In 1996, more than 72,000 acres of vegetables were produced in Alabama. This number has been steadily increasing since the mid-1980s. Growers and county agents requested information on which vegetable varieties performed well in Alabama. To support a growing vegetable industry, Auburn Univ. committed itself to developing an extensive vegetable variety trial (VVT) program focusing on rapid dissemination of results. Presently, replicated trials are held at nine experiment stations, each representing a unique growing environment. The VVTs are divided into a spring and fall section. The spring trials evaluate spring/summer planted crops such as tomato, peppers, watermelon, sweetpotato, eggplant, southernpea, lettuce, melons, cucumber, summer squash, and others. Fall trials examine cole crops, winter squash, pumpkin, and other late-summer/fall-planted crops. Turn around time from final harvest of the final crop to placing the report in the county agent's or grower's hands is 2 to 3 months. Good support is received from industry through financial contributions and/or materials. More than 3000 copies of the spring and fall VVT reports are distributed annually at field days, statewide and county meetings, and in direct mailings. Other research projects, such as projects on nutritional composition of vegetables, postharvest quality, and consumer acceptance, have been supported by materials from the VVT program. Without overwhelming support and commitment from the State of Alabama, Auburn Univ., grower organizations, and industry, the VVT program would not be the success that it is today providing timely and needed information to strengthen the growing vegetable industry in Alabama.
An Evaluation of Cost of Production Information Usage by County Agents
