CSES Faculty

CSES Engagement (Extension & Outreach)

CSES is committed to the land grant mission, and thus to bringing the most recent research to where it is needed most. The term "engagement" has been used in recent years to emphasize that this is not a one-way discussion. It is our desire to work with others to address a wide range problems, and to work together to develop essential research, adapt that research to local conditions, and to overcome barriers which prevent its ultimate adoption as a good agricultural practice (or best management practice- BMP).

Focus Areas (UNDER CONSTRUCTION)

Agoecology of Virginia Crops

Within this area, the focus in on producing crops in a sustainable manner. This includes economic, quality, and environmental practices which add value to the enviroment, and the ecosystem service(s) we as a society derive from a human altered landscape. Although major crops are listed the emphasis of our programs is increasingly directed at cropping systems, a means of increasing temporal diversity. few crops are grown

  • Corn and Small Grains

    This program focuses on corn, wheat, and barley production, with an emphasis on cropping systems, value added production, and quality.

    • Hulless Barley

      The impact of hulless barley production in the Mid-Atlantic on the animal feeding industries could be significant because hulless barley is a more energy dense grain than hulled barley. Swine feeding trials indicate that the feed value of hulless barley is near that for corn (based on gain), making it a locally grown best-cost ration additive that could save these industries $0.05 per bushel or more depending on the cost of other ingredients. Work with poultry has also shown favorable results with feed consumption and feed efficiency equal to or greater than, corn. Barley is typically harvested earlier than wheat allowing double-crop soybeans to be planted earlier, increasing soybean yields. The potential impact of high level hulless barley production on the agricultural economy in Virginia is well over five million dollars annually.

    • Bread Wheats in Virginia

      Over 55 million people live in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. This population desires processed grain products such as bread and dough products. Because the market exists for bread wheat and because it is usually of higher value than soft wheat ($0.40 per bushel or more), growers are interested in using adapted varieties and developing agronomic techniques to grow bread wheat in the Mid-Atlantic region. Millers in the Mid-Atlantic are also interested because transportation costs, and thus total cost, would be greatly reduced for grain produced in this region. If, for example, Virginia’s 2007 wheat crop (12.0 million bushels) had a value added price of $0.40 more per bushel, the result would be $4.8 million in additional annual revenue to producers and, using the multiplier from the 1997 report The Economic Impact of Agriculture and Ag-Related Industries on the Commonwealth of Virginia, would annually be worth $14.4 million to the economy of Virginia.

    • Cultivar Selection

      This program provides timely variety evaluation and selection criteria to farmers and the agriculture industry in Virginia and surrounding states. Overall the selection of high performing cultivars improves the profitability of grain farming in Virginia. Adoption of new cultivars with greater resistance to disease and other biotic and abiotic stresses reduces overall risk to farmers.

  • Cotton

    Area Description

      Dr. Joel Faircloth
      Cotton/Peanut Specialist
      Phone: (757) 657-6450 Ext. 409
      Fax: (757) 657-9333
      email:
      Tidewater AREC
      6321 Holland Road
      Suffolk, VA 23437
      Website
  • Peanut

    Area Description

      Dr. Joel Faircloth
      Peanut/Cotton Specialist
      Phone: (757) 657-6450 Ext. 409
      Fax: (757) 657-9333
      email
      Tidewater AREC
      6321 Holland Road
      Suffolk, VA 23437
      Website
  • Soybean

    Area Description

      Dr. David Holshouser
      Associate Professor and Extension Soybean Specialist
      Phone: 757-657-6450 ext. 412
      Fax: 757-657-9333
      email
      Tidewater AREC
      6321 Holland Road
      Suffolk, VA 23437
      Website
  • Tobacco

    Area Description

    • David Reed
      Blackstone, VA
      Tobacco Information
  • Soil and Nutrient Management for Agroecosystems

    Area Description

Turf Ecology and Management

The focus of this area is on ecosystem services found associated with intensive recreational uses by man. Emphasis areas include environments such as golf courses, sports turf, commercial and institutional landscapes, roadside vegetation, and homesites.

  • Urban Nutrient Management

    Program Description

Grassland Ecology and Management

Soil and Water Quality

  • Nutrient Management
  • Biosolids
  • Nutrient Criteria in Lakes, Streams and other surface waters
  • Microbial Source Tracking

Land Reclamation

  • Mined Lands - Mineral Sands
  • Mined Lands - Coal

Crop & Soil Environmental Sciences
330 Smyth Hall (0404)
Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University
Blacksburg, VA 24061
540-231.6305 (V)
540.231.3431 (F)
cses@vt.edu