Sorting out “organic hotspots”By Matt Ernst, independent writer

The Organic Trade Association (OTA) in May released a paper suggesting that household incomes are higher and poverty levels lower in places where there is more organic production and consumption. This article takes a look at this research on “organic hotspots,” a term that probably needs further clarifi-cation and additional study.

What is a hotspot?The OTA white paper comes from research by agricultural economists at Penn State University. The researchers identi-fied 225 U.S. counties “with high levels of organic agricultural activity that have neighboring counties with high organic ac-tivity.” They categorized hotspots based on organic crop and livestock production, as well as organic handler hotspots. The data used came from 2009 and 2013.

The areas that showed up as organic hotspots are no surprise. The West Coast and Northeast had heavy concentrations of hotspots. So did Ohio, in the Cleveland/Columbus corridor; Wisconsin; and Colorado in the greater Denver/Boulder area. The Penn State researchers noted a new organic hotspot in South Florida for 2013; this is also no surprise, as commer-cial organic crop production (like avocado and mango) has increased in Miami-Dade County.

The Penn State researchers then used statistics to determine if the presence of high organic activity impacted the local econ-omies. This can be difficult to estimate because of the many different contributing factors besides organic production. But, according to the Penn State model, benefits like higher me-dian income and lower poverty rates are linked with organic

What’s insideValue-Added Grant ........... 2 Meet the Buyer Forum ...... 3

Coming upJune 23 - Horticulture Field Day, UK Research and Education Center, 1205 Hopkinsville Street, Princ-eton, KY. Registration 8:45-9 a.m. CST. Ornamental and orchard tours, 9 a.m.-noon (one tour). For more infor-mation, see Page 4.

July 1 - Hops First Friday Tour, 10 a.m. to noon, The Ohio State University South Centers, 1864 Shyville Road, Piketon, OH. Registration required by the Wednesday before the tour. For more information and to register, click here.

July 9-12 - Cultivate 16, Greater Columbus Conven-tion Center, Columbus, OH.Greenhouse, nursery, florist, landscaping educational sessions and trade show. For more information, click here.

June 2016

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have measurable impacts for policy or education.

The Penn State researchers do suggest that organ-ic agriculture can be part of a successful broader community development and health/nutrition policy. This adds to the existing literature support-ing the idea that vibrant food systems of all types, including those with health education aspects, generally result in improvements in community and personal well-being.

The report is available online at http://ota.com/sites/default/files/indexed_files/OTA-HotSpotsWhitePaper-OnlineVersion.pdf.

Value-Added Producer Grant Program deadline is July 1st

From the National Sustainable Agriculture CoalitionWhether helping farmers turn organic grains into shelf-ready items or providing capital for the cre-ation of farm-identity preserved regional supply chains, the Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) Program has served as a valuable resource for farmers looking to grow their businesses through value-added products.

Back in April, the U.S. Department of Agricul-ture announced the availability of $44 million in funding through the competitive VAPG Program. Administered by USDA Rural Development, the VAPG program provides competitive grants to producers for working capital, feasibility studies,

hotspots – even when accounting for many other potentially positive economic impacts.

Is there anything new here?The results of this research seem intuitive. The areas identified as organic hotspots were not sur-prising, and it is generally known and accepted that consumers more likely to purchase certified organic products tend to be focused in areas with more favorable economic indicators. What is new is the research claim that certified organic produc-tion, processing and distribution are directly re-sponsible for better economic indicators.

The researchers found that the organic hotspot ar-eas were more likely to occur in counties where 1) organic certifiers provided outreach services; 2) at least 50% of organic operations were certified by a certifying agency affiliated with the public sec-tor. According to the Penn State research conclu-sions, more economic impact will occur where or-ganic production is encouraged by broader policy support, including organic certification by public agencies.

The research also compares organic hotspots with counties that are hotspots for general agriculture. It finds that general agriculture does not have the same impact as organic agriculture on household income and poverty rate, according to the ways the researchers measured impact.

However, it’s not clear from the published re-search whether any attempt was made to measure impacts of general agriculture where there were businesses affiliated with those industries, like meat processing and value-added agriculture pro-duction in bakeries and breweries. An interesting future comparison could be to measure any eco-nomic changes in impoverished rural areas close to general agriculture hotspots with economic changes in impoverished urban areas near organic hotspots.

Will “hotspots” be helpful?As with any academic work, the study and its methodology will be vetted by other scholars. It’s still too early to tell whether the term “organic hotspots” will be verified by repeated research or

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Value-added products can help farmers grow their businesses.Photo by Matt Barton, UK Agricultural Communications

business plans, and marketing efforts to establish viable value-added businesses. Up to $75,000 is available for planning grants and up to $250,000 is available for implementation grants.

The deadline for proposals is now right around the corner! Paper applications are due July 1st, while electronic applications are due June 24th through grants.gov.

Individuals and groups of producers, as well as farmer co-ops and producer-controlled business-es, are eligible to apply for these grants, which help to increase income and marketing opportu-nities for America’s farmers and ranchers, along

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with fishermen, loggers, and other harvesters of agricultural commodities.

The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition’s annual Farmers Guide to the VAPG Program walks farmers through the program’s application requirements, including a step-by-step descrip-tion of the application and ranking processes. USDA has also created a “toolkit” for applicants that includes an application checklist, templates, required grant forms, and instructions (found un-der the “Forms & Resources” tab).

Please note that NSAC and the USDA partnered on a webinar for prospective applicants on May 8th; a recording of that webinar can be found here.

On June 15th, The Kentucky Center for Agricul-ture and Rural Development (KCARD) partnered with the UK Department of Agricultural Econom-ics MarketReady Producer Training Program to present a Meet the Buyer Forum at the Kentucky Farm Bureau Headquarters in Louisville. Meet the Buyer is designed specifically for graduates of the MarketReady training, giving them an exclu-sive opportunity to network with various restau-rant, grocery, wholesale, foodservice, agency and school representatives interested in collaborating with local agribusiness producers. In an informal atmosphere using conversation-stimulating activ-ities, producers get to listen to different buyer and service providers as well as meet with them one-

on-one to discuss potential purchases or services.A number of buyer and agency representatives from various businesses and corporations were in attendance including the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, Piazza Produce, Whole Foods Mar-ket, Center for Crop Diversification, Small Busi-ness Development Center, Superior Meats Inc., Bristol Bar and Grille, Crank and Boom Craft Ice Cream, Jefferson, Clark and Bullitt County Schools and Louisville Farm-to-Table. If you’re interested in meeting buyers through fu-ture events like this, your first step is to take the MarketReady training. You can find more infor-mation at www.uky.edu/marketready or on face-book here .

Meet the Buyer Forum is step 2 of MarketReady training

MarketReady Producer Training Program graduates participated in a Meet the Buyer Forum on June 15th in Louisville.

Photo by Alex Butler, University of Kentucky

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Table  1.  Earliest  and  latest  safe  planting  dates  for  Eastern,  Central  and  Western  Kentucky.

Crops Eastern Central Western Eastern Central WesternAsparagus  (crowns) Mar  20 Mar  15 Mar  10Beans  (snap) May  1 Apr  25 Apr  10 Jul  15 Jul  25 Aug  1Beans  (lima) May  10 May  1 Apr  15 Jun  15 Jun  20 Jul  1Beets Mar  20 Mar  15 Mar  10 Jul  15 Jul  20 Aug  15Broccoli  (plants) Apr  10 Apr  5 Mar  30 Jul  15 Aug  1 Aug  15B.  Sprouts  (plants) Apr  10 Apr  5 Mar  30 Jul  1 Jul  15 Aug  1Cabbage Apr  1 Mar  25 Mar  15 Jul  1 Jul  15 Aug  1Carrots Apr  1 Mar  20 Mar  10 Jul  1 Jul  15 Aug  1Cauliflower  (plants) Apr  10 Apr  5 Mar  30 Jul  15 Jul  20 Aug  5Chard Apr  1 Mar  20 Mar  15 Jun  15 Jul  15 Aug  1Collards Mar  15 Mar  10 Mar  1 Jul  15 Aug  1 Aug  15Sweet  Corn May  1 Apr  20 Apr  10 Jun  15 Jul  10 Jul  20Cucumbers May  10 May  5 Apr  25 Jun  15 Jul  1 Jul  15Eggplant  (plants) May  15 May  10 May  1 Jun  1 Jun  15 Jul  1Kale Apr  1 Mar  20 Mar  10 Jul  15 Aug  1 Aug  15Kohlrabi Mar  25 Mar  20 Mar  15 Jul  15 Aug  1 Aug  15Lettuce  (leaf) Apr  1 Mar  25 Mar  15 Aug  1 Aug  15 Sep  1Lettuce  (bibb  plants) Apr  1 Mar  25 Mar  15 Jul  15 Aug  1 Aug  15Muskmelons May  15 May  10 Apr  25 Jun  15 Jul  1 Jul  15Okra May  15 May  10 Apr  20 Jul  1 Jul  15 Aug  1Onions  (sets) Mar  15 Mar  10 Mar  1Onions  (plants) Apr  1 Mar  25 Mar  15 Jun  15 Jul  1 Jul  15Onions  (seed) Apr  1 Mar  20 Mar  10 Jun  1 Jun  15 Jul  1Parsley Apr  1 Mar  20 Mar  10 Jul  15 Aug  1 Aug  15Parsnips Apr  1 Mar  20 Mar  10 Jun  1 Jun  15 Jul  1Peas Mar  15 Mar  1 Feb  20Peppers  (plants) May  20 May  10 May  1 Jun  15 Jul  1 Jul  15Potatoes Mar  20 Mar  15 Mar  15 Jun  15 Jul  1 Jul  15Sweetpotatoes May  20 May  10 May  1 Jun  1 Jun  10 Jun  15Pumpkins May  10 May  5 Apr  25 Jun  1 Jun  15 Jul  1Radishes Mar  15 Mar  10 Mar  1 Sep  1 Sep  15 Oct.  1Rhubarb  (crowns) Mar  15 Mar  10 Mar  1Southernpeas May  10 May  5 Apr  20 Jun  15 Jul  1 Jul  15Snow  Peas Mar  15 Mar  1 Feb  20 Jul  20 Aug  1 Aug  8Spinach Mar  10 Mar  1 Feb  15 Aug  15 Sep  1 Sep  15Summer  Squash May  15 May  10 Apr  20 Jul  15 Aug  1 Aug  15Tomatoes  (plants) May  15 May  5 Apr  20 Jun  1 Jun  15 Jul  1Turnips Mar  15 Mar  10 Mar  1 Jul  15 Aug  1 Aug  15Watermelons May  15 May  5 Apr  20 Jun  15 Jul  1 Jul  15Winter  Squash May  15 May  10 Apr  20 Jun  15 Jul  1 Jul  15

Earliest  Date1 Latest  Date1,2

1  Dates  are  for  direct  seeding  unless  otherwise  indicated  under  “Crops”  column.2  Based  on  the  average  time  to  harvest  for  early  maturing  varieties;  mid-­‐season  and  late-­‐maturing  varieties      need  to  be  planted  15  to  30  days  earlier  than  latest  date.  Most  fall-­‐planted  crops  require  irrigation.  

The University of Kentucky Research and Educa-tion Center at Princeton will host the 4th Annual Horticulture Field Day on June 23rd. Registration begins at 8:45 a.m. (CST), and tours begin at 9 a.m.

An ornamental tour will be offered twice, from 9 to 10:30 a.m. and from 10:30 to noon. Topics in-clude Plant Evaluations & Overview; Blueberries in Containers; Controlled Release Fertilization in White Oak Seedlings; Everris® Blue MaxTM Coated Aluminum Sulfate in Hydrangeas; and the

Annual Bedding Plant Trial.

One orchard tour will be offered from 9 a.m. to noon. The tour will feature Blueberry Production in Containers; Blackberry Cultivars, Production, and Pest Management; Cherry Rootstock & Train-ing Trial; Apple and Peach Rootstock & Cultivars, Production and Pest Management; and Grape Cultivars, Production and Pest Management. Speakers include UK faculty and staff. For details, see the field day flyer.

Fall success starts nowWhen is the latest you should seed carrots in Central Kentucky? What about those coveted, sweet fall greens? Is it already too late to start late tomatoes? Timing things right for a great fall harvest may start earlier than you think. Long before cool weather rolls in, farmers with foresight are prepping fields and seeding rows to extend their harvests and profits. High tunnels and greenhouse growers are able to extend even later, but the general dates in the table to the right can help you determine when to make your move for your best autumn yet.

This table comes from the University of Kentucky Ex-tension publication, Veg-etable Production Guide for Commercial Growers (ID-36), on page 132. That pub-lication, which you can ac-cess online, has lots of great production information for a variety of crops. You can also browse CCD crop pro-files here.

Princeton field day to feature orchard, ornamental tours