Appalachian Farming Systems Research Center
Beaver, West Virginia
Allocation:
Personnel:
$8.1 million total allocation to USDA-ARS
52 full-time permanent employees; 2 intermittent (part-time); 4 students
(part-time); 1 contract worker (custodian)
We design management practices that sustain productivity and profitability of pasturebased livestock systems and deliver improved soil, water and air quality based on sound
scientific principles. Our work contributes directly to:
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Climate Change Research Priority – by developing production systems that are
resistant to climate change, especially global warming. The systems rely on
innovative plant communities and silvopasture (a mixture of pasture and wooded
areas) that buffer variation in productivity and reduce risk in response to varying
climate conditions.
- Our research also contributes to climate change research priority through carbon
sequestration, i.e., the removal of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere that
may contribute to global warming. This is accomplished by using biochar as a
soil amendment, constructed soils and silvopastoral production systems.
Food Safety Research Priority - by developing production systems with minimal
external chemical or pharmaceutical inputs, and by mitigating the introduction of
chemical and biological contaminants in water resources.
Global Food Security Research Priority - by developing environmentally and
economically sustainable production systems that support viable rural economies.
Our customers are small-scale (<150 acres) and often part-time farmers and land-owners
who operate independently or are aligned with local or regional groups (e.g., West
Virginia Shepherds’ Federation, Greenbrier River Watershed Association, Pennsylvania
Association for Sustainable Agriculture, Master Gardeners’ Workshops in association
with state cooperative extension services). In-house scientific capacity (13 staff scientists
and 40 technical and administrative support staff) is augmented through specific
cooperative agreements with West Virginia University, West Virginia State University,
Mountain State University, Concord University, Virginia Tech, Miami University of
Ohio, and The Ohio State University. We collaborate with numerous USDA-ARS
locations and other universities through informal agreements.
Expanded Statements
Plants are the point of entry of energy into agro-ecosystems. Plants convert light energy
and carbon dioxide into biomass. We discover ways to make agricultural systems less
vulnerable to climatic and resource variation within and among years. Doing so
minimizes risk and stabilizes the production of herbage mass (biomass) and herbage
nutritive value for beef and milk cattle, sheep, goats, etc. The primary goals of our work
contribute to fundamental understanding of agro-ecosystem response to climate change
food safety and food production security research priorities of USDA-ARS.
AFSRC, Beaver, W. Va.
Summary - continued
Climate Change
We develop systems that improve small-acreage farm productivity and sustainability
within the Appalachian region. We do this by reducing risk through multi-cropping
sequences and plant communities (e.g., silvopastoral practices that provide wood-biofuel,
forage for sheep, goats, beef cattle, and understory crops). Technology is applicable to
hill-land environments world-wide with resource and climatic features similar to those of
central Appalachia. These production systems are resilient to climatic variability. We
design grazing systems for small-acreage farms that accommodate the soil, plant and
animal resources capable of adapting to within and among year weather patterns.
We develop the practical technology to apply biochar produced from charring of poultry
litter or plant residues from the biofuels industry to improve the production capability of
soil and increase carbon sequestration. This work is being done in collaboration with
other USDA-ARS laboratories (Eastern Regional Research Center, Wyndmoor, Pa.;
Southern Regional Research Center, New Orleans, La.). Improvements include chemical
and physical attributes of soil including sequestering chemical and biological
contaminants of ground water and improving plant productivity through hospitable
rooting environments. We also determine how management systems influence nutrient
cycling and reduce atmospheric CO2 (carbon sequestration to help mitigate possible
global warming).
Food Safety - local production, nutritional composition, external inputs
We discover bioactive pasture plants materials that can help maintain sheep and goat
health. Decreasing the need to administer pharmaceutical products can help reduce
production costs and minimize the quantity of drugs administered to grazing animals.
These practices will provide safer meat products for consumers and reduce
pharmaceutical residues entering soil and water resources. Management practices are
designed to meet livestock nutritional needs while preventing chemical and biological
contamination of water resources.
Global Food Security
We develop management strategies for cattle, sheep and goat production on terrain not
suitable for cultivated row crops to help diversify food production and directly support
local food production systems. Locally produced livestock can contribute significantly to
food availability and can provide additional sources of meat products for the growing US
and world populations. Also, local sources provide alternative resources of meat should
concentrated livestock production systems in the U.S. become compromised. Our work
with West Virginia University, Clemson University and Virginia Tech shows that
pasture-based livestock meat composition can provide health conscious consumers with a
lower fat and cholesterol product compared to conventionally produced beef.