Rhoda Burrows

Title

Professor and SDSU Extension Horticulture Specialist

Office Building

Off-Campus

Mailing Address

SDSU Extension West River Ag Center
711 N Creek Dr
Rapid City, SD 57703

CV

Education

• A.A in liberal arts | Golden Valley Lutheran College | 1979
• B.S. in horticulture science | Montana State University | 1983
• M.S. in horticulture science | University of Minnesota - St. Paul | 1987
• Ph.D. in plant pathology | University of Minnesota - St. Paul | 2001

Academic Interests

• Sustainable horticultural crop production
• Soil microbe interactions with horticultural crops
• Farm food safety / FSMA 
• Vegetable production
• Fruit production
• Viticulture

Academic Responsibilities

• Support fruit and vegetable growers in South Dakota, with a strong focus on small-scale and beginning growers.
• Develop educational materials, workshops, etc.
• Partner with other organizations, such as the South Dakota Specialty Producer Association, to deliver programming to producers across the state.

Committees and Professional Memberships

• American Society for Horticultural Science
• South Dakota Specialty Producers Association

Extension Responsibilities

• Provide support commercial fruit and vegetable production and marketing in South Dakota.
• Organize production and food safety workshops and obtain funding for educational and research publications and programs.
• collaborate with regional and national extension efforts.
• Co-coordinator for South Dakota SARE program.
• Assisting with Master Gardener training and utilization.
• Assisting with Native American gardening programs.
• Collaborate closely with South Dakota Specialty Producers Association.  

Awards and Honors

• John Robertson Memorial Award in Horticulture, South Dakota
• Gamma Sigma Delta Extension Award
• Phi Kappa Phi

Grants

• “Strategy for Successful Implementation of FSMA in the North Central Region through Adoption of a Systems Approach and Stakeholder Engagement Framework.” Iowa State Univ., NIH- FDA, 2016- 2019, $950,000. SD Subaward, $24,000.
• Burrows, R. and Hegerfeld-Baker, J. “Food Safety Training Program for Specialty Growers.” SDDA/USDA Specialty Crop Block grant, 2015-2018, $46,126.
• Burrows, R. “Use of Conservation Strips for Increasing Beneficial Insects and Decreasing Plant Pests in Pumpkin Plantings.” SDDA/USDA Specialty Crop Block grant, 2014-2016, $16,225.
• “Adding to the Harvest – Reducing the Risk of Unsafe Food Handling Practices while enhancing the marketability of specialty crops.” SD Dept Ag/USDA Specialty Crops Block Grant, 2012-2015, $49,791.
• Burke, S., Burrows, R., Gilbert, M., Lindval, R. and Schoch, J. “Healthy Food, Healthy Communities: Educating towards food sovereignty on Cheyenne River, Pine Ridge and Rosebud Reservations.” USDA-BFRDP, 2014-2017, $657,401.
• “Northern Grapes: Integrating viticulture, winemaking, and marketing of new cold-hardy cultivars supporting new and growing rural wineries.”  USDA-NIFA, 2011-2013, 2014-2016, $2.5 million, $2.6 million.
• Burrows, R. “GAP (Good Agricultural Practices) Training.” SDDA/USDA Specialty Crops Block Grant, 2011-2013, $11,306.
• “High Tunnels: A Demonstration and education project for South Dakota Growers.” SDDA/USDA Specialty Crops Block Grant Program, 2008-2011, $11,484.
• “Evaluating Native Fruits for Commercial Production in South Dakota.” SD Department of Agriculture Specialty Crops Block Grant Program, 2008-2010, $15,000.
• “Identifying priorities for regional Integrated Pest Management consumer horticulture outreach.” Consumer Horticulture Working Group, North-Central IPM Center, 2008, $30,000.
• Burrows, R., Fennell, A., Stubbels, R. and Tosterud, R. “Entrepreneurship, Production and Agritourism in Horticulture Specialty Crops.”  SD Dept. of Ag. Specialty Crop/Agriculture Promotion Grant, 2002, $15,000.

Work Experience

• 2001-present, Extension specialist and assistant professor, Horticulture, Forestry and LA Department, South Dakota State University
• 1996-2001, graduate research assistant, Plant Pathology Department, University of Minnesota
• 1994-1996, research technologist tree fruit research and Extension Center, Washington State University
• 1991-1994, research associate, Plant and Soil Science Department, Montana State University
• 1990-1991, research assistant, Department of Agricultural Sciences, Tennessee State University
• 1988-1990, research fellow, Department of Horticulture, University of Minnesota

Areas of Research

• Grape production