Fact Sheets
Fact Sheets
Agricultural Innovations translate the best SARE research into topic-specific, peer-reviewed, how-to fact sheets for farmers and agricultural educators.
Curious about a particular topic? Search all SARE products in the Learning Center.
Ecological Management of Key Arthropod Pests in Northeast Apple Orchards
Type: Fact Sheet
Apples are an important crop in the Northeast, grown for both fresh market and processing. Growers have a challenging task managing insects, mites and diseases. By some estimates, growers may spend up to 25 percent of their production costs on pest management. This technical bulletin outlines strategies developed from SARE-funded projects in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, including biologically based pest control, orchard architecture and development of materials approved for organic production.
Sustainable Pest Management in Greenhouses and High Tunnels
Type: Fact Sheet
From 2007 to 2009, Cornell researchers in New York used a SARE grant to study the efficacy of biological insect control in minimally heated greenhouses and high tunnels or hoop houses. This fact sheet reports the results and provides detailed advice on how growers can use natural enemies to manage insect pests in minimally heated greenhouses and unheated high tunnels.
Cost-Effective Asian Pear Thinning for Productivity and Fruit Quality
Type: Fact Sheet
This fact sheet provides a brief introduction to plant growth regulators and directions on how to use MaxCel as a crop thinner for Asian pears to reduce the cost of hand thinning, while also delivering fruit yields and sizes comparable to those of untreated, hand-thinned control trees.
Alternative Continuous-Cover Dairy Forage System for Profitability, Flexibility and Soil Health
Type: Fact Sheet
In a SARE-funded study in New York, a team of farmers, researchers and consultants addressed economic, labor and weather constraints in dairy farm rotations by developing an alternative forage cropping system with multiple options to produce high-quality forages. This system produces forage with yields comparable to traditional cropping systems, and is based on soil health management.
Tomato Grafting for Disease Resistance and Increased Productivity
Type: Fact Sheet
Researchers around the world have demonstrated that grafting—the fusing of a scion (young shoot) onto a resistant rootstock—can protect plants against a variety of soil-borne fungal, bacterial, viral and nematode diseases invarious climates and conditions.
Sheep Grazing to Manage Crop Residues, Insects and Weeds in Northern Plains Grain and Alfalfa Systems
Type: Fact Sheet
In a SARE-funded project coordinated by Montana State University, researchers have demonstrated that using sheep to graze crop residue and summer fallow can help address insect, weed and residue management challenges.
Sustainable Control of Internal Parasites in Small Ruminant Production
Type: Fact Sheet
Small ruminants (sheep and goats) are adaptable to many different production systems and can be raised with relatively few inputs, but they face huge production challenges. Control of internal parasites, especially gastrointestinal nematodes including Haemonchus contortus (barberpole worm, stomach worm), is a primary concern for many sheep and goat producers and is particularly challenging in humid regions.
Organic Insect Management in Sweet Corn
Scouting, thresholds and management methods for key caterpillar pests
Type: Fact Sheet
This fact sheet discusses an integrated strategy for controlling three caterpillar species—corn earworm, European corn borer and fall armyworm—using methods that meet current organic certification standards. Any grower interested in methods that are safe for the applicator and the environment may be interested in this approach.
Integrated Pest Management for Varroa Destructor in the Northeastern United States using Drone Brood Removal and Formic Acid
Type: Fact Sheet
This bulletin focuses on the management of the parasitic honey bee mite Varroa destructor (V. destructor) in the northeastern U.S. It contains information that will allow a beekeeper to: 1) identify V. destructor, 2) recognize the symptoms of mite infestation, 3) determine pest densities, and 4) implement an effective IPM program for keeping mite populations below the economic injury level.
A Sustainable Approach to Controlling Honey Bee Diseases and Varroa Mites
Type: Fact Sheet
This fact sheet describes efforts to breed honey bees, Apis mellifera, resistant to diseases and parasitic mites to reduce the amount of antibiotics and pesticides used in bee colonies and to ensure that our breeding methods and stock are accessible to beekeepers everywhere.
In-House Composting in High-Rise, Caged Layer Facilities
Type: Fact Sheet
This fact sheet describes research on composting manure inside of the buildings housing laying hens. Research showed that the addition of a carbon source coupled with frequent aeration of compost in a layer house produced temperatures high enough to inhibit fly reproduction in the material, and odor problems are diminished.
Selecting Cattle to Improve Grazing Distribution Patterns, Rangeland Health and Water Quality
Type: Fact Sheet
This project is the first and only study that we are aware of that has evaluated whether grazing distribution has the potential to be improved through intensive breed selection. Most of the management approaches currently used to increase grazing uniformity, such as water developments and fencing, can resolve livestock grazing distribution problems on both private and public lands. However, these practices usually require large capital expenditures.
Cultural Practices for Root-Knot and Root-Lesion Nematode Suppression in Vegetable Crop Rotations
Type: Fact Sheet
This publication discusses the use of non-host crops, sorghum sudangrass and castor bean grown as cover crops, RKN-resistant crops, and the application of poultry litter (PL) and PL compost to manage RKN and root-lesion nematode.
Polyculture and Reservoir Ranching
Sustainable Aquaculture Strategies for Paddlefish (Polyodon spathula) Production
Type: Fact Sheet
The purpose of this fact sheet is to describe two production systems, polyculture and reservoir ranching, that show promise of becoming popular methods for increasing fish production and profits in inland waters compared to a traditional monoculture system.
Production and Marketing of Beach Plum, a Heritage Fruit Crop
Type: Fact Sheet
Beach plum (Prunus maritima Marsh) is one of several shrubby plums native to North America. The jams produced from this fruit command premium prices at farm stands and specialty markets, even in comparison with jam made from other locally grown fruit. However, the wild-collected supply of fruit does not meet this niche market’s demand.
Biological Control of Pecan Weevils in the Southeast
A Sustainable Approach
Type: Fact Sheet
This fact sheet provides an alternative control strategy for pecan growers who, for a variety of reasons, find conventional spraying of insecticides unsuitable. This includes organic growers, and owners of dooryard trees, small orchards and commercial orchards who have concerns regarding spray drift.