Project Search
Since its inception in 2004, CIG has funded hundreds of projects, boosting natural resource conservation while helping producers improve the health of their operations for the future. Use this tool to search for CIG projects based on any of the criteria listed below.
CIG projects from 2004-2009 may be missing information in the following categories: Resource Concern (specific), Conservation Practice, Production/Use.
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Showing 701 - 710 of 1802 projects
Michigan State University
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MI
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2013
The primary purpose of this project is to demonstrate and verify the accelerated production by cropping systems growing in soils retaining more soil water in their root zones.
The project objectives are:
1. Demonstrate and quantify improved soil water retention capacities in a manner that requires fewer additions of supplemental surface irrigation to crops growing on highly permeable soils converted by SWRT water saving membranes for the purpose of maximizing grain and biomass production in arid and humid climates.
2. Demonstrate and quantify water use efficiency of drought tolerant and susceptible cultivars planted on sandy, sandy loam and sand outcroppings for all soil types improved by strategic installations of SWRT water saving membranes.
3. Demonstrate and evaluate the efficiency and cost-benefit ratio by irrigation of crops growing on SWRT-converted permeable soils in arid regions with low rainfall and irrigated daily. As plant production increases more carbon will enhance the movement of clay particles to SWRT membrane surfaces increase water holding and nutrient retention capacities.
4. Expand and compare a GPS-driven Land Area Mapping and Membrane Processor (LAMMP) informational and training unit that integrates topographic/soil survey/harvest data with soil texture, SOM and field/laboratory sampling/analyses. Current crop modeling of these inputs will be used to identify specific installation depths of SWRT membranes and estimated harvest benefits which complete their return on investment (ROI) within 3 to 5 years. Water and nutrient prescription-based best management practices will used and continually modified for each site and readjusted each year to further enhance plant production during this three-year project and beyond.
The project objectives are:
1. Demonstrate and quantify improved soil water retention capacities in a manner that requires fewer additions of supplemental surface irrigation to crops growing on highly permeable soils converted by SWRT water saving membranes for the purpose of maximizing grain and biomass production in arid and humid climates.
2. Demonstrate and quantify water use efficiency of drought tolerant and susceptible cultivars planted on sandy, sandy loam and sand outcroppings for all soil types improved by strategic installations of SWRT water saving membranes.
3. Demonstrate and evaluate the efficiency and cost-benefit ratio by irrigation of crops growing on SWRT-converted permeable soils in arid regions with low rainfall and irrigated daily. As plant production increases more carbon will enhance the movement of clay particles to SWRT membrane surfaces increase water holding and nutrient retention capacities.
4. Expand and compare a GPS-driven Land Area Mapping and Membrane Processor (LAMMP) informational and training unit that integrates topographic/soil survey/harvest data with soil texture, SOM and field/laboratory sampling/analyses. Current crop modeling of these inputs will be used to identify specific installation depths of SWRT membranes and estimated harvest benefits which complete their return on investment (ROI) within 3 to 5 years. Water and nutrient prescription-based best management practices will used and continually modified for each site and readjusted each year to further enhance plant production during this three-year project and beyond.
Mississippi State University
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MS
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2013
The purpose of this project is to demonstrate the use of native grasses as methods for managing drought on beef cattle operations. Native warm season grasses will be used in summer grazing systems for stocker cattle and native grass forage (both warm and cool season) will be harvested and conserved in the form of baleage to demonstrate and evaluate an alternative feeding system for confined animals using these drought-tolerant feedstocks.
The broad scale goal of this project is to demonstrate the drought mitigating benefits of incorporating native grasses into grazing systems and confined feeding operations for beef cattle and to provide producers with real world information in a local context which is imperative for ultimate producer adoption of these practices.
The specific objectives of the project are as follows:
Objective 1: To demonstrate the use of three summer grazing systems, two of which use drought tolerant native warm season grasses (1) indiangrass monoculture pastures and (2) Mixed species pasture of indiangrass, big bluestem, and little bluestem; with the third grazing system using the most common summer forage in this region, the non-native (3) bermudagrass.
-Very few beef cattle producers in the southern region utilize native grasses for beef cattle grazing systems. Therefore it is vital to demonstrate the use of native grasses in direct comparison with the forage that producers in this region are most familiar with, bermudagrass.
Objective 2: To demonstrate the impact of different cattle stockings rates in a grazing system incorporating drought tolerant mixed species pasture of indiangrass, big bluestem, and little bluestem.
-Native grasses are sensitive to grazing management. Overgrazing can severely impact the persistence of the stand allowing encroachment of weeds and other undesirable plant species. Undergrazing is an inefficient use of the forage resource and can allow forage to become overly mature and the nutritive value to diminish. Demonstrating proper grazing management is critical for producer adoption of native grasses for grazing systems and for the drought mitigation benefits to be realized.
Objective 3: To demonstrate the use of drought tolerant feedstocks in the form of conserved native warm season grass baleage as an option to feed to beef cattle in confined feeding operations during winter months.
-Native warm season grasses can produce a significant amount of forage on a per acre basis making them an excellent option for harvesting conserved forage. Because of their drought tolerance they will provide producers with the security of a feedstock to give cattle during the winter. We will show how they can be utilized in a confined feeding system.
Objective 4: To demonstrate the use of conserved cool season forage baleage as an option to feed to beef cattle in confined feeding operations during summer when drought has reduced or eliminated pasture availability.
-Conserving cool season forages during the early spring in the form of baleage gives beef cattle producers the security of knowing in the event of a summer drought they will have a feedstock to give to their cattle. We will demonstrate how producers can plan ahead for drought conditions.
The broad scale goal of this project is to demonstrate the drought mitigating benefits of incorporating native grasses into grazing systems and confined feeding operations for beef cattle and to provide producers with real world information in a local context which is imperative for ultimate producer adoption of these practices.
The specific objectives of the project are as follows:
Objective 1: To demonstrate the use of three summer grazing systems, two of which use drought tolerant native warm season grasses (1) indiangrass monoculture pastures and (2) Mixed species pasture of indiangrass, big bluestem, and little bluestem; with the third grazing system using the most common summer forage in this region, the non-native (3) bermudagrass.
-Very few beef cattle producers in the southern region utilize native grasses for beef cattle grazing systems. Therefore it is vital to demonstrate the use of native grasses in direct comparison with the forage that producers in this region are most familiar with, bermudagrass.
Objective 2: To demonstrate the impact of different cattle stockings rates in a grazing system incorporating drought tolerant mixed species pasture of indiangrass, big bluestem, and little bluestem.
-Native grasses are sensitive to grazing management. Overgrazing can severely impact the persistence of the stand allowing encroachment of weeds and other undesirable plant species. Undergrazing is an inefficient use of the forage resource and can allow forage to become overly mature and the nutritive value to diminish. Demonstrating proper grazing management is critical for producer adoption of native grasses for grazing systems and for the drought mitigation benefits to be realized.
Objective 3: To demonstrate the use of drought tolerant feedstocks in the form of conserved native warm season grass baleage as an option to feed to beef cattle in confined feeding operations during winter months.
-Native warm season grasses can produce a significant amount of forage on a per acre basis making them an excellent option for harvesting conserved forage. Because of their drought tolerance they will provide producers with the security of a feedstock to give cattle during the winter. We will show how they can be utilized in a confined feeding system.
Objective 4: To demonstrate the use of conserved cool season forage baleage as an option to feed to beef cattle in confined feeding operations during summer when drought has reduced or eliminated pasture availability.
-Conserving cool season forages during the early spring in the form of baleage gives beef cattle producers the security of knowing in the event of a summer drought they will have a feedstock to give to their cattle. We will demonstrate how producers can plan ahead for drought conditions.
Cape Atlantic Soil Conservation District
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NJ
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2013
Decline of pollinator species such as the honeybee can have far reaching impacts on plant pollination and crop production. Often, farmers have a difficult time finding a plot of land on their farm suitable for creation of pollinator Habitat without losing valuable agricultural production land. The time and Energy cost it takes to prepare a field to plant a wildflower seed mix can also be prohibitive. The Cape Atlantic Soil Conservation District will expand or enhance pollinator species Habitat areas by taking the technology of establishing a grass cover with vegetated compost filter socks and adapting it to establish on-farm pollinator Habitat areas with native wildflowers.
Texas A&M AgriLife Research
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TX
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2013
This project will demonstrate effectiveness and incorporation into local farming systems of management practices that have been shown to work in other parts of the country but have not been widely adopted in sub-tropical, semi-arid regions of Texas and Oklahoma. Cover Crops will be used to enhance nutrient deficient soils and suppress weeds to the point where productive perennial forages can be established. In addition the use of Cover Crops sown into established perennial Bermuda grass pastures to enhance soil organic content, soil water holding capacity and soil fertility will be explored.
Oklahoma Black Historical Research Project, Inc
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OK
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2013
Native American and Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers (NA&SDFR) in Oklahoma face many challenges including: high costs of production with poor economies of scale due to their small sizes; difficulty accessing government programs, such as field crop/commodity programs; and less access to farm credit both public and private. USDA has introduced a number of programs to address these farmers needs, and is working to raise awareness of the USDA and its programs by sharing information. This project has a dual purpose: to further enhance NA&SDFR access to USDA programs; and to improve NA&SDFRs agricultural production capacity and drought resilience. Project methods include enhancing networks and collaborations with NA&SDFR in Oklahoma; identifying NA&SDFR needs; identifying NA&SDFRs obstacles to participation in USDA programs; developing culturally sensitive outreach and training programs to enhance NA&SDFR awareness of and participation in USDA programs; developing a culturally appropriate protocol for building trust and enhancing NA&SDFR access to USDA programs; and enhancing NA&SDFR adoption of solar water pumps and other green technology to help improve drought resilience.
Wes-Mon-Ty RC&D
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WV
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2013
Killing a cover crop can provide a mulch on the soil surface, helping retain soil moisture and making soils more resilient to drought conditions. Farmers can kill Cover Crops using herbicides, but they can also kill them by “rolling and crimping” the plants. However, most “roller/crimper” implements are designed for medium to larger scale farmers. Furthermore, many beginning farmers and limited resource farmers lack capital for simple machinery. Many such farmers may only own hand tools and/or simple garden tillers. The lack of access to appropriate technology to enhance soil health will be addressed by demonstrating and transferring innovative, scaled down cover crop crimping alternatives such as foot powered crimpers, and providing a blueprint for the on-farm construction of this technology. This project may have wide-spread application to promote adoption of cover cropping on small-scale specialty crop operations.
Mississippi State University
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MS
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2013
Nutrient and sediment runoff from agricultural lands is associated with impairment of waterbodies in the Mississippi River Basin. There is a need to identify the most suitable practices and improve nutrient management plans to avoid, control or trap sediment and nutrients before they leave farm fields. The major objective of the project is to test and validate existing risk assessment tools and newly developed components on risk assessment tools, to demonstrate their accuracy in assessing the magnitude, extent and risk of soil and nutrient losses, and their utility in facilitating decision support for water quality and quantity improvement and cost-effectiveness of conservation practices at both field and watershed scales in the Mississippi Delta. The performance of the most representative quantitative and qualitative risk assessment tools used to help producers apply conservation practices, or evaluate other action plans to perform nutrient management, will be evaluated under similar scenario conditions in the Mississippi Delta. The evaluation of the group of risk assessment tools under similar scenario conditions has never been performed, and will generate important insights about the level of precision inherent to each individual tool.
Pacific Gateway Center
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HI
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2013
Sustainable Solar for Beginning Farmers (SSBF) with Limited Resources, in collaboration with Solar Wave (SW), will design and build an affordable solar-powered refrigeration container system. This project utilizes technology created by NASA that has been successfully applied especially in the military context but SSBF has re-engineered the concept using affordable components and it now has potential applications for agricultural operations. These units are designed for disadvantaged farmers who lack effective refrigeration systems on site because of the exorbitant start-up costs of solar powered Energy systems. Solar panel installation on storage containers will provide not only essential lighting for predawn hours access but also sufficient power for a drip irrigation monitoring system. For smaller farm operations lacking access to on site refrigeration, sunlight can wilt produce and degrade cardboard boxes used for produce storage. With on-site refrigeration, product competitiveness is enhanced vis-a-vis comparable mainland products and post-harvest crop losses reduced. A demonstration model that consists of a 24 feet long x 8 feet wide x 8 feet 6 inches tall used, recycled shipping container and a DC cooling system that will be powered by 8-12 solar panels and/or rechargeable battery will be created. Four additional containers will be assembled by the farmers themselves, with assistance, so that they become invested and stakeholders in this process. Education and training on the technology and understanding of Energy conservation by the farmers will be provided, reducing agricultural fossil fuel dependency, enhancing financial viability of beginning farmers with limited resources, and introducing innovative, cost-saving measures.
Conservation Technology Information Center
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IN
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2013
Producers plant grasses, legumes, brassicas and/or small grains between regular primary crop production periods to gain multiple conservation and sustainability benefits, including the protection and improvement of soil and water quality and improvement of wildlife and pollinator Habitat. These Cover Crops offer many potential benefits to farming operations and the communities that surround them. Incorporating Cover Crops into farming systems incurs economic and management costs that may discourage some producers from adopting the conservation practice. Farmers must evaluate any practice for its contributions to the productivity, profitability and sustainability of their operations. This project will draw on data from a wide variety of Cover Crops planted in seven Midwest states Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, southern Minnesota and South Dakota and draw upon the insight of growers with a range of experience with cover crop management. The costs and benefits of Cover Crops will be assessed with proven tools, from mathematical models and cost/benefit assessments to nitrogen rate strip trials, documentation of pollinators in project fields, and extensive communications with participating producers on their choices and decision-making processes. At least 1,000 acres of Cover Crops will be planted on farms with no previous Cover Crops. Results and insight from the project will be shared throughout the Midwest via an annual workshop, detailed articles in leading farm magazines reaching more than 350,000 Midwest producers, and printed and online resources, including a Best Practices booklet and fact sheets.