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market-farming - RE: more greenhouse questions!

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  • From: Miranda Smith <Miranda.Smith AT creativehomeowner.com>
  • To: 'market farming' <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: RE: more greenhouse questions!
  • Date: Thu, 1 Feb 2001 10:28:49 -0500


I forgot about the need for an academic cooperator--excellent point. You
will need the person to vet the experimental design and data collection and
interpretation systems. Are there people at your landgrant, preferably in
Plant and Soil Science, who are open to working with farmers? If so, it goes
a long way to have them come in from the beginning of the process to help
with proposal writing and the formal presentation of the experimental
design.

On another note: I would have expected organically managed soils to cause
fewer problems too. However, the research that I saw from Germany--a
gazillion years ago, but probably really in the mid- to late 70's--came up
with the opposite result. Plants from the organic soils had the highest
levels. But then, there seemed to be no follow-up work. --Very frustrating!

It would be interesting to see if the percent of stable vs effective compost
in your soil would make a difference. Also, I am interested in whether you
can change this effect with lights. I am not growing now, but in the last
few years, did produce winter greens under mercury halide bulbs. Goodness
only knows if the expense was worth it. But that's why this research is so
important.

Good luck,

Miranda Smith

> ----------
> From: Alex McGregor
> Reply To: market farming
> Sent: Thursday, February 1, 2001 10:12 AM
> To: market farming
> Subject: Re: more greenhouse questions!
>
> Alison,
>
> I too would like to see that kind of real world, true organic system
> research. A lot of
> the University research I've seen has started with an admission that they
> first used
> Roundup, and then just planted in the soil with no addition of minerals or
> organic
> matter.
>
> And I read something on this (nitrate build-up in leaf tissue) some years
> ago, but
> haven't found any hard research. This is definitely an issue for those of
> us concerned
> about the quality of what we produce and who care about and are connected
> to our
> customer-friends.
>
> Miranda's idea is a good one- applying for a SARE grant. Here's a link to
> the Southern
> Region SARE:
> http://www.griffin.peachnet.edu/sare/
>
> The producer grants coordinator, John Mayne is a very nice person, besides
> being a
> former farmer and on the board of Georgia Organics. Here's his contact
> info:
>
> John C. Mayne, Producer Grants Coordinator
> 1109 Experiment St.
> Room 205, Stuckey Building
> University of Georgia
> Agricultural Experiment Station
> Griffin, GA 30223-1797
> (770) 229-3350; (770) 412-4789 (fax)
> jmayne AT gaes.griffin.peachnet.edu
>
> The deadline for 2001 is past, but it's a good time to start working on
> 2002 proposals.
> The key for a SARE producer grant is to have some scientists as
> cooperators, preferably
> from a Land Grant U. (Since, as you pointed out, farmers don't know how
> to conduct
> research, in the eyes of academe.) Another thing they look for is how
> widely the
> information gained will be distributed. But, John can tell you all about
> that.
>
> My guess is that using soluble nitrate fertilizers in these conditions may
> lead to a
> higher concentration. Organically managed soils, which depend on the
> natural N cycles,
> may have far less nitrate available in cool soil (low light season)
> conditions. An
> interesting trial (at least for me) would be to compare your cold frame
> plants to those
> in a similar structure and soil type to soluble nitrate fed plants.
>
> Keep up the good work!
>
> Alex Mc Gregor
> Walden Farm
>
>
>
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