array of external grants, which Dorothy and I developed and applied for, is providing most of the funding for the actual labor of creating the virtual herbarium. Details of the activities relating to each of these grant-funded activities are available in the annual reports for those grants.
We attracted new external funding this year, from the National Science Foundation, targeting the algae in the Pringle Herbarium collections.
Barrington, David Digitization PEN: Partnership to Existing Macrofungi Collection Consortium - Digitization of an Important Regional Collection of Macrofungi at the Pringle Herbarium
National Science Foundation
The University of Vermont’s Pringle Herbarium has joined the NSF Thematic Collections Network (TCN) ""The Macrofungi Collection Consortium (MaCC): Unlocking a Biodiversity Resource for Understanding Biotic Interactions, Nutrient-Cycling and Human Affairs"" as a Partner in Existing Networks (PEN). The Consortium consists of 35 institutions including two botanical gardens, two natural history museums and 31 large and small universities from 24 states. The data generated through the MaCC project, combined with already-digitized data from macrofungal collections, are being served through the iDigBio data portal and through the Mycology Collections Portal MyCoPortal, as well as through institutional websites and other regional and international portals.
The overall goal at the University of Vermont is to provide data on the macrofungi accessions at the University’s Pringle Herbarium to the Consortium. With this contribution, the Pringle collections add an important geographical component to the project since no other herbarium in the consortium has a focus on the macrofungi of northern New England. What’s more, the Pringle collections have a deep history, providing an important historical enhancement to the MaCC database with significant representation from the period 1840-1910.
During this reporting period, all remaining specimens were databased. Undergraduate Katie Webster was trained in georeferencing and completed the georeferencing of the specimens. The skeletal data are now uploaded to the mycoportal.As of November 1, the last small set of specimens discovered late had been sent to NY for imaging. Another box of fungi specimens was discovered; these were too fragile to send and so they were imaged them here. These two additions amount to almost 400 specimens, including additional types. The total number of Pringle Herbarium specimens now in the portal is 2625.
Barrington, David Collaborative Research: Digitization TCN: Mobilizing New England Vascular Plant Specimen Data to Track Environmental Changes
National Science Foundation
The Pringle Herbarium of the University of Vermont's goal in its role as a collaborating institution in the "Mobilizing New England Vascular Plant Specimen Data to Track Environmental Changes (NEVP)" project is to capture specimen data and images from an estimated 65,000 vascular plant specimens housed in the herbarium and then share the resulting images and data online. The digitization process at the Pringle Herbarium will be integrated with those of the other institutions as part of overall activity. All resulting data and images will be freely available online. The Pringle Herbarium's plan, like the overall digitization plan for the NEVP TCN project, had three main components in the original plan: 1) Precapture (preliminary assessment of the physical storage structure of the New England collections in the general herbarium); 2) Primary Digitization (an image, a barcode number, and a subset of label data will be captured and precapture data will be associated with specimen occurrence records); 3) Secondary Digitization (capture of habitat and phenology data from images of specimens and labels and georeferencing to the town level).
Progress, year 3. Precapture: total specimens processed with precapture this year were 18,850. Total New England specimen number is 78,550 and will approach 80,000 due to finding additional multiple specimens per sheet during the primary digitization phase. This exceeds our original estimate of 65,000 by 15,000 or 23 percent. Primary digitization: 37,600 specimens were imaged and skeletal data added to the portal. This number includes an estimate of 7500 completed from late May to the end of June 2015. Skeletal data include barcode, collection code, species name, and state. Of these, about 5500 have had the rest of the primary digitization data (collector, collection date, etc.) added to the records by entering the data in the Symbiota portal, and thus can be considered complete from the primary digitization perspective. The average rate of imaging and skeletal data entry, which is done in one combined step, was 43 specimens per person-hour. The average rate of adding the additional data was 55 specimens per hour. Thus roughly 975 hours have been devoted to primary digitization, and the cost per specimen for imaging and skeletal data entry is $0.29 per specimen; an additional cost of $0.22 per specimen was incurred for entering the remaining data. This does not include oversight, quality control, image color correction, and data and image upload, mainly done by supervisory staff. Again the work has resulted in training of four paid undergraduates and recent graduates ain aspects of plant biodiversity informatics, including plant classification, and herbarium organization. We also trained three undergraduate herbarium interns in digitization as well as other aspects of herbarium curation. Funding again provided professional development opportunities for Dr Dorothy Allard, who is the primary supervisor and mentor to the undergraduates. Dorothy's participation in an array of relevant meetings including iDIGBio meetings continues to keep VT in the mainstream of cirtual-herbarium development
Barrington, David CSBR: Natural History: Launching the University of Vermont Natural History Museum Step One: Securing the Collections
National Science Foundation
The primary goal of our National Science Foundation Collections in support of Biological Research grant is to secure all of the newly inaugurated University of Vermont Natural History Museum collections in secure cabinetry that makes pest control possible and damage from fire and flood less likely. As the collections are secured, we will systematically reorganize the major groups (orders, families) in the relevant current phylogenetic order. A secondary goal of this project is digitization of the collections. We propose to expand the currently funded and very active plant digitization program, as this activity will increase the efficiency of the collection transfer. In addition, we will expand digitization of the arthropod collection, photographing insects and labels in preparation for release through the Notes from Nature citizen science website.
In this report I detail the activities relating to the plant collections, as they fall under the jurisdiction of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, whereas the animal collections are administered by the College of Arts and Sciences. In respect to the cabinetry, in this year we accomplished the central goal of installing the new herbarium cabinets in Torrey Hall. As part of this process, we moved 200,000 herbarium collections to temporary storage in the building, removed the antique cabinets no longer viable as collection storage, moved the new cabinets in, and reinstalled the collections. The reinstallation was complicated by our completely rearranging the order of the collections in the currently authorized sequence. The substantial activity relating to reorganization of the collection was conducted under the direction of Dorothy Allard; approximately 70% of the collection is now reorganized. We are also well into the digitization portion of the activity; several undergraduate students and recent graduates are engaged in this project and about on schedule. We are thus ahead of the place in the prosecution of this activity that we cast as a plan in this report a year ago.
Berlin, Linda Measuring food insecurity among Vermont refugees
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
An accurate measure of the extent to which families in households across the country experience food insecurity is critical to developing programs and policies that adequately meet their food-related needs. Identifying valid measures of household food security has challenged researchers in the U.S. and worldwide, given its multidimensional definition and nature. In this research project we are assessing the adequacy of the 18 question food security assessment module, currently administered annually by the U.S. Census Bureau, to measure Vermont resettled refugees food security status. If resettled refugees do not consistently understand the questions, or have very low expectations of obtaining adequate food due to their recent experiences in refugee camps, it is difficult to fully identify if there are food deficits at the household level.
Researchers are currently conducting focus groups to learn how resettled refugees define, experience and manage food insecurity in Vermont households. To date, nearly 30 focus group participants have shared their views and experiences in four focus groups, including three groups of resettled refugees (Somali Bantu, Bhutanese, Iraqi) and one group of Health Department service providers. Additional focus groups are currently being scheduled.
After analysis of focus group responses, we intend to develop a draft set of additional food security assessment questions that will be tested in individual interviews with resettled refugees to determine their usefulness.
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Berlin, Linda Enhancing Food Security in Underserved Populations in the Northeast Through Sustainable Regional Food Systems National Institute of Food and Agriculture " This multi-state, 5-year project was designed to assess whether greater reliance on regionally-produced foods could improve food access and affordability for disadvantaged communities, while also benefiting farmers, food supply chain firms, and others in the food system.
During year-five of the project, a number of accomplishments were achieved in sites across the Northeast U.S., including Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom. Store intercept surveys were conducted for the third year to identify consumer views and shopping-related practices. Store inventories were also conducted for the third time to assess the availability of healthy, regionally produced, affordable foods in independently owned markets. Analysis of this data across the Northeast provides insight into what influences the everyday practices of food acquisition in these communities. Price and food quality get high priority, with multi-store shopping being commonplace. Concern about the store environment also affects store choice. While there is a strong desire to eat healthy foods, the availability of affordable, high quality food can interfere with the ability to meet this desire.
Two presentations were held during the past year to inform others about project results. A forum focused on food access, held in Newport, Vermont, included a presentation on this project. Additionally, a presentation was held in Nov. 2014 at the annual conference of the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Working Group to share outcomes of the project and consider their application to other communities across the Northeast.
Bradshaw, Terry Field Assessment of Biostimulants for Organic Apple Scab
Leahy Orchards, In.
Organic management of apple scab (caused by the fungus Venturia inaequalis) requires multiple applications of mineral fungicides including sulfur, lime sulfur, and copper-based materials that may be phytotoxic or otherwise harm orchard ecology. In this project we propose to evaluate reduced application rates of sulfur fungicide in conjunction with biostimulants extracted from yucca and willow bark on disease incidence, tree growth, and crop yield.
All research will be conducted at the UVM Horticulture Research Center in South Burlington, VT in OrganicA Orchard 1. Study trees are trained to vertical axis system and planted in three-tree replicates in a completely randomized design including the five cultivars ‘Ginger Gold’, ‘Honeycrisp’, ‘Liberty’, ‘Macoun’, and ‘Zestar’. This program will be evaluated on the scab-susceptible cultivars ‘Ginger Gold’, ‘Macoun’, and ‘Zestar’. Treatments will be applied via hydraulic handgun to five three-tree replications per cultivar. The entire orchard will receive insecticide and foliar nutrient according to best practices as determined by the investigator.
One disease management spray of copper hydroxide (NuCop 50 WP, Albaugh, Inc., Ankeny, IA) will be applied to the entire orchard at green tip bud stage prior to commencement of research sprays within seven days or in advance of the first apple scab infection period after the half-inch green bud stage. All pest management sprays will be timed to follow models built into the NEWA modeling system (http://newa.cornell.edu/) which includes a weather station on-site at the research orchard. Research sprays will be applied to protect against predicted or anticipated infection periods, with assumption that no protection during primary apples scab season will remain after seven days or one inch of rain. After primary apple scab season ends (900 ddB32°F since McIntosh green tip), sprays will be maintained on a 14-21 day schedule until the end of July
Apple scab management treatments in the trial will include:
1. ‘Commercial standard’ organic: 10 kg/ha sulfur
2. ‘Reduced sulfur’ organic: 4 kg/ha sulfur
3. 'Biostimulant organic': 4 kg/ha sulfur + 2 l/ha Yucca extract (Yucca Ag Aide, Desert King International, LLC, San Diego, CA) and 370 g/ha white willow bark extract (Stryka Botanics, Hillsborough, NJ) + 66 ml/ha defoamer (Antifoam OR-10, Momentive Performance Materials. Columbus, OH).
Trees will be evaluated for foliar disease incidence and severity in August. At harvest, crop yield (number and kg fruit harvested/tree) will be measured. A ten-fruit sample will be collected per tree and evaluated for disease incidence following standard procedures (Bradshaw et al., 2013a, Bradshaw et al., 2013b). All data will be subjected to ANOVA by treatment using appropriate adjustments for mean comparisons. Research will be completed over two growing seasons (2015 & 2016).
Bradshaw, Terry Improved Technical Support Programming for Vermont Apple Growers
Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets
Changes in orchard planting densities, tree training systems, apple varieties, markets, and pest management strategies require that Vermont apple growers have access to scientifically accurate and timely information in order to address biological and weather-related conditions in orchards. This project was proposed to develop a comprehensive communications platform for dissemination of horticultural, pest management, and risk management information to Vermont apple growers through redesign of the University of Vermont (UVM) Apple Program website (orchard.uvm.edu). This redesign was necessary to adapt the site for modern computer and mobile platforms and incorporate an interactive grower email list and blog formats that could facilitate improved access to site content and collaboration between growers and researchers. The site and its associated components (email Listservs® and blog) serves as the primary means of content delivery for present and future projects of the UVM Apple Program, and serves as an important infrastructure component for growers to access production-related information that enhances farm profitability and sustainability.
Bradshaw, Terry Biological Management of Apple Replant Disease
Northeast SARE, supplementary funding from Monsanto BioAg
Apple replant disease (ARD) is a serious disorder that reduces tree growth and cumulative yield on affected trees planted on previous orchard sites. ARD is caused by a complex of soil fungi, bacteria, and nematodes that may act synergistically to cause disease. ARD was formerly controlled pre-planting with soil fumigation with methyl bromide, but due to its environmental and human health impacts this practice has been discontinued. Other methods to control ARD have had variable results. One option for control is the use of Biopesticides, which are biologically-derived materials that may control pests or diseases. However, many registered materials have not been tested for efficacy on specific crops and diseases. This project will assess apple tree growth and crop yield improvements from two promising and commercially-available biological control materials in two ARD-affected Vermont orchards at the Horticulture Research and Education Center (HREC) in South Burlington and at a commercial orchard in South Hero (SHVT).
At each site, four treatments were applied monthly to five single-tree replicates per treatment in a completely randomized design. Treatments include: 1) non-treated control (NTC); 2) MeloCon at four lbs/acre (MCN); and, 3) Actinovate AG at 12 oz/acre (ACT).
Measured variables included tree growth (trunk cross-sectional area (TCSA) at the beginning and end of each season, and vegetative shoot length and canopy size each season), fruit yield (bushels per acre equivalent), and fruit size. Soil was analyzed for trophic diversity of nematode communities in July of each year. All data will undergo an analysis of variance to determine effects of experimental treatments on measured parameters.
Preliminary results from 2014 suggest that there may be effects from biopesticide treatments on assessed parameters. No treatment effect on the percent increase in TCSA was seen at HREC, but at SHVT, MCN-treated trees had a greater increase in TCSA (72.9%) than the NTC (67.4%) and ACT (62.6%) treatments. In both orchards, treatment affected terminal leader growth, but the results were not consistent between the two sites. At HREC, the ACT treatment had the greatest leader growth (23.2 cm), followed by MCN (19.6 cm) and NTC (11.2 cm) . At SHTVT the NTC treatment had greater leader growth of 41.0 cm than both biopesticide treatments (31.9-31.7. cm). Terminal shoot growth at HREC was improved for both biopesticide treatments, but at SHVT, like was seen with terminal leader growth, the NTC had greater terminal shoot growth than the biopesticide treatments. The number and total kg of fruit harvested per tree and fruit weight were not affected by either biopesticide treatment at HREC. However, at SHVT, ACT-treated trees had increased fruit number (31.1 fruit/tree) and fruit weight (139 g) than the other two treatments, and increased total weight of fruit harvested (4.37 kg) over the MCN treatment (3.17 kg).
While trends and differences were seen in this first year of the project, it is expected that assessment of use of Actionovate and MeloCon on tree productivity and soil ecology in ARD-affected orchards will reveal further impacts after a second year of data collection which will continue in 2015.
Bradshaw, Terry Apple Market Optimization and Expansion through Value-Added Cider Production
Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets
Nationally and at the state level, the hard cider market has experienced average annual growth of over 15% for the past five years. In 2013, WLEF invested in juice pressing infrastructure at Champlain Orchards to facilitate expansion of the Vermont hard cider industry. That project did not address the key bottleneck in increasing purchases of local apples: availability of a consistent supply of quality fruit priced for processing markets. This proposal addresses industry identified needs, please see letters of support from: Vermont Hard Cider, Citizens Cider, Champlain Orchards, USACM, VTFGA, and orchards interested in growing cider apples.
Project Timeline:
May 2014: Survey orchards and processors; identify research sites and available cultivars.
June-Oct 2014: Select sites, begin horticulture and economic data collection, coordinate fruit needs between growers and cideries; conduct financial analysis of orchard systems.
Sep-Dec 2014: Collect horticultural (yield) and economic data. Coordinate fruit processing and cidermaking.
Jan-Sep 2015: Summarize economic, horticulture, and cider trials data. Prepare final report and present results at VTFGA meetings as well USACM Cider Conference 2015. Meet with stakeholders to continue to meet producer needs identified and informed by WLEF project. Submit, with national collaborators, competitive proposal to continue and expand program.
Sep 2015 - February 2016: Collect second-year data from participating orchards. Summarize project results and present at regional and national meetings.
This project provides initial investment in a long-term research focus of the applicant. A research team of scientists from Michigan, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington have recently convened to address research needs addressed by USACM and local grower organizations and will be submitting a multi-year USDA proposal to coordinate similar efforts in their states and to increase faculty expertise and program impact. Because of the long-term nature of apple production, cideries and fruit growers will develop lasting relationships as a result of this research that will improve the sustainability of each industry.
Beneficiaries of this project will include apple growers, cideries, consumers, and rural communities statewide. Fresh market Vermont apple growers presently have few outlets for blemished fruit because markets are largely dominated by fresh juice processors that pay low prices for apples. Increased production of hard cider in the region represents an opportunity to increase prices to growers for cider fruit. This will allow for expansion of cider and orchard business, increased employment and profitability for both industries, and expansion and enhancement of the Vermont brand by increasing supply of high-quality ciders made from Vermont fruit.
Bradshaw, Terry Northern Grapes: Integrating Viticulture, Winemaking, and Marketing of New Cold-Hardy Cultivars Supporting New and Growing Wineries
Cornell University
Project Goals/ Rationale:
New varieties have made possible grape and wine production in cold climates. Varietal performance, specific viticultural and winemaking practices, and marketing/consumer information are needed to support industry growth and development.
Research and outreach will enhance and support growth and development of wineries and vineyards in cold climate regions of the Midwest and Northeast
Team Members
• 30 Research and Extension professionals in Viticulture, Enology, and Economics/Marketing
• 12 Institutions in upper Midwest and Northeast, 20 cooperating winery/grower associations
UVM Project Background and Rationale: The University of Vermont Vineyard is a research/demonstration site with eight winegrape and eight table grape cultivars planted in 2007. The vineyard is part of a national evaluation of winegrape cultivars associated with the USDA NE1020 Project, the Northern Grapes Project, and an Agricultural Experiment Station Research Project. The Northern Grape s Project utilizes four of the winegrape cultivars.
Treatments: Frontenac, La Crescent, Marquette, and St. Croix cultivars are included in the Northern Grapes Project, and Prairie Star and Corot Noir are also included in the NE1020 research vineyard. The winegrape vineyard is planted in a randomized complete block experimental design of six blocks with four - vine plots of each cultivar per block. Table grape cultivars are planted in two - vine plots around the perimeter of the winegrape vineyard.
Methods: The vines are trained to a high - wire cordon system. The soil is a well - drained Windsor loamy sand with drip irrigation installed. Shoots are thinned annually to a target range of 24 - 36 shoots per 6 feet of cordon. Canopy combing and leaf pulling is performed as needed throughout the growing season. IPM monitoring is used to optimize pest management decision - making in the vineyard. Harvest date for each cultivar is determined by field testing of juice chemistry, flavor development, and physical condition of berries. Data collected annually: Winter Injury, Pruning Weight, Cordon Length, Live Node Count, Phenology Development, Shoot Count, Harvest yield, Juice chemistry, and Weather.
2014 Short summary:
Riparia-based cultivars Frontenac, LaCrescent, and St Croix continue to perform well at the test location with good bud hardiness and crop yield. However, high acidity in the juice presents a challenge for wine making. Prairie Star has been inconsistent in yield in past years, but performed well in 2014 and juice quality was good with lower acidity than most other Minnesota cultivars. St Croix continues to produce relatively high ytields of lower acid juice that could be an important blending component to reduce acid in other cold hardy red winegrapes. Corot Noir may be marginal for this site, although its lower acidity could make it an important cultivar for reducing acidity of other red winegrapes in the winery.
Bradshaw, Terry Orchard Economic Assessment to Support Vermnt Hard Cider
Agricultural Marketing Service/Department of Agriculture
Over the past four years commercial hard cider production has seen growth of over 50% annually in the U.S., and presents a potential high-value processing market for apple growers. Significant expansion of commercial cideries has occurred in Vermont, including investments of several million dollars, supporting over 200 employees statewide. However there are concerns that continued economic expansion will be limited by their ability to source apples for hard cider making. Little research has been conducted in the U.S. on costs of production for apples grown for hard cider production, the opportunities to reduce inputs and change management practices in cider orchards, and the economic impact of cider apple production systems. This project proposes to conduct that research through collaborations with commercial apple growers and cideries in Vermont.
Goals and Objectives
1) Quantify production costs for apples managed specifically for hard cider production;
2) Identify cider fruit quality and quantify per-acre yield characteristics of cider grown fruit in diverse orchard systems.
3) Identify orchard management practices that may be modified to enhance profitability of cider apple production systems.
4) Assist in the development of more efficient marketing methods, practices and facilities to bring about more efficient and orderly marketing of cider apples, and reduce the price spread between growers and cideries, and;
5) Quantify the economic impact of hard cider and cider apple production on rural Vermont economies.
Plan of Action
The analysis will compare cost of production of three cultivar categories (i) commodity cultivars, (ii) dual purpose, and (iii) specific cider orchards, grown under diverse management systems. Two Vermont commercial orchards with each cultivar type will be analyzed, one each representing low-intensity and high-intensity production systems.
Production costs will be evaluated looking at fixed costs, input costs, and labor/variable costs.
At the beginning of the project, Sep-Nov 2014, participating farmers were interviewed and their current cost measurement practices analyzed. Additionally, a comprehensive secondary data analysis of cider apple production in Europe, focusing on France and England, will be conducted. A proposed protocol will be developed, vetted by farmers and adapted as need be. In Feb-March 2015 farmers were trained on the protocols and they will collect data from April-November 2015. Economic data collections and analysis will be performed by Florence Becot in CDAE.
Commercial farms will fill out records for costs weekly and have an activity log. Total Harvests will be weighted for yield per acre and cost per pound will be calculated. Within each cooperating orchard, a randomized sample of trees (n = 5) for each cultivar will be selected and harvested fruit weighed to calculate yield per acre. For each cultivar, ten fruit per replicate will be selected and juiced. Collected juice will be analyzed for soluble solids (fermentable sugar, ° brix), titratable acidity, pH, and total phenolics. Protocols will follow those from 2014 season with data collection occurring at Champlain Orchard (Shoreham), Sunrise Orchard (Cornwall), and the UVM HREC (South Burlington).
At the beginning of each project year price data will be collected looking at the farmer’s desired price, average price received, and their dignity price. These prices will be compared to identify the bid-ask gap, if any, and compared with production costs to see if improved efficiency can close the gap and contribute to mutual profitability. Economic impact of the project on producers will be calculated on the micro (farm) and macro (industry) scale in 2016 based on data collection from 2015-2016.
Chen, Yolanda Genetic factors associated with insecticide resistance in Colorado potato beetle
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Many insect pests in conventional and organic agricultural cropping systems cannot be controlled without the use of chemical insecticides. However, too often, insect pests develop resistance to these chemical compounds. The “Pesticide Treadmill” describes the frequently observed pattern where agricultural insect pests adapt to insecticides, which forces the pesticide industry to continually generate novel and more effective compounds.
Colorado potato beetle (CPB) is considered the major insect pest of potatoes globally, and has been considered responsible for starting the pesticide industry and forcing it to innovate. Due to the lack of effective alternative control measures, insecticides are necessary to produce a viable potato crop. However, the beetle’s ability to evolve resistance continually threatens global food security. Most recently, the beetle has evolved resistance to neonicotinoids, which has been an effective control measure for the beetle for the last decade in the half. Field reports suggest that insecticide resistance in CPB is more likely to occur in the Eastern US rather than the Western US. This proposal examines if genetic differences between Eastern and Western populations may be associated with different patterns of insecticide resistance.
Prior to shifting onto potato, Colorado potato beetle fed on a weed called buffalo burr, Solanum rostratum, which was found in the highlands of Mexico. The Spanish brought cattle to Mexico and started a ranching industry, which expanded north into what is now Texas. It is thought that the ranching industry enabled the beetle to expand northwards into the plains of the US, where the beetle fed on buffalo burr until it first shifted onto potato in the 1859.
We have been studying the history of the beetle – how it migrated to the US, whether there is evidence that it originates from Mexico, and whether the genetic diversity of current beetle is influenced by the historical migration processes. Although CPB is found in Mexico, the beetle has never been found feeding on potato in Mexico. We sampled pest beetle populations in the US and Mexican, and found that US pest beetles behave, in cold tolerance and ability to feed on potato, most similarly to beetles from Texcoco, Mexico. We have found that US pest populations are actually more genetically diverse than Mexican beetle population. We have also found evidence that the US pest beetles may show evidence of hybridization (descended from two closely-related species). With Dr. Sean Schoville, I have recently secured a USDA Exploratory grant to conduct a full genome resequencing grant to uncover the founding of the US pest CPB populations. As part of the i5K 5000 Arthropod Genomes Initiative, Dr. Schovile and I are leading an international team to annotate the sequenced genome of the beetles. This invaluable tool will be the basis for our resequencing data, and will allow us to reconstruct the history of this important pest.
Chen, Yolanda Establishing a Swede Midge Damage Threshold for Brassica Crops
City Market
Swede midge, Contarinia nasturtii Kieff (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) is an invasive fly from Eurasia that will undoubtedly threaten the viability of local organic production of Brassica crops within Vermont. The midge attacks all varieties of Brassica oleraceae (kale, collards, cauliflower, broccoli, kohlrabi, etc.), and Brassica rapa (canola, Chinese cabbage, etc.) (Hallett 2007). The midge lays eggs in the growing meristems of Brassica crops, and larval secretions cause swelling and distortion of plant tissues. Midge damage can prevent broccoli and cauliflower head formation, curl leaves, and distort organs, resulting in crops that are unmarketable (Hallett 2007). In areas where midge populations have become established such as Ontario and New York, it can cause 100% losses for organic growers. Because there are no organic methods that are currently effective in controlling the midge, there is a critical need to identify control strategies for disrupting midge activity.
The Insect Agroecology lab is currently conducting research to develop strategies to control swede midge organically on broccoli. In order to develop an economically effective pest management program, farmers need to know what level of midge infestation can lead to the losses of marketable crops. At this point, we do not know how many midge larvae (or immature midges) will cause the loss of a broccoli head. This information is important for establishing an economic threshold, which if exceeded, can lead to serious losses. Here, we seek to identify if there is a relationship between the number of larvae on the growing tip of a broccoli plant and the resulting severity of damage for broccoli.
Chen, Yolanda Exploiting the Reproductive Biology of the Invasive Swede Midge to Improve IPM in Brassica Crops
National Institue of Food and Agriculture/Department of Agricultre
Swede midge is an invasive species that is projected to have a significant impact on Brassica production. In the regions where it has become established, yield losses of up to 100% have been reported. The problem is that there are limited pest management tactics for controlling the midge without the use of systemic and foliar insecticides. As a result, some Brassica growers have resorted to calendar spraying, reversing previous gains in IPM. Although the midge is not yet widespread, research efforts are needed to develop technologies that may be effective in preventing widespread losses for brassica producers. We propose to study the constraints around developing a pheromone mating disruption system. The novelty of the proposed project lies in our research focus on how swede midge behavioral responses to pheromone chemistry and midge mating ecology may contribute to the development of an effective and economical pheromone mating disruption system within an annual cropping system. Our specific goals are to: 1) Determine whether pheromone variants of the natural stereoisomeric formulation vary in economy and efficacy in disrupting swede midge mating, 2) Determine how temporal and spatial factors may influence swede midge reproductive behavior, 3) Determine the factors that may influence grower adoption of a midge PMD program. By developing an economical and effective PMD system, our long term goals are to develop an effective PMD system that helps to reduce crop losses due to midge damage and reduce adverse effects to human health and pollinators.
We have been studying if the midge exhibits any diurnal patterns in mating. We have found a supplier of the female sex pheromone and will be starting the studies to examine the optimal blends for the midge pheromones.
Chen, Yolanda Developing a Sustainable Pest Management Program for the Invasive Swede Midge in Brassica Crops
National Institute of Food and Agriculture/Department of Agriculture
Swede midge, Contarinia nasturtii Kieff. (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) is a recently introduced pest of Brassica crops (kale, collards, broccoli, bok choy, etcl) in the Northeastern US. The midge has spread throughout the major Brassica-producing regions in Vermont and has proved to be devastating, leading to 30-75% losses. Swede midge damage on the leaves, petioles, and meristems of Brassica plants distorts vegetative tissues and prevents proper head formation. Because the midge is small and difficult to detect, preventative measures will be very challenging. In areas where populations are very high, yield losses of 85-100% can occur, even with calendar sprays of the most toxic insecticides. Such losses have already occurred in New York for organic growers, and losses from 30-75% have occurred over the last season in Vermont.
Foliar insecticides are almost completely ineffective, rendering most chemical control tactics useless for organic growers. We have been studying alternatives to chemicals pesticides that may be useful for organic growers. The objectives of the grant are to: 1) Develop a list of candidate exogenous plant materials that reduce swede midge infestation, 2) Develop a list of candidate non-host intercrops that reduce swede midge infestation, and 3) Establish recommendations on the field efficacy and economics of candidate plant materials and intercrops in a field study in a midge outbreak region.
We have found that a subset plant essential oils have been appear to be repellent to swede midge, and reduce female egg-laying when sprayed on broccoli plants in the lab. Garlic essential oil was particularly effective. We also found that several non-host plants, planted as intercrops, also reduced female egg-laying on broccoli plants (Sweet Alyssum and Nigella). Over this field season, we have tested the efficacy of these lab-assayed materials in repelling swede midge in the field. We conducted several small plot tests in Vermont and in Geneva, NY. The Geneva, NY field trial did not yield results because of a lack of midge activity in the region. In the other field plots, the intercrop trials did reduce midge damage. We found that garlic barrier appeared to significantly lower damage, but plants were still substantially damaged.
Chen, Yolanda Do Hyper-Diverse Genomes Run the Pesticide Treadmill: Resequencing Colorado Potato Beetle Genomes to Understand Rapid Pest Evolution and Improve Sustainable Pest Management
University of Wisconsin
One of the major challenges to sustainable pest management is the ability of insect pests to rapidly evolve and overcome pest control measures. Particular insects pest have been renowned for their ability to rapidly and repeatedly evolve insecticide resistance, even when faced with completely novel insecticides, perpetuating the arms race that defines the pesticide treadmill. In order to develop pest control measures that are truly sustainable, it is essential to understand the evolutionary processes that underlie insecticide resistance evolution. While specific mechanisms of resistance have been well-characterized, the underlying genetic flexibility (ability to repeatedly evolve resistance) in pest populations has not been studied. Our hypothesis is that highly resistant pest populations contain higher levels of genomic diversity compared to populations that rarely evolve resistance.
We are studying the Colorado potato beetle, a beetle that has been particularly notorious for its ability to develop resistance to all classes of insecticides. We have collected geographic populations throughout North America (US and Mexico) and Eurasia. We have extracted DNA and submitted the samples to be sequenced at Univ. of Wisconsin’s core lab. A subset of the samples had to be further sequenced, and we expect to receive the data back within the month. In the meantime, we had to reopen our ad for a postdoc.
With Dr. Sean Schoville, I have recently secured a USDA Exploratory grant to conduct a full genome resequencing grant to uncover the founding of the US pest CPB populations. As part of the i5K 5000 Arthropod Genomes Initiative, Dr. Schovile and I are leading an international team to annotate the sequenced genome of the beetles. This invaluable tool will be the basis for our resequencing data, and will allow us to reconstruct the history of this important pest.
Conner, David Enhancing the Sustainability of Food Systems through Service Learning-based Entrepreneurship Education and Outreach
National Institute of Food and Agriculture/Department of Agriculture
Food and agriculture are vital parts of Vermont’s economy. Locally –owned business contribute to economic well-being. This project will foster the next generation of Vermont food entrepreneurs. We have developed a model curriculum for service-learning based food entrepreneurship and will implement and test elements over the coming years. About 200 students have taken a class based on the project’s recommendations. Results have been shared through scholarly articles, professional presentations and a seminar. The following year will be spent testing and disseminating the model
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Conner, David Renewing an Agriculture of the Middle: Value Chain Design, Policy Approaches, Environmental and Social Impacts National Institute of Food and Agriculture/Department of Agriculture The purpose of this project is to measure the economic impact and contribution of VT’s food system. Understanding these impacts will guide policy and investment decisions. We repeated a 2012 study measuring how much local food VT consumes. We found that we spend almost 7% of food dollars on local foods, up from 2.5% in 2012. These results were presented to the 2015 farm to Plate Gathering. We also did an analysis of UVM Medical Center’s local food program and will delve deeper into the impacts of other institutions and food hubs
Conner, David Optimizing Protected Culture Environments for Berry Crops
Michigan State University (USDA SCRI)
Berries are a high value and nutritious food crop. As part of a multi-state project based at Michigan State University, I am researching the economic costs and benefits of growing berries in high tunnels, using a set of different management techniques. Data collection for 2015 is underway. We hypothesize that tunnels will produce high quality berries, aid pest and disease control and extend the season to add marketing opportunities
Darby, Heather Development of Tech. Training and Support for Ag. Service Providers & Farmers in Certified Organic Dairy Production Systems through eOrganic National Institute of Food and Agriculture "Research-based information on organic dairy farming techniques is lagging and many agriculture service providers have had little training or experience in offering technical advice and analysis of organic dairy operations (Jones, 2007). Federal and state funding for organic research and financial support for technical services has failed to keep
pace with this growth (Wheeler, 2008). Today's economic crisis has accelerated the maturation of the organic dairy industry and the realization that planning for a continued annual 20% increase in demand is likely unrealistic. Early organic dairy adopters were established farmers who realized the demands that transition would place on their production practices and had good support by the few existing field staff. The change in NOP regulations attracted farmers who had little organic production
experience and few support services. Steep increases in recent feed and fuel costs have added financial strain to all organic dairy farms. The U.S. economic crisis has lead to a stagnant and, in some cases, even declining market which has resulted in lower pay prices for organic dairy producers. Unfortunately, there have been very few support services to assist farmers in adapting production processes to cut costs. The crises in organic dairy has highlighted that assistance for the more than 2,030 U.S. organic dairy farms remains underserved. To sustain organic dairy farms, agricultural service providers need training in organic dairy production systems and the USDA NOP. Dramatic changes in demand for organic dairy products have necessitated balancing of supply by lowering farmer pay price and restricting production. Today, organic dairy farmers will need
to develop production practices that are based on fluctuating pay price, low cost production and full utilization of their own forages (NODPA, 2010). This project develops an innovative educational strategy to increase the number of knowledgeable service providers and profitable dairy farmers. The first step will be through the development of high quality curricula. Materials will be developed by extensive collaboration among top organic dairy leadership in the U.S. We also recognize that internet usage on dairy farms lags behind other agricultural producers and know that not all farmers and service providers enjoy learning in isolation. Farmers already spend many long days alone and enjoy the social interaction that meetings provide.
Darby, Heather Hop varietal tolerance to potato leafhopper (Empoasca fabae)
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Public interest in sourcing local foods extends into beverages, and the demand for local hops continues to rise. IPM for hop culture has been developed in the Pacific Northwest (PNW) where large-scale hop production currently occurs in an arid environment, mirroring neither the scale nor climate of hop production in the Northeast. Potato leafhoppers are a well-known pest of northeastern crops, yet is a novel hop pest. In 2012, potato leafhoppers and two-spotted spider mites were the most
detrimental pests to hop yields in Vermont. The lack of IPM for hops in the Northeast leaves growers bereft of research-based information for control of these pests. The objectives of this project are to work collaboratively with growers to 1) confirm that potato leafhopper prefers some hop varieties over others, 2) begin identification of potato leafhopper hop varietal preference, 2) obtain chemical profiles for each of 25 hop varieties, and 3) produce and distribute outreach material specific to potato
leafhoppers in an effort to help farmers adopt more tolerant hop varieties as a part of the larger hop IPM toolbox. Working in both the UVM greenhouse and on-farm, hop varieties will be evaluated for tolerance to potato leafhopper feeding. Research of this nature is desperately needed in this region to improve the economic and environmental sustainability of hop production, and will help growers produce a high-quality product that meets the demands of local brewers
Delaney, Terrence Arabidopsis LNK2 Regulation and Role in Plant Defense and Flower Induction
National Institute of Food and Agriculture/Department of Agriculture
The proposed research will examine LNK1 and LNK2 gene products in Arabidopsis thaliana, which are implicated to play roles in floral induction, plant development, and pathogen resistance. LNK2 interacts with the defense regulator F-box protein SON1, suggesting a defense role for LNK2. LNK genes are novel, with homologs in all terrestrial plants examined including crop plants. Double lnk1 lnk2 mutants are severely delayed in flowering, and are more susceptible to infection by an oomycete pathogen, indicating a role for LNK proteins in flower induction and defense. Recent work by others implicates a role for LNK proteins in circadian rhythm regulation. We find that LNK genes are expressed at high levels in stomatal guard cells, suggesting a role in those cell types. The proposed research will examine the basis for enhanced pathogen susceptibility in lnk1 lnk2 plants, examine whether LNK2 protein turnover is mediated by ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis, examine whether a SON1-containing SCF ligase catalyzes this turnover, and assess circadian regulation of LNK proteins. Because LNK genes are found throughout the plant-kingdom and play roles in several important agronomic traits, greater understanding of LNK regulation and function may enable the later development of crops with greater productivity and pathogen resistance
Greenwood, Sabrina Creating a healthier bovine milk proteome using alternative forages
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Milk is not only an important source of nutrients for the growing population, but hundreds of minor proteins and bioactive peptides produced from gastric cleavage of casein and whey proteins in milk are now known be actively influence human health. We have been one of the few research groups to examine the feasibility of altering bovine milk proteins using the diet and hypothesize that diet manipulation can alter the concentration of the primary casein and whey isoforms in bovine milk, as well as the minor milk profile produced, to further enhance the human health benefits of bovine milk. Our objectives are to 1) demonstrate the feasibility of enhancing the bovine milk protein profile through dietary manipulation, and 2) use alternative forages as a feed to manipulate the milk protein profile produced by lactating dairy cattle. To date we have completed 2 animal experiments addressing these goals.
To satisfy Objective 1, 6 cows were included in a switchback experiment consisting of three 21-day periods. Cows (3 cows per treatment) were offered either a diet high in rumen degradable protein (RDP) or a diet high in rumen undegradable protein (RUP). We then collected milk, blood, feed, rumen fluid, urine and fecal samples during the trial to determine each cow’s intake, milk productivity, rumen health and overall animal health status. We used a combination of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and Mass Spectrometry (MS) techniques to analyze the milk protein profile produced by each cow during the experiment. We identified 570 proteins in the milk samples, including as1-casein, as2-casein, ß-casein, ?-casein, a-lactalbumin, ß-lactoglobulin, as well as 564 low abundance proteins. Cows that were fed diets high in RDP produced higher amounts of of ß-casein and ?-casein but less total a-casein as compared to cows fed diets high in RUP.
Our second experiment to satisfy Objective 2 has been completed in collaboration with researchers from the University of New Hampshire (Andre Brito). In this experiment, we collected milk samples from lactating dairy cows grazing diverse pastures containing alternative forages (including species such as vetch and buckwheat). The milk samples collected as part of this trial are currently being analyzed.
Greenwood, Sabrina Feeding Dair Cows to Produce Health Milk
Walker (George) Milk Research Fund
The overarching research goal of this program is to use byproducts from the human food industry (grape marc and coffee grounds) in the diet fed to lactating dairy cows to improve the fat and protein profiles in milk. To do this, we completed two animal trials using the CREAM herd. In the first experiment we fed 10 cows, where 5 received their typical diet (a total mixed ration) and the other 5 cows received the same diet supplemented with coffee grounds. In the second experiment we again fed 10 cows, where 5 cows received a control diet while the other 5 received a diet containing grape marc (the seeds and skins of grapes leftover after pressing grapes for wine-making). For both experiments we collected milk samples, blood samples, feed samples and rumen fluid samples. We are currently analyzing the samples, and are investigating whether coffee grounds or grape marc can enhance the milk protein or milk fatty acid profile produced by the cows. This is important for human health, and also provides us with potential uses for otherwise wasted locally available byproducts. Both of these experiments were completed with a high level of student involvement. The first trial (use of coffee grounds in the diet) was led by two undergraduate students from PI Greenwood’s lab (Sarah Zeger, Undergraduate Summer Research Award recipient; and Mallory Honan, Gilman T. Dedrick Award recipient). The second trial (use of grape marc in the diet) was led by MSc student Richard Scuderi, with participation from another 5 undergraduate research students.
We are currently analyzing samples and compiling results from both trials, and hence have not yet disseminated the results.
Hazelrigg, Ann Comparison of Three Organic Apple Management Systems on Disease and Arthropod Pests
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Acreage and sales of organic crops have steadily increased in Vermont with the exception of organic apples. The main factor limiting this increase is the difficulty in managing fungal diseases in the humid Northeast. Disease control in organic apples is reliant on sulfur-based fungicides yet these organic fungicides can have negative impacts on tree health and beneficial arthropods. There has been some success in the use of agricultural biostimulants for management of fungal diseases in a wide variety of crops. The goal of this project was to test the efficacy and non-target effects of an agricultural biostimulant system compared with the use of sulfur-based fungicides on foliar and fruit disease, pest and beneficial arthropods, yield, fruit quality and tree growth.
The study was conducted in a certified organic orchard at the University of Vermont Horticulture Research Center. Sprays for each organic management system (OMS-1, 2, and 3) were applied to five three-tree plots of the cultivars ‘Ginger Gold’, ‘Honeycrisp’ and ‘Liberty’ arranged in a completely randomized design. OMS-1 was based on the use of sulfur fungicides throughout the season except for the three to four week period of rapid shoot elongation when no sulfur-based fungicides were applied. In OMS-2, the use of sulfur sprays was replaced with a combination of agricultural biostimulants throughout the growing season. OMS-3 was based on the use of sulfur fungicides throughout the season. OMS-3 is the standard organic management system applied by commercial organic apple growers in Vermont and served as the control in this study. All materials used were organically approved. The three systems were applied to the same trees over two consecutive growing seasons to assess multi-year effects of their target impacts on foliar and fruit diseases as well as non-target effects.
The results of the two year project showed the agricultural biostimulant system did not control the major apple diseases as well as the sulfur-based fungicides. The agricultural biostimulant system showed positive impacts by suppressing phytophagous mites when compared with sulfur-based fungicides. There were no differences measured between the sulfur-based systems and the ag biostimulant system on tree growth and variable results on fruit quality. However, when fruit quality and yield were taken into account in 2013, the estimated gross income per hectare of the agricultural biostimulant system was $5,871 and $12,397 lower than the reduced-sulfur system (OMS-1) and the full-sulfur system (OMS-3), respectively. The results of this study indicate that more research and further evaluation of new organic disease management tools, including the use of agricultural biostimulants, are necessary before growers consider replacing the use of standard sulfur fungicides for disease management in Vermont orchards.
Hazelrigg, Ann The Multidisciplinary Vermont Extension Implementation Program Addressing Stakeholder Priorities and Needs for 2014-2017
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
The goal of the Vermont Extension Integrated Pest Management (VT EIPM) Program is to use a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary approach to address essential IPM needs of diverse stakeholders by reducing potential risks to human health and the environment through sustainable pest management systems. To meet the IPM needs of Vermont stakeholders, the 2014-2015 VT EIPM Program focused efforts in the following program emphasis areas: Agronomic Crops, Specialty Crops (apples, cold climate grapes, greenhouse, landscape), Communities (Master Gardener), and Pest Diagnostic Facilities. These areas are closely integrated with a research base and are extremely well-matched with the expertise at the University of Vermont. Each area involves extensive collaboration with grower associations, state/federal agencies and regional/national institutions. The need for current and impactful IPM information for new and established stakeholders, crops, and pests is vital for Vermont's agricultural and urban communities. Websites, blogs, newsletters, workshops, field days, one-on-one education, listserves, courses, email correspondence and webinars were used to deliver current disease, pest and weed integrated pest management information.
All project areas held workshops/presentations that increased knowledge of IPM topics. Growers at the ""Agronomy Winter Conference"" improved grain quality as a result of implementing highlighted practices. Apple and Grape presentations provided information that was ""very pertinent to issues of recent season"" and provided ""needed review regarding pest control."" Up to 98% of ""Tri-State Greenhouse IPM Workshop"" attendees have increased use of biological controls and plant-mediated IPM systems, decreased chemical pesticide use, and improved scouting programs and insect/disease identification. As a result of a ""Regional IPM Workshop for Landscapers"", one professional arborist is currently testing predatory midges against aphids on street trees to reduce public complaints. 83% of ""Master Gardener Course"" participants report that they have changed specific garden practices to better incorporate IPM. Presentations to grape growers increased awareness of the Plant Diagnostic Clinic among this targeted stakeholder group by 71%. The ""Grain Disease Survey"" has trained farmers to identify arthropods and diseases that have not previously been identified in their fields. Plant-mediated IPM systems in greenhouses are now used by 10 participating growers, which reduces their use of pesticides and increases crop quality. A participating grower is transferring IPM knowledge to the public, high school students and other growers. Plant Diagnostic Clinic users indicated a 98% increased knowledge of a pest or disease through use of services and 74% found the IPM information provided with the sample diagnosis resulted in use of less pesticides. Targeted stakeholder groups (apple and grape growers, landscapers) exceeded the targeted 20% increase in use of the Plant Diagnostic Clinic in this period.
Hazelrigg, Ann National Plant Diagnostic Network for the Food and Agriculture Defense Initiative
Cornell University
The UVM Plant Diagnostic Clinic (PDC) represents Vermont in the National Plant Diagnostic Network and is responsible for insect, disease and weed identification and diagnosis on crops for commercial growers and general public in Vermont. All samples are logged in to the National database. The purpose of the overarching project is to have all Plant Diagnostic Clinics located at all the land grant universities in the country adding to this national database which will help identify invasive insects, disease and weeds of national importance.
The UVM PDC identifies approximately 500 disease, insect and weed samples each year and reports results and management recommendations to the growers. These samples are logged into the national database on a regular basis. Reports of the breakdown of type of pest, identification, the type of grower submitting the sample and county where pest was collected can be generated at any time and are available in yearly reports on the UVM PDC website.
The UVM PDC also participates in national and regional meetings of the NPDN to stay informed of new information regarding pests of significance to crops or national security. The PDC also participates in exercises developed by the NPDN that simulate the submission of a sample of potential National or regional significance.
Inwood, Shoshanah Linking the Cost of Health Insurance and Child Care to Future US Agricultural Production
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
The aging of America’s farm sector has spurred a new generation of policy and program initiatives to supporting beginning farmers, local farms and create economic development through food and agriculture at the national, state and local level. However, the majority of research, resources, programs and policy have been devoted to issues related to access to land, capital, credit, and market infrastructure. This research examines how farm household level issues, particularly the cost of health insurance and child care impact farmer quality of life, agriculturally based economic development, new farmer entry, and successful farm transitions to the next generation of farmers; and examines how these issues affect different types of farmers (e.g. women, young farmers, beginning farmers, multi-generation, limited resource, small and medium sized farmers) and different types of production systems (direct marketing, commodity agriculture) as each are embedded in unique social and economic contexts.
We conducted 20 focus groups and 15 interviews across the Northeast (VT, MA, NY, NJ, ME,NH, RI, PA) with 60 farmers to understand how child care and health care impact their farm businesses and quality of life. Quantitative data was analyzed with SPSS and qualitative data was analyzed with HyperResearch and Nvivo
Child Care: Child Care: The accessibility, cost, and associated challenges of child care are factors in the success and wellbeing of farmers in the United States. Key findings of our research include: · Child care influences farm business decisions, affecting divisions of farm labor, productivity, farm growth, and allocation of financial resources, often causing stress within farm families and diminishing quality of life. · The majority of farm families surveyed report problems with child care related to affordability, availability, quality, or philosophy of caregiver. · Farm business planning programming should include the topic of child care. · Child care is particularly difficult for first-generation and women farmers. Targeted outreach efforts should focus on these populations. · Providing child care resources and facilitating child care-focused community networks specifically for farm families would help farm families find appropriate, affordable care in their communities. · Child care subsidies specifically for farmers, and evaluation of subsidy eligibility by farm viability specialists, would alleviate the financial burden of off-farm care costs.
Child care is an issue that influences farm business decisions, and also creates challenges for farm families. · 60.8% of farmers surveyed report experiencing child care problems of some kind. · Farmers who report having trouble with child care are more likely to be beginning, young, and have small farms (lower farm sales). · 30% of farmers surveyed report that child care is an important factor in farm business decisions. · FG and women farmers are more likely to report issues with child care, and child care challenges are connected to community embeddedness and lifecycle effects. · Women (W) farmers are almost twice as likely to report that child care is an important factor in farm decisions,with 43.9% of women reporting the importance of child care in decision making compared to only 23.9% of men(M) (Figure 2). · Women farmers with child care problems are more likely to also be young farmers (70.8 %) compared to 49.2% of men farmers with child care problems.
35.0% of FG and 24.2% of MG farmers report child care problems. · Compared to MG farmers, FG farmers are significantly more likely to report challenges with all four aspects of child care: affordability, availability, quality and philosophy. · Community embeddedness and family support play a significant role in child care challenges especially for FG farmers. 42.2% of FG farmers with child care problems have no relatives nearby while while only 14.0 % of MG farmers with child care problems have no relatives nearby. MG farmers have a denser set of community and family relationships and networks that alleviate some of
the strain in finding child care. · One FG farmer with a small farm explained the difficulties of child care when family care isn’t an option and low returns make off-farm care unaffordable: I’m completely by myself most days and it’s really hard to juggle… There isn’t that kind of strong support network of aunts and grandparents and sisters... you have to supplement that with money…farming just doesn’t bring in a lot. Farmers make low minimum wage a lot of times, but then they have to pay above minimum wage [for child care].
Outcomes: One Masters Student Thesis; 2 journal articles will be produced; one policy brief, multiple presentations; based on results currently working with Extension and NGO’s to identify next steps of outreach and organization for farmers wanting and needing to address these issues.
Inwood, Shoshanah Linking Health Care Reform and Economic Development in the Agriculture Sector
National Institute of Food and Agriculture/Department of Agriculture
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is posited to remove job lock, stimulate entrepreneurship, benefit small businesses and increase the health of the American population, this project examines how ACA reforms and implementation will impact the farm population in nine case study states across four regions. Three research goals of this multidisciplinary integrated project are designed to support the Extension goal of developing health insurance literacy tools for farm and ranch technical assistance and service providers including a Smart Choice Health Insurance Farm Families curriculum. Our research goals are to examine how the ACA: 1) Influences farmers’ decisions to invest, expand and grow their enterprises; 2) Contributes to workforce vitality, development and security in the food and agricultural sector; and 3) Impacts farm enterprises given insurance market variability and state implementation decisions. The objectives of this project address the prioirites of The Agriculture Economics and Rural Communities, Rural Communities and Regional Development (A1631) program by conducting research and outreach activities to understand how health insurance options influence the way operators’ structure their enterprises, manage risk, balance labor resources, and affect health and quality of life, and by identifying the opportunities, challenges, and policy needs for particular sets of farm types. Qualitative and quantitative methods include: virtual focus groups with farm service providers, interviews with 90 farm families and a wider farm household telephone survey implemented by NASS. Results will be communicated through Extension tools, research articles, policy briefs, presentations and a Policy Roundtable in Washington D.C. sponsored by the Farm Foundation.
The project “Health Insurance Rural Economic Development and Agriculture” (HIREDnAg) is a group of research and Extension professionals committed to understanding how health insurance decisions impact farm and ranch families. The HIREDnAg team is interviewing and surveying farmers and ranchers to understand their unique health insurance needs and decisions. Hosting webinars to learn more about how extension and tax experts help farmers and ranchers make health insurance decisions. Analyzing the impact of state and national policies related to health insurance on farm and ranch families. Developing educational tools that will aid technical assistants and service providers as they help farm families make health insurance decisions, including a Smart Choice Health Insurance Farm Families curriculum
Overall, the HIREDnAg team hopes that this research and these educational tools will:
• Assist farmers’ in their decisions to invest, expand and grow their enterprises
• Contribute to workforce vitality, development and security in the food and agricultural sector
• Impact farm enterprises given insurance market variability and state implementation decisions
Project has identified 10 case study sites: VT, MA, UT, MS,KY, MI, NE, CA, WA, MA. Key Informant Interviews are currently being conducted in the 10 case study states with individuals knowledgeable about local agriculture and health insurance.
Extension Research: Conducted 4 national virtual focus groups with Extension agents and technical assistance providers; conducted two national virtual focus groups with tax accountants. Focus groups transcribed and are in process of being analyzed. Immediate identification of need for more information on the topic. To respond, are hosting a webinar for Extension agents featuring Extension agents around the country currently engaged in health insurance and ACA programming.
Website and brochures have been developed and are live.
Delivering a webinar in December for legislature through C-FARE on issues related to agriculture and health insurance.
Inwood, Shoshanah Small and Medium Scale Farm Growth, Reproduction and Persistance at the Rural-Urban Interface: Balancing Family, Goals, Opportunities and Risks
Ohio State University
This project examined small and medium farm growth and success in areas that are experiencing development pressure. For small and medium farms, the rural-urban interface (RUI) offers both opportunity (such as growing interest in local and regional foods) and conflict (such as land use competition). Facing these conditions, the success of agriculture at the RUI depends on the creation of new farm enterprises, growth of existing farms, and passing farms down through generations. Our objective is to understand the complex relationship between farm household interests and farm growth and reproduction at the RUI by: Identifying farm and household goals, exploring the relationship between these goals and various household demographics; Examining the relationship between farm household values, goals, demographics, employment strategies, health insurance status, community embeddedness and the outcomes of farm development, growth and reproduction; Constructing categories of small and medium scale farming types organized according to household demographics, goals, farm structure, development strategies, and identifying the opportunities, challenges, and policy needs associated with particular sets of farm types.
All Phase 1, 2, and 3 data collection has been completed.
Phase 1: Case study sites were identified (Honolulu, HI; Columbus, OH; Lewiston, ME; and Miami, FL). Case study profiles have been written and released to all case study sites providing basic information and statistics on the agricultural profile of each area. These profiles have additionally been posted on the project web site.
Phase 2: Qualitative data in the form of key informant interviews and 94-farm family interviews were gathered in each study site with the addition of Burlington VT to reflect Co-PI Inwood’s move to University of Vermont. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed to inform survey development. The qualitative data has produced reports and papers and analysis continues.
Phase 3: Surveys were conducted across study sites during 2014. The 9-page questionnaire was mailed to 2044 small and medium farms with a total of 782 valid questionnaires returned for a response rate of 43.5%. Data were entered can cleaned in the fall of 2014 and have been analyzed since.
Research briefs profiling each study site were sent to local policy-makers, community leaders, non-profit agricultural organizations, Extension, and the interviewed farmers and local agricultural leaders.
Outputs Completed or Currently in Progress N
Professional and Academic Presentations 9
Peer Reviewed Journal Articles 6
Book Chapters 1
Policy Briefs 11
Phd Dissertation 1
Master’s Thesis 3
Undergraduate Honors Thesis 2
To complete this project I co-organized a trip to Washington, D.C. to meet with Vermont’s congressional staff, USDA-AFRI Program Officers, National SARE Director, and USDA-ERS. I was invited by Senator Leahy’s staff to speak at the July 2015 UVM Press Conference featuring the Senator’s work on the farm bill and research at UVM.
Kolodinsky, Jane Influences on citizen support/opposition for controversial food system policy initiatives
National Institute of Food and Agriculture/Department of Agriculture
Vermont is a leader in legislative attempts to label GM food, tax sugar sweetened beverages (SSB), and provide support for temporary agricultural workers. Understanding Vermont's experience is a bellwether for similar legislative initiatives across the country. Results can be used to develop typologies of citizens based on influence of individual and external factors on support/opposition for controversial food system policies. Knowledge of these typologies will be useful as other States communicate with constituents as they navigate through similar policy landscapes.
To describe the level of support/opposition Vermonters express for GM labeling and SSB excise taxes over time, we merged several years of data from the annual Vermonter Poll. In addition to information on citizen support for, or opposition to controversial food system issues including GM labeling, taxing sugar sweetened beverages and immigration reform for temporary agricultural workers, information on gender, education, age, income, political affiliation, trust in information sources, town/county of Vermont residence, and length of Vermont residence are included in the analysis. Two typologies of citizens emerged. While overall citizens are skewed toward support (12 points on a 15 point scale were a higher number indicates more support (maximum=15), citizens in the first typology scored two points higher on average and utilized the internet more to obtain information , more were female, and more held college degrees. Citizens in the second typology scored 1 point lower on the support scale, were less connected to their community, searched less for information, and more were conservative politically. Multivariate analysis to predict support/opposition predicting cluster group was not robust. Estimates of support for individual food system policies were more robust.
Overall, it appears that the three controversial food system policies included in this analysis cannot be considered as a single group. When communicating information about such policies, different target markets and strategies should be developed.
In year two further data analysis of each issue will take place. In addition, media stories related to each issues will be accounted for over time to investigate how mass media, including newspaper, screen, and internet news influence citizen support for and opposition to controversial food system policy issues.
Kolodinsky, Jane UVM Campus Peace Corps Recruiting
United States Peace Corps
The purpose of the UVM Campus Peace Corps Recruiter is to recruit and develop applicants to the United States Peace Corps. The program is a partnership between UVM and the Peace Corps, in which the recruiter is a funded employee under University supervision, for whom Peace Corps establishes goals and metrics.
The principle metric in 2014-2015 was a minimum of 20 applications to serve, with more being desirable. A number of interim metrics were also agreed upon, for example tabling hours, career fairs attended, and other related activities.
The outcomes for the year were extremely successful. 52 applications were received, and all interim metrics were met or exceeded – some several times over. As a consequence of this success, UVM is currently ranked as the #8 school in the country for number of volunteers produced. This information is shared both through the school website and on Peace Corps’ own website(s).
In the coming year, the objective is to build upon this success by tracking not just the number of applications received, but the number of leads (potentially interested applicants) received as well. It is hoped that tracking interest in addition to actual applications will all the Recruiter to focus energy more narrowly and produce higher results.
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Kolodinsky, Jane Integrated Business Model Design Goodwill Industries of Northern New England "The purpose of the project was to assist Goodwill of Northern New England in understanding the workforce and business community needs in the three state service area of Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire. This was needed as Goodwill of NNE sought to efficiently increase collaborative programming within its service area utilizing an Integrated Business Model. The Integrated Business Model refers to those service organizations that incorporate revenue generating business practices with client programming.
The project brought together information from a variety of primary and secondary sources.
Researchers conducted a review of the literature on Integrated Business Models in the United States. This research included identification of organizations with service models similar to those of Goodwill’s. The purpose of this work was to compare and contrast best practices within the sector and identify potential collaborators.
Researchers also conducted a workforce needs analysis that identified key workforce and industry demographics across the service area. As part of this work, a business database was developed and a survey was administered to assess industry workforce needs, perceptions of Goodwill and opportunities for collaboration. Additionally, a service providers database was developed and a survey was administered to gauge needs, perception and opportunities within this sector.
Researchers also conducted a Root Causes of Poverty literature review to be used as an educational document in Goodwill of NNE’s internal processes.
Goodwill of NNE utilized the component parts of this research to inform service expansion planning processes.
Kolodinsky, Jane Economic Impact Study of the Vermont Maple Industry
Vermont Maple Sugar Makers Association
Vermont is the largest maple producer in the United States accounting for 42% of the production (USDA - National Agricultural Statistics Service, 2015). In Vermont, maple is a key agricultural enterprise. Based on cash receipts, maple is the fourth most valued agricultural commodity in Vermont and when livestock is removed, maple is the second most valued agricultural commodity closely behind the greenhouse and nursery industry (USDA - New England Agricultural Statistics, 2013). According to the latest census of agriculture, there were 1,553 maple producers in 2012 while the maple industry estimates that the number of producers actually ranges between 1,800 and 3,000. Vermont maple production has grown tremendously over the years, going from 570,000 gallons in 1992 to 1,320,000 in 2014, representing a 131% growth, while the value of maple production, not accounting for value added products, has grown from $19,755,594 in 1992 to $49,432,000 representing a 150% growth (USDA - National Agricultural Statistics Service, 2015; Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund, 2011).
In addition to maple producers, the industry includes 24 licensed packers and processors (businesses that purchase at least 1,000 gallons of maple syrup in a year; number from Vermont Agency of Agriculture) and more than 100 businesses representing maple-specific equipment manufacturers, dealerships, and installers of sap collection infrastructure (estimate from the Vermont Maple Sugar Makers Association).
While maple is a key industry for Vermont from historical, cultural, agricultural and economical perspectives, there was no clear understanding of its actual economic contribution to the state. In the spring of 2014, the Vermont Maple Sugar Makers Association (VMSMA) contacted the Center for Rural Studies (CRS) at the University of Vermont to conduct an analysis of the contribution of the maple industry to Vermont’s economy. Over several months, CRS collected data from the industry including maple producers, packers and processers as well as equipment manufacturers and dealers to assess the economic contribution of the maple industry to the state. The economic contribution of the maple industry was assessed using an input-output model which models the whole economy under study including inter-industry linkages.
Key findings of the economic contribution study are as follow. The Vermont maple industry contributed between $317 and $330 million in sales in 2013. The total effect sales multiplier is 1.49, meaning that for every dollar in sales generated by the maple industry another $0.49 circulated into the economy. Because double counting is likely when we look at businesses along a supply chain, the value added contributed by the industry is a more conservative and accurate measure of economic contribution to the state. We found that in 2013, the Vermont maple industry contributed between $140 and $144 million in value added, which in this case mostly includes wages and profits. With a total effect multiplier for value added of 1.69, for every dollar contributed in wages and profits another $0.69 was added to the local economy. Last, the industry contributed between 2,734.93 full time equivalent (FTE) positions and 3,169.23 FTE. If we look at the number of jobs, knowing that one person can have more than one job, the range of jobs supported by the maple industry is between 3,192.1 and 4,519.7. The total effect employment multiplier was 1.25 and for every job in the maple sector another 0.25 was supported in the rest of the local economy.
Preliminary results were presented during the 2015 annual meeting of the Vermont Maple Sugar Makers Association annual meeting which took place during the Farm Show in January. The 53-pages final report was sent to the Vermont Maple Sugar Makers Association in August of 2015 and the association will do outreach to its members and well as key stakeholders using the findings from this report. At this time, our work with the association is finished though the association has expressed interest in working with CRS in the future to conduct an economic contribution study of the tourism related to maple on the state of Vermont.
Kraft, Jana Feeding stearidonic acidrich oils to enhance animal health and nutritional attributes of bovine milk
National Institute of Food and Agricultur/Department of Agriculture
There is growing interest in the development of value-added (functional) milk and dairy products to maximize their contribution to health promotion and disease prevention. Because omega-3 fatty acids have been recognized as nutrients of high biological value that impart health benefits, they represent promising nutraceutical feed supplements to enrich functional components in milk and dairy products. Feeding rumen-protected fats provides a suitable approach to increase the incorporation of desirable fatty acids into the milk and tissue lipids without negative effects on rumen fermentation when feeding unsaturated oils. Increasing particular omega-3 fatty acids, such as stearidonic acid (SDA) and its downstream metabolites in the cow’s milk and tissues represents a novel and attractive concept to improve the healthfulness and functional properties of milk fat.
The overarching goal of our research was to develop a commercially viable value-added dairy product enriched in bioactive components (i.e., omega-3 fatty acids) to improve the healthful attributes of milk to promote human health and reduce risk of disease through a targeted feeding strategy applied to the dairy cow. The specific aims of the project included: (1) to evaluate rumen stability and effectiveness of lipid-encapsulated (rumen-protected) echium oil, and (2) to establish the transfer efficiency of the omega-3 fatty acids (i.e., SDA) from echium oil into the milk and measure the changes in milk fatty acid composition.
Aim 1: Evaluate rumen stability and effectiveness of lipid-encapsulated (rumen-protected) echium oil. Echium oil was obtained from Technology Crops International (Winston-Salem, NC) and protected against ruminal biohydrogenation via encapsulation with a hydrogenated-vegetable oil using a spay cooling method with a prilling automizer by Jefo (Saint-Hyacinthe, Canada). The final encapsulated supplement contained 25% echium oil. We utilized a combination of an in situ/in vitro technique (nylon bag) to assess rumen stability of the lipid-encapsulated product. Briefly, the lipid-encapsulated echium oil and a wheat straw, serving as a control, were incubated in the rumen of two rumen-cannulated non-lactating dairy cattle in a repeated measures design. Samples were removed at time points 2, 4, 8, 16, 48, and 72 hours. The lipid-encapsulated echium oil supplement showed 1.5% dry matter (DM) disappearance at 16 h, 3.3% DM disappearance at 48 h, and less than 5% DM disappearance after 72 h of rumen incubation. Collectively, our results showed that the lipid-encapsulated echium oil bypasses the rumen without releasing significant amounts of the oil into the rumen.
Aim 2: Establish the transfer efficiency of the omega-3 fatty acids (i.e., SDA) from echium oil into the milk and measure the changes in milk fatty acid composition. Developing functional food products enriched with omega-3 FA is a challenging endeavor in ruminants. The omega-3 fatty acids must be protected from ruminal biohydrogenation to retain their structure and physiological health benefits, and then incorporated into plasma triacylglycerols to be available to the mammary gland for milk fat synthesis. In this study we addressed these factors by supplementing the dairy cows’ diet with lipid-encapsulated echium oil at 1.5% and 3% of dry matter intake (DMI) and demonstrated an increase in the omega-3 fatty acid content of milk fat. While percentage increases of the omeg-3 fatty acids were high, the actual content in milk was still relatively low. Transfer of SDA from lipid-encapsulated echium oil into milk fat was 3.4% and 3.2% for the 1.5% and 3% lipid-encapsulated echium oil treatments, respectively. The greatest increase in content of SDA occurred in the plasma phospholipids and cholesterol esters, explaining the low transfer efficiency of SDA to milk fat. In a subsequent project we assessed the digestibility of lipid-encapsulated echium oil supplement in the small intestine. Holstein dairy cattle were fed 1.5% of DM as lipid-encapsulated echium oil for one week, followed by 3% of DM as lipid-encapsulated echium oil for another week. Notably, we found that 29% of the lipid-encapsulated echium oil-derived SDA was excreted in the feces. Thus, the low transfer efficiency of SDA from the encapsulated product to milk is a result of low release and/or decreased absorption of SDA in the intestine. Moreover, SDA is preferentially incorporated into plasma lipid fractions unavailable to the mammary gland.
In conclusion, different encapsulation alternatives need to be developed to optimize post-rumen absorption and thereby to ensure high(er) transfer efficiencies.
Target audiences included academic members (scientists, students and postdoctoral fellows working in the same and related fields), dairy farmers, dairy and feed industry partners, and extension personnel. We used our results obtained from these research activities to inform the scientific community, stakeholders, and general public through presenting at conferences and in the classroom, as well as through publishing in a peer-reviewed journal.
Kraft, Jana Characterizing the Rumen Microbiome in Dairy Cows as a Tool to Improve Health Attributes of Bovine Milk Fat
National Institute of Food and Agriculture/Department of Agriculture
The bovine rumen is home to a dense and diverse microbial community (i.e., microbiota), which forms a dynamic and complex symbiotic relationship with its ruminant host. Important drivers of the microbiota community structure are likely to be host genetics (breed) and feeding regime. Yet, there remains a critical need to characterize quantitative relationships between host genetics, dietary regime, rumen microbiota and their membrane lipids/fatty acids contributing to the fatty acids in milk. The overarching goal of our research is to investigate host-rumen microbiota interactions and their contribution to the content of bioactive rumen-derived fatty acids in milk fat. Branched-chain fatty acids (BCFA) are particularly chosen for this project because i) they are produced by the rumen microbiota, ii) milk fat represents a unique source of BCFA, and ii) their potential importance as bioactive components with human health benefits. Objectives of the project are 1) identify the rumen microbiota (bacteria and protozoa) between Holstein, Jersey, and Holstein/Jersey crossbred fed the same diet and 2) compare type, concentration, and ratios of BCFA in rumen fluid, rumen microbial cells (bacteria and protozoa), and milk between Holstein, Jersey, and Holstein/Jersey crossbred fed the same diet.
Aim 1: Identify the rumen microbiota (bacteria and protozoa) between Holstein, Jersey, and Holstein/Jersey crossbred fed the same diet. Rumen bacteria form a dynamic, complex symbiotic relationship with their host, degrading forages to provide volatile fatty acids and other substrates as energy to the animal. The purpose of the study was to determine if breed and lactation stage alter the rumen bacterial and protozoal community structure in three breeds of primiparous dairy cattle, Holstein (HO), Jersey (JE), and HO x JE crossbreed (CB) across a lactation. Time points were defined as 3 days i milk (DIM), 93 DIM, 183 DIM, and 273 DIM. Lactation stage had a prominent effect on bacterial communities, whereas breed had a lesser effect on the communities of rumen bacteria. In general, the abundance of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes, the most abundant phyla in cattle, were found to be highly variable between animals in this study. Proteobacteria genera, as well as minor genera in the Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes genera, demonstrated shifts in the populations between breeds at different stages of lactation. The most abundant protozoal genera identified were Entodinium, Epidinium, Eudiplodinium, and Metadinium, along with unclassified genera belonging to the family Ophyroscolecidae. Low abundant genera included Dasytricha, Diplodinium, Isotricha, Ophryoscolex, Ostracodinium, and Polyplastron. The rumen protozoal FA composition and community structures were more affected by lactation stage than dairy breed.
In summary, our results demonstrate that bacterial and protozoal communities are more affected by stage of lactation than by breed of dairy cow.
Aim 2: Compare type, concentration, and ratios of branched-chain fatty acids in rumen fluid, rumen microbial cells (bacteria and protozoa), and milk between Holstein, Jersey, and Holstein/Jersey crossbred fed the same diet. Dairy products contain bioactive fatty acids (FA) and are a unique dietary source of an emerging class of bioactive FA called BCFA. The objective of this study was to compare the content and profile of bioactive FA in milk, with emphasis on BCFA, between HO, JE, and CB across a lactation. All cows received a total mixed ration at a 70:30 forage to concentrate ratio. The profile and content of BCFA in milk varied with stage of lactation and breed. The most predominant BCFA detected in milk fat in this study were anteiso-15:0, iso-17:0, iso-16:0, iso-15:0, anteiso-17:0, and iso-14:0. The content of total BCFA was higher in JE than HO and CB at 183 and 273 DIM. The content of iso-14:0 and iso-16:0 in milk was higher in JE than HO and CB from 93 to 273 DIM. Total BCFA were affected by lactation stage, with the highest content in milk at 273 DIM. Based on our results, a serving of whole milk contains on average 121 mg of BCFA but the amount varies depending upon breed and lactation stage.
Kraft, Jana Examining the Effects of Consuming a Diet Comprising of Full-Fat Milk on Metabolic Health Markers
Dairy Research Institute
Since milk fat is high in saturated fat, some experts advise against full-fat dairy products. It is true that saturated fats impair the action of insulin (a hormone in our body that controls blood sugar - glucose - levels) leading to abnormally high blood sugar levels that are characteristic of diabetes. On the other hand, bioactive fats, such as those which occur in milk fat, may be beneficial in the prevention of diabetes. Current data provide no compelling evidence that a moderate intake of saturated fat from milk fat increases the risk of diabetes. Milk fat contains a unique variety of bioactive fats, which, we believe, may be beneficial and may counterbalance the potential negative effects of saturated fat. The objective of this project is to further understand the effects of full-fat dairy (i.e., whole yogurt) on insulin action, calorie needs, blood lipids, immune function (how the body fights infection and responds to stress), and body composition. This project will provide important new information regarding how dietary milk fat will alter our metabolism.
To assess these objectives, we invite volunteers to participate in a feeding study consisting of one week of a control diet, followed by one of two “experimental diets” (one consisting of three daily servings of whole yogurt or one consisting of three daily servings of fat-free yogurt supplemented with a control fat to achieve the same fat content as whole yogurt, except for the bioactive fats unique to dairy fat), followed by one week again of the control diet, followed by the other of the two experimental diets. Neither the volunteer nor the investigators collecting and interpreting the data will know which diet the volunteer is on.
Since the beginning of the study, recruitment is ongoing and consent meetings are being continually held. So far, we performed 98 consent meetings and a total of 15 volunteers (9 male, 6 female) completed the study. A total of 5 more volunteers (1 male, 4 female) is needed to successfully complete our research (volunteer target: 10 each, male and female).
Stool samples were processed (DNA extraction, purification, PCR amplification) for bacterial sequencing. The sequences (2 million sequences) data were analyzed in-house using a bioinformatics program (MOTHUR). These analyses identify which microbes are present. Moreover, we quantified the bacterial density via 16S gene amplification to determine the bacterial quantity. First results show that Firmicutes were the most abundant bacterial phylum during the control diet (57.2 ± 7.0%) and were lower after the milk fat diet (49.9 ± 5.0%, P = 0.040). The Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio of the intestinal microbiota was lower after the milk fat diet compared to the control (MF: 2.9 ± 1.1%, CON: 4.5 ± 1.5%; P = 0.047). Our results indicate that milk-derived fat modifies the distribution of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes, the two major phyla inhabiting the human intestinal tract. These results have been submitted in form of an abstract to the Experimental Biology and will be presented at the international scientific meeting in April 2016.
Plasma samples are sent to LabCorp) to analyze the blood lipids (triacylglycerols, cholesterol profile, including lipoprotein subclasses, lipoprotein particle sizes, Lp(a)) and homocysteine, an inflammation marker. At present, we are performing the fatty acid analysis of plasma phospholipid species (phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine phosphatidylserine) for the first 15 volunteers. We are currently analyzing the intravenous glucose tolerance test (IVGTT) plasma samples in our laboratory (glucose: glucose oxidase method; insulin: ELISA) to be used in the minimal model. The test results will be used to estimate insulin sensitivity.
The goal for the upcoming year is to complete the study, analyze the data, and publish the outcome of the study in a peer-reviewed journal. Moreover, we plan to use the data for a grant submission (USDA or NIH).
Liang, Kathleen Do Networks Improve the Effectiveness of Promotion for Vermont Wine Producers
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Since 2007, there has been a significant increase in number of vineyards and wineries in Vermont. In 2007, there were only 4 wineries in Vermont. In 2015, there are at least 25 wineries in Vermont according to Vermont Grape and Wine Council and Census of Agriculture. The trend also shows many more potential new wineries might be established in the next 5 years. It is exciting to see a growing interest among producers to design, establish, and implement new plans to introduce Vermont brand wines to market. However there is little information to show how winery owners market their wines and become competitive against large producers in California and New York. A survey was designed and implemented to gather information from Vermont winery owners to learn about their promotion strategies and if they utilizes any networks to promote their wines in a highly competitive market. Fifteen winery producers responded to our survey, which included questions for owners’ profile, operation scale, production volume, pricing strategies, marketing channels, and network linkages.
Survey results showed that 11 out of 15 winery owners worked together to share information of marketing, production, management, and technical support. Four winery owners were identified to be “leading sources” in Vermont wine industry, due to their longer history and existence in market. Four wineries were newly established at the time of survey, so they did not have solid data to share yet. It takes at least 3 to 5 years for a winery to establish their own vineyard and produce wines. The most popular network strategy was “wine trail”, “wine weekends”, “wine festival”, or collaborating in offering a variety of educational workshops and events. Vermont wine producers also work with other agricultural producers to co-promote Vermont products. Cheese, apple, and bread are the most popular collaborative products with wineries. Data and analysis also showed that wineries that had stronger networking capacity (defined by frequency and levels of information exchange) indeed were more profitable and competitive in market.
The results of this study have been shared with more than 15 professional conference, associations, and workshops at state, regional, and national level. More than 20,000 producers, extension educators, farm management specialists, researchers, students, and policy makers have received information about the importance of developing strong networks in promoting wine and other local foods.
Results of this study have also been used to develop new teaching paradigm in Dollar Enterprise curriculum through Community Entrepreneurship program at the University of Vermont. More than 2,000 students at UVM have learned about network marketing and creating innovative team relationships. A new marketing paradigm has been developed using Vermont winery owners’ experiences, published in 2 books, and been widely shared with producers across the country.
Finally the results of this project become the foundation of 3 new USDA projects – understanding resilience of regional food networks and entrepreneurial strategies to support local farms, examining demand and supply of local foods, and developing new strategies to support effective farm labor resources.
Liang, Kathleen Sustaining and Enhancing Local Agriculture in Rural Areas: Assessing Key Producer and Consumer Issues in Northern New England
University of New Hampshire
Since the USDA started promoting Know Your Farmers, Know Your Food program, there has been a national surge in designing, developing, and creating new strategies to support local growers in many ways – direct sales, diversification, and creative operation strategies. Our study is designed to assess the major issues and constraints faced by suppliers and marketers of produce (fresh fruits and vegetables) grown in rural northern New England (Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont). We will identify the locally produced fruits and vegetables with the highest probability of profitable production in northern New England, and to identify issues in consumer preferences for local/organic/sustainably grown produce and the potential premium these products command. We will construct an integrated extension component in all three states which will coordinate involvement of stakeholder groups, and provide foundation for the consumer surveys and integrate project results into current and future extension programming dealing with small producers and marketers in this predominantly rural region.
We have designed a survey instrument to be distributed to New England fruit and vegetable producers in 2015 and 2016 to gather information regarding their production, operation, management, challenges, and expectations. We plan to design and distribute a survey instrument to consumers to gather information with respect to their purchase preferences, choices, locations, expenses, and satisfaction levels about buying locally produced fruit and vegetable versus other options.
Liang, Kathleen Understanding and Designing Long-Term Resilience in the US Food System: The Role of Regional Food Networks (RFNs)
National Institute of Food and Agriculture/Department of Agriculture
There has been a growing interest in the US to understand what a food system is, how a food system works, what elements are critical to design and support a sustainable food system at local or regional level, and what factors influence the development of a sustainable food system. However, it is noticed that food systems are not independent, enclosed systems. The definitions of foods are much broader than satisfying daily nutrient needs. More studies have been developed to explore and examine the origin of food, quality of food, characteristics of food, preparation of food, risks of food, choices of food, and so on.
To develop a systematic framework to understand food security issues, our study aims to design and examine all elements of food systems as well as the interactions between people and places while defining critical elements involved in creating a sustainable network at regional level.
We began with collecting data from producers to understand their profile, operation scale, financial situation, resource allocation, challenges, and expectations in the Northeast and Norwest regions. Surveys have been designed and distributed to over 500 producers. We also designed and distributed a consumer survey to gather information from households regarding their preferences, choices, utilization, and consumption patterns between purchasing local food and non-local food (local food is defined at state level). Finally we are in the process interviewing service providers (farmers market, community supported agriculture, coop, restaurant owners, and institutional buyers) to gather information about existing support, barriers, and future outlook in developing sustainable food networks.
The key findings of our study will include (1) a set of frameworks to define food networks given various social, environmental, and ecological factors; (2) a broader understanding how different people and agencies approach sustain food networks and factors influencing their decisions; and (3) policy recommendations to support different food networks in different regions.
Liang, Kathleen Impacts of Multifunctional Operations on Long Term Sustainability and Prosperity for Smal and Medium-Sized Farms and Rural Communities
National Institute of Food and Agriculture/Department of Agriculture
According to the information released by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), farmers in the United States are facing a steady process of transition – the average age of farmers is rising, the number of farms is declining, and farm operations are more diversified. The purpose of this project is to discover and examine what farmers do to diversify, how they make decisions to diversify, and how farming decisions impact on communities. Multifunctional agriculture is defined to cover four dimensions of diversification – agritourism, value added production, direct sale, and off farm jobs. While diversification describes multiple strategies for farmers to increase products and services, multifunctionality focuses on benefits and intangible values generated by farmers that go beyond offering traditional food and fiber. The goal of our research aims to identify challenges, opportunities, and entrepreneurial strategies for farmers to improve their profitability and viability in the long term. Since 2011, we have surveyed all agricultural producers in New England region with assistance of the NASS office. We received more than 3,000 responses which yielded 15 percent response rate. We also interviewed and contacted more than 50,000 agricultural producers, service providers, extension educators, researchers, and policy makers in the US to share more information regarding their perceptions of multifunctional agriculture. Survey results showed that more than 80 percent of ag producers in New England were engaged in off farm jobs, about 60 percent of ag producers in New England offered value added products, about 40 percent of ag producers in New England participated in direct sales, and about 25 percent of ag producers offered agritourism services to visitors. The major challenges for multifunctional farmers included finding qualified and skilled labor, identifying reasonable markets, and seeking financial support for investment. We also discovered a new trend in farmers’ profile – there were more educated, younger new farmers engaging in multifunctional operations in recent years. These new farmers might not have any farming experiences before they decided to become farmers. There were also another new generation of farmers who were retirees from other industries, choosing farming as a new life style and a way contributing to preserving working landscape. When more farmers are willing to be actively involved in community events and services, they offer more opportunities for the general public to learn about farming, agricultural industry, and important issues such as healthy food choices. We have also identified, and is still in process of expanding our information network, that many farmers are operating at economic loss while relying on off farm income to balance their budget.
Since 2011, we visited 50 states, presented over 40 articles and workshops to share findings of this project with more than 500 organizations and 10,000 individuals. Large scale producers face challenges in market volatility and international exchange policies, and they become interested in seeking creative strategies to support long term viability. Lessons learned from New England producers serve as good examples for many producers across the country with respect to using existing resources to create new opportunities, being actively involved in community organizations, considering new markets and new products/services, and being willing to take calculated risks while seeking new opportunities.
New grants have been secured to elaborate the scope of this project to undertake larger scale of research in resource issues (labor and investment), food networks (an interactive network approach across people, organizations and agencies to analyze food availability, accessibility, affordability, accountability), and consumer perceptions of local foods.
Parker, Bruce Earthworms: A Real Threat to our Northeastern Sugarbushes
Chittenden County Maple Sugar Makers Association
Historically earthworms have been perceived as indigenous native organisms that enhance soil fertility. They are exotic species, some of which are invasive and represent a serious threat to sugarbush health. These worms are disrupting the natural biodiversity by transforming the forest floor structure and chemistry. New particularly aggressive, more destructive East Asian earthworm species (genus Amynthas, a.k.a. Alabama Jumpers or Snake Worms) are colonizing our Northern forests. In the past these worms were mainly observed in warmer Southern climates, where they are used as bait and compost worms. They have now spread to Vermont and other New England states.
Little is known about the distribution of snake worms, or their impact on regeneration in Northern sugarbushes.
This research will determine the current abundance and distribution of worm species in Northern sugarbushes relative to forest management practices, and assess their impact on understory diversity, maple regeneration and various soil characteristics.
Finding populations of snake worms (Amynthas sp.) has proven difficult in northern and central Vermont and northern New York. High populations of Lumbricus terrestris (the common nightcrawler) were more common in the zone 4 sites and are also known to negatively impact forest areas. Of 19 sites (4 plots/site) investigated during July and August 2015 two were found to have high populations of snake worms while seven sites had high populations of nightcrawlers. Up to six different species of earthworms were found at these sites, yet the assessment revealed that the maximum damage class occurred when forests were either invaded by snakeworms or Nightcrawlers. In stands infested with either nightcrawlers or snake worms, we found an average of 3.99 and 0.63 sugar and red maple seedlings per plot, respectively, compared to 5.92 maple seedlings per plot in stands infested with neither of these worm species. The total number of understory plant species and percent ground cover in these sites followed a similar trend. These data support the hypothesis that there is a definite impact of snake worms on the understory of maple stands. The presence of either snake worms or nightcrawlers clearly reduces the diversity of understory plant species and increases the amount of bare ground. This can lead to an increased potential for erosion and to changes in soil chemistry and texture. Using a sampling protocol developed to assess site disturbance caused by exotic earthworms (IERAT or Invasive Earthworm Rapid Assessment Tool), it was revealed that the maximum damage class occurred when stands were either invaded by snake worms or nightcrawlers with a rating of 1.84 in stands with no snake worms or nightcrawlers, a 4.75 in stands with populations of nightcrawlers, and a 4.8 in stands infested with snake worms (where 1 = no disturbance and 5 = maximum disturbance).
Parker, Bruce An Emerging Problem for Vermont Christmas Tree Growers: Root Aphids
Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets
Root aphids are problems in Christmas tree plantations. Infested seedlings are stunted, chlorotic and susceptible to root rot. They slow growth, delay maturity and impact revenues. Growers rely on imidacloprid for management. This project identifies aphid species and evaluates the efficacy of using soil dwelling predatory mites Stratiolaelaps scimitus) for management. Objectives are to identify aphid species and assess control with predatory mites.
Aphids were sent to USDA for identification. No species identification available. They belonged to genus Prociphilus. In December 2013 winged aphids were collected from roots Bakersfield, VT. These were sent to USDA. No identification yet. Specimens also sent to Dr. Colin Favret, Universite de Montreal and identified as Prociphilus americanus (Walker 1852). Little is known about this group. A 20,000-tree plantation in Bakersfield, VT with extensive root aphids was selected. The owners do not regularly use insecticides on their plantation and agreed to cooperate, allowing us to conduct field trials using predatory mites. In Oct. 2013. 36 Canaan fir trees were each treated with approximately 500 predatory mites and 36 additional trees were left untreated as controls. After one year the trees were dug and root aphid numbers counted on each tree using a modified grid count method. The average number of root aphids on the S. scimitus-treated trees was 114 compared to 174 aphids/tree on the control trees. In Oct. 2014 a trial was established in the same area as the first trial with the addition of 3 plots of trees treated with Mycotrol which is a biopesticide with Beauveria bassiana (a fungus that kills insects) as its base. Nine plots of 12 trees each were used with 3 being treated with predatory mites, 3 with Mycotrol, and 3 as controls. The trees were dug in Oct. of 2015 and all root aphids counted using the grid-count method. The predatory mites again reduced the number of root aphids on each tree compared to the control trees, however, the Mycotrol trees had as many or even slightly more aphids than the control trees (Mean aphids/tree = 35.3: predatory mites, 78.3: Mycotrol, and 66.5: control). The ineffectiveness of the Mycotrol treatment in this trial may be due to the late season application of the fungi.
In conclusion, in trials conducted between 2013 and 2015 trees treated with predatory mites had fewer root aphids than untreated trees a year after treatment.
To date, results have been shared at annual meetings of the NH/VT Christmas Tree Association and to individual growers in the region.
Parker, Bruce An Emerging Problem for Vermont Christmas Tree Growers: Root Aphids
Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets
Root aphids are problems in Christmas tree plantations. Infested seedlings are stunted, chlorotic and susceptible to root rot. They slow growth, delay maturity and impact revenues. Growers rely on imidacloprid for management. This project identifies aphid species and evaluates the efficacy of using soil dwelling predatory mites Stratiolaelaps scimitus) for management. Objectives are to identify aphid species and assess control with predatory mites.
Aphids were sent to USDA for identification. No species identification available. They belonged to genus Prociphilus. In December 2013 winged aphids were collected from roots Bakersfield, VT. These were sent to USDA. No identification yet. Specimens also sent to Dr. Colin Favret, Universite de Montreal and identified as Prociphilus americanus (Walker 1852). Little is known about this group. A 20,000-tree plantation in Bakersfield, VT with extensive root aphids was selected. The owners do not regularly use insecticides on their plantation and agreed to cooperate, allowing us to conduct field trials using predatory mites. In Oct. 2013. 36 Canaan fir trees were each treated with approximately 500 predatory mites and 36 additional trees were left untreated as controls. After one year the trees were dug and root aphid numbers counted on each tree using a modified grid count method. The average number of root aphids on the S. scimitus-treated trees was 114 compared to 174 aphids/tree on the control trees. In Oct. 2014 a trial was established in the same area as the first trial with the addition of 3 plots of trees treated with Mycotrol which is a biopesticide with Beauveria bassiana (a fungus that kills insects) as its base. Nine plots of 12 trees each were used with 3 being treated with predatory mites, 3 with Mycotrol, and 3 as controls. The trees were dug in Oct. of 2015 and all root aphids counted using the grid-count method. The predatory mites again reduced the number of root aphids on each tree compared to the control trees, however, the Mycotrol trees had as many or even slightly more aphids than the control trees (Mean aphids/tree = 35.3: predatory mites, 78.3: Mycotrol, and 66.5: control). The ineffectiveness of the Mycotrol treatment in this trial may be due to the late season application of the fungi.
In conclusion, in trials conducted between 2013 and 2015 trees treated with predatory mites had fewer root aphids than untreated trees a year after treatment.
To date, results have been shared at annual meetings of the NH/VT Christmas Tree Association and to individual growers in the region.
Parker, Bruce Sustainable Biological Control Strategies for Growers of Greenhouse Vegetables in Lebanon
Conservation, Food and Health Foundation
Lebanon has a population of 4 mil plus 2 mil refugees. There are about 5,100 hectares of greenhouse vegetable production. Greenhouses increase yield, maximize on water use and minimize loss from bad weather. But, they provide ideal environments for insects, for which Lebanese growers spray heavily with chemical pesticides, often spraying routinely more than once a week. Scientists at the Univ. of VT (UVM) have developed a more environmentally-sound and cost effective way to manage these pests—using banker and habitat plants that support parasites and predators by providing them food and habitat. Scientists from UVM and the Amer. Univ. of Beirut have teamed up to test these Integrated Pest Management plant systems that support parasites and predators in greenhouse grown cucumbers. Banker plants are mini-rearing units for biocontrol. A plant, attractive to the pest, is placed in the crop. Pests are lured from the crop to banker plants where they reproduce. Parasites or predators are released on banker plants and sustained by the pest. As their populations increase, they disperse into the crop in search for more pests. Banker plants provide a continual supply of biocontrols without requiring growers to buy more. Habitat plants are a mixture of pollen-producing flowers that attract pests and naturally-occurring biocontrol agents.
We took part in 12 farmer field visits organized by the Lebanese Ministry of Agric. and Lebanese Extension Service to learn how crops are grown and pests managed. A survey of these growers was conducted to document current pest problems and pesticide use. All of the growers routinely spray a mixture of 4 or 5 insecticides each week. Two workshops, attended by over 150 growers, were held to introduce them to IPM. As a result of this project, government approval was secured to allow importation of commercially produced natural enemies. This is the first time such an approval was granted, which will hopefully lead to broader use by growers in the future. Two Lebanese agriculturalists received training at UVM to gain knowledge about biocontrol and IPM, enabling them to carry out the research, and develop skills in technology transfer to train growers in the future. Links were established with government and non-governmental organizations to assist with technology transfer to growers. Two grower cooperators were identified to serve as research sites. In one production facility, cucumbers were produced without any application of insecticides for the first time. Minimal pest problems were observed. Research is ongoing to assess the effectiveness of the systems over several months.
If continued funding is received, the research trials conducted this year will be repeated and expanded upon. Further training of other agriculturists will also be conducted.
Parker, Bruce Planning Research Using Novel Plant and Habitat Systems for Sustainable Pest Control in Vegetable Production
Agricultural Research Service/Department of Agriculture
Vegetables are essential components of a healthy diet for humans throughout the world. Insect pests attacking vegetables in the US and Egypt cause millions of dollars in economic loss annually. Whiteflies and thrips are two of the most persistent and challenging to manage. Many growers commonly consider one of two options: do nothing and accept the loss or spray chemical insecticides. The former can be economically devastating; the latter is costly, unsustainable and negatively impacts human health and the environment. Manipulating plant habitats in and around vegetable production areas is a viable alternate approach to conventional pesticide-based management. These habitats serve as natural rearing systems for parasites and predators, providing a food source (pollen & nectar), protection and overwintering sites. For this planning project, a workshop will be held in Egypt, bringing together Egyptian and US vegetable specialists, pest managers and researchers to explore ways to use habitat systems for insect pest management (IPM) in greenhouse-grown vegetables. This workshop will introduce the concept to Egyptian specialists and provide a forum for discussing how to adapt and encourage its adoption in Egypt. After the workshop a tour of greenhouse vegetable growing areas will be organized to solicit grower input. Drawing on information collected at the workshop, the PIs will develop a proposal to refine use of plant habitat systems to enhance successful biological control for greenhouse vegetable production in Egypt and the US. The objectives of this planning proposal are 1) determine the capabilities and facilities of Egyptian and US cooperators and assess current practices used to control thrips and whiteflies by vegetable growers, 2) jointly prepare a collaborative research proposal on habitat plant systems to submit to suitable funding agencies in 2016.
To date, no work specifically on the objectives has been possible because of difficulties in arranging for the transfer of funds to the Egyptian cooperating organization. This hopefully will be resolved within the next two months, so work can begin in early 2016.
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Parker, Bruce Biological Control of Arthropod Pests and Weeds National Institute of Food and Agriculture Sentinel trees have been used in the past for assorted survey purposes. Despite promising results relevant to Acer mono as an early detection tool for Asian longhorned beetle, its widespread use has been delayed due to concerns about the potential invasiveness of this tree. Considering current issues relevant to the invasive impact of Norway maple, it is wise to proceed cautiously before deploying large numbers of A. mono sentinel trees only to create another invasive plant problem. Protocols are established for ranking the invasiveness of a non-native plant, but these generally focus on plants that currently occur in the ecosystem. Because A. mono does not commonly grow in New England, this project focused on assessing its potential invasiveness by evaluating two planting methods in three USDA plant coldhardiness zones to determine its suitability for deployment as a tool for early detection of Asian longhorned beetle. We also assessed the invasive potential of A. mono seed and the use of extensive pruning to maintain trees in the juvenile stage. More trees died in zone 3 (coldest zone) than zones 4 and 5, In many cases, even if the aboveground portion of the tree died, sprouts grew up from the roots, keeping the tree alive. Trees with dead main stems but living stump sprouts were considered alive. Analyses revealed cold hardiness zone was a statistically significant factor influencing growth (p=0.049). Trends differed between years perhaps due to interacting variables such as extreme cold in some of the colder sites and summertime droughts experienced in two of the zone 5 plots where a lack of watering may have contributed to poor growth. Whether the trees were grown in-ground or above-ground in grow bags had no significant effect on shoot growth. One important lesson we learned from this project was that even though the main stems often died back, the trees stayed alive by sending out many root-crown suckers which grew quickly and could very easily still function as a sentinel tree. Acer mono seed viability tests were undertaken during the winters of 2014 and 2015. In both years we saw very low viability in the seeds overwintered in zones 4 and 5 but fairly high viability in the seeds overwintered in zone 3, the coldest zone. Percent seed germination was significantly higher in zone 3 vs zones 4 and 5. A contributing factor in these results may be that in zone 3 the seeds remained snow-covered for the majority of the winter whereas in the warmer zones the snowpack melted much earlier exposing the seeds to sun and wind which may have desiccated them too much to remain viable. Seed for this portion of the study was sourced from three different trees growing in the New England area, two located at the Arnold Arboretum in Boston MA, and one growing on the Holyoke College campus in Holyoke, Massachusetts.
Parker, Bruce Planning Research Using Novel Plant and Habitat Systems for Sustainable Pest Control in Vegetable Production
Agricultural Research Service/Department of Agriculture
Vegetables are essential components of a healthy diet for humans throughout the world. Insect pests attacking vegetables in the US and Egypt cause millions of dollars in economic loss annually. Whiteflies and thrips are two of the most persistent and challenging to manage. Many growers commonly consider one of two options: do nothing and accept the loss or spray chemical insecticides. The former can be economically devastating; the latter is costly, unsustainable and negatively impacts human health and the environment. Manipulating plant habitats in and around vegetable production areas is a viable alternate approach to conventional pesticide-based management. These habitats serve as natural rearing systems for parasites and predators, providing a food source (pollen & nectar), protection and overwintering sites. For this planning project, a workshop will be held in Egypt, bringing together Egyptian and US vegetable specialists, pest managers and researchers to explore ways to use habitat systems for insect pest management (IPM) in greenhouse-grown vegetables. This workshop will introduce the concept to Egyptian specialists and provide a forum for discussing how to adapt and encourage its adoption in Egypt. After the workshop a tour of greenhouse vegetable growing areas will be organized to solicit grower input. Drawing on information collected at the workshop, the PIs will develop a proposal to refine use of plant habitat systems to enhance successful biological control for greenhouse vegetable production in Egypt and the US. The objectives of this planning proposal are 1) determine the capabilities and facilities of Egyptian and US cooperators and assess current practices used to control thrips and whiteflies by vegetable growers, 2) jointly prepare a collaborative research proposal on habitat plant systems to submit to suitable funding agencies in 2016.
To date, no work specifically on the objectives has been possible because of difficulties in arranging for the transfer of funds to the Egyptian cooperating organization. This hopefully will be resolved within the next two months, so work can begin in early 2016.
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Parker, Bruce Worms: The Lurking Threat to New England's Sugarbushes North American Maple Syrup Council "Historically earthworms have been perceived as indigenous native organisms that enhance soil fertility. They are exotic species, some of which are invasive and represent a serious threat to sugarbush health. These worms are disrupting the natural biodiversity by transforming the forest floor structure and chemistry. New particularly aggressive, more destructive East Asian earthworm species (genus Amynthas, a.k.a. Alabama Jumpers or Snake Worms) are colonizing our Northern forests. In the past these worms were mainly observed in warmer Southern climates, where they are used as bait and compost worms. They have now spread to Vermont and other New England states.
Little is known about the distribution of snake worms, or their impact on regeneration in Northern sugarbushes.
This research will determine the current abundance and distribution of worm species in Northern sugarbushes relative to forest management practices, and assess their impact on understory diversity, maple regeneration and various soil characteristics.
Finding populations of snake worms (Amynthas sp.) has proven difficult in northern and central Vermont and northern New York. High populations of Lumbricus terrestris (the common nightcrawler) were more common in the zone 4 sites and are also known to negatively impact forest areas. Of 19 sites (4 plots/site) investigated during July and August 2015 two were found to have high populations of snake worms while seven sites had high populations of nightcrawlers. Up to six different species of earthworms were found at these sites, yet the assessment revealed that the maximum damage class occurred when forests were either invaded by snakeworms or Nightcrawlers. In stands infested with either nightcrawlers or snake worms, we found an average of 3.99 and 0.63 sugar and red maple seedlings per plot, respectively, compared to 5.92 maple seedlings per plot in stands infested with neither of these worm species. The total number of understory plant species and percent ground cover in these sites followed a similar trend. These data support the hypothesis that there is a definite impact of snake worms on the understory of maple stands. The presence of either snake worms or nightcrawlers clearly reduces the diversity of understory plant species and increases the amount of bare ground. This can lead to an increased potential for erosion and to changes in soil chemistry and texture. Using a sampling protocol developed to assess site disturbance caused by exotic earthworms (IERAT or Invasive Earthworm Rapid Assessment Tool), it was revealed that the maximum damage class occurred when stands were either invaded by snake worms or nightcrawlers with a rating of 1.84 in stands with no snake worms or nightcrawlers, a 4.75 in stands with populations of nightcrawlers, and a 4.8 in stands infested with snake worms (where 1 = no disturbance and 5 = maximum disturbance).
Perkins, Timothy Long-Term Effects of Sap Extraction on Sugar Maple Growth and Health
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Little is known about how sap extraction for maple production affects the long-term health and growth of trees. We are comparing vigor and growth of maple trees that have not been tapped with those that have been tapped and sap is being extracted at two different levels, gravity collection and vacuum collection. Vacuum sap collection has produced approximately double the amount of sap compared to gravity collection. After two years of study, there are no detectible differences in tree growth (measured as dbh) or taphole closure. This study will be continued for at least 3 additional years to allow any small effects of carbohydrate removal, if present, to accumulate.
Perkins, Timothy Is Tapping Below the Lateral Line an Effective Tool to Increase the Size of the Tapping Band
North American Maple Syrup Council
Repeated tapping of maple stems over a long period of time may result in a build-up of non-conductive wood within the normal tapping zone. This can lead to tapping into previously wounded areas, with resulting losses in sap yield. Normal responses to reduce the probability of encountering non-conductive wood require decades or more to be successful, and are not always successful. By tapping below the lateral line, maple producers could expand the tapping zone, and greatly reduce the chances of tapping into old wounds. However it is thought that this practice would result in lower sap yield. We tested this approach by comparing sap yields in trees tapped in the normal way (above the lateral line) with sap yields from trees tapped below the lateral line and found that sap yields were equal. This means that maple producers can tap below the lateral line and achieve the same yields as they would if they tapped normally. These results have been shared with producers at three maple conferences so far. The study will be repeated during the 2016 sap flow season to confirm the results prior to publication.
Skinner, Margaret Granular Formulations of Insect-Killing Fungi with Plant-Medicated IPM Systems for Thrips
American Floral Endowment
This project evaluated a plant-mediated system for western flower thrips (WFT) in spring bedding plants. It used a flowering marigold on which predatory mites (Neoseiulus cucumeris) were released on the flowers and foliage; a millet-based granular formulation of Beauveria bassiana, an insect-killing fungus, mixed into the upper layer of the potting mix; and a pheromone lure. This system is based on the concept that adult WFT are attracted from the crop to marigolds, where they reproduce. Attractiveness may be enhanced by the lure. WFT adults and immatures serve as prey for predatory mites on the flowers and foliage, sustaining mites and encouraging their dispersal within the crop. In the absence of WFT, mites feed on marigold pollen. WFT that escape predation drop to the soil to pupate, where they become infected with the fungus. The granular formulation enables the fungus to colonize the potting mix, eliminating the need for reapplication. This represents a low-cost, easy-to-use, non-chemical pesticide approach, suppressing WFT populations through a holistic system: ATTRACT, SUSTAIN & KILL. Because fungal treatments and mite releases are applied to the marigold guardian plants (GP) rather than the entire crop, management costs are reduced, while control is maximized. Trials were conducted at 5 operations in VT; 1 in NH from 2012-2014. Each greenhouse contained 6 treatments: 1) marigold with a granular formulation of an experimental strain of B. bassiana incorporated into the upper layer of the potting mix, WFT pheromone lure and predatory mites; 2) marigold with a granular formulation of the B. bassiana GHA strain in the potting mix, WFT lure and predatory mites; 3) marigold with WFT lure only; 4) marigold without WFT lure, fungus or mites; 5) yellow sticky card with WFT lure; and 6) yellow sticky card without lure. For 12 wks marigolds and sticky cards and 3 plants located within 1 m of each marigold were monitored bi-weekly for WFT and other arthropods and damage. At the start and end of the experiment, soil samples were taken to determine the level of fungal inoculum. In all 3 years, over the 12 wk, higher numbers of WFT were detected on marigolds than on random crop plants near the marigolds. At all sites, there was greater damage on the marigolds than on the crop. On many occasions, marigolds without the mite/fungus treatment had over 50 percent foliar damage; whereas nearby crop plants had less than 10 percent damage. There were more WFT on marigolds with no mite/fungus treatment than on those treated with mites and fungi. Both fungal treatments provided similar WFT suppression. Predatory mites and both fungi persisted for over 12 wks, providing a sustained source for biocontrols. Though mites were found in marigolds, they were not found on adjacent crop plants, suggesting that mite dispersal from the marigolds is minimal, or they escaped detection. The lures did not enhance WFT attractiveness of the marigolds or sticky cards. Results demonstrate the effectiveness of the system for reducing WFT numbers and damage. This system could save growers money by providing an ongoing source of biocontrols to suppress WFT over the growing season.
Skinner, Margaret Saffron: A New High-Value Crop for Vermont Growers
Center for Lake Champlain Watershed Research Innovation Implementation Inc.
Saffron is the world’s most expensive crop among herbal plants, derived from the stigma of the flower of the saffron crocus corm, with a retail price of $312/oz. It is a popular culinary spice and a medicinal plant with anti-carcinogenic properties. This project investigates a highly lucrative specialty crop that has never been grown in Vermont and offers vegetable growers and others an alternative to further expand their diversified production. It assesses the feasibility of growing saffron in high tunnels, rudimentary hoop houses covered with 1-2 layers of plastic, and vented with roll-up sides for cooling, providing a low-cost means of producing high-value crops in protected environments. Several important issues associated with saffron production will be addressed: pest and disease management, corm coldhardiness and enhancement of productivity while minimizing costs. Four planting schemes were planned: 1) directly in the soil of the growing bed without a cover crop; 2) in plastic crates without a cover crop; 3) directly in the soil of the growing bed with a cover crop; 4) cover crop without saffron. Because construction of the high tunnel in which we were to grow the saffron was delayed, the cover crop treatments were eliminated. Nine raised beds were established in three rows. Corms were obtained from a source in Pennsylvania. Currently saffron is being harvested and dried. When the season is finished data on yield will be obtained and assessment of crop quality will be considered. In the spring, corm survival will be evaluated. If funding for year 2 is received, we will evaluate crop yield after one year, and include a component to test the suitability of combining saffron production with a cover crop
Skinner, Margaret Developing an IPM Program for Western Bean Cutworm, a New Corn and Dry Bean Pest in the NE Region
Pennsylvania State University
Western bean cutworm, Striacosta albicosta, (WBC) is an emerging pest in Vermont. This late season insect attacking corn and dry and snap beans. Moth larvae feed on developing kernels in husks or beans in pods causing direct losses, decreases in quality and indirectly creating the potential for disease posing health risks to domestic animals and humans. Prior to 2000, economic losses were limited to the western Corn Belt states. Since then it has moved East. It was found in Ontario in 2008, Pennsylvania and New York in 2009, and Vermont in 2011. To understand the pest’s movement its current range and timing of WBC activity must be identified to develop suitable management strategies. In 2011, scientists at the UVM Entomology Research Laboratory collaborated with Penn State and Cornell Univ. on a WBC survey, resulting in the first detection in the state in Chittenden Cty. In 2012, the survey was expanded to 3 VT counties (Franklin, Rutland and Addison) to better understand WBC distribution and abundance. Results allow farmers to be prepared for managing WBC if needed. WBC abundance was assessed using pheromone traps in 12 fields of corn in 4 northwestern and central VT counties. One green bucket trap containing a female pheromone lure and an insecticidal strip was hung on posts at each site to trap male moths. Moths were collected and lures changed every 2 wks from May – Sept. Data were entered into the web-based PestWatch tracking system. Over the 3 yr, 204 moths were collected. Moths were first detected in traps on 17 July in 2014, 23 July in 2013, and 11 July in 2012. More moths were collected in 2014 (100 moths) than in 2012 (82 moths) and 2013 (22 moths). When data from all sites were combined, the average number of WBC/trap was 8.3 in 2014, 1.8 in 2013, and 6.8 in 2012. In all years, the peak flight period, based on trap catches, was from mid June – mid August. In all years, most of the WBC were collected in Addison County (133 moths). In Franklin, 38 moths were caught, compared with 29 in Rutland and 4 in Chittenden. For the first two years, Rutland had the second highest counts and Franklin the least. In 2014, twice as many moths were detected in Franklin than Rutland County. In 2013 and 2014, no moths were collected in Chittenden, and only a few were collected in 2012. Whereas WBC populations were the greatest in the Addison and Franklin, the 3rd largest numbers of moths in a trap came from East Wallingford in Rutland (19 moths). In all years, no larvae were observed in the fields nor was there evidence of feeding damage at any sites. It appears that WBC is established in Vermont and survives the winter. Many of the moths collected from the traps were in good condition suggesting they may have overwintered here emerging from local fields, rather than being blown in from New York or Canada. It is unclear how this pest may influence crops in the future. However, farmers are now know about this pest and can monitor it using the PestWatch system.
Skinner, Margaret IPM for Vermont’s Landscape Industry: A Longterm Investment to Ensure Success
Green Works - Vermont Nursery & Landscape Association
A survey of Vermont landscapers and nursery operators was conducted. Based on the results a seminar was held to introduce landscapers to biological control in outdoor landscape settings and nursery production. We organized a workshop featuring a biological control specialist from British Columbia Canada. This represented the first time many of those in the audience had ever heard of predatory midges for aphids. The presentation stimulated excellent questions and discussion from the attendees. Over 20 people attended the event, including growers, landscapers, property managers, landscape designers and arborists. When asked how useful the event was in terms of increasing their use of IPM, attendees ranked it at 4.13 out of 5. Over 88 percent said they learned new techniques they intend to use in the coming year, including releases of predators and parasites to manage aphids. The following topics were identified as topics they would like to learn more about in the future: insect pest and damage identification; biological control of the invasive pests threatening our region and fungal diseases. At the request of the President of Green Works, we organized a presentation for their annual meeting on innovative ways growers can increase energy conservation in greenhouses. We also gave a presentation about exotic invasive pests for the Northeastern Chapter of Physical Plant Administrators, and completed a manuscript reporting the results from our research on the efficacy of insect-killing fungi for management of the immature stages of the brown marmorated stink bug.
Skinner, Margaret The Working Group on Improving Microbial Control of Arthropod Pests
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
This project assesses marigold plant-mediated systems against western flower thrips (WFT). It evaluates the comparative attractiveness of yellow marigolds to WFT with non-flowering and flowering bedding plants of different colors; evaluates compatibility of disease-suppressing treatments with formulations of experimental and registered entomopathogenic fungi; and tests persistence of formulations of experimental isolates and commercial fungal products in potting media. Results from this research will lead to the more effective use of this multi-faceted IPM tool. In Yr 3 greenhouse cage trials were done with flowering and non-flowering purple and white New Guinea impatiens and orange and red marigolds. Purple and white impatiens had similar numbers of WFT and when flowering, had 4 times more WFT than non-flowering. Marigolds in flowering impatiens had 3 times more WFT than the crops and in non-flowering impatiens, at least 6 times more. In contrast, foliar damage on marigolds was the greatest in non-flowering treatments. Red marigolds had more WFT than orange. Similar numbers of WFT were observed on yellow marigolds and the red and orange marigolds in both flowering and non-flowering treatments. However, yellow marigolds in general had higher foliar damage than the red and orange ones, especially when non-flowering. In summary, marigolds are attractive to WFT in both flowering and non-flowering crop stages but were more attractive when crop plants were not flowering. Results suggest marigolds may be attractive to WFT regardless of their color. Trials using marigolds in thrips hotspots in commercial greenhouses will be conducted in Yr 4.
Replicated lab tests were completed to assess fungal compatibility for Trichoderma harzianum and Gliocladium sp. to 3 entomopathogenic fungi: Beauveria bassiana (GHA from Botanigard; experimental strain), Metarhizium anisopliae (F-52) and Lecanicillium lecanii (from Mycotal). Two B. bassiana (GHA and experimental strain), a M. anisopliae and a T. harzianum (T22) were tested for compatibility with chemical fungicides (Subdue MAXX, Banrot). Spore germination of 90 percent was observed after 22 hr for the entomopathogens, compared to 42 percent at 24 hr for the commercial T. harzianum. The two experimental antagonists germinated like the entomopathogens. When entomopathogenic and antagonistic fungi were on the same plate, antagonists grew 5-7 times faster than entomopathogens. At 6 d, entomopathogens were surrounded by antagonists. After 2 mo, the entomopathogens were alive, showing antagonistic fungi outcompeted entomopathogens but did not kill them. When Subdue MAXX was in the medium, and plates inoculated with B. bassiana, M. anisopliae or T. harzianum, spore germination and colony growth of the entomopathogens after 2 d were not affected. When Banrot was added to medium at 0.5 of the low rate, germination at 48 hr for B. bassiana isolates was 30-40 percent less than controls; 50 percent less for M. anisopliae. Results demonstrate that compatibility varies between entomopathogenic and antagonistic fungi, and chemical fungicides, which growers must consider when both types of controls are used concurrently.
Skinner, Margaret Dynamics of Naturally Occurring Fungal-Induced Epizootics of Hemlock Wooly Adelgid
University of New Hampshire
Our project goal was to assess the dynamics of fungal epizootics of hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA), a serious exotic forest pest and to initiate a fungal-induced epizootic under natural conditions. Samples from HWA-infested sites in VT, NH, and ME were inspected to locate sites with a fungal epizootic from Myriangium sp. but no natural epizootics were detected. Several cadavers showed evidence of fungal mycosis associated with another fungus tentatively identified in the class Dothideomycetes. In 2012 and 2013, four different spray trials were conducted at various HWA-infested sites in so. VT. Each trial was designed to adjust for specific site conditions. The objectives were to demonstrate the virulence of Myriangium sp. against HWA; and show that after spray, Myriangium sp. persists and spreads to other adjacent unsprayed branches causing HWA mortality. In general 74-92 percent mortality of HWA settleds was observed 1 mo after treatment with Myriangium. In one trial, the average number of HWA adults with eggs was five times less on treated than untreated twigs in the spring after treatment. This showed Myriangium is highly virulent when applied on HWA. However, that characteristic alone is not enough for long-term management. We wanted to determine if, once applied, the fungus persists and spreads, causing an epizootic. Hemlock samples collected outside the treated area 5 wk after treatment contained 23-52 percent infected HWA settleds, compared with 2-25 percent mortality on untreated branches. The most significant insect mortality was found on twigs located below treated branches, suggesting fungal propagules washed off the treated branch. Myriangium appeared to disperse from the treatment area in all directions, but only a short distance.
In 2013, a trial was done on a 3-m tall hemlock hedge located near three dominant HWA infested hemlocks. In 2012 the hedge showed no signs of infestation, but in 2013 trees at one end were infested. Myriangium was sprayed on the infested trees and the pattern of infestation along the hedge was tracked to determine if the fungal application at one end would slow the spread of the HWA infestation. Mortality was high at all test sites on treated and untreated trees. Isolations from dead insects indicated that the causal agent was the fungus detected in NH in 2011. In May 2014, samples were collected from our field sites in so. VT to assess live and dead HWA, and egg density. Dead individuals were examined for fungal infections and specific fungi identified and/or cultured out for identification. Winter mortality ranged from 85-95 percent. All of the dead insects showed evidence of the Phoma-like fungus observed in our previous trials. The occurrence of this microbial agent and its impact on HWA in summer 2013 went unreported. The high mortality of HWA in the spring of 2014 was thought to be attributed to the extremely cold winter temperatures. It is possible that most of the HWA were already dead in 2013. The impact of fungi on forest pests often goes undetected. Though adult HWA mortality was high in 2013, the few surviving females laid on average 30-118 eggs allowing the population to rebound in 1 year.
Skinner, Margaret Plant-mediated IPM Systems for Pest Aphids of High Tunnel Vegetable Production
National Institute of Food and Agriculture/Department of Agriculture
This 3-yr project is assessing novel plant-mediated IPM strategies for high tunnel vegetable production in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic region in collaboration with the Univ. of ME and Penn State Univ. The attractiveness of aphid banker plants [ABP] and habitat plants [HP] to natural enemies are being tested in organic high tunnels for aphid management on crops in fall/winter (lettuce, spinach) and spring/summer (tomatoes, cucumber, squash, etc.) in 18 high tunnels (6 each in ME, VT, PA). These systems can provide a cost-effective, sustainable way to manage aphids and other pests on high tunnel crops by promoting greater biodiversity and establishment of wild and released natural enemies. Guidelines for using these systems were transferred to growers, pest specialists and farm managers in the three states with hands-on training and site visits. For the spring/summer season, 5 plants (borage, alyssum, marigold, dill and green bean) were tested as HP. Red spring wheat was used for the ABP. Data were collected bi-weekly from May-Sept. on tomatoes and other crops and is currently being summarized. Based on data from May - August of Yr 1, aphids were found in most of the high tunnels either on the crop or HP; 7 species were identified: foxglove-Aulacorthum solani, ornate-Myzus ornatus, potato-Macrosiphum euphorbiae, melon-Aphis gossypii, green peach-Myzus persicae, Back Bean-Aphis fabae and carrot-willow-Cavariella aegopodii. Over 500 natural enemies were observed on the HP including parasitic wasps and mummies, lady beetle adults and larvae, syrphid fly adults, lacewing larvae, Orius adults and nymphs, assassin bugs and several types of predatory maggots (syrphids and Aphidoletes). The most abundant natural enemies observed were wasp parasitoids (37 percent), syrphid adults (28 percent), aphid mummies (16 percent) and Orius adults (9 percent). The greatest abundance and diversity of natural enemies was observed on borage, alyssum and dill. Many wasp parasitoids and mummies were observed on the ABP, but its use was challenging. Contamination of the system by naturally-occurring parasitoids and other beneficials such as syrphid flies and lady beetles was a common occurrence in the ABS production cages. The ABP also was difficult to maintain during the summer heat when temperatures rose above 85 deg F in the high tunnels. Better performance is anticipated for the fall-winter crop cycle. For this crop cycle, alyssum, marigold, green bean, viola and calendula were chosen for the HP and red winter wheat for the ABP. A High-Tunnels Steering Committee that will serve as a regional network to advance broader adoption of IPM and sound production practices in high tunnels through a long-term coordinated research and outreach program for Northeast vegetable growers will be developed in Year 2. A 3-state (ME, PA & VT) hands-on educational program to encourage greater adoption of biological will be conducted. Presentations on the results to date are scheduled for this winter in MA, VT, NH and ME, and PA.
Smith, Julie A Human Behavioral Approach to Reducing the Impact of Livestock Pest or Disease Incursions of Socio-Economic Importance
National Institute of Food and Agriculture/Department of Agriculture
Emerging livestock diseases of socio-economic importance have food security, perceived food safety, and domestic and international trade implications for the marketing of animals or animal products. Understanding what drives human behavior in relation to the introduction, spread, identification, reporting, and containment of new, emerging, and foreign pests and diseases of livestock is critically important for developing effective strategies to sustain a productive, profitable, and secure food animal sector. This multi-institutional, inter-disciplinary, applied research and outreach project brings together experts in animal science and veterinary medicine, agricultural economics, public policy, anthropology, adult education, and risk communication. Through engagement with project activities, stakeholders in U.S. dairy, beef, and pork production will be encouraged to implement practices and policies that collectively reduce the impact and threat of new, emerging, and foreign pests and diseases to the nation's meat and milk supply. In year one the project team is creating survey instruments, identifying sources of data, seeking input from stakeholders, and developing additional collaborative relationships to further the goals of our project. An initial interactive “game” to solicit information on decision-making behavior and the framework for a system-wide model of a food animal production chain have been developed. An overview of the project will be presented in the USDA Research Summaries session at the US Animal Health Association annual meeting, October 2015.
van den Berg, Abby Identification of Effective Maple Tubing Cleaning Practices
North American Maple Syrup Council
Microbial contamination of the tubing collection system reduces annual yields of sap from maple trees by an average of 10% annually. Maple producers attempt to mitigate these yield reductions through annual cleaning of tubing systems, however the effectiveness of the wide variety of cleaning practices employed at increasing annual sap yields is currently unknown. Thus, the overall objective of this study was to determine which tubing cleaning practice results in the largest increase in sap yield and net profit per tap.
To accomplish this objective, a field experiment was conducted to quantify the volume of sap collected from tubing systems treated with three cleaning techniques identified as most effective at reducing microbial populations through preliminary screening experiments, and from control systems which were not cleaned. Preliminary experiments identified bleach, peroxide, and isopropyl alcohol (IPA) as potentially effective treatments. Research plots were established, and sap yield data from treatment plots were collected in the spring 2014 and 2015 maple production seasons. At the conclusion of the field experiments, sap yield data were compiled, and financial analyses were conducted to determine the implementation cost of each strategy, and the net profit of each.
The three cleaning treatments had similar impacts on sap yields and resulted in average improvements above the control treatment of between 15 and 21%. However, due to differences in implementation costs, bleach resulted in higher net profits per tap than the other cleaning treatments: bleach resulted in an average increase in profit per tap above the control of $0.40, while IPA and peroxide resulted in $0.25 and $0.04 increases in profit per tap, respectively. Thus, the results indicate that bleach is the tubing cleaning practice that results in the best net profits. However, results of a concurrent study indicated that much higher sap yields and net profits can be achieved by implementing replacement strategies in lieu of cleaning. For example, replacing spouts annually resulted in an average net increase in profit of between $1.30 and $1.97 per tap. Thus, higher net profits can be achieved with spout replacement than with any cleaning practice. Maple producers can use this information to choose and implement the strategy that is both best for their operational needs and results in the highest possible net profit, and ultimately help them achieve higher annual production yields and revenues.
The study has concluded, and thus no further research activities will be performed next year.
The results of this research have and will be disseminated to maple producers and industry members in a variety of ways, including through presentations at conferences and meetings throughout Vermont and the maple producing regions of the US and Canada, and through technical articles published online and in maple industry publications.
van den Berg, Abby Standard Practices for a New System of Maple Syrup Production
Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets
Maple producers face major barriers to increasing the productivity of their operations and growing their businesses, as expansion typically requires the purchase or lease of large tracts of mature, forested land at prohibitively high expense. We have recently developed a technique through which sap can be harvested sustainably from small maple trees in regenerating forest stands. As these types of stands are present in many maple operations, this technique would enable many maple producers to overcome this barrier to expansion and immediately increase the productivity and annual income of their operations. In addition, it would turn what is currently a long-term ongoing expense (periodic thinning to develop a mature sugarbush) into an income-generating activity. However, standard practices for implementing this type of system, including the sap harvesting and forest management practices required for sustainable management of the system, do not currently exist. Thus, the overall objective of our proposed project is to develop a set of standard practices for implementing a sap collection system in existing regenerating maple stands that maple producers will use to initiate the practice and increase the productivity and income of their maple operations. Producers will be able to begin using these standard practices to immediately initiate the practice and increase the productivity and income of their operations.
We are compiling existing information from the literature and our past research on best practices for annual sap collection and harvest management (including cutting and capping methods), and stand management practices required for the system to be sustainable in the long-term. these data and information will be used to develop and write a set of standard practices for implementing this system in regenerating forest stands. Once completed, the standard practices and project information will be disseminated to maple producers in a variety of ways. The standard practices will be posted and available to download on the UVM PMRC and other extension and industry cooperator websites, and presentations about the standard practices and project information will be given at maple industry conferences and meetings.
Vogelmann, Thomas Investigation of a new paradigm in maple syrup production
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
The overall goal of our proposed work is to investigate the feasibility of alternative systems of maple crop management. This goal will be achieved by meeting the following specific objectives: Objective 1: Determine the quantity of sugar that can be extracted annually using alternative systems of maple crop management. Objective 2: Determine the optimum alternative crop management strategy to maximize sugar yield per acre. This project will conduct experiments and generate new data and
knowledge about alternative management systems for maple syrup production. The project will identify an optimum alternative system of maple crop management that enables maple producers to increase the productivity of maple production operations. The data generated will also facilitate the development and refinement of new techniques and equipment required for the identified alternative system. This new knowledge and information will be communicated to maple producers, and thus help
maintain the long-term economic sustainability of maple syrup production operations in Vermont.
Wang, Qingbin Converting cow manure into electricity and other energy products on dairy farms: Financial and economic analysis and policy implications
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
While Vermont has been a leading state in converting cow manure into electricity through the Cow Power program and renewable energy legislations, there is a growing need for empirical studies on the financial feasibility and returns of on-farm methane digester systems for providing information to dairy farmers, policymakers, investors, consumers and other stakeholders. The major objectives of this project are to collect primary data from Vermont dairy farms with operating methane
digester systems, assess the financial and economic feasibilities of converting cow manure into renewable energy products under alternative market and policy scenarios, examine consumer preferences and willingness to pay for Cow Power and other renewable energy products, and develop educational materials and provide information and recommendations to dairy farmers, legislators, consumers, and other stakeholders. This project is developed through close collaboration with and inputs from dairy
farmers and organizations that are interested in methane digesters, CVPS, Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets, Vermont Public Service Board and other stakeholders and will be conducted through a collaborative approach. Findings from the project are expected to provide the highly needed information for promoting the development of renewable energy products from farm waste and providing potential economic opportunities to dairy farms.
Wang, Qingbin Enhancing the Profitability and Sustainability of Small and Medium Sized Dairy Farms through Artisan Cheese and Other Valued-Added Products
National Institute of Food and Agriculture/Department of Agriculture
The project goal is to provide technical and business management information and training for assisting small and medium dairy farms to produce and market farmstead and artisan cheese and other value-added dairy products through integrated research, extension, and education activities. Most previous programs for dairy farmers have focused on milk productivity, but increased milk production has failed to increase farm income. This project focuses on the potentials of farmstead and artisan cheese and
other dairy products that have shown significant increase in consumer demand. We capitalize on the success of the Vermont Institute for Artisan Cheese (VIAC), which has trained more than 900 farmers and other individuals since 2004, to develop extension and education programs for helping farmers produce and market value-added products. This project was developed by an interdisciplinary team comprising an extension specialist, an agricultural economist, and two food scientists, with input
from many stakeholders. Our complementary expertise, strong commitment to help dairy farmers through value-added products, and close collaboration with farm groups and organizations will contribute to the success of this project.
Zhao, Feng-Qi Regulation of glucose production and utilization in dairy cattle
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Glucose is the most important nutrient in milk production. Glucose is the major precursor of milk lactose. Because lactose synthesis regulates milk volume by maintaining milk osmolarity, glucose availability to the mammary gland and glucose uptake and utilization by the mammary gland are the rate-limiting steps of milk production. An average cow with milk-production of 40 kg/day takes up 3 kg of glucose from the blood daily. To meet this high glucose demand, it is essential for cows to enhance the hepatic gluconeogenesis rate (the major source of glucose in ruminants) and repartitioning glucose from other tissues, including reduction in glucose utilization by skeletal muscles. Improper tissue metabolic adaptation to lactation often results in metabolic diseases, such as ketosis and fatty liver, in high-producing cows during the transition period. In this project, we aim to study the regulation of i) hepatic gluconeogenesis, ii) glucose utilization in lactose synthesis, and iii) glucose uptake in skeletal muscle by lactogenic hormones and control of substrate availability in vitro. Our study will provide mechanistic insights into metabolic
adaptation to lactation in dairy cows, which will lead to improvement in milk production efficiency while maintaining whole body glucose homeostasis.