Dawson receives NCR-SARE Grant

MADISON, Wis. — Julie Dawson, University of Wisconsin-Madison/Extension has recently been recommended for funding for a $199,866 grant from the North Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (NCR-SARE) for the project “Tomato variety trials for flavor, quality and agronomic performance, to increase high-value direct marketing opportunities for farmers and on-farm trialing capacity”.

“This project will use participatory research methods to evaluate tomato varieties for agronomic traits, disease resistance, flavor and quality for local and regional markets in the NCR. Variety trials will be conducted on six participating farms and at two research stations. Tomato varieties will be evaluated for flavor and quality by a panel of chefs, farmers and selected consumers. An online database enabling farmers, chefs and researchers to easily exchange observations and data will be developed. This project will create a variety trialing and quality evaluation network that will also be used for other crops,” said Dawson.