Field trials, grower networks help agronomist Hunter Frame develop sustainable cropping system solutions

Building on regional and commodity-funded research, Frame secured $2.77 million in national funding to improve fertilizer use, conservation practices, and farm profitability.

By Julie Shlisky

Growers from across Virginia gathered for presentations and equipment demonstrations during the March 20 Soil Fertility Workshop and Cover Crop Field Tour at the Tidewater Agricultural Research and Extension Center. Organized by agronomist Hunter Frame, the annual event provides practical, decision‑making information to help growers optimize crop yields and profitability.

Frame, an associate professor specializing in soil fertility and nutrient cycling, partners with researchers across the region and receives funding from the  National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research, USDA‑NIFA, Virginia commodity boards, industry partners, and other competitive grants to advance soil conservation strategies such as cover cropping.

Cover crops, planted between traditional cash crops, prevent erosion, add nutrients to the soil, and improve moisture retention. Planting directly into the residue cover crops leave behind means tilling isn’t needed — saving fuel and labor. The residue layer slows evaporation and improves drought resilience, allowing crops to withstand longer periods without rain.

“In Virginia’s mostly non‑irrigated cropping systems, improving water management, nutrient balance, and erosion control is essential for profitability now and for long‑term sustainability,” Frame said.

For nearly 14 years, Frame’s research has focused on soil conservation — from enhanced‑efficiency fertilizers and soil nutrient monitoring techniques to evaluating cover cropping systems and fertilizer needs in cotton, corn, and other crops common across the state. Ongoing projects supported by the Virginia Corn Board and NFWF aim to improve technologies that estimate how cover crops contribute nitrogen to the soil.

With support from the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research, Frame is evaluating specific cover cropping techniques in corn, cotton, soybeans, and peanuts alongside Tidewater’s Carrie Ortel and researchers at Auburn University and Texas A&M University. More accurate estimates of nitrogen contributions will help growers reduce fertilizer inputs strategically. The findings also inform Virginia’s cover crop cost‑share policies, a statewide incentive program supporting conservation practices.

In Essex County, Bob Waring, a senior agricultural conservation specialist, administers the Virginia cost‑share program with the Department of Conservation and Recreation, enrolling and training farmers on cover‑crop benefits and best practices. Frame’s work, he said, shapes best management practices that get put on the ground, and we’re better prepared to make decisions on future practices.

Frame was recently awarded a $1.8 million restoration grant from NFWF and the Environmental Protection Agency to reduce fertilizer applications by expanding the use of nitrogen‑sensing, decision‑making tools. The project applies an on‑farm support tool developed by Pennsylvania State University and aims to enroll 60,000 acres in Virginia’s Chesapeake Bay watershed by the project’s end. Using remote sensing, the tool estimates nutrients cycled back into the soil and helps growers determine how much nitrogen fertilizer is needed.

Reducing fertilizer use lessens farmers’ expenses and decreases nitrogen pollution entering the Chesapeake Bay. The project contributes to broader goals to reduce annual pollution by 1 million pounds of nitrogen, 67,000 pounds of phosphorus, and more than 78 million pounds of sediment.

Frame’s long-standing reputation as a trusted partner to local growers strengthens the impact of his research. Through his USDA‑NIFA Hatch‑funded work, he leads the Cotton Variety Testing Program, which evaluates up to 50 commercial and experimental cotton varieties grown in small replicated plots as well as on-farm trials in real production conditions across Virginia.

By measuring cotton yield, quality, and varietal stability, the program provides growers with seed‑selection insights they need to stay competitive and sustainable. Cotton covers more than 70,000 acres in Virginia and generates about $53 million annually; poor seed choices can reduce returns by as much as $12 million.

Clay Lowe, who grows cotton on his family operation at Cedar Point Farm, participates in the variety testing program and hosts on‑farm cover‑crop research plots. He said he values the academic perspective.

“Hunter took samples from unfertilized strips with leguminous cover crops and provided data on nutrient content,” he said. “We could see we were maintaining, and in some cases outperforming, a typical synthetically fertilized program. It was eye‑opening.”

Although cover crop seed and early establishment require investment, fertilizer represents 25–30 percent of cotton input costs.

“At least half of my operation’s 600 cotton acres have cover crops established, so they don’t need nearly as much synthetic fertilizer,” Lowe said. “Input prices are so high, if we can use nature to fertilize, why not do that?”

Frame’s network of growers has seen firsthand how data‑driven guidance can strengthen profitability. These relationships, rooted in trust and shared goals, give him early insight into emerging field challenges. Combined with rigorous research methods and extensive on‑farm collaboration, those insights help keep Virginia’s cropping systems productive, competitive, and resilient.

To learn more about this story, contact Julie Shlisky at juliesb@vt.edu.