The Center for Sustainable Agricultural Systems (CSAS) in the Institute of
Agriculture and Natural Resources (IANR) at the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) is an interdisciplinary center formed in 1991 for the
purpose of bringing together people and resources to promote an agriculture
that is efficient, competitive, profitable, environmentally and socially
sustainable for the indefinite future. The electronic version of this
bimonthly newsletter is sent to SANET and PENPages 10-14 days before those
on our mailing list receive their hard copy. The newsletters are also
available along with other sustainable ag information on our World Wide Web
page: http://ianrwww.unl.edu/ianr/csas.
Note: The electronic version is not sent to individual e-mail addresses. To
be added to the "hard copy" newsletter mailing list beginning with the next
bimonthly issue (not sent to overseas addresses), or for questions or
comments, contact the newsletter editor, Pam Murray, Coordinator, Center for
Sustainable Agricultural Systems, PO Box 830949, University of Nebraska,
Lincoln, NE 68583-0949, 402-472-2056, fax -4104, e-mail: csas001@unlvm.unl.edu.
* * *
CONTENTS:
NATIONAL ORGANIC PROGRAM PROPOSED RULE
NATIONAL STRATEGY TO ASSIST SMALL FARMS
NORTH CENTRAL REGION SARE OFFERS PRODUCER GRANTS
EDUCATORS INVITED TO ATTEND SARE CELEBRATION
INTEGRATED FARM UPDATE: SMALL GRAIN COVER CROPS IN CROP/LIVESTOCK SYSTEMS
FUTURE FOOD SYSTEMS: IMPLICATIONS FOR NEBRASKA
SYMPOSIUM: PRESERVING FARMLAND, POLICIES AND PRACTICES
RESOURCES
DID YOU KNOW...
COMING EVENTS
* * *
NATIONAL ORGANIC PROGRAM PROPOSED RULE
By now everyone even remotely connected with organic farming knows that in
December USDA published proposed regulations that would govern the USDA's
National Organic Program (see Dec. 16 Federal Register). Comments must be
received by March 16, 1998. Interested persons are invited to submit written
comments to: Eileen S. Stommes, Deputy Administrator, Agricultural Marketing
Service, USDA, Room 4007-S, Ag Stop 0275, PO Box 96456, Washington, DC
20090-6456. Comments also may be sent by fax to 202-690-4632, or via the
Internet through the National Organic Program homepage at
http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop (text of proposed rule is at this site). Other
sites having pages containing information, analysis and commentary on the
proposed rule include:
- Pest Management at the Crossroads, http://www.pmac.net/nosrule.htm
- Organic Farmers Marketing Association, http://web.iquest.net/ofma
- Sustainable Farming Connection, http://sunsite.unc.edu/farming-connection/
There have also been many postings on this topic to the SANET-mg e-mail
group since the proposed rule was published. To access, see the Sustainable
Agriculture Network homepage at
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/san/htdocs/hypermail/ (just browse the message
titles and click on those dealing with the rule).
Side note: As Dr. Margaret Mellon of the Union of Concerned Scientists
points out, a chicken that spent its entire life closed in a building with a
hundred-thousand other chickens, eating genetically-engineered corn and
soybeans that were grown on land fertilized with sewage sludge, and then
irradiated after processing, could be labeled "organic" under the proposed
National Organic Program rules.
NATIONAL STRATEGY TO ASSIST SMALL FARMS
On January 22, 1998 Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman received "A Time To
Act," a report by the 30-member National Commission on Small Farms that
Glickman appointed in July 1997. The report contains 146 recommendations to
improve USDA's service to small and beginning farmers, including credit,
risk management, research, education, rural development, marketing, and
outreach. It is the first time USDA has undertaken an in-depth
examination of the needs of America's small farmers.
Highlights from the report include recommendations to:
- Initiate a new Beginning Farmer Development Program that creates training
and assistance centers for beginning farmers in partnership with
community-based nonprofits, land-grant universities, and the private sector.
This program will provide farm management training and long-term support
through mentoring programs.
- Develop a small farm research initiative that focuses on promoting less
capital intensive technologies and practices to improve the competitiveness
and profitability of small farmers.
- Create an interagency initiative to promote and expand local and regional
food marketing opportunities for the benefit of small farmers, rural
communities, and low-income families in rural and urban areas, including
expanding the use of cooperatives as a business vehicle for small farmers.
- Launch a Small Farm Entrepreneurial Development Initiative to provide
small and beginning farmers with entrepreneurial training, technical
assistance, and priority program funding for the purpose of developing
farmer owned and operated marketing enterprises.
For a copy of the report, check the USDA Web site at
http://www.usda.gov/news/releases/index.htm (see January releases 0024-28
and 0030), or contact Jennifer Yezak Molen, National Commission on Small
Farms, PO Box 2890, Washington, DC 20013, 202-720-0122, smallfarm@usda.gov.
NORTH CENTRAL REGION SARE OFFERS PRODUCER GRANTS
Celebrating a decade of the USDA's Sustainable Agriculture Research and
Education (SARE) program, SARE's North Central Region (NCR) launches 1998 by
offering competitive grants to farmers and ranchers. Producers interested in
researching, demonstrating or educating others about profitable,
environmentally sound, socially responsible agricultural systems are
encouraged to apply to the NCR Producer Grant Program. A total of $225,000
is available for awards of up to $5,000 for individual producers
investigating any sustainable practice or concept, and up to $10,000 for
groups of three or more producers proposing creative marketing projects.
"The Producer Grant Program emphasizes the importance of farmer-driven
research and indigenous knowledge," says Ken Schneider, former
farmer/rancher and NCR SARE's producer grant liaison. "We support innovative
farmers and ranchers looking for ways to overcome obstacles to a sustainable
operation."
Nearly 200 producer projects in the NCR have received grants since 1992.
Projects cover such topics as reducing off-farm inputs, testing
technologies, improving water quality, educating young people or consumers
about agriculture, managing weeds and pests, recycling wastes, and creating
viable markets for sustainable products.
Producers must reside in the NCR: IL, IN, IA, KS, MI, MN, MO, NE, ND, OH,
SD, WI. Applications are due May 1. Funding decisions will be made in
late-June, with funds available in mid-fall of 1998. Call 402-472-7081, fax
402-472-0280, or e-mail sare001@unlvm.unl.edu for an application. You can
also find the application at http://www.sare.org/ncrsare/.
EDUCATORS INVITED TO ATTEND SARE CELEBRATION
The first decade celebration for the Sustainable Agriculture Research and
Education Program will be in Austin, Texas, March 5-7, 1998. Building on a
Decade aims to broaden understanding of sustainable agriculture nationwide,
and to showcase the many efforts of sustainable agriculture advocates
working in the research and extension community, nonprofit sector, and on
farms and ranches.
Two sessions at the conference are especially for educators. On Friday,
March 6, Nancy Grudens Schuck, Cornell University, and Dick Richardson,
University of Texas, will lead small group deliberations on the following
questions:
- Who is your learning audience?
- What are their learning expectations?
- How do you design the learning environment?
- What are your biggest challenges as a learning facilitator?
On Sunday, March 8, Grudens Schuck and Chuck Francis, University of
Nebraska, will summarize the topics from Friday and moderate expanded
discussions. Attendees will give reports on successful learning experiences
and describe curricula, syllabi, and training resources. One of the products
from the sessions will be a draft working document for circulation.
To enrich the formal presentations, the North Central Region will have a
large display highlighting Professional Development Program grants. The
display will include covers of the materials developed to date. Next to the
display will be a poster from the North Central Sustainable Agriculture
Training Program with information from the 1997 workshops, Linking People,
Purpose, and Place: An Ecological Approach to Agriculture.
For information on the conference, see http://www.sare.org/10year/ or
contact Valerie Berton at 301-405-5270, vberton@wam.umd.edu. If you have
items for the North Central Region educational display, contact Heidi Carter
at 402-472-0917, csas007@unlvm.unl.edu.
Submitted by Heidi Carter
INTEGRATED FARM UPDATE: SMALL GRAIN COVER CROPS IN CROP/LIVESTOCK SYSTEMS
Cover crops have potential for several uses in crop and livestock production
systems. Early spring grazing for beef can reduce the need for purchased
protein and energy feeds and reduce labor costs for feeding. Benefits of
nitrogen fixing and improved soil quality with cover crops are well known.
They may also be used for hay, erosion control, and weed suppression.
Experiments on the Integrated Farm at the UNL agricultural research site
have explored cover crops for grazing, as well as their effects on later
crop production. Objectives included learning the following effects of cover
crops:
- Date of over-seeding into soybeans on stand and yield of small grain forages;
- Potential of different winter small grains as spring forages;
- Impact of winter small grains on later crop yields;
- Potentials of cover crops for weed suppression;
- Overseeded cover crops' effect on soil erosion and soil compaction.
In late summer 1994 we overseeded winter wheat, triticale, barley, and rye
at 100 lb/a into two soybean fields on August 26, September 3, and September
13. Spring forage yields were measured the next year, as well as corn and
soybean yields after the small grains. A similar study was planted the next
year following a dry summer, and continuing into a dry fall and winter with
limited snow cover. Best cover crop stands were found when early seeded,
before soybean leaf drop and harvest. Later seeding results in poor stands
due to soybean residue on the surface causing poor seed/soil contact. Winter
wheat and rye had the best forage yields, around 2 tons/a in spring 1995;
only rye survived the dry winter the next year. Corn yields were reduced 63%
(54 to 20 bu/a) and grain sorghum yields 27% (91 to 66 bu/a) in the dry
season of 1995 in plots with cover crops compared to those without.
Apparently the cover crops used available soil water before it could be used
by the summer cereals. In the second year rye produced 1.4 tons/a forage dry
matter, and grain sorghum planted after the rye cover was reduced in yield
by 16% (134 to 113 bu/a) compared to sorghum on land without the prior cover
crop.
In another experiment in 1994 the same winter cover crops were no-till
drilled after corn silage harvest, producing better forage stands and more
consistent yields. Forage yields the next spring were 3.2 (rye), 3.0
(wheat), 2.8 (triticale), and 1.4 tons/a (barley) — higher because of a
cool, wet spring and later harvest. Under irrigation there was no difference
in soybean yields (32 bu/a) between land with cover crops and land without.
Under dryland conditions the control (no cover crop) soybean yields were 29
bu/a, but these were reduced to 23 bu/a (after wheat), 21 bu/a (after
triticale), 17 bu/a (after rye), and 16 bu/a (after barley). There were
minimal differences in weed populations among the cereal forage crops. The
same trial planted in 1995 had lower spring forage yields due to dry soil
conditions and a cool spring; only rye survived the winter with a good
stand, producing 1.3 tons/a of forage dry matter. Winter wheat delayed
pigweed and common water hemp emergence, while barley reduced foxtail
density by 72% compared to a control.
In a third experiment rye was aerial seeded on September 18, 1995 into corn
and soybean strips under pivot irrigation. The field was fall and winter
grazed for corn and soybean residue, and rye forage used for spring grazing.
Rye plant populations were 10% higher in soybean residue than in corn
residue. Cattle stocked at 1.1 hd/a gained an average of 1 lb/day for one
month in April. Bulk density increased 5% following spring grazing in the
wet spring of 1996. Water infiltration rates were only 0.25 in/hr on tracked
areas in grazed plots compared to 2.66 in/hr on ungrazed check plots. With
approximately half the field tracked, this is a substantial reduction in the
ability of the soil to absorb and store rainfall. There was 27% greater
residue cover in the plots overseeded with rye compared to those soybean
areas without rye, an important factor in reducing erosion during the
subsequent summer cropping season. There was no difference in corn yields
(174 bu/a) nor in soybean yields (54 bu/a) following grazed or non-grazed
treatments. Conclusions from these three experiments are:
- Cover crops can be established by overseeding in fall if rainfall or
irrigation are sufficient;
- Seeding into soybean should be done before leaf fall and harvest to get
better stands;
- Rye appears to be the most versatile and consistent of the winter small
grains, with the least winter kill and highest forage production;
- Cover crops often have a negative effect on following summer crops,
particularly in dry years without irrigation;
- Grazing cover crops during spring may provide a month or more of forage,
and will not affect later crop yields; grazing may cause reduction in soil
quality through more compaction and resulting lower water infiltration
potential.
Submitted by Gary Lesoing & Chuck Francis
FUTURE FOOD SYSTEMS: IMPLICATIONS FOR NEBRASKA
Food production needs to at least double over the next generation if we are
going to meet increased demand and reduce undernutrition globally! This
central theme of a January workshop in Lincoln was echoed by several
speakers, who added that poverty is an underlying cause of poor access to
food. The conclusions were that food will be a major issue in the next
century, and that places with a productive land resource will play a major
role in contributing to global food supply.
Dr. Alex McCalla (World Bank, Washington, DC) described food and nutrition
in terms of availability, access, and utilization. He stated that food
sufficiency must be measured at the household level, although national and
international food security is also critical for the future. McCalla
concluded that global food security can be achieved only if (1) we can
develop sustainable production systems that double yields over the next 20
years, (2) we implement national policies that don't discriminate against
agriculture, (3) we invest in practical research, and (4) we remove
distortions in international trade.
Importance of future knowledge resources was stressed by Dr. Pierre Crosson
(Resources for the Future, Washington, DC). He said new lands and more
irrigation will make negligible contributions to increased productivity. New
information and knowledge will be embodied in people, in technologies, and
in institutions. The role of education and research is critical in
developing this knowledge resource, and the University of Nebraska and other
colleges in our state will be key players in bringing the land resource here
together with people and technology to determine how the land will best be
used. This knowledge resource will have to be applied to methods that
increase productivity, and this must be done while dealing with
environmental impacts of agriculture. Local problems of nitrate and
pesticides in Nebraska water supplies are current examples of these impacts.
Compared to other places, Nebraska has fewer limitations on additional
irrigation and on bringing new lands into cultivation.
Dr. Robert Smith (Institute of Food Technologists, Chicago, IL) described
the potentials of computers and new technologies in linking people, food,
and health. The demise of major food companies has been due to short-term
planning and bottom lines, and a new culture of small, specialized companies
is growing in importance. The new culture depends on team research and
development, recognizing the contributions of each member, and creating an
environment of interdependence. A new workforce paradigm will require
companies to come together in cooperative ventures. The university's role is
to educate young people to work productively in this new environment.
Specific skills needed for future employees in the food industry include
information technologies, biotechnologies, genome mapping, nutrition, life
cycle production methods, and especially communication skills to understand
and deal with consumer needs and wants. An unabashed technophile, Smith sees
a great future for integration of computer and information potentials into
the entire food system.
A broad, integrated perspective on agricultural research was provided by Dr.
Mike Duffy (Leopold Center, Iowa State University). He thinks the university
must proceed under the assumptions that (1) everything in the ecosystem is
connected and we are part of the natural system, (2) all choices involve
tradeoffs and costs, (3) our world view must change from conqueror to
co-inhabitant, (4) everyone should have access to resources and a chance to
get ahead, although success is not assured, and (5) change is inevitable.
Duffy outlined a clear agenda for public research that gives people options
and education that helps people make rational choices — and that we work in
the public good. The goal of feeding the world is an egotistical and
unrealistic one; we need to focus on how the world will be fed. Dr. Duffy
insists that we develop multiple visions for the future, and alternative
technologies, as well as the wisdom to understand the implications of
choices we will make for the future.
The program concluded with Chuck Hassebrook (Center for Rural Affairs,
Walthill, NE and NU Regent) describing his vision of education as a
potential leading force for change in the future. He sees the research
agenda as, in fact, a long-term form of social planning. Hassebrook outlined
the history of several civilizations that collapsed as a result of
concentration of wealth and power, and said that many of our ancestors came
to this country to escape such systems in Europe and elsewhere. He stated
that university education has the potential for creating the mentality in
many young entrepreneurs to return to towns in Nebraska and develop
owner-operator farms and small businesses throughout the state. He further
urged an economic and policy environment that supports the individual
business owner, the strength of a Jeffersonian rural system and viable rural
communities. Hoop-house swine production was cited as a technology that
provides efficiency of scale for the family farmer, and he urged further
research on these types of technologies. Hassebrook further cited
integrative courses in systems agriculture and agroecology as key elements
of a comprehensive and futuristic education.
All of the speakers emphasized the importance of long-term thinking and
planning in education and research. Several mentioned the need for greater
focus on holistic systems approaches, and agroecology as an integrating
theme for study of systems. The need for community involvement, for
developing local food systems, and for stimulating local business was
stressed. We need to ask questions such as "Who benefits from research?"
while setting our priorities. It will be more valuable to provide ideas and
processes, a true method of education, rather than giving prescriptions to
put band-aids on larger problems. Much of the focus of the speakers in this
workshop coincide with the goals of the CSAS, and some implementation of
their recommendations is found in our current programs. The conference was
sponsored by NN21, the effort to revitalize land grant universities
sponsored by the Kellogg Foundation.
Submitted by Chuck Francis
SYMPOSIUM: PRESERVING FARMLAND, POLICIES AND PRACTICES
The Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association will host its 19th Annual
Conference March 14-15 at Wilmington College, in Wilmington, Ohio. Experts
from around the country will share sustainable agriculture production and
marketing techniques. Grace Gershuny of the National Organic Program, and
other organic industry representatives will critique the National Organic
Standards, and their impact on organic farmers and consumers. A panel of
Ohio's farmland preservation leaders will answer farmland conservation
questions and address the recommendations of the Farmland Preservation Task
Force. For more information, contact Sean McGovern, OEFFA, PO Box 82234,
Columbus, OH 43202, 614-294-3663, oeffa@iwaynet.net.
RESOURCES
Dynamic Farmers' Marketing: A Guide to Successfully Selling Your Farmers'
Market Products, 1997. $14.95 + $2.50 s&h. Addresses the explosive growth of
public farmers' markets in the U.S. and how family-scale farmers can
capitalize on this trend. Step-by-step procedures for vendors, market
management and new market organizers. Bittersweet Farmstead, PO Box 52,
Middlebrook, VA 24459, 1-800-311-2263, farmsted@cfw.com.
Weeds as Teachers: 'Many Little Hammers' Weed Management, 1997. $6 AERO
members, $12 non-members. Presents proceedings of 1995 weed management
conference, which emphasized least-toxic and non-toxic techniques for
controlling weeds in Northern Plains. Includes text of presentations on weed
ecology, integrated pest management, crop diversity, exotic plant problems
and biological control. Discusses topics in lay terms for non-specialists.
Alternative Energy Resources Organization, 25 South Ewing Street, Suite 214,
Helena, MT 59601, 406-443-7272, aero@desktop.org.
Alternatives in Agriculture. $10. 1997 annual research report of Thompson
On-Farm Research in Boone, Iowa. Updates all previous reports and describes
all of the sustainable and alternative agriculture experiments conducted on
the farm. Chapters detail the farm's inspiration, documentation and
education, research on fertility, cover crops, alternative weed management
systems, crops, water quality, soil health, economics, livestock, farming
systems, and the viability of rural communities. Thompson On-Farm Research,
2035 190th Street, Boone, IA 50036-7423, 515-432-1560.
Earthworm Ecology, 1998. $59.95 + $5 s&h. This comprehensive book edited by
earthworm guru Dr. Clive Edwards from The Ohio State University covers the
gamit from earthworm biology and physiology to earthworms in agroecosystems.
Soil and Water Conservation Society, 7515 NE Ankeny Road, Ankeny, IA
50021-9799, 515-289-2331, jonw@swcs.org.
Acres U.S.A. $24/1 yr, $42/2 yrs, $58/3 yrs. Monthly newspaper, published by
organization of same name, has "A Voice for Eco-Agriculture" as a subtitle.
Covers such topics as soils, row crops, livestock, poultry, specialty crops,
marketing, and much more. Also has a book catalog. Acres U.S.A., PO Box
8800, Metairie, LA 70011, 1-800-355-5313, info@acresusa.com.
Overexposed: Organophosphate Insecticides in Children's Food, 1998. $20. New
report by Environmental Working Group discusses results of a study EWG
conducted to monitor effectiveness of the 1996 Food Quality Protection Act,
which requires all pesticides to be safe for infants and children. EWG, 1718
Connecticut Ave, N.W., Suite 600, Washington, DC 20009, 202-667-6982,
info@ewg.org; http://www.ewg.org.
The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy is developing a U.S. and
International Directory of label groups, label advocates and related
organizations. The directory is being compiled on the Web and will also be
available in hard copy once it is complete. See http://www.iatp.org/labels.
A good Web site for watershed education is
http://cgee.hamline.edu/rivers/miss_adv/msa_pblc/ws_map.html
DID YOU KNOW...
The National Audubon Society has opened its first state office in Nebraska
at: 140 N. 8th St., Suite 217, Lincoln, NE 68508, 402-475-1177,
dsands@audubon.org, http://rip.physics.unk.edu/audubon/nebraska/.
The theme for the Nagano Winter Olympics is "Coexistence with Nature."
As the United Nations' International Year of the Ocean commenced, 1,600
marine scientists and conservation biologists from 65 countries issued a
warning that the sea is in trouble. Their report, issued January 6, 1998, is
titled "Troubled Waters: A Call for Action."
1997 was the warmest year on record, averaging three-quarters of a degree
Fahrenheit above the normal world temperature of 61.7 degrees.
Of the 9.5 million acres offered by landowners, 5.9 million (178,000 in
Nebraska) were accepted into the Conservation Reserve Program in the 16th
sign-up period.
Seventeen countries, led by Brazil, contain more than two-thirds of the
planet's biological wealth and diversity, a report released 12/10/97 by the
environmental group Conservation Internation.
A 1996 USDA industry concentration study showed that three beef packers —
IBP (38%), Excel (22% ) and ConAgra (21%) — control 81% of the market.
Forty percent of hog production in the U.S. is in the hands of 50 producers.
The National Catholic Rural Life Conference, in a statement from its Board
of Directors dated December 18, 1997, supports a moratorium on the expansion
and building of new farm factories and calls for consideration of their
replacement by sustainable agricultural systems. For more information,
contact NCRLC, 4625 Beaver Ave., Des Moines, IA 50310-2199, 515-270-2634,
ncrlc@aol.com.
COMING EVENTS
Contact CSAS office for more information.
Feb. 26-28 — Conference of the North American Farmers' Direct Marketing
Association and the North American Strawberry Growers Association,
Victoria, BC Canada
http://www.agf.gov.bc.ca/agric/nafdmc/dfmchome.htm
Feb. 28 — NSAS Annual Meeting
Mar. 2-3 — Acres U.S.A. conference - Eco-Ag/East, Lancaster, PA
Mar. 5-6 — National SARE Conference - Building on a Decade of Sustainable
Agriculture Research & Education: Sharing Experiences to Improve Our
Agriculture, Austin, TX
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/san/
Mar. 9-11 — 27th Nebraska Water Conference - Nebraska Water 2000, Kearney, NE
Mar. 14-15 — Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association Annual Conference -
Preserving Farmland, Policies and Practices, Wilmington, OH
Mar. 29-Apr. 1 — 1998 North American Conference on Pesticide Spray Drift
Management,
Portland, ME
http://www.state.me.us/agriculture/pesticides/drift/
May 21-June 2 — Alternative Paradigms for Commercializing Biological Control
Workshop, New Brunswick, NJ
http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~insects/biopesticides.htm
June 1 — First International Conference: Geospatial Information in
Agriculture and Forestry, Lake Buena Vista, FL
http://www.erim.org/CONF/conf.html
June 3-6 — Conference: Who Owns America II: How Land and Natural Resources
are Owned and Controlled, Madison, WI
July 5-9 — Soil and Water Conservation annual conference, Balancing Resource
Issues: Land, Water, People, San Diego, CA
Oct. 4-7 — North American Conference On Enterprise Development Through
Agroforestry, Minneapolis, MN
Nov. 23-27 — First International Agronomy Congress - Agronomy, Environment,
and Food Security for 21st Century, New Delhi, India
Nov. 29 - Dec. 4 — AFSRE 15th Symposium - Rural Livelihoods, Empowerment
and the Environment: Going Beyone the Farm Boundary, Pretoria, South Africa
The teacher asked, "What is agriculture?"
The pupil replied, "Agriculture is just like farming, but farming is DOING it."
To Unsubscribe: Email majordomo@ces.ncsu.edu with "unsubscribe sanet-mg".
To Subscribe to Digest: Email majordomo@ces.ncsu.edu with the command
"subscribe sanet-mg-digest".