Michael Bomford, PhD,
Adjunct Assistant Professor

My research interest is the development of sustainable agriculture systems suited to small organic farms. I try to evaluate such systems according to their ability to foster local resource cycling, promote ecological balance, and conserve biodiversity. This emphasis on environmental stewardship is complimented by a recognition that systems must be economically profitable and socially responsible to be truly sustainable.

My current projects include:

1. An examination of the effects of farm scale on land, labor, and energy use efficiency.
2. Tests of organically-acceptable methods of controlling Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, a fungal disease that thrives in cool, moist conditions and attacks more than 130 vegetable crops. The disease is a particular problem for the growing number of Kentucky farms producing winter vegetables in solar heated greenhouses, called high tunnels.
3. An evaluation of the sustainability of bioethanol production from multi-function feedstock crops.
4. An evaluation of the effectiveness and sustainability of organic weed management tactics.

Learn more about these, and other projects at the website of Kentucky State University’s Organic Agriculture Working Group (http://organic.kysu.edu).