The Agroecosystems Management Program

The Paul C. and Edna H. Warner Endowment Fund was established specifically for on-farm research in sustainable agriculture related to crop (agronomic and horticultural) and animal production systems, that are ultimately intended for human consumption.

Research is intended to identify and publicize sustainable agricultural practices and systems that are profitable, socially responsible, energy efficient and improve water quality and other environmental concerns relevant to Ohio farmers.

Proposals must come from OSU CFAES faculty and extension personnel as principal investigators. Interested farmers, graduate students, and members from other agricultural or environmental organizations are strongly encouraged to contact OSU faculty and extension agents in their communities to suggest or initiate collaborative research projects. A mandatory criterion is collaboration with farmers who are identified in the proposal.

We are exploring two new and related opportunities for Ohio farms and farmers: planning the Mellinger Farm as a research and demonstration showcase for smaller diversified farming, and a new ATI 2 year program in sustainable and organic agriculture. The results of the survey indicated strong interest in an ATI program focused on sustainable agriculture and many expressed interest in participating in workshops, demonstrations and classes as part of the Mellinger Farm development.

The 2nd Annual Stinner Summit was held on September 19, 2008 at the Pugh Cabin at Malabar Farm in Lucas, Ohio. The day-long event honored the vision of Ben Stinner to promote healthy agroecosystems and sustainable communities.

A farm planning course featuring the Mellinger Farm was offered Spring Quarter of 2008. Course details and contact information can be found at: FarmPlanDesignCourse1.pdf

The Leap into Local Foods Workshop was held on February 29, 2008.

Attached is the meeting summary : Leap into Local Foods Workshop write-up.pdf .

One of the workshop goals was to increase ease and opportunity to keep the participants in touch after the meeting, to keep the selected projects in focus and to expand the network of people committed to the success of increasing local food production and consumption here in Ohio. A website blog was created for this purpose. Please check out the site and add your thoughts and suggestions. The site is found at: http://socialsynergyweb.org/oardc/main-group

Newletter

Please enjoy a look at the last edition of our newsletter. In future issues we plan to include thought provoking essays as well as updates on the activities of our program and team members. If you have a topic you'd like discussed or an essay you'd like to submit, please send it along to ampmail@osu.edu

The Agroecosystems Management Program of the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center offers a unique opportunity for relatively self-directed research by highly qualified postdoctoral scholars. Associateships are being offered in the natural/physical sciences and in the social/behavioral sciences. The Postdoctoral Associates will be mentored by the multidisciplinary faculty participating in the Program in pursuing research and education opportunities of mutual interest and consistent with the Program goals.

In general the Program addresses the environmental, economic and social challenges and the opportunities facing farmers and rural communities. Associates will be expected to maintain a strong publication record, seek extramural funding, contribute to graduate education, and work effectively in interdisciplinary teams that include stakeholder partners.

An opportunity is also available for a GIS applications individual with training in geographic information systems analysis and applications to develop practical and educational tools that promote sustainable agriculture.

These positions offer competitive salaries and a full package of benefits including health insurance. To build a diverse workforce Ohio State encourages applications from individuals with disabilities, minorities, veterans, and women. The Ohio State University is an EEO/AA employer. Applicants must apply on-line at http://jobs.osu.edu .

In addition, applicants should submit a cover letter, c.v., and the names, addresses, phone and email addresses for 3 references to:

Applications will be reviewed beginning December 15, 2008 and until suitable candidates are found.

Jason Parker recently traveled to Louisville, Kentucky where he presented a poster, "Conservation use and quality of life in a rural community: Goldschmidts's finding revisited", and a paper, "Sociocultural integration and conservation in the Sugar Creek watershed: What is the real promise of globalization?", to the Rural Sociological Society. Meanwhile, Richard Moore presented a paper, "The ecological integration of the social and natural sciences in the Sugar Creek Method", to the Ecological Society of America in Memphis, Tennessee.

WOOSTER, Ohio - Ohio State University entomology professor Casey Hoy has been chosen as the new W.K. Kellogg Foundation-endowed chair in agricultural ecosystems management in the university's College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences.

A faculty member in the Department of Entomology since 1987 and associate chair since 2001, Hoy will continue the work of the late Ben Stinner, who held the Kellogg-endowed chair until his untimely death Nov. 23, 2004, in a car accident.

"Casey is an outstanding research scientist who has an established record of working successfully in agroecosystems management," said OARDC Director Steve Slack. "We know that he will continue the legacy of excellence we expect from the person in this position."

As the Kellogg-endowed chair, Hoy will lead the Agroecosystems Management Program (AMP), a grassroots effort that has brought together citizens and Ohio State faculty, staff and students on a wide range of projects that lead to sustainability - a balance between environmental, social and economic goals. Most AMP projects to date have been initiated by farmers, conservationists, educators and entrepreneurs who dedicate themselves to Ohio agriculture and rural communities, with research and education support from their Ohio State partners.

Agroecosystems management is defined as the integration of production, environment, economics and social systems - a concept that provides a holistic and useful framework for addressing complex societal issues. AMP, of which Hoy has been a member since its inception, has taken a broad view of this definition to include field, farm, community, watershed and regional scales, as well as the links from farmer to market to consumer.

"I see my role as someone who will help make connections: between academic disciplines, between people and the land, between farmers and non-farmers, between non-farmers and their agricultural roots of just a few generations back," said Hoy, who will also be a specialist with Ohio State University Extension.

A national and international expert in developing integrated pest management (IPM) strategies for vegetable crops, Hoy's research has enabled growers to cut their pesticide use and grow even safer products for consumers. He has also conducted significant research on quantitative ecology, including insect spatial dynamics and their impact on pest management as well as quantitative assessment of agroecosystem health.

Hoy believes agroecosystems management can make a significant contribution to the economic well-being of Ohio, as the state continues to seek a balance between its strong agricultural base and its rapidly expanding urbanization.

"One of the areas of tremendous opportunity that isn't recognized until you start to do your accounting by the triple bottom line (environmental, economic and social goals combined) is the mutually supportive relationship between farms and economic development in neighboring communities," he pointed out.

"Farms can provide the quality of life that makes Ohio the place to be for the world's brightest entrepreneurs. Communities that recognize the many assets that farms provide have a reason to help their farm neighbors stay on the land and stay in farming. Helping to make that mutually supportive and sustainable connection between farms and the economic development desired by Ohio will be an important goal for me."

Since the death of his predecessor and friend, Hoy has been a driving force in establishing and funding the Ben Stinner Endowment for Healthy Agroecosystems and Sustainable Communities - an effort to continue Stinner's lifework in agroecology by funding projects that bring Ohio State researchers together with Ohioans to improve their agroecosystems and communities.

"Ben's vision is very much alive in all of us who worked with him and will continue through its impact on our future work," Hoy said. "I still rely on him at times, through memories and the inspiration he gave me. At a personal level, it is a tremendous honor to take up his role, and a serious responsibility to maintain his exceptional focus on the combination of environmental, economic and social goals in everything we do."

Hoy holds both B.S. and Ph.D. degrees in entomology from Cornell University. He has been president of the Wooster City Schools Board of Education and has been engaged in K-12 outreach through grant proposal development for several initiatives involving Ohio State and the public schools.

Hoy lives in Wooster with his wife, Karen Skubik, and their children, Briana, 15, and Sean, 11. In addition to the many outdoor and educational activities of his busy family life, he enjoys soccer "with a group of good friends in regional leagues for mature players" and "a long-term project in learning to play the fiddle."

OARDC and OSU Extension are part of Ohio State's College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences.

The Agroecosystems Management Program (AMP) invites requests for small amounts of funding that can be used as start-up or leverage for interdisciplinary research, education and outreach projects that demonstrate compatibility and synergism among social, economic and environmental objectives. A total of $5000 is available to be awarded FY2006. Your request (1-3 pages) outlining how the funds will be used and how they will leverage additional resources can be sent to grant.47@osu.edu. The AMP Executive Committee meets periodically and will review requests on an ongoing basis throughout the year until the funds are expended.

Our agriculture and the arts project culminated in the concert Growing Together - Agriculture and the Arts performed by the Springfield Orchestra to standing ovations. In the debut performance of "Our Fields, Farms and Families", photographs of Clark County's agriculture were projected onto three large screens above the orchestra performing works of Aaron Copland. Also included in the program are James Westwater's photochoreographed "Love of Our Land" performed to Appalachian Spring, Heitzig's Symphony to a Prairie and Thomson's The Plow that Broke the Plains.

Two accompanying "exploration" concerts for school aged children were performed to over 1700 students.

The Springfield Arts Council sponsored Bob Ford to travel to schools in the area to help promote the concert and to give students an "Ag and Arts" in the classroom experience. Our project provided Bob with the photography that he used in the project. To date he has made over 20 presentations.

A $10,000 supplemental grant was received from the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service to fund additional expenses of a DVD. Copies will be provided to their 100 field offices in 80 countries around the world. They are hoping that this will be an effective way to represent the American farmer because international consumers only see the giant agri-business.

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