Find Researcher or Project | Search MAES:

MAES News

---

Cooperative Brings Nutritious Food Choices, Opportunities to Urban Community

An effort to refurbish a defunct farmers’ market to help revitalize a neglected urban area is turning a roadblock into an opportunity.

A new cooperative, called Branches of the Vine Food Buyers Cooperative, is making fresh produce available to low-income residents in an east Detroit neighborhood who are without a nearby grocery store.

The farmers’ market initiative was launched nearly three years ago by the Michigan Coalition of Black Farmers (MCBF) when the group approached Mike Score, Washtenaw County MSU Extension agricultural agent and MSU Product Center for Agriculture and Natural Resources innovation counselor, about creating a link between agriculture and urban consumers. The MCBF hoped to refurbish the Chene & Ferry Municipal Public Market -- a fixture in the neighborhood for more than 40 years before it was converted into a recycling collection center that closed permanently in 1988 -- into a market where the neighborhood’s low-income residents could buy fresh produce and other horticultural products. Until recently, the community’s only source for groceries within a 7-mile radius was a convenience store located near the market.

The MCBF, with help from Score and the MSU Product Center, reopened the new Chene-Ferry Farmers’ Market last September. Under the original plan, Score and local groups would manage the market and the MCBF would act as the go-between with produce wholesalers. After about 13 weeks, however, organizers realized that they had underestimated the amount of time and money needed to make the facility suitable for delivering goods to the community.

The site may eventually be converted to a full-scale market, but Score estimated that it would cost nearly $2 million to bring the facility up to code and make it completely functional.

“There was no place to store produce that we didn’t sell,” Score added. “A second obstacle was that people from outside the neighborhood were uncomfortable coming to the area.”

It was at this point that the MCBF initiated discussions with Branches of the Vine Food Buyers Cooperative, a local food organization managed by Peacemakers International Ministries.

Now area residents can place their grocery orders at the Peacemakers International Ministries on Chene Street from Monday through Thursday and pick them up on Friday. The cooperative, completely staffed by volunteers, buys its food in bulk from a wholesaler to fill the orders, which are sorted and packaged for each customer.

“Members of the community are very excited about the cooperative,” Score said. “Some residents have even talked about starting urban gardening projects to help fill orders for the local community.”

The cooperative will purchase wholesale as much produce and as many horticultural products as it can from farms in Washtenaw and Lenawee counties. Food that cannot be grown locally will be shipped in from farms in neighboring regions.

“The cooperative supports community agriculture,” Score said. “The goal of this initiative is to provide local residents with access to wholesome, nutritious food for less than what it would cost them to purchase similar products at the grocery store.”

The cooperative’s organizers are willing to share their business plans with other community leaders so that the idea can be replicated in other neighborhoods. So far, several other Detroit communities and the southeastern Michigan cities of Ypsilanti and Adrian have received copies of the business plan.

“Besides providing fresh food, this program is also an opportunity to educate people about agriculture, health and nutrition, and enlighten them about all the jobs involved in agriculture -- agriculture is not just about the food delivery system, it has a role in many jobs and careers,” said Ralph King, executive director of the MCBF. “If this program is successful, I think it could lead to a renaissance in the area.”

The Chene-Ferry Farmers’ Market project and urban revitalization efforts have been supported by a number of programs, including Project GREEEN (Generating Research and Extension to meet Environmental and Economic Needs), the MCBF, MSU Extension, the MSU Product Center for Agriculture and Natural Resources, the MSU Land Policy Program, the C. S. Mott Group for Sustainable Food Systems at MSU and Peacemakers International Ministries.

---

Water Cooling Research A Proactive Step for Cherry Industry

As water conservation and regulation gain attention, Michigan fruit growers and processors are looking for ways to be proactive about reducing water use. Most notably, Michigan’s $80 million tart cherry industry is looking at developing new strategies to maximize water efficiency while increasing profitability for both growers and processors.

“There’s no question that a lot of water is used during the cherry harvest and handling process,” said Phil Korson, director of the Cherry Marketing Institute.

Cherries are harvested by machine and plunged into a cool bath of well water to cushion their entry into the holding tank and remove field heat. The cherries are flushed with more water to clean and cool them, and additional water is used during transporting, processing and handling. Most of the water used then flows into on-site holding ponds from which it is released back into the soil or distributed via surface irrigation.

Within the past decade, a trend has developed among some cherry producers and processors to cool cherry fruit in chilled water (below the average well water temperature of 48 to 50 degrees F) by using refrigerated water chillers. Their use can both reduce the amount of water used and improve fruit quality.

Korson said chilled water allows the fruit to cool to a lower temperature more quickly, making the cherries firmer and better able to withstand the pitting process. The chilled water can also be recirculated so that less total water is used.

Dan Guyer, MAES biosystems and agricultural engineering researcher, is studying both the economic and the environmental advantages of using chilled water.

“Many cherry growers and processors have said that using chilled water results in a firmer, higher quality cherry, but there is limited data to back up the anecdotal evidence,” he said. “We’re looking at four main research questions. First, does using chilled water reduce the amount of water used? Second, does fruit quality actually improve? Third, does it result in greater overall net returns to producers? And lastly, does it reduce the challenges associated with water disposal?”

Guyer said that during data collection last summer, researchers looked at temperature profiles in several tanks with well water and mechanically chilled water.

“We found greatly varying temperatures throughout the chilling tanks even after several hours of chilling,” he said. “It led us to ask a lot more questions about how much water at what temperature works best. For example, what temperatures and flow rates will best chill the cherries to the desired temperature within a time frame that is practical for the producer? Should the cherries be rapidly cooled and held, or cooled gradually over the time of holding? And what are the impacts of these protocols on cherry quality?”

For now, Guyer said, whether an operation should implement mechanical chilling and water recycling depends on many factors, including the rate of return on investment, actual improved fruit quality and the size of the fruit operation. Guyer hopes to determine guidelines for these topics as research progresses.

“Ultimately, our objective is to make sure the cherry industry is sustainable in the future, both economically and from an environmental stewardship perspective,” Guyer said.

“This research is a big deal for the industry,” Korson added. “It’s definitely a proactive step forward. We know there is a need to conserve water, and this research is addressing it before it becomes a problem.”

The research is supported in part by Project GREEEN (Generating Research and Extension to meet Economic and Environmental Needs), a cooperative effort between plant-based commodities and businesses together with the MAES, MSUE and the Michigan Department of Agriculture to advance Michigan’s economy through its plant-based agriculture.

---

May Water Policy Workshop Focuses on Future Value of Water

The fifth workshop in the "Shaping Future Water Policy: The Role of Science" series will take place May 27 at the James B. Henry Center for Executive Development on Forest Road. The morning lecture, from 9 to 10:15 a.m., is open to the public.

The workshop features Leonard Shabman, professor emeritus at Virginia Tech University and resident scholar for Resources for the Future. His talk is titled "Water Resources Management: Choices and Challenges for the Coming Decade." Shabman's more than 30 years of professional experience in water policy research, advising and government service have been dedicated to the design and implementation of practical policies to improve water supply and water quality management by federal and state governments.

The water policy workshops are designed to create a forum for discussion on how to improve and invest in a science-based policy agenda for the future for water use, conservation and protection in Michigan and the Great Lakes region.

For more information on the workshops, including a complete schedule, visit www.espp.msu.edu/water/.

---

Researchers Investigating Using Animal Composting at Meat Packaging Plants

Restrictions in the use of animal byproducts in animal feed and other products have created a new set of concerns for meat processors. Historically, a rendering truck would pick up the unwanted animal tissue and bones. At one time the processors were paid for the material, but today the rendering service has become an increasing expense. In some cases, processors don’t have an outlet, regardless of the costs, so the material ends up in landfills.

To help processors address this concern, Dale Rozeboom, MAES animal science researcher, has conducted an on-site demonstration project with Jones Farm Meats of Saranac to study the feasibility of composting meat processing byproducts. Rozeboom, who also studies dead animal composting on farms, believes there is a place for composting at the meat processing plants as well.

“We hope to show that a small meat processing business can use composting to effectively, safely and economically convert inedible byproducts into a product that can be used beneficially by crop and plant growers,” Rozeboom said. He estimated that there are 100 to 200 small meat-processing plants in Michigan that may benefit from this project if it leads to changes in the Bodies of Dead Animals Act (BODA).

At this time, Michigan law (the Bodies of Dead Animals Act and the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act) requires that processors must obtain a special permit to compost. Jones Farm Meats was granted permission to compost as a demonstration facility.

“The last time we paid a renderer, it cost us $15,000 a year,” said Karl Jones, owner of the meat plant. “At one point in the 1970s, renderers paid us around $40,000 a year -- it was what we lived on.” Jones and his family have been in the meat packing business since 1883.

The demonstration at Jones Farm Meats began in January 2004. Rozeboom and private consultant Howard Person designed a composting facility to handle the 600,000 pounds of byproducts generated at the plant each year.

The composting process requires an optimum carbon to nitrogen ratio for proper decomposition. Maintaining the right balance of organic matter and bulking material is critical to proper composting. To help speed up the composting time, the byproducts are run through a grinder so everything is broken into 3-inch or smaller pieces. The byproducts are then moved to the composting site.

When new byproduct material is added to the compost pile, dried sawdust or other organic material is also added as a carbon source. Jones Farm Meats is located across the road from a large dairy operation, which supplies used sawdust bedding for use along with dried sawdust.

As microbial decomposition takes place, the pile is turned or moved to allow for proper aeration. The piles are turned when compost temperatures drop below 100 degrees F for a week or two. Compost is aerated at least once a month and may be turned two or three times a month. A layer of dry material is put down under the compost pile to absorb any leachate. If runoff develops or the pile begins to slip, it is pushed back into the bin.

Rozeboom said that under the current BODA, compost piles containing animal tissues need to be covered. Part of this project was to evaluate possible runoff from an unroofed structure. All bins slope in toward one another to prevent runoff out of the bins.

After at least three months of active composting, the compost is removed from the bin and piled elsewhere for curing. At this point, the material, which is similar in texture to dairy manure, could be applied to farm fields. Curing makes the compost a potential potting medium or mulch for the greenhouse industry.

Rozeboom and Person have been monitoring gases produced during active composting. They have found very low levels if a biofilter cap or a fresh layer of sawdust is kept over the pile during composting.

Controlling animals, especially rodents, around the area was an initial concern, but researchers have found that fencing around the area and keeping an adequate level of sawdust over the pile have prevented problems with insects and animals in the area. Rozeboom said the piles stay too hot for rodents and fly larvae.

Rozeboom and the owners of Jones Farm Meats are pleased with the first-year results. The plant owners are saving money in rendering expense and may at some point see income from the compost. This type of composting may have a place at small meat processing plants.

---

Project GREEEN Awards Research Dollars for 2005

Project GREEEN (Generating Research and Extension to meet Environmental and Economic Needs), Michigan’s plant agriculture initiative at MSU, awarded grants for 28 new research projects for fiscal year 2005. Almost $1.7 million was available in Project GREEEN grant money this funding cycle, of which $850,000 was appropriated to new projects. The remaining dollars were directed toward projects that started in 2003 or 2004. All projects target priority issues affecting Michigan’s plant agriculture industries.

A total of 75 new project proposals and 30 continuation proposals requesting approximately $3.3 million were received for consideration in this year’s selection process.

Research projects were funded in the categories of basic research, applied research and extension/education/demonstration. New projects were funded across the spectrum of Michigan’s plant agriculture industries, on topics ranging from restoring community landscapes devastated by the emerald ash borer and developing market-ready, shelf-stable products to enhance profitability of the state’s tree fruit industries to integrating endangered species protection with agricultural commodity production. Other research topics funded by Project GREEEN in 2005 include developing new weed control systems for soybeans and corn, strategies to limit Phytophthora disease in vegetables and more frost-tolerant bedding plants for Michigan’s greenhouse industry.

“The research and outreach projects selected for Project GREEEN funding address industry-identified priorities and have met the rigors of scientific peer review,” said Doug Buhler, coordinator of Project GREEEN and acting MAES associate director. “These research and outreach projects reflect the partnership and cooperative relationship that exists between the plant industry groups, agribusiness, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Michigan State University.”

“Project GREEEN has meant a great deal to Michigan’s agriculture and natural resources since its inception,” said Dan Wyant, director of the Michigan Department of Agriculture. “It’s truly a unique model of industry, government and university working together to identify needs and produce tangible results. From helping develop tools that sustain food safety and address exotic pests to efforts that protect Michigan’s environment and adapt to rapidly emerging issues, Project GREEEN is key to helping keep Michigan agriculture successful and local communities and economies strong for generations to come.”

A complete listing of 2005 newly funded and continuing Project GREEEN research projects can be found at www.greeen.msu.edu/newspage.htm.

---

MAES Scientist Named Crop and Soil Sciences Acting Chair

Jim Kells, MAES weed scientist, was appointed acting chairperson of the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences in April. Former chairperson Doug Buhler is now serving as acting associate director of the MAES and acting associate dean for research for the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR).

Kells has been a faculty member in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences since 1982. In addition to his teaching and MAES appointments, he also serves as an MSU Extension project leader, and he has served as associate chair of the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences since 2003. He has worked in leadership roles with both the Weed Science Society of America and the North Central Weed Science Society, and he has served on numerous professional review committees.

Kells' program excellence has been recognized with the MSU Outstanding Extension Specialist Award and the Michigan Association of Extension Agents Specialist of the Year Award, among others. He is a double graduate of MSU, with both a bachelor's degree in crop and soil sciences and a doctorate in weed science. He received his master's degree in weed science from the University of Kentucky.

"I am very pleased that Jim has agreed to take on this responsibility," said Jeffrey Armstrong, dean of the CANR. "I am looking forward to working with him in this leadership capacity."

---

MAES Scientists Recognized for "Papers of the Week"

An MAES researcher and affiliated department chairperson were honored not only by having papers published in the peer-reviewed journal Journal of Biological Chemistry but also by receiving “papers of the week” recognition.

The scientific papers were written by teams led by Jack Preiss, MAES scientist and university distinguished professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, and William Spielman, professor and chairperson of the Department of Physiology.

Preiss’ paper focused on the evolutionary process in plants; Spielman’s looked at the role that certain hormones play in diseases such as hypertension.

Papers selected as “paper of the week” go through a rigorous selection process. Editorial board members and associate editors are asked to select papers that rank in the top 1 percent of the papers they will review in a year. Out of the more than 6,000 published every year, only between 50 and 100 papers are selected for the designation.

“This honor reflects well not only on Dr. Preiss and Dr. Spielman but also on the entire MSU research community,” said Ian Gray, MSU vice president for research and graduate studies. “I’m so pleased to see these two world-class researchers receive this recognition.”

Preiss’ paper focused on the evolution of plants at the molecular level. Preiss and research assistant professor Miguel Ballicora found that a protein in a certain enzyme evolved, allowing it to do a different function.

“To us, this demonstrated an evolutionary strategy,” Preiss said. “The plant can take one protein and slightly change its function to fit its needs.”

The paper written by Spielman and graduate student Jennifer Bomberger discusses the regulation of hormone receptors by certain molecules and how that regulation alters the action of the hormone.

The researchers found that proteins known as RAMPs can determine whether cells either maintain or degrade the hormone’s receptor, something that can have a major impact on diseases such as hypertension and heart failure.

“This hormone acts in a protective way in diseases such as high blood pressure,” Spielman said. “What may be happening here is, for some reason, the hormone’s receptor gets degraded and the hormone can’t act anymore because the receptor is gone.”

---

Field Days and Special Events

Michigan Nursery and Landscape Association 2005 Summer Field Day
August 17, 2005
MSU Horticulture Teaching and Research Center
9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Saginaw Valley Bean and Beet Research Farm
Annual Field Day
August 30, 2005
Registration starts at 8:30 a.m.
The field day runs from 9 a.m. to noon. Lunch is included.