50+ Years A Statewide Mission

Research at BRECBreeding, Physiology, and Plant Protection

What’s New?Rainout Shelters

Rainout ShelterThe Water Stressed Corn in the Front

New Planting Technology

Pacific White Shrimp In A Zero Discharge system

Pacific White Shrimp-from Larva to

harvest in 90 days

Freshwater Prawns (Shrimp)

Fresh Water PrawnsIn 120 Days

Research-Cover Crops/Soil Health/Sustainability

Why Are We Looking At Cover Crops?

Many Reasons-one is Soil Organic Matter

Importance of Soil Organic Matter (SOM)

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Kristen Veum and Robert Kremer

What is Soil Organic Matter?

SOM is derived from– Plant residue (both

litter and roots)– Animal remains and

excreta– Living soil microbes

(microbial biomass) Over time fresh

organic material is transformed into soil organic matter

Crop ResiduesCrop Residues

BacteriaBacteria

FungiFungiActinobacteriaActinobacteria

SOMSOM

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Soil Life (macro)Help create soil structure and break down larger plant residues

• Earthworms• Nematodes• Beetles• Ants• Termites• Springtails

One tablespoon of soil has approximately 1 billion soil microbes:• Bacteria: 3,000,000 to 500,000,000• Actinobacteria: 1,000,000 to 20,000,000• Fungi: 5,000 to 1,000,000• Yeast: 1,000 to 1,000,000• Protozoa: 1,000 to 500,000• Algae: 1,000 to 500,000• Nematodes: 10 to 5,000

Soil Life (micro)

This is the mass equivalent of two cows per acre that need to be fed

Soil organisms are much like cows, they need inputs of plant residues for food and energy

Specifically, they need the carbon that is contained in plant residue and soil organic matter

Cover Crops in Winter-Something Green and Growing Year Around And Feeds The Soil Biology

What Destroys Organic Matter? Tilling! Whether It Is a Plow or a Field Cultivator

Loss of Organic Matter– Soil structure– Soil microbial biomass

Release of CO2

Soil Erosion

Why Till?– Weed Control

Tilled VS No-Till-We Have Destroyed Much of Our Soil Structure

Long Term PastureTilled in a Corn/Soybean/Wheat Rotation

Loss of Organic Matter and Loss of Soil Structure

Cover Crops in 2014-Oats and Legumes

Cover Crops For Vegetables and Wildlife

Grow a Cover Crop And Use it For a Mulch

Cover Crops-LegumesCrimson Clover

Austrian Winter Peas

Cover Crops-Cereals

Cereal Rye

Oats

Radish

FallSpring

Tillage Radish-Small Roots Go Down Deep!

Cover Crops-Other

Cowpea Buckwheat

How Do You Terminate Them?

Mow Them

Roll Them

Let the Winter Kill Them

Plow?

Sorghum x Sudan In Between Rows of Tomatoes-Can Help Control Weeds

Sorghum X Sudan Can Be Mowed Back and It Will Regrow. Returning Biomass (Shoot and Root) To

The Soil

Pollinators/Diversity Using Natives and Cover Crops

Field Days, Clinics and Workshops

Hail School Native Plant Field Day Weed/IPM Field Day Crop Injury and Diagnostic

Clinic Integrating Bob White

Quail in Agriculture Tomato Festival FFA Field Day Numerous Septic Systems

Installation and Inspections

10 Years Ago Only Targeting the Grain

FarmerHow Do We Reach Out to

Those Who Are Not Traditionally Our

Audience?

Modern Agriculture, Conservation and Wildlife on

the Same Page

Quail Harvested in Illinois

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Native Plant Gardens

Formal and Rain Gardens

Shade Garden

Glade

What Does Everyone Like That We Can Really Promote?

Tomato Festival-150 Different Tomato Varieties

Tomato FestivalTasting As Well As Information

Tomato Festival-Tasting Tomatoes and Peppers

Salsa and More, Chef Competition

In the Tomato Patch To Ask Questions and Get a First Hand Look

Sweet Corn-What’s Your Favorite?

Just For Fun!Sweet Corn and Melon Tasting

Educational Events and Demonstrations

Gene Zoo

Biofuel Garden

Day Lilly Demonstration From Local Hybridizers

Passive Solar Greenhouse

Educational Activities

Undergraduate Education

Ag Education Field Day (FFA) Field Day-High School

Fistulated Cow is the Favorite!!

Numerous School Groups-Show Them Where Their Food Comes

From

Afterward School Groups Enjoy Corn Maze and Pumpkins

Fulton School For the Deaf

Partners In Education-Fishing Day

The Bradford Amaizing Race

Community

Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts

McCambridge House

Big Brothers/Big Sisters

Breast Cancer Awareness

Donations to the Mid Missouri Food Bank

Vegetable Research and Campus Dining

Campus Dining-A Survey

Each student through out 4.5 oz of food each meal

250 tons/year!

400 big round bales!

What If We Could Make Compost Out Of the Food Waste?

Food Waste Horse Bedding

MU’s Campus Dining halls generate 3,000+ gallons of

Waste Vegetable Oil annually. This WVO will be

converted into biodiesel.

An estimated 40% of all food produced in the country is discarded, according to a new federal report. Each day, every person in the U.S. puts about 1,400 calories worth of food in the garbage, according to researchers at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). Food waste has increased 50% since previous estimates were made in 1974, and now totals some 150 trillion calories per year. SOURCE: CALIFORNIA EMERGENCY FOODLINK

Zero Carbon Footprint Vegetable & Compost Production SystemUniversity of Missouri Bradford Research & Education Center & MU Campus Dining

Tim Reinbott, BREC Superintendent; Eric Cartwright, MU Campus Dining; Steven Kirk, MU Division of Plant Sciences

Several large-scale composting methods exist. These include: Windrow, Aerated Windrow, Aerated Static Pile, In-Vessel, Containerized In-Vessel, Rotating Drum and Bag Systems. Variables include: cost, compost consistency, time, labor and area requirements.

The University of Missouri Animal Sciences and Veterinary Medicine produce 1500 tons of manure and bedding material each year. MU’s Campus Dining produces 270 tons of food waste annually.

BREC can serve as a model for similar institutions by providing a working example for alternative waste management. Food waste from Campus Dining will be collected and taken to BREC, mixed with animal manures and beddings as needed to balance any nitrogen or carbon requirements, and composted to create the optimum soil amendment to be used to grow produce that will then be sold back to Campus Dining completing the circle. In addition to the compost utilized by horticultural researchers and students to grow vegetables, excess compost can be applied to larger fields such as sweet corn, pumpkins, melons and other crops, as well as be used as a soil amendment by MU’s Landscape Services and the Mizzou Botanical Garden.

There is a growing interest in locally produced food by the general public and in our school systems. This proposed system is the

essence of Community Development, and can serve as a model of how food waste from any type of cafeteria (school, business,

institutional) can be utilized to produce a valuable commodity. Similar systems could be used to provide schools with a healthy source of

locally grown food, and provide vegetable producers with a creative way to convert so called waste materials into assets to sell at local

farmers markets and to the general public. The cost/benefits realized from not sending materials to the landfill could be substantial.

Biodiesel will power the trucks, tractors & equipment used for vegetable production as well as pick-up and delivery of food waist and produce to and from campus. Carbon Credits will be used to off-set any other energy needs for this project.

Compost Facility-$35,000 Mid Missouri Solid Waste District and $35,000 from Campus Dining

Composting Operation-Food Waste

MU Students Growing Vegetables to Take to Campus Dining

First Produce of the Year

Completing the Circle

Compostable Tableware Welcome Back Bash!

Let’s Make It Green!

Campus Dining Goes Through 3,000 gallons of Waste Vegetable Oil Each Year!

Make It Into Biodiesel!$10,000 Missouri Soybean Association

50 gallons every 48 hours

By product Glycerol which contains methanol

Challenge to remove the methanol, then the Glycerin can be– Composted– Burned– Animal feed– Made into soap

Biodiesel

Questions? Comments?

http://aes.missouri.edu/bradford