COLUMBUS, Ohio — Scientists at The Ohio State University have received a four-year, $896,000 USDA grant to study the feasibility of incorporating “naked oats” into organic farming rotations as a way to cut the cost of producing organic chicken.

The naked oats – so named for their lack of an outer hull, compared to conventional oats – have a unique protein and amino acid balance. They will be tested in the diets of pasture-raised organic broiler chickens. The chickens will be considered part of the crop rotation within a given year, where they will serve as both a product to sell and a source of manure to enhance soil fertility.

“What we’re hoping for is that in four years we’ll be able to offer a cost-effective crop rotation alternative to organic producers, one that produces a quality organic product but decreases the cost of production,” said Mike Lilburn, an animal sciences professor at the OSU Agricultural Research and Development Center.

“Our goal of this study will be to develop a way to reduce the cost of organic chicken feed by growing the cereal portion of the birds’ diet on the farm, thus making it more effective to raise and sell organic chicken.”

Lilburn added that selling naked oats to other organic poultry producers or for use in high-value organic foods such as granola could be other options for farmers.

“Naked oats are higher in protein than conventional oats and have an amino acid profile that may reduce the proportion of high-cost, high-protein supplements that are currently needed to produce balanced organic diets,” he said. “If our hypothesis is correct and naked oats can be used at up to 70 to 80 percent of the diet for pasture-raised broilers, this becomes a new option for organic producers.”

According to Lilburn, the cost of organic chicken feed, which is typically bought off the farm, is a limiting factor in expanding organic poultry production. Organic farmers often sell their chickens only as pasture-raised rather than certified organic due to the high cost of organic feed.

That cost, he added, can make the birds too expensive to produce, even if sold at a premium price. Pasture-raised chickens don’t require organic feed but still get a premium price.

The birds will be kept in portable pens, or chicken tractors, with spelt and red clover as the other crops in the rotation.

In the study’s second year, three area farms will join the project to test the diets and rotations under real-world conditions. The farms will raise two cycles of organic broilers in the second year, then two cycles of heritage-strain broilers in the third year, with a further aim being to compare the different strains’ carcass characteristics and length of time to reach market size – which is typically six pounds.

When ready, each year’s findings will be shared with farmers through the eOrganic online Community of Practice, hosted by the national extension network and through workshops organized by such groups as the Small Farm Institute and the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Assoc.

The grant comes through the Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative program of USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Last fall, the USDA announced this and 22 other grants totaling $19 million, all designed to advance organic farming.

“As more and more farmers adopt organic agriculture practices, they need the best science available to operate profitable and successful organic farms,” Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan said in a statement. “These research and extension projects will give producers the tools and resources to produce quality organic food and boost farm income.”

According to T.R. Stanton of the USDA, this hulless oat is “without a doubt the proverbial black sheep of the cultivated oat family.

“The origin of the naked oats is not known, though they appear to have come from central and eastern Asia,” Stanton said. “This type of oats was grown in England as early as the middle of the 16th century. Its appearance is attractive, but it’s been short on performance.”

Lilburn’s research hopes to prove otherwise.