Organic Open-Field and High Tunnel Strawberry Cropping Systems for Long-term ...
Mike.Baarsinternshippresentation
1.
2. The Importance of the CSU CSA
Facilitator of Applied Learning
• Exposure to Direct and Ancillary
Aspects of Food Production
Systems
• Clarification of Areas for
Continued Personal and
Professional Growth
6. The Challenges and Benefits of Food
Production Under a CSA Model
Addressing Abiotic, Biotic
and Management Factors
Maintaining Economic
Sustainability
Development of a Sense of
Pride and a Greater
Appreciation for How Food
is Grown
Increased Access and
Awareness of a Greater
Diversity of Fresh Whole
Plant Foods
7. Areas for Personal and
Professional Growth
Critical Analysis
Written and Oral
Interpersonal
Communication
Problem Solving
8. Topics for Further Investigation
The Risks Associated with
Covercropping
How Specific Cover Crop
Complements Affect
Ecological Services
Assessment and
Implementation of
Thresholds for Weed, Pest
and Pathogen
Management
Canola Grown as a Cover Crop in an Adjacent Field
9. Overview of Lactofermentation
One of the Oldest
Applications of
Biotechnology
Easily Implemented
Microbiological
Process Involving
Lactic Acid Bacteria
(LAB) Especially
Lactobacillus
Electronmicroscopic Image of Lactobacillus brevis
10. Lactofermentation Informal Trials
Sanitation Protocols
Production of Favorable
Environmental Conditions
for LAB
Utilization of Airlocks in
Subsequent Ferments
Application and
Documentation of Variable
Fermentation Time, and
Salinity Initial Ferments. Using an Airlock on the Left
11. Exploration of Subjects for Greater Insight
•Potential Drawbacks of Lactofermented Foods
Distinctions Between Home and Commercial
Production of Lactofermented Foods
•Application of Lactofermentation in Functional
Foods
12. Work in the Entomology Department
Weeding and Harvesting from the Entomology Research Plot at the Hort Farm
13. Examination of
Scale Activity on
Various Trees
Scalpel Used to Manipulate Scale Under
the Microscope
Scale on an Unidentified Plant
16. Food Wastage
Source: EPA Advanced Sustainable Materials Management Fact Sheet 2013
Distinctions Between
Food Loss and Food Waste
Globally 1/3 of Food
Grown is Lost or Wasted
Presentation of Potential
Negative Externalities
Even Under a Perfect
Scenario Food Will
Generate “Waste”
17.
18. Vermicomposting: Potentially One Part of
the Solution to Food Waste Disposal
Operated a
Vermicomposting System
to Augment Research on
the Topic
Capable of Transforming
Waste into a Value Added
Agricultural Amendment
in a Space Limited
Environment
Vermicompost is a Result
of a Complex Food Web
19. Developments Associated With
Vermicomposting Activities This Summer
Made Qualitative and
Quantitative Observations
Built a Second Operating
Vermicomposting System
Evolution of a Heightened
Consciousness Concerning
Personal Food Waste
Personally Nearly
Eliminated Food Scraps
Contributed to the Landfill
21. Areas for Deeper Exploration
Potential Biological Qualities of Vermicompost
Risks Associated with Vermicomposting
Examination of Inefficiencies at All Levels of the Food Supply Chain
Current and Emerging Energy Recovery Technologies
22. Possibilities for the Future of the
Agriculture Along the Front Range
According to Dr. Graff and
his associates at CSU,
There is Promise in
developing an
“Innovation-Led Industry
Cluster in Agriculture and
Food” along the Front
Range
Introduce myself (Name). Where you worked (CSU CSA). What is community supported agriculture? (Localized, Ecologically, Producer and Consumer shared risks, Personal Relationship Grower-Consumer). Consumers awareness of food production practices
CSU CSA educational platform (experience+application of coursework). Experience with Food Production Under a CSA model, Food Preservation, Entymology, and Waste Management. Experience - ID skills to improve, and topics to explore
Various cultural practices through the season. Prepping beds (Tilling, drip line, plastic mulch). Planting (Direct seeding+Transplanting). Installing Row Covers+Hail Netting. Weeding (Hand weeding, mowing, hoeing). Harvesting. Some knowledge can only be gained by doing
Oversimplistic diagram. Marketing-Inform+Incise consumer
Facebook- General Activity at the farm, Recipes, Nutritional Info, Availabilty of specific produce items
Intial interest in Plants- Facination with miracle of watching plants grow and develop. Pictures highlight this
Challenges and Benefits experienced this year and likely in a career in this field. Wet Spring, Hail netting-Hail Wiped out previous year’s crop
Rabbits- Fencing in Cravo House, Damaging Insects- Netting+Mustard and Vivid Choi as trap crops, applied Bt) Legacy effects of previous year’s management. Left plastic mulch, deep drip line in place directed time away from activities this year.
Reduced sales at the CSA compared to previous year>reduction in funds for the year. Dynamic and challeneing nature of growing food as a livehood. Flucuating sales, production costs, environmental factors, harvest yields are some of the variables which must be contended with in running a CSA as a business. Honestly these facts make me uneasy about pursuing food production as a career. Coversely, learning about numerous aspects of food production+developing widely applicable skill sets
Better understanding of the intricies of food production. Proud of being able to provide safe healthy food for our clients, and so far this season donate 2061 lbs to food bank.
Commitment to eating a greater number and diversity of whole plant foods>consumption of whole plant foods highly correlated with overall health quality. Working for the CSA aligns with this prinicple and has allowed me to try new vegetables this summer.
Honed over the course of life. Improved through practice, and feedback and guidance from others
Critical analysis- Senses, other data collected, knowledge base, and other resources>access situation answer pertient questions
Interpersonal communication- Challenging to develop original content which I thought the consumer would find interesting and informative. Oral Interpersonal Communication struggles. Very heated exchanged, used vulgar language. Disappointed unprofessional behavior. Conflict natural Maintain respectful dialogue, not personalizing, creating space, apolgizing when appropriate, consider the source and focus on individual/collaborative role.
Problem Solving- Most important skill to have, builds on previous two areas, also includes collaboration, creativity, flexability, and patience
Benefits and Risks to every management practice have to do risk-benefit analysis, covercrop-weedness, competition with crops, challenges nutrient cycling plant available nutrients during active growth of crops. What other risks?
Specific cover crop assemblages effects- nutrient cycling, water availabilty, weed/pathogen suppression, soil aggregate formation/stability, soil biological activity
Management used informal thresholds at CSU CSA. What do more systematic standardized thresholds look like?
Most basic form- creating low O2 saline environment encourage lactic acid bacteria on vegetables over spoilage and disease causing microorganisms. Succession Lactic acid bacteria metabolites CO2, lactic acid, and ethanol. Temperature Range 60-95 F 60-70 F optimal
Cleaned all equipment, and rinsed removed damaged parts of produce. Generate conditions-Submerged vegetables in brine in mason jars, used airlocks in later ferments.
Varied salinity and fermentation times around Sandor Katz guidelines. Documenting start date and these variables.
Mold in first attempt-inappropriate vessel. General success in later ferments.
Metabolized amino acids>biogenic amines potential acute and chronic exposure health risks. High salt content potential health risk. Disposal of saline effluent during commercial production environmental risk.
Acidification through the use of acetic acid. Pastuerization, addition of preservatives. More sophisticated control of the variables I’ve mentioned. The use of strain specific starter cultures. Development of low salt fermentation techniques
Significant role in food crop production systems (Ecological Services)-vectors for disease, casual agents for crop damage, reducing the weed seedbank predators/parastoids, pollination, nutrient cycling
Observed and Documented the presence of eggs, crawlers, predator/parasatoid activity
$220,000,000 added global. Both wild pollinators and honeybees under threat. Looked at richness and evenness on herbacious plants at various sites
Pinned and Pointed collected insects for display
Food loss- Damaged Food discarded at the Production+Processing Levels
Food waste- Edible or previously edible food discarded at the Retail+Consumer levels due to behavioral tendencies
Food Wastage= Food waste and loss
1/3 food grown lost or wasted-Inefficiencies at all levels of the food supply chain (Production, post harvest, processing/distribution, retail, and consumer)
Widespread Negative Consquences- Food loss food security and economic viability of the producer, Food wastage lost resources, ecological costs like unnessary greenhouse gas emissions (producing the food, and decay) and water shortages.
Explain chart-Food (edible food, rotten food, residual scraps) as the primary component of landfills. Subtitle D Landfills “- Impervious liner, alternating compacted layers of soil and garbage, environmental monitering, many have CH4 gas extraction Concerns about landfills over lifetime-intregrity of liner, abilities to extract all CH4 (greenhouse gas 25X Co2), societal concerns “not in my backyard”
Helpful diagram that conceptualizes prioritized areas to address food waste. CSU CSA addresses these issues at “Feed Hungry People” and “Composting” Levels
Improvement on model- include change in consumer behavior. (food waste per capita 95-115 kg/year in industrialized countries)
Explored Vermicomposting as generally one part of the solution to food waste disposal, and specifically as a solution for the disposal of my food scraps. Additional function to complement research, develop a working knowledge of vermicompost production.
Vermicompost ideal for apartment dwellers
Converts organic waste into a stabilized ammendment with excellent horticultural qualities- high porosity, high water holding capacity, source of soluble and slowly available nutrients, and potentially benefical biological qualities.
Bacteria and Fungi drive biochemical changes associated with stabilization. Worms critical in fragmenting and enriching the substrate for microbial colonization, burrowing facilitating gas exchange+water infiltration, and modfying microbial+microfauna communty composition and metabolic function, and disperal of these communities into ingested substrate. Additional other assoicated mesofauna (Isopods, collembola, mites) facilitate the decomposition of the substrate.
Learning about operation of vermicomposting system- qualitative- general activities of mesofauna, presence/absence of feedstock, relative moisture content, and generally changes occuring or applied to the system. Quantitative-Dates+Amounts of feedstock added.
Couldn’t process all my residual food scraps so I built a second system.
Handling and processing food waste became more aware of contributions to landfill. Resulting in a highly reduced amount of food waste, and an effective way to handle residual scraps.
More insight into using vermicompost as a tool for pest+pathogen management, and as a source of plant growth promoting bacteria. More generally develop deeper understanding of roles/applications of rhizobacteria and plant endophytes in plant growth+development.
Potential for spreading weed seed. Generation of nitrous oxide (greenhouse gas 300X CO2). Methods to reduce nitrous oxide emissions. How nitrous oxide emissions from vermicompost compare to ecological impact of emissions (CH4, NH3, and Nitrous oxide) from other composting technology when well managed.
Gain a better understanding of the intricacies of energy recovery technologies like celluolsic ethanol, and value added products made from lignin.
Part of the stimulus for earning a degree is in preperation for a career. Talking about the long term prospective for the agricultural industry along the front range. Dr Graff and his associates at CSU have ID the Front Range having the possibility of developing what they call an “Innovation-Led Industry Cluster in Agriculture and Food”. In essences factors like a long history of agricultural innovation, a symbiosis between research institutions like CSU and agricultural businesses, a high quality of life to lure and retain talent, an expanding urban corridor representing increasingly sophisticated markets, and challenges common to other parts of the world and globally make the Front Range an ideal iccubator for the development of local solution which could be exported to address global problems.
Finally I like to thank Dr. Graves, Dan and the rest of the CSU CSA crew for giving me the priviledges of experiencing some of the challenges and benefits of food production. While I’m not sure of the specific trajectory of my career, this experience has given me insight into areas to improve upon and topics for deeper learning.
