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Because I subscribe to information from SARE or Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education I got a recent email annoucing that this Survey Report was ready and downloadable. I can’t help but look at things like this to see if there is anything Texas Organic producers can learn or use to make changes. Cover crops are a big, controversial issue, and one that I can get lots of opinions on, no matter where I go in the state. So let me share some of my “opinions.”

795 farmers (probably most are conventional farmers but some are certainly organic) who are current cover crop users, former users, and who have never used cover crops from 49 different states, filled out the survey. Here is a look at the distribution.

As you can see only 17 from Texas filled out the survey and it is easy to see that the Midwest is overloaded with participants! This may sound a little strange or maybe you know (like I do) that Texans don’t do surveys, they just don’t like them. That said, look at the sources they used to advertise the survey and encourage farmers to fill it out.

Maybe you are in one of these “groups” but I never did see or get a notice and I have a farm and have planted cover crops. My general feeling is that the Midwest has a lot of farmers and a lot of infrastructure is built around those farmers so they do get a lot of attention. Also, we struggle planting cover crops and so we are not going to get near as many farmers “excited” about a cover crop survey. BUT, because we dont get excited about cover crops we dont get the potential interest in developing cover crop payments or cover crop insurance in Texas. It is a “chicken and egg” kinda thing.

What is the median (the number right in the middle of a list of numbers) age of farmers who did the survey? 59, which is slightly older than the median age of all farmers in the US at 57.5 years. What is interesting is that 66.6% of all farmers in this survey are above 50. The US is just getting older and farmers are aging fast!

I am going to skip over a lot of demographic information in the survey to get to some data on cover crops. I love this chart above because it gives us a reason for planting cover crops, in other words, “why are you planting a cover crop and does it do what you want?”

For organic growers in Texas I do believe that all of you have said to me any one of the top 5 reasons listed above are more than likely in your top 5 reasons too. If you are farming organic you get these benefits! These farmers agree because they are observing these benefits from cover crops in every state they are planted.

Okay, there is a lot more information in the report, but I want to mention this because it is a question I get a lot – what cover crop to plant? First let’s take a look at the acres planted to each species so you get an idea of the importance farmers placed on the species.

You can tell that cereal rye is by far the most popular either by itself or in a mix. I was surprised by the acres dedicated to radishes but I do know they are popular in the Midwest. I really thought that cowpeas, sunn hemp and other summer cover crops would be planted on more acres but probably only in southern states and as I mentioned not many farmers in southern states participated in the survey.

Now here is a chart about what is used in cover crop mixes. I thought this was interesting and did validate the recommendations I give to organic farmers.

I like cereal rye (I am hoping Carl Pepper plants some barley on a few acres this year so we can see if it works in West Texas) and I like Hairy Vetch both in a mix. You can add in radishes or turnips if you understand that they probably won’t make it through the winter. I have never had much luck with clovers in Texas and I have trouble planting Austrian winter peas since it is such a big seed. Mine end up in streaks or only in one place!

One last chart and I will stop. This part of the survey deals with your information sources and I am very interested in how farmers learn – it is my job!

You will notice that farmers predominately learn by doing and learn from each other because they are “doing” it. I also realize that Ag Media is important and yet Ag Media is generally getting information from Extension, Research and Industry. That said I am very pleased to see Extension ranked fourth in this list and to me that is about right. My take away from this is that Extension should be doing cover crop demonstrations on farmers fields (learn by doing) and inviting other farmers to come learn. Sounds like a good old fashioned “Extension Crops Field Day!”

Let me know your thoughts, I am always open to new ideas. If you want to download or read the report just click on this link. 2022-23 National Cover Crop Survey

Spring of 2022, the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) put out a call for applications for the Agricultural Development: Agricultural Commodity Export Support (ACES) Pilot Program for Texas commodity agricultural trade organizations, agricultural cooperatives, and agricultural commodity or producer organizations that are interested in conducting export activities to further expand the international market presence of Texas agricultural commodities.

The TDA Organic Advisory Board and the board’s diverse membership is a great sounding board especially for new ideas. My discussions with Board members help me to know that there was a possible export market for organic produce but there really wasn’t much of an idea of where to begin. I reached out to Dante Galeazzi, Executive Director of Texas International Produce Association (TIPA) to see if they might be interested in partnering with us (Texas A&M AgriLife and CNAS) to submit a grant to do this investigation. Dante is a very positive person and is super to work with, so of course the answer was yes!

I work with a couple of outstanding economists in Dr. Luis Ribera and Landyn Young and they took the challenge to help put the grant together with Dante and TIPA and it was funded by the Texas Department of Agriculture. The overall purpose of this grant project with TIPA was to evaluate the export potential of selected Texas organic commodities and the proposal included these top objectives.

Objective 1. Identify the top five Texas organic fruits and/or vegetables with the largest potential for the export markets.

Objective 2. Conduct a market study of selected Texas organic commodities using secondary data available from the U.S. government and from other countries’ governmental sources. 

Objective 3.  Identify top three or four markets for selected Texas commodities

Objective 4. Analyze export trends from US/Texas and main competitors looking for opportunities to access and/or expand market share for the selected Texas organic commodities.

Objective 5. Identify and analyze general border measures and trade barriers such as SPS requirements, product form, TBTs such as packaging/labeling requirements, and import tariffs, among others to evaluate the competitiveness of selected Texas commodities.

Objective 6.  Develop recommendations on how Texas can increase access to foreign market and/or increase market share.

Fast forward to this summer and the work has been done! I am quite impressed with their work and happy to share it with you. Below are the publications developed by Dr. Ribera and Landyn Young on these crops with the most potential in the organic export markets. Please take a look at the markets and the potential and let us know your thoughts!

If you missed last year’s event, you missed a super program and a great start for what should be a long tradition! But don’t miss the 2nd one or you will be really behind with your organic program!!

The 2nd Organic Growers Conference hosted by the Williamson County Extension Office in Georgetown, Texas, will be held on Tuesday, October 17 through Wednesday, October 18. Registration is only $50 per participant and includes two meals and all materials.

We are really excited to have HEB Organic Produce Buyer and an Organic Handler on the afternoon program held on Wednesday, October 18. If you are pressed for time and can’t attend the entire program, then try and make this afternoon program. You will be sure to learn a lot about markets and how to get a foot in the door.

For more information or to early register call the Extension Office at (512) 943-3300 or email Kate Hajda, Extension Agent – Horticulture at kate.hajda@ag.tamu.edu or to register go here: Organic Grower Conference Registration

This is a great article about organic produce sales from the Organic Produce Network and Category Partners. Click here to read the entire article Organic Produce Network News I only want to make you curious with a few points I thought were interesting!!

In the second quarter of 2023, sales of organic fresh produce increased by 1.5%. The total sales amount reached $2.4 billion. On the other hand, conventional produce sales grew by 2%, totaling $18.8 billion.

The latest report indicates a steady rise in produce prices due to inflation, but rest assured, the demand remains robust. It is noteworthy that organic prices have experienced a moderate increase compared to conventional prices, yet they have managed to outpace conventional prices by an impressive 88%, thereby ensuring sustained profitability within the organic produce sector.

This chart showcased in the report unveils insights that demand a deeper analysis. One cannot overlook the remarkable 3.2% surge in sales volume, solidifying the South Region’s dominance in this area. These exceptional results strongly indicate a great future for Texas organic produce. Again, check out the full report, it is worth it – because Organic is Worth It!

What is Hi-A Corn? These Hi-A corn hybrids are non-GMO and are a new type of corn that contains high-anthocyanin and high-antioxidant content (Hi-A corn) in their kernels, stalks, and other plant tissues. Hi-A corn kernels are tender and sweeter than field corn but contain less sugar than sweet corn. The Hi-A corn hybrids TAMZ102 and TAMZ104 were developed and selected for adaptation to the environments in southern United States by Texas A&M AgriLife Research Corn Breeder Dr. Wenwei Xu in Lubbock and even newer varieties are being developed this year. Being non-GMO, they can be used in both conventional and organic crop systems, and they are earworm and disease tolerant and/or resistant.

A big thanks to the Texas Corn Producers for their long-standing support of Texas A&M AgriLife Research corn breeding programs and helping to initiate the Hi-A corn project. Also, thanks to Southern SARE for funding this 2023-24 Hi-A Corn Producer Education Program. A huge shoutout to our cooperators Juan & Shakera Raygoza in the RGV at Edinburg and to Brant and Kate Hajda in Granger for being super cooperators and growing out these test varieties.

Why Hi-A?  Breeders are looking for ways to introduce animal and human health benefits into the foods we eat without sacrificing grain quality.  In an organic animal feeding system, Hi-A corn could be beneficial both as a grain and as a silage, preventing inflammation from low levels of disease.  We are experimenting with these varieties in several locations and have had Extension meetings where folks even got to eat some fresh ears. Fresh ears of the Hi-A corn still in the husks are ready to eat after being cooked in a microwave oven for 5-minutes.  I love it and it’s healthy too!