ATTRA Question of the Week

T.G.
Wisconsin

Answer:
Thank you for calling ATTRA to request information about elderberry production.

Elderberry, Sambucas Canadensis, is a native plant throughout much of the U.S. The fruit and flowers are edible, and are traditionally used for making wines, jams, syrups, and natural food colorings. The fruit is currently receiving increased attention because of its antioxidant and antiviral activity. At the 2010 Missouri Small Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Conference, researchers and growers extolled the virtues of elderberries.

Terry Durham, a Missouri grower, has planted at least 17 acres to elderberries; the juice is sold in 11-ounce bottles priced at $15 per bottle. The Missouri River Hills Elderberry Producers Cooperative will host a conference and farm tour on June 17 and 19, 2010 at the Carver Center, Jefferson City, Missouri, and Eridu Farms, near Hartsburg. Call 573-999-3034 or check the website www.elderberrylife.com for details.

Other resources provide information on propagation, planting, pruning, fertilization and irrigation, weed control, and harvest. The bulletin Growing Currants, Gooseberries, and Elderberries in Wisconsin should be available through your local University of Wisconsin Extension office. You can also access it online at: http://learningstore.uwex.edu/assets/pdfs/A1960.PDF

Birds can be a significant problem on all small fruits. (Cardinals, brown thrashers, and mockingbirds stripped the fruit on the one elderberry shrub that volunteered in my market garden; maybe it was planted by the same birds?) Netting may be an effective tactic for saving the berries for your own harvest.

As with any perennial crop, it is best to eliminate as many weeds as possible before you plant elderberries. This can be done through cover cropping before planting, and mulching the shrubs annually after planting. Mulching also helps to keep the soil cool and moist during the typically dryer and hotter months of summer.

Resources:
Anon. 2009. Minor Fruits: Elderberries, Sambucus spp. Cornell University Department of Horticulture. 2 p. Online at: http://www.fruit.cornell.edu/mfruit/elderberries.html.

Byers, Patrick, and Andrew Thomas. No date. Elderberry Research and Production in Missouri. University of Missouri Cooperative Extension and Southwest Research and Education Center. 5 p. http://www.fruit.cornell.edu/Berries/specialtyfru%20pdf/elderberrymissouri.pdf

Byers, Patrick, and Andrew Thomas. 2009. Elderberry: Culture and Potential in Missouri. Microsoft PowerPoint presentation at Small Fruit and Vegetable Growers Conference. 7 p. Online at: http://mtngrv.missouristate.edu/assets/commercial/ByersandThomas.pdf

Durham, Terry. 2010. Elderberrylife newsletter. 2 p. Online at: http://elderberrylife.com/lettercurr.html

Roper, Teryl R., Daniel L. Mahr, and Patricia S. McManus. 1998. Growing Currants, Gooseberries, and Elderberries in Wisconsin. University of Wisconsin Cooperative Extension. 12 p. Online at: http://learningstore.uwex.edu/assets/pdfs/A1960.PDF

P.J.
Washington

Answer: Thank you for contacting ATTRA for information on energy efficiency measures for dairy farms. In Appendix 2 of NCAT's report "Farm Energy Audits: Availability, Usefulness, and Cost"(Audit Program Profiles), we asked several agricultural energy efficiency programs "What are the most common energy-saving measures included in your recommendations?" The following three answers were directly relevant to dairies:

1. Alliant Energy said, "Vacuum pumps, transfer systems, compressors, water heaters."
2. Efficiency Vermont said, "Plate coolers, variable frequency drives on milk vacuum pumps, electric heat or hot water fuel switches, lighting, variable speed drives on milk-transfer systems, heat recovery units."
3. Focus on Energy said, Plate coolers, VSD vacuum pumps, refrigeration system heat recovery, and commercial liquid propane and natural water heating systems.

I also highly recommend Scott Sanford's article:
Capturing Energy Savings on Dairy Farms : www.aceee.org/conf/af05/05agsanfordIc.pdf

Obviously no two farms are alike. But based on my conversations with experts, I'd go out on a limb and say the top three energy efficiency technologies are probably refrigeration system heat recovery, well water pre-coolers (plate coolers), and variable-speed vacuum pumps.

Lighting improvements also often have very short paybacks. And simple maintenance (e.g. cleaning fans, louvers, and condensers) can save surprisingly large amounts of energy with little or no capital cost.

Scroll compressors, variable-speed milk pumps, and high-volume-low-speed fans are often well worth doing, but tend to have somewhat longer paybacks.

Also see ATTRA's Dairy Energy Efficiency Resources publication.