Projects Demonstrating Ecological Approaches to Agriculture at the Watershed and Landscape Level

Sugar Creek Watershed Restoration – A Community Based Approach to Ecosystem  Management

A stakeholder watershed alliance of farmers, university and agencies was formed in response to the Ohio EPA’s selection of the Sugar Creek as a target for planning and restoration because it was the second most impaired watershed in Ohio.  Farmers, other land owners, municipalities and industry within the watershed, faced with costly corrective measures to meet EPA regulatory water quality standards, proactively took the opportunity to improve their environmental quality and resource base while creating a model system for community wide response to a major environmental issue. Our research objectives emphasized:

1. Community based organizations that lead to effective water quality improvement;

2. Models of effective conservation improvement that can be replicated in other Ohio watersheds;

3. Methodology to benchmark water and habitat quality;

4. Graduate and high school training in watershed ecology through an NSF graduate-k12 training grant;

5. Innovative community-based nutrient trading programs (a collaboration with Alpine Cheese)

The Sugar Creek Watershed was selected for intensive study and education projects because it was ranked as the second most impaired watershed in Ohio, with impairments related to sedimentation, nutrient enrichment, bacterial contamination, and loss of riparian habitat. The project is resulting in measurable improvements in water quality. Visit Sugar Creek Headwaters Ecosystem Study.

Contact Richard Moore, moore.11@osu.edu  or Lois Grant, grant.47@osu.edu  for more information.

Agroecosystem Health Initiative – Assessing Agricultural Resources in Natural and Social Terms

We have often had requests from stakeholders for a methodology to assess Ohio agroecosystems and visualize their current state.  Agroecosystems include both people and the land, and function at watershed, community, and landscape scales.  Sustainable management of land and water resources requires a complex balance between environmental, social and economic objectives. 

While this concept is widely accepted, a major challenge is how to measure and integrate the many kinds of social and environmental data needed to describe an agroecosystem, using a rigorous scientific approach that can be applied to land use planning, watershed management and so forth.  We have developed a new methodology targeted at analyzing and understanding the holistic structure of agriculture, including its surrounding influences at the landscape and community level.  We have been using this approach to combine data on the biological and physical environment, economics, and information from social surveys and interviews. 

The resulting index represents the current state of the agroecosystem in terms of agroecosystem health:  productivity, sustainability, stability and equitability.  These data sets typically contain very different kinds of measurements, and the ability to combine these into a common basis that relates to agroecosystem health was a major accomplishment. The resulting information is being used within a GIS (Geographical Information Systems) framework for mapping studies of rural areas with the goal of visualizing and predicting changes in agroecosystem health over time.

Our partners, including farmers, land owners and managers, policy makers and communities, can use this tool to improve agroecosystem function and health at local and regional scales by improvements in land use and land management.

Contact Casey Hoy, hoy.1@osu.edu  for more information.

Balancing Nutrient and Carbon Management in Crop Systems and Riparian Buffers

Our long-term goal with this project is to develop understanding of ecosystem processes that will encourage adoption of sustainable agroecosystem management practices for improved water quality.  Non-point source pollution from agriculture is a serious problem in the upper Midwest where current agricultural practices contribute significantly to the hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico. Our central tenet is that reducing agriculture’s footprint on streams, rivers and oceans will require a multi-faceted landscape ecology approach that integrates ecosystem research at multiple scales.

We are investigating the effectiveness of coupling the filtering function of restored riparian zones with sustainable management of croplands into integrated agroecosystem management units in which nutrient cycling efficiency is significantly increased.  Our study is closely linked to surrounding watersheds in Wayne and Holmes County Region. The study is providing a mechanistic understanding of carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) dynamics, and soil biotic processes, in selected reference agroecosystems within the headwaters of the surrounding watersheds and in controlled experimental watersheds on the OARDC campus on which we are implementing a range of cropping systems coupled with riparian buffers.

Our specific objectives are:

1. Quantify water quality in headwater streams and C, N, and P cycling and associated soil microbial ecology characteristics in riparian buffer zone and cropland reference sites.

2.  Determine C, N, and P fluxes and associated microbial ecology characteristics in upland cropping and restored riparian buffer subsystems in controlled experimental watersheds.

3. Develop quantitative models for examining the potential for improving water quality at the landscape scale by implementing sustainable agroecosystem management systems.

Farmer involvement in both research and outreach activities is greatly increasing the probability of achieving our goal of catalyzing substantive management changes that enhance water quality.

Contact Deb Stinner, stinner.2@osu.edu  for more information.

OSU’s John E. Hirzel Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Site

This demonstration and research site was established in partnership with The Agricultural Incubator Foundation of Bowling Green to promote, through research, demonstration, and education, vital agricultural systems in northwest Ohio, that are economically, ecologically and socially sustainable.  Two projects are underway at the site:

• The establishment of a replicated farming systems experiment that demonstrates different options in sustainable crop production and marketing and creates a foundation and framework for long-term agronomic, environmental and socioeconomic research.

• The creation of opportunities for young agricultural entrepreneurs from the region to experiment with and demonstrate creative sustainable agriculture ideas to gain a better understanding of what occurs with crop production and soil changes when farmers transition from one management system to another. The treatments chosen for this experiment represent a range of conditions experienced by farmers transitioning either to organic or other more diversified crop management systems.  Overall, the experiment is addressing ways to maintain production and economic viability while building soil quality. 

Farmers in this region, including the Hirzel family, have been working with these types of management systems for many years.  With this experiment, we are gaining a more detailed understanding of the changes occurring under controlled conditions, with the objective of using this information to help farmers with transition in their operations.

Contact Deb Stinner, stinner.2@osu.edu  for more information.

Supporting the Cuyahoga Valley Countryside Conservancy 

Cuyahoga Valley National Park was founded “for preserving and protecting for public use and enjoyment, the historic, scenic, natural and recreational values of the Cuyahoga River and the adjacent lands of the Cuyahoga Valley.”  The Countryside Initiative will preserve the agricultural heritage of the Valley where historically 80% of the land was once farmed. 

Thirty to thirty five farmsteads within the Park boundaries will be offered for 60-year leases to farmers who propose development of farms to be managed according to principles of ecological sustainability. This effort is the first time a national park has incorporated working agriculture into their management programs. 

The initiative serves as a major educational program for the over 3 million annual visitors to the Park. Many of these farms have already been restored by the U.S. Park Service and have been leased through a competitive proposal process.

AMP members have worked with the Countryside Initiative in defining and developing information for the guidelines for farm restoration and the request for proposals and provided technical assistance for ecological assessment.  AMP has also had continuous representation on the Board of Directors of the Cuyahoga Valley Countryside Conservancy (CVCC) since its inception. The CVCC is a “think and do tank” that manages the leasing process, supports beginning farmers, preserves farmland, and works to promote sustainable agriculture and food systems in Northeast Ohio.

Contact Casey Hoy, hoy.1@osu.edu  for more information.

Mellinger Farm

In 2002, the Ohio State University Board of Trustees accepted the donation of The Mellinger Farm from Patricia Miller Quinby and the estate of her sister, Virginia Miller Reed.  Three quarters interest in the property now belongs to OARDC; with the remainder to be donated in 2009. 

While the property remains in partnership, the Farm will continue to be managed by the private farm management company that has been overseeing the farm for Mrs. Quinby. The Killbuck Land Trust now holds a conservation easement that ensures the Farm will remain in agricultural use. The following concepts and approaches have emerged from faculty, students, staff and stakeholders as objectives for the Mellinger Farm.

• The Mellinger Farm is envisioned as a showcase for the science and technology of sustainable small farms.

•  Develop the site as a research, education and demonstration facility for integrated systems of crops and livestock that emphasize the linkages among production, environmental quality, economic feasibility and social acceptability.

•  The site will serve as a teaching facility for undergraduates as well as for graduate research projects.

• The Mellinger Farm could serve to help inform the general public, including school programs, about the importance of agriculture to the economic and environmental well being of the community.

• The farmstead will serve as a model for the energy efficient family farm.

Currently, plans for improving the energy efficiency of the farmstead are being researched under a grant from the OSU Institute for Energy and the Environment.

Contact Megan Shoenfelt, shoenfelt.9@osu.edu  or Ken Scaife, scaife.1@osu.edu  for more information.

Collaboration with the USDA – North Appalachian Experimental Watershed Research Facility at Coshocton, Ohio

The North Appalachian Experimental Watershed (NAEW) is a unique outdoor laboratory that develops innovative farming practices and tests their effects on soil, water, and air.  The research location was established as a conservation station in the late 1930’s to study the effects of soils, land management, geology, and climate on hydrology, soil erosion, and sediment production. 

Data from Coshocton represent one of the two longest continuous hydrologic records for watersheds of this size in the world, and have been used in the development of most of the soil and water resource management systems in use today. 

AMP has been collaborating with ARS and stakeholders to develop new initiatives addressing soil and water research opportunities, both on site and within surrounding watersheds.  At Coshocton there are plans for a new dairy grazing research facility that is being sponsored by a national consortium of producers, ARS scientists and administrators.  This effort will be accomplished collaboratively with OSU and OARDC as well as the large grazing producer community in southeastern Ohio, and surrounding areas and states.

 In addition, ARS scientists at Coshocton have been participating in watershed research sponsored by AMP and are funded by grants from the USDA-NRI. Contact Leah Miller, leah@smallfarminstitute.org  or David Barker, barker.169@osu.edu  for more information. 

Linking Airborne Measurements Of CO₂ With Terrestrial Sources Of Carbon Over

Heterogenous Landscapes (ARCTAS Mission) - NASA project. 

Terrestrial ecosystems play an important role in the global carbon cycle. Sensitivity studies conducted using atmospheric models have shown that land cover characteristics can influence regional scale fluxes of CO₂ and other greenhouse gas emissions.

For regional-scale estimates of carbon flux, vegetation distributions and landform patterns are important indicators because they control and also relate to the dominant mechanistic elements of carbon uptake and release through photosynthesis and respiration rates. Remote sensing from satellite platforms can provide spatially continuous data on vegetation and geomorphic patterns useful for predicting regional to biome scale patterns of carbon flux.

 This project, funded by NASA, links remote sensing derived land surface parameters, fire and photosynthetic products with atmospheric CO₂ measurements taken by NASA DC-8 aircraft as a part of the NASA ARCTAS campaign. The primary objectives of this study are:

1. To link the aircraft measured CO₂ variations in the troposphere to terrestrial landscape sources of carbon flows and fluxes for major land cover types.

2. Relate aircraft based CO₂ measurements with plant-atmosphere exchange of carbon cycling using remote sensing derived mechanistic models and 3-D Lagrangian atmospheric models

3. Analyze the spatial variability and co-variability of aircraft based CO₂ data and corresponding remote sensing derived photosynthetic products at three different resolutions of 30m (LANDSAT), 250-500m (MODIS) and 1km (NOAA AVHRR) datasets.

Contact Krishna Prasad Vadrevu vadrevu.2@osu.edu for more information.

Evaluating Ash Tree Distributions and Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) Infestations Using Remote Sensing Techniques

Emerald Ash Borer (EAB, Agrilus planipennis) is an exotic foreign pest of ash trees that has killed more than 5 million trees in the US since its introduction n 2002. Major challenges with managing  EAB include knowing how quickly it will spread in new regions and how to inventory the susceptible ash trees. Further, non-destructive methods to efficiently identify newly infested ash trees on the perimeter of the infestation will be especially important to undertake mitigation strategies.

The goal of this project is to test different remote sensing methodologies to enhance the survey and detection methods for ash trees, particularly those infested by EAB. Our working hypothesis is that remote sensing technology with its multi-temporal, multi-angle, multi-spectral, synoptic and repetitive coverage can be effectively used to map ash trees in highly heterogeneous landscapes. Results were quite promising from Quickbird satellite data in mapping ash trees and EAB infestation. Although LANDSAT data was moderately effective in mapping healthy forest stands, mapping intermediate stages of EAB infestation seems to be difficult due to low spatial resolution. Results suggested that textural measures and selective vegetation indices based on Quickbird data can provide valuable information on healthy as well as EAB infested ash. Decision tree classifiers in conjunction with vegetation indices were useful in delineating healthy ash forest stands.

Contact Krishna Prasad Vadrevu, vadrevu.2@osu.edu, or Dan Herms, herms.2@osu.edu , for more information.

 Evaluation of Soil Quality and Health in Diverse Farming Systems Using Integrated Models

 Soil management is fundamental to all agricultural systems. Assessment of soil quality resulting from diverse management practices requires an interpretive framework. Multiple indicators are often used to provide a relatively complete measure of soil quality that includes chemical, physical and biological condition. However, there is considerable evidence in the literature that a small number of carefully chosen indicators representing soil dynamic properties can provide adequate information for soil quality assessments.

Our past experience in using the CENTURY ecosystem model provided experience in soil quality and health assessments at diverse spatial scales. This project evaluates the performance of the Soil and Water Eligibility Tool (SWET) by assessing its ability to estimate the influence of practices (tillage, rotation, manures, fertilizers and pesticides) on C sequestration, erosion, soil productivity, and a number of other soil ecosystem functions. The water quality portion of the tool is also assessed to the extent possible, through the same procedure, as many soil processes will provide necessary information about the water quality criteria in the SWET. Preliminary results from the SWET model suggested higher scores for farming systems with legume based crop rotations followed by organic (manure + legume based treatments) and lowest scores for conventional systems. Analysis is in progress for different farming systems covering major land resource areas across the US.

Contact Krishna Prasad Vadrevu, vadrevu.2@osu.edu for more information.

Local/Regional Food Systems, Sustainable Land-Use, and Economic Development

The Ohio Local Food Systems Collaborative (OLFSC)

This project is a collaboration among the many individuals and organizations involved with producing, processing, distributing, retailing food within localities and regions.  The project was the outcome of the first annual Stinner Summit, a gathering with the goal of choosing one project to which all participants can contribute, one that will build healthy agroecosystems and sustainable communities. 

The first step in the project was the Leap into Local Foods Workshop was held on February 29, 2008 at the Ohio Department of Agriculture.  At the workshop, working groups were formed around needed areas for building local food system infrastructure and the OLFSC networking site was launched to keep the working groups together.

Within months following the workshop the number of working groups and subscribers doubled.  The Ohio Food Policy Council and its four task forces have used the site for communications and networking.  A USDA Regional Partnerships for Innovation grant was awarded in September to intensify the networking in Ohio and expand the network to Pennsylvania and Michigan, focusing the networking on pilot projects with collaborators in all three states. 

Contact Casey Hoy, hoy.1@osu.edu, or Steve Bosserman, steve.bosserman@gmail.com for more information

Land Use Changes, Exurban Studies and Food System Assessment

Drs. Jeff Sharp, Elena Erwin and Jill Clark in collaboration with the Swank Chair in Rural Urban Interface, Mark Partridge, lead the Exurban Change Project with the objective of analyzing economic, social, agricultural and land use change throughout Ohio’s townships, regions, and rural areas. The overall goal of the project is to perform applied research on these topics and to disseminate data and research results to local officials, professionals, and interested citizens to support their planning and decision-making. 

AMP helped support the initial phases of this work.  In addition, support was provided to the Rural Sociology Summit, which was focused on the results of a major Ohio survey, conducted by Sharp and others on the role and perceptions of agriculture in the State.

More recently, a team from OSU including Jeff Sharp, Molly Bean Smith, Jill Clark, Jeff McCutcheon, and Greg Davis is conducting a food assessment in Knox County focusing on the economic development possibilities, limitations, and opportunities for local food system development.

The assessment currently underway involves adaptation of a number of existing tools from the retail market analysis program, business retention and expansion program, and Social Responsibility Initiative in the departments of AEDE and HCRD.  Team members Jeff Sharp and Jill Clark also serve on the Ohio Food Policy Council’s Food Systems Assessment Task force, chaired by Casey Hoy.  The methodologies developed in the Knox County are currently being explored for statewide implementation.

Contact Jeff Sharp sharp.123@osu.edu, Jeff McCutcheon, mccutcheonj@cfaes.osu.edu, or Jill Clark, clark.1099@osu.edu  for more information.

Farmland Preservation, Land Use and Economic Development Activities in Northeast Ohio

AMP helped establish a group of community leaders from the agricultural communities of Wayne, Holmes and Ashland Counties to serve as a sounding board and advisory council for improving agricultural opportunities in the area.  This group has grown to include twelve members and includes those from county government, farm organizations, financial and agricultural businesses as well as farmers. 

Major initiatives developed by the participants include a comprehensive survey in collaboration with OSU’s Agricultural Business Retention and Expansion Program of farmers in the area to assess their goals and plans for agriculture in the future and their needs to accomplish these goals, assessment of agricultural businesses and their capacity to serve the farm community, an innovative position with the Wayne Economic Development Council that leads and coordinates long-term programming and support for farmers and related businesses, conservation and land use planning, a county farmland policy audit, and a photography project entitled “The Seasonal Rhythms of Agriculture”,  in which local 4H clubs documented the beauty of everyday life on Wayne County farms and combined the photography with classical music.

Contact Leah Miller, leah@smallfarminstitute.org  for more information.

Ohio to Japan Innovative Marketing of Soybeans

A USDA Innovative Food and Farming Systems grant partially funded several trips to Japan to:

•  Size up the transitional organic soybean market.  “Transitional” refers to the three years of transition necessary for conventional farmers to become certified under organic certification standards, and

• Target the Japan Consumer Cooperatives as a potential partner based on a new trade and distribution system related to environmental improvement and mutual social concerns of people over food health and safety.

Trips were taken by R. Moore in 2000 before the grant and 2001 by himself and then with several farmers and a representative of an environmental group in 2002, and 2003.   The main meetings were with the Saitama Prefectural Government, Saitama Consumer Cooperative, Tokyo Net—the collective buying consumer cooperative for the greater Tokyo consumer cooperatives, and the Miyagi Consumer Cooperatives.

Dr. Richard Moore continues to expand on this innovative marketing project through developing arrangements where Ohio soybean producers would receive premiums for reduced chemical input management. In addition, there has been considerable effort placed in working out production practices in order to obtain the quality of soybeans demanded by the Japanese markets.  It is anticipated that this project will serve as an important pilot project for developing other markets for U.S. products based on ecologically oriented management practices.

Contact Richard Moore, moore.11@osu.edu  for more information.

Collaboration with the Small Farm Institute

AMP has had extensive collaboration with the Small Farm Institute, a non-profit organization that is the result of a partnership with the Ohio Governor’s Office of Appalachia, Ohio State University/Ohio Agriculture Research and Development Center and North Appalachian Experimental Watershed Station at the Coshocton Agriculture Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture.

The Small Farm Institute connects resources, research, and people with economic, environmental and community needs of farmers and landowners in the Appalachian Region of Ohio. The Institute has partnerships with over 20 organizations and agencies in the Region. Current projects include establishment of the North Central Grazing Council, which engages over 300 producers from Ohio and surrounding states, development of agricultural economic development activities around local marketing and value-added enterprises, and coordination of water quality and conservation projects within the Muskingum River Watershed Basin.

The Small Farm Institute works to help evaluate farming practices to improve water quality and to connect diverse volunteer and agency groups involved in water quality issues within the Basin.

Contact Leah Miller, leah@smallfarminstitute.org  for more information. 

Application of Ecological Approaches to Crop and Livestock Production

Development of a Multi-State Consortium Directed Toward Organic Agriculture Research and Education

The Ohio State University led the effort to create the Organic Agriculture Consortium (OAC) with the goal of catalyzing new opportunities for small and mid-sized farm families through integrating multidisciplinary research, education, and extension of organic agriculture, a rapidly growing sector of the US food industry.  Major support was provided by a USDA Integrated Food and Farming Systems grant. Four universities and over 20 research and extension faculty participated in this project. Collaborative work built capacity beyond what one organization could do and was organized around three objectives.

1.  Facilitate collection, integration and dissemination of existing and consortium-generated production, environmental, and economic information on organic agriculture.  These were accomplished through training manuals, a website, a webcast course, lender institution education, the Scientific Congress on Organic Agricultural Research, and whole farm planning workshops for transitional and organic farm families.

2. Conduct production research that will support transitioning and existing organic farmers’ at the component, system, and whole farm levels.   We conducted on-station and on-farm studies directed to increasing whole-farm efficiency, reducing economic risk, and enhancing profitability in organic production.

3. Facilitate the development of local, regional and international market opportunities for organic farmers.  Four activities were carried out: international marketing manual; new community-based marketing initiatives; consumer research, and scientific review of nutritional value of organic produce.

Contact Deb Stinner, stinner.2@osu.edu  for more information.

Landscape Ecology of Invasive Weeds 

A survey of invasive plants in the Apple Creek Watershed has been completed focusing on garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata).  The study created a model for understanding the movement of a relatively rapidly spreading invasive plant species and compared two sampling methods - a roadside survey and a random sampling of 100 1-ha sites. The occurrence of this plant based on each sampling method and using both methods combined was mapped.

Results suggest that there is significant influence of differing cultural and accompanying landscape patterns, with very few occurrences of the invasive plant in the eastern part of the sampling area that is dominated by Amish inhabitants, and many occurrences in the western, non-Amish, part of the watershed.

This work was extended to examine the feasibility of using Landsat images for detection and mapping of invasive plants. Even though this type of study has been done elsewhere (mostly western rangeland), this work is unique in detecting small patches of several invasive species that must be distinguished from surrounding species.

Contact John Cardina, cardina.2@osu.edu  for more information.

Carbon Cycling and Sequestration in Conventional and Organic Cropping Systems 

Agricultural soils may help decrease the threat of global warming by removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere and using the carbon (C) in those gases to build soil organic matter in the process of carbon sequestration. Our research is investigating this mechanism in detail and is based on the following objectives:

1. Quantify and compare the magnitudes and temporal changes of C and N pools and cycling processes in organic, transitional organic and conventional agricultural systems in research station farming system experiments.

2. Quantify magnitudes of C and N pools in a geographic range of case study organic farms representative of long-term organic management.

3. Quantify impacts of organic management practices on C and N dynamics at a landscape level using GIS, remote sensing and the CENTURY model.

Contact Krishna Prasad Vadrevu, vadrevu.2@osu.edu, for more information.

Linking Soil Management, Pest Management and Crop Health  

This project is providing agroecosystem management strategies to optimize management of soil organic matter, nutrient cycling processes, pest management and crop health. In previous work, it has been shown that, under controlled situations, crops grown under long term organic management had resistance to certain insect pests, and that this finding was related to soil biological and chemical characteristics.

This process was described in terms of biological buffering by Dr. Larry Phelan and indicates that a sustained influx of organic matter to soils provides a resource base for soil biological communities that then regulate the balance of plant available nutrients in ways that optimize between plant growth and quality, and defense against pests.

In order to expand on this concept, we are investigating the relationships between soil organic matter quantity and quality, soil nutrient availability, insect pests and weed ecology on a range of farms with varying soil management histories, replicated field experiments with differing crop rotation patterns and a series of greenhouse experiments.

In a similar and related study, and as an example of collaboration between a department wide and interdisciplinary program effort, The Department of Entomology at OARDC is developing an initiative that is investigating the impacts of soil management on crop growth and quality, and susceptibility to insect pests. This project represents a novel and comprehensive approach to understanding the ecology of plant health. The work will connect the ecology of soils, plants and insect physiology, using molecular level analyses.  As an initial experiment, we are using the responses of tomato to growth under organic and conventional soil management conditions.

 Contact Larry Phelan, phelan.2@osu.edu  for more information.

Curriculum Development

K-12 Curriculum Development and the Jason Project

AMP has participated in several statewide initiatives to include agriculture into general K-12 curricula for Ohio.  Mapping lessons were created to support the JASON Project in 1999.  These lessons are currently available as an Internet mapping program offered statewide so that schools can access the lessons with widely available web browsers. The lessons are currently off-line but we would be happy to entertain requests for the curriculum.

Contact Casey Hoy, hoy.1@osu.edu  for more information.

Interdisciplinary Coursework – Linking Stakeholders and Students

Agriculture Interdisciplinary 694: Our Food and Our Land in the 21st Century, a course offered winter quarter in 2001, brought nine of OSU’s stakeholders into the classroom. After participating in the course students came to understand that making a living on Ohio’s landscapes and acting as a responsible citizen is a highly complex undertaking that requires broad understanding and a great capacity to balance and integrate the interests of many.

Stakeholders appreciated their interactions with students and report gaining new perspectives of their industry and a greater appreciation of the teaching and learning processes of the University.  AMP has since sponsored similar interdisciplinary team and stakeholder case study-based courses including a series on renewable energy (AU05) and Planning and Design of a Sustainable Farm (SP08).

Contact Matt Kleinhenz, kleinhenz.1@osu.edu, or Casey Hoy, hoy.1@osu.edu, for more information.

Agroecology Degree Programs

Despite its primary focus as an OARDC interdisciplinary research program, AMP continues to work towards assisting academic units with creating curriculum and degree programs in agroecology and sustainable agriculture.

Associate Degree Program, 2 yr – AMP has facilitated the external advisory committee and assisted ATI faculty with exploring a new associate degree program in sustainable and organic agriculture.  A survey is currently being conducted to assess the needs, interests and content areas for the program.

Bachelors Degree Program, 4 yr – Discussions with CFAES academic departments are ongoing for a BS in agroecology/sustainable agriculture, and a student farm as a resource for such a program and hands-on learning opportunity for CFAES and other OSU students.

Graduate Programs – In addition to interdisciplinary special topics courses offered by AMP faculty, an Agroecosystems Science Track has been proposed for the Environmental Science Graduate Program (ESGP).  The guidelines for such tracks within the ESGP program are currently being addressed by the Curriculum and Graduate committees.

Contact Casey Hoy, hoy.1@osu.edu, Wesley Greene (ATI), greene.2@osu.edu, or Richard Moore (ESGP), moore.11@osu.edu, for more information.

 Collaborations and Projects Directed Toward Outreach

 Partnerships and Projects with Extension’s Sustainable Agricultural Team

The Agroecosystems Management Program maintains close association with the Sustainable Agriculture Team of Ohio State University Extension.  This multidisciplinary Extension group has the charge of promoting sustainable production practices and innovative marketing programs for Ohio.  Collaborative projects include monthly conference calls, fact sheets and bulletins on sustainable agriculture, field days and workshops highlighting farmer and farmer/researcher, a travel/internship program for extension agents, development of new approaches to crop and livestock production, and direct marketing, and numerous professional development activities for extension agents directed at sustainability issues in agriculture.

Contact Mike Hogan, hogan.1@osu.edu, or Alan Sundermeier, sundermeier.5@osu.edu  for more information.

Collaborations with the Innovative Farmers of Ohio and Ohio Ecological Food and Farming Association

The Agroecosystems Management Program has had numerous projects and shared activities with the Innovative Farmers of Ohio (IFO), a non-profit, state-wide organization dedicated to sustainable agriculture and the Ohio Ecological Food and Farming Association (OEFFA), the state’s primary organic farming advocacy and certification group.  These organizations have provided major leadership for sustainable agriculture in Ohio, and serve in an information sharing role, bridging many individuals, organizations and projects throughout Ohio.  Some examples of our collaboration with both IFO and OEFFA include workshops and training for agents and farmers on whole-farm planning, on-farm research, and ecology and soil management.  AMP has participated in several major grant funded projects emphasizing farmer –farmer focus groups addressing ecological approaches to agriculture. More recently, our activities with IFO and OEFFA have focused on regional food systems.

Contact Sylvia Zimmerman at sez@midohio.net  for more information on the Innovative Farmers of Ohio.

Contact Carol Goland at cgoland@oeffa.org  for information about the Ohio Ecological Food and Farming Association.

Sustainable Agriculture to a Wider Audience: Developing a Model Project with the Springfield Symphony Orchestra in Clark County, Ohio

This project addressed the long-term outcome of bringing the story of sustainable agriculture to wider audiences of both farm and non-farm backgrounds.  The goal was accomplished through collaboration between agriculture and the arts professionals employing the unique communication capabilities of music combined with photography to promote sustainable agriculture. The effort emphasized the themes of the best in agricultural practices, ecology and esthetics of the land, and farming as a culture and way of life.

Two photo-choreographed productions were performed live by the Springfield Symphony Orchestra and had working titles of “Our Fields, Farms, and Families” describing the Food and Agricultural System of Clark County, Ohio and a “Kids, Cameras, and Classics” featuring the images submitted by 4-H and FFA members and other youth related to a local theme of food, agriculture, and the environment.

The performance debuted in 2005 and the production was repeated across Ohio and other Midwest locations. A second set of outcomes existed at a more personal level among the collaborators of this project. The project engaged audiences from two different worlds within a community to explore the meaning of sustainable agriculture.

Contact Bob Barger, bargar.2@osu.edu, or Denny Hall, hall.16@osu.edu , for more information.

Collaborations with Other Interdisciplinary Programs

Demonstrating Ecologically Based Management for Research and Education on the OARDC Campus at Wooster

During the past several years and under the leadership of the Secrest Arboretum, a number of projects are under development that will demonstrate the benefits of ecological approaches to managing landscapes.  Participants in AMP have been involved in some of these planning activities. The goal of this effort is to outline a comprehensive ecological approach to the OARDC campus landscape planning.

This approach captures the essence of the Arboretum Strategic Plan and provides a framework for expansion of the existing facilities and grounds to the entire OARDC Campus by creating new themes within the landscape, and is being developed as part of the larger Master Plan for OARDC.

The long-term vision is that the OARDC Campus serves as a model system for research and education in urban landscapes locally, nationally, and internationally.  The overall objective is to highlight current research projects aimed specifically at improving environmental quality and construct a series of new projects, such as stream corridor restorations, that will demonstrate the contributions of the OARDC to its local watershed.  It is the intent that these efforts serve a dual role as sites for long-term research and as educational pieces for both the agricultural and general public.

Contact Ken Cochran, cochran.7@osu.edu for more information.

Contributions to Urban Landscape Ecology Project

The green industry has grown tremendously during the past few decades.  According to PLACA, homeowners in the US alone spent $17.4 billion on professional lawn care, landscape, and tree care services in 2000.  However, banning of highly effective products, stringent regulations by local governments on the use of chemical pesticides and inorganic fertilizers, chemical and nutrient run-off issues, and changing public perception about the safety of chemical pesticides to the environment and human health, have created new challenges for the continued growth of the lawn and landscape industry.

An Ohio State University OARDC interdisciplinary research, education, and outreach initiative, the Urban Landscape Ecology Program addresses these urban issues.

This program builds on the strength of the Ohio State University in turf grass, ornamentals, and landscape research and extension programs and aims to capture the essence of changing public attitudes to develop new technologies and build a comprehensive approach to urban landscape planning, establishment and maintenance. A focus of this collaboration is integrating edible plants and food production into the urban landscape.  To this end, Joe Kovach, OSU IPM Coordinator, has been conducting innovative experiments with modular design of highly productive polyculture for fruit and vegetable production.

Contact Parwinder Grewal, grewal.4@osu.edu, or Joe Kovach, kovach.49@osu.edu  for more information.

Collaboration Among OARDC Interdisciplinary Programs

It is becoming increasingly clear that an overarching question for Ohio is how to have viable, expanding agriculture and rural communities within an increasingly urban and suburban state. The issues of rapid development of agricultural land, the social acceptability of consolidation within the livestock industry, increasing concerns over agriculture’s impact on water and air quality, and decline in the number of young people pursuing careers in agriculture all indicate the challenges to agricultural sustainability. At the same time, Ohio can demonstrate leadership in sustaining agriculture as a foundation of our future through holistic and interdisciplinary approaches to solving problems and creating opportunities.

Interdisciplinary collaboration is now a widely recognized strength of OARDC and the College of FAES, and as a result we demonstrate increasing levels of leadership within OSU, the State of Ohio and beyond. AMP maintains ongoing collaborations with the Ohio Composting and Manure Management Program (OCAMM), the Organic Food and Farming Education and Research Program (OFFER), the Urban Landscape Ecology Program (ULEP), and the Social Responsibility Initiative (SRI).

Major accomplishments of these programs include:

• Increased the culture of collaboration and providing models for the development of new interdisciplinary initiatives.

• Wide engagement of diverse stakeholder groups throughout Ohio and beyond.

•  Development of national level networks and projects that have attracted large extramural funding.

•  Development of new undergraduate and graduate curriculum and programs.

• Collectively generated over $14,000,000 in grants and contracts.

•   Created innovative approaches for addressing complex issues facing agriculture and society.