[OKC] FW: New Reports Out for OK Gardeners and Farmers

[Shauna Lawyer Struby]

FYI .

 

From: Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture, Inc.
[mailto:mailbox at kerrcenter.com] 
Sent: Thursday, March 18, 2010 2:00 PM




PRESS RELEASE    March 17, 2010


Kerr Center, PO Box 588, Poteau, OK 74953 918.647.9123 

Kerr Center is a non-profit educational foundation.

Contact:  <mailto:oklsa at pldi.net>  Maura McDermott, 918.474.3584 or
mauramcdermot.kerrcenter at ecewb.com 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   USE UNTIL May 31

ATTENTION: GARDEN EDITOR or AGRICULTURE/ BUSINESS EDITOR

 


Saving Seeds: New Reports Out for OK Gardeners and Farmers 


 

Some people put their family heirlooms in the attic.  Others keep them out
in the garden - heirloom crop varieties, that is.

 

Older "heirloom" crop varieties are beginning to make a comeback.  

 

Two new reports detail the performance of heirloom squash and tomatoes at
the Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture, a nonprofit educational
foundation in Poteau.

 

During the 2009 growing season, the Kerr Center tested 14 heirloom varieties
of squash, and 16 of tomatoes.

 

The squash trial rated varieties for yield and date of first harvest, and
the report details several other characteristics.  

 

One can easily be overwhelmed with summer squash," wrote George Kuepper, who
directed the trials.  "Total yield may not be nearly as important as taste,
marketability, or other characteristics."

 

Results reported from the tomato trial include yield, date of first harvest,
and marketability, along with comments on best use and other aspects.

 

"From a commercial perspective, the best performing varieties were not only
those with high yields, but also those with high marketing percentages
(reduced cracking and insect damage)," Kuepper observed.

 

"Historical value and novelty are not the only reasons to take an interest
in heirloom varieties," says George Kuepper of the Kerr Center.

 

The rich genetic heritage of heirloom varieties preserves traits that let
them flourish in an age before widespread fertilizer, pesticides, and
irrigation.  

 

Another plus: since they are neither hybridized nor genetically engineered,
anyone can save their seed to plant again in the next season.

 

The reports are available free from the Kerr Center website,
www.kerrcenter.com <http://www.kerrcenter.com/> , along with others on the
2008 trials of heirloom okra and sorghum, and a general report on the
importance of heirloom variety preservation.  

 

Further heirloom variety trials are underway for 2010.

 

For more information call the Kerr Center at 918.647.9123 or visit
www.kerrcenter.com <http://www.kerrcenter.com/> . The site offers free
downloads of these and many other publications on various topics in
sustainable agriculture.

 

 

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