New Crop Opportunities Center, Phase II

The overall objective of this project is to develop, demonstrate and assist in the adoption of more profitable production and marketing systems for selected horticultural crops and speciality grains. There are many horticultural and agronomic crop opportunities for Kentucky farmers for which a significant amount of information is available. To assist in the compilation and distribution of this information, a physical and virtual New Crop Opportunities Center has been developed. The primary audience for information delivered through this Center is Cooperative Extension Agents, and ultimately, the farm family. There are many other horticultural crops for which we lack detailed production and marketing protocols for Kentucky farming systems. There are also opportunities for the development of specialized grains targeted for specific markets that offer a premium for desired characteristics. A portion of the Center's funds wiII continue to be focused on applied research to develop protocols for the profitable production and marketing of selected horticultural crops and speciality grains.