WHAT IS GROWERS OF TODAY AND TOMORROW?
The overall objective of this project is to build capacity for sustainable agriculture-focused outreach, education, and research programs for agricultural communities in west Tennessee and for students at UT Martin, with support from Penn State University, Pennsylvania.
The UT Martin-Penn State Sustainability Initiative “Empowering Small Farmers and Agriculture Students: FSAS (Farmers’ School for Agricultural Sustainability) and Experiential Learning Programs” is sponsored by the Capacity Building Grants for Non-Land Grant Colleges of Agriculture Program (NLGCA), United States Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture (Proposal no: 2022-01060).
What will we do?
1.) Empower small farms by increasing awareness of innovative sustainable agricultural practices.
2.) Use research, a producer field exchange program, and an agricultural sustainability and local foods conference to help smaller holder farmers in West Tennessee and Pennsylvania who are involved in forage, livestock, and vegetable farming.
3.) Promote global engagement and cultural awareness among students through an international travel study program as part of an embedded course in agricultural sustainability, with a focus on agroecology and indigenous communities
4.) Provide students with the opportunity to have internships that include research, experiential learning with the UT Martin Center of Sustainability, local food network organization, small holder producers, and secondary educators
5.) Highlight farmers’ markets in Pennsylvania and Tennessee and local food networks to promote sustainability and food self-sufficiency in these rural communities
The project has four main components- farmers school for agricultural sustainability, vegetable research trials, high school student internships with vegetable growers, and a university sustainability course. You can find more information on each component below.
Farmer’s School for Agriculture Sustainability
The University of Tennessee Martin and Penn State University will co-host an agricultural sustainability conference.
The Farmer’s School for Agriculture Sustainability (FSAS) will be delivered to smaller holder farmers in west Tennessee and Pennsylvania.
Vegetable Research Trials
Sustainable Forage & Vegetable Production Using Sunn Hemp
This research will be conducted at the University of Tennessee Martin Teaching and Demonstration Farm.
This research will focus on evaluating the establishment of three cultivators (Tropic Sun, AU Gold, and AU Durbin).
Undergraduate students will have the opportunity to be involved in various aspects of this research including: experiential planning and layout, planting, monitoring, data collection, sample processing, and analysis.
The results will be used to educate students in various areas including the relationship between harvest regimen, plant maturity, nutritive characteristics, and the impacts on animal production.
Results will also be shared with extension workers, the academic community, and others through workshops, field day participation of cattle producers, journal publications, presentations, manuscripts, poster presentations, and other various other avenues.
Sustainable Vegetable Production Research Activity
This research will be conducted at Penn State University’s Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center.
This research will focus on phytoextraction with cover crops and evaluate the ability of nine cover crops to remove excessive soil soluble salt levels.
These results will be used in a newly designed course at Penn State to guide students through discussion of issues and potential sustainable solutions with soil quality in high tunnels.
Results will also be shared through workshops, journal publications, and a fact sheet that will be available in both English and Spanish.
GTT Sustainable Ag Internships
Growers of Today and Tomorrow (GTT) is a new program that provides SAE placements for three High School Agriculture Education students in Pennsylvania and two High School Agriculture Education students in Tennessee. Students will be connected with local produce growers to successfully complete a three week long internship and provide experience in produce farming. The students will have the opportunity to work alongside the growers to learn about their growing methods, sustainable agriculture, business management, and more!
Producer
Producers are tasked with hosting a student intern for three weeks in the summer. They should expose students to a broad range of vegetable production practices and provide both written and verbal feedback to the intern.
Agriculture Teacher
Teachers are tasked with selecting a student from their program, who is enrolled in an agriculture class, for this experience. They will complete two on-site visits and assist students in documenting experience records. Teachers are also tasked with determining if student internship is “successful” based on given criteria.
Secondary Student
Students chosen for this experience should be punctual, reliable, dependable, and ready for outside hands-on experiences. Students engaged in this experience are expected to be inquisitive, ask questions and seek opportunities to learn more! Students are also tasked with documenting, reflecting, and capturing their learning experience in a record book platform.
University Course
The University of Tennessee Martin and Penn State University with co-develop a course focused on agricultural sustainability.
Topics for these courses will include:
- evaluating and measuring economic impacts of sustainable agriculture production practices
- agronomic practices for sustainable forage and vegetable production
- policy issues in global and local agricultural sustainability
- water management and conservation for sustainable agriculture
- natural resource conservation issues with a focus on sustainability
- cultural awareness and indigenous knowledge
- global agricultural sustainability issues
These courses will also include:
- in-class discussions
- a travel study with an agro-ecology focus
- an end-of-course project that furthers sustainable agriculture education
Grant Team
