If you would like to receive a copy, please e-mail me at:
<bjdidric@facstaff.wisc.edu>
This is not an electronic newsletter - it's the old fashioned kind that
comes in the mail, so please include your mailing address!!
Articles include:
*No Rest for the Righteous - Appropriations FY97 is Upon Us!/Margaret Krome
As the appropriations cycle begins for Fiscal Year '97, a surprised
Congress is totally aware that the SA community nationwide is a force to be
reckoned with...
*A Farmer's Perspective on Farming Systems Research/Ron Rosmann
Progress can be made for a more sustainable agriculture by identifying the
skills, knowledge and practices needed to make a particular farming system
work. The farmer and the researcher each need to work on farming systems
research so that areas of improvement and further inquiry can be made.
*C.I.A.S. and Multidisciplinary Research/Jennifer Bronsdon
Since 1989, the Center for Integrated Ag Systems has brought together
University faculty, farmers, policy makers and others to study relationships
among farming practices, profitability, the environment and the rural economy.
*Fund for Rural America/Chuck Hassebrook
The '96 farm bill creates the Fund for Rural America. The fund has a
mandatory spending authority of $100 million yearly ('97-'99) for research,
education and rural evelopment initiatives.
*House Ag Research Hearings/Juli Baker
House Ag Subcommittee for Resource Conservation, Research and Forestry
opened hearings focused on research priority-setting, partricularly
advisory mechanisms.
*Regional SA Working Groups Meet to Discuss SARE/Liz Higgins
Five regional SAWGs met in Washington, DC to discuss concerns about the USDA
SARE program. The objective of the meeting was to develop consensus on
needed improvements.
Three articles on Assessing Precision Farming:
1. Where Do You Stand on SITS?/Steve Ventura
2. Social and Economic Issues Related to Precision Farming/Tracy Hewitt &
Katherine R. Smith
3. Commentary: The Idea of Precise Farming/Sam Alessi, USDA-ARS
C-FAR into the future of agriculture/Renee Robinson
The Illinois Council on Food and Ag Research C-FAR is building a broad
base of interests advocating for an increase in state ag research funding.
Read more about C-FAR in this issue.
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Elizabeth Bird, Organization & Development Director
Consortium for Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education
c/o CIAS 1450 Linden Dr. Rm. 146
Madison, WI 53706
(608)265-6483 (608)265-3020 fax
email: eabird@facstaff.wisc.edu