May-June 2000 CSAS Newsletter
The Center for Sustainable Agricultural Systems (CSAS) in the Institute of
Agriculture and Natural Resources (IANR) at the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) was 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 newsletters are also available along with other
sustainable ag information on our World Wide Web page:
http://ianrwww.unl.edu/ianr/csas.
NOTE: This is the final issue of the CSAS Newsletter (see first article below).
* * *
CONTENTS:
CSAS JOINS NEW CENTER FOR APPLIED RURAL INNOVATION (CARI)
NEBRASKA'S FUTURE AGRICULTURE: NATURAL RESOURCES, HUMAN CAPITAL, AND RURAL
COMMUNITIES
CALL FOR 2001 NORTH CENTRAL SARE RESEARCH AND EDUCATION PREPROPOSALS
NORTH CENTRAL SARE MAINTAINS MARKETING LISTSERV
INTEGRATED FARM PROJECT: A MODEL FOR COLLABORATION
NEBRASKA STUDY SHOWS MONARCH DANGER IS EXAGGERATED
REGISTRATION FEE SET FOR ALTERNATIVE AG EXPO
CSAS BIDS HEIDI CARTER FAREWELL
FARMERS' MARKETS MOVING AHEAD
COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AGRICULTURE: NEW POTENTIALS FOR NEBRASKA
E-CONFERENCE ON INTEGRATING SUSTAINABLE FOOD SECURITY RESOURCES
COMING EVENTS
DID YOU KNOW...
* * *
CSAS JOINS NEW CENTER FOR APPLIED RURAL INNOVATION (CARI)
To more efficiently serve the needs of rural Nebraska, the Center for
Sustainable Agricultural Systems will merge with the Center for Rural
Community Revitalization and Development and the Center for Leadership
Development. The new Center for Applied Rural Innovation will begin
activities on July 1, 2000 pending approval by the University of Nebraska
Board of Regents in June.
CARI pools the resources dedicated to resource efficient and sustainable
agriculture with those in leadership and community development. The
integrated Center will be more effective in putting together university
talent in the areas of entrepreneurship, rural revitalization, and
value-added enterprises on farm and in rural communities. We will have an
improved capacity for seeking outside grant support. John Allen, former
director of the Center for Rural Community Revitalization and Development,
will serve as interim director of the new Center. Charles Francis and Pam
Murray, former director and coordinator of the CSAS, will be actively
involved in CARI.
CSAS has brought more than $3,000,000 in external grant support to programs
in collaboration with departments on campus, other public agencies, and
non-profit groups in Nebraska. Research on the Integrated Farm project has
linked key departments in field activities. Extension has benefited from the
four-year regional professional development program in sustainable
agriculture, and we have worked closely with farmer groups in the Nebraska
IMPACT project, a joint effort with the Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture
Society and the Center for Rural Affairs. Through the CSAS, new courses in
Integrated Farming Systems, Agroecology, and Urbanization of Rural
Landscapes have been introduced into the curriculum. These and other CSAS
activities have been summarized in the green book series, Extension and
Educational Materials for Sustainable Agriculture (Volumes 1-11), which have
reached more than 6,000 people across the U.S. and beyond (see
ianrwww.unl.edu/ianr/csas/reports.htm for details).
This is the last regular newsletter of the Center for Sustainable
Agricultural Systems. The most important activities of the CSAS will
continue under a new banner, and our current plans include initiation of a
CARI newsletter later this year. Those on the CSAS newsletter mailing list
will receive a copy of the first issue. Thank you for your support and
interest in our programs over the past decade. We look forward to serving
you through the new Center.
Submitted by Charles Francis and Pam Murray
NEBRASKA'S FUTURE AGRICULTURE: NATURAL RESOURCES, HUMAN CAPITAL, AND RURAL
COMMUNITIES
This is the third in a series of articles on projections about the future of
our most important industry. They present alternative views of the future,
as we respond to growing concerns about how food is produced and
agriculture's impact on rural Nebraska. These ideas from faculty will help
guide the design of relevant research and education programs in the university.
Unique Natural Resources
Nebraska's topography and continental location provide a set of diverse
ecozones that support different types of agriculture. The most profitable
agroecosystems in each of our zones are specific to their rainfall, growing
season and soils. Wheat is grown in the panhandle, corn in the irrigated
Platte Valley and south central, and alfalfa and pastures in the northeast
and Sandhills. We improve on current systems by seeking ways to make more
efficient use of natural resources. Continuous wheat with cover crops or
ecofallow systems with two crops in three years looks promising for the
southwest and panhandle. Lower energy irrigation systems and more
water-use-efficient hybrids reduce costs in central Nebraska. Rotations
continue to improve productivity in the diverse systems of the northeast.
Short-term economic distortions such as tax incentives brought pivot systems
into the Sandhills, and base acre requirements dictated acres in cereal
grains. These change the placement of crops and animal enterprises in the
landscape. Yet ultimately the crops that make most efficient use of the
unique resources in each place will be the most sustainable. The most
profitable crop today may not be the best in the long term, since we compete
with other areas that also have unique resources and potentials. An example
is irrigated corn—profitable now in spite of high production costs, but in
the future a crop that will not compete with rain-fed corn in states to the
east and with specialty crops here that can add more value to scarce energy
and water resources. Only to the extent that we can add value locally to
cheap crop commodities can we retain that value for farmers in Nebraska.
Unique Location
One factor influencing our potential to market higher value crops and
products is close proximity to population centers in the Midwest. Local and
bioregional markets do not mean only the immediate community, but can
include a several-state area where consumers will seek "home-grown" food
products, especially if they have unique traits of recognized value. Crops
that have specialty uses and whose quality depends on our low humidity areas
in central and western Nebraska could compete in a much larger arena. Where
local processing of commodities into high-value products can be accomplished
near where the crops are grown, this adds income to farms and communities in
the state. When such entrepreneurial activities can be coupled with the
special human capabilities and local capital in a place, that industry is
likely to provide a sustained economic input into local communities.
Unique Human Capital
The well-established work ethic and family orientation of Nebraska citizens
have drawn several companies to this state. Outside businesses seek
stability in the workforce, dedication to the job, and quality of life for
employees. If we are able to couple this unique human capacity with the
unique natural resources that produce agricultural raw materials, and
finance the activities using local resources, the combination can be stable
business that is especially adapted to a site in our state. These are local
industries that are unlikely to move offshore when there is a small shift in
revenues, a change of management, or a consolidation of parent companies in
the name of corporate efficiency. When the industry is tied to local natural
resources, financial capital, and families, it becomes more immune to some
of the pressures for globalization and rapid shifts of capital and people
from one place to another. We should encourage local companies.
One major change in Nebraska in recent years is the number of new citizens
from other parts of the world coming here to work on difficult jobs and
willing to work hard to become established with their families. They
represent another resource. While people come with different languages and
cultures, it is to our advantage to make newcomers welcome in our state,
help them assume the same attitudes of responsibility and hard work, and
integrate their unique capabilities and culture into what is here already.
This is a continuing process that has been underway for more than 150 years.
We can capitalize on these unique new resources to build sustainable
Nebraska communities for the new century.
Submitted by Charles Francis
CALL FOR 2001 NORTH CENTRAL SARE RESEARCH AND EDUCATION PREPROPOSALS
The North Central Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE)
program is calling for collaborative teams of researchers, educators,
farmers and others to apply for competitive grants to study or educate
others about environmentally benign agricultural systems that are profitable
and supportive of local communities. Approximately $1.1 million will be
available in 2001 to fund creative projects addressing sustainable
agricultural practices and systems. Details of this annual Research and
Education effort will be outlined in the Call for Preproposals, available
July 14 and due September 8. For an application, contact North Central SARE
at 402-472-7081 or ncrsare@unl.edu. The Call for Preproposals will be
available online in mid-July at www.sare.org/ncrsare.
NORTH CENTRAL SARE MAINTAINS MARKETING LISTSERV
You are invited to participate in a dynamic discussion about alternative
marketing through North Central SARE's "altmarketing" listserv. As a
follow-up to the North Central SARE November 1999 regional marketing
conference, a listserv was created to continue discussions and information
exchange regarding value-added and direct farm marketing. Farmers, farm
educators, food business leaders, and others are welcome to ask questions
and share insights into the wide world of alternative marketing. The address
of the list is altmarketing@crcvms.unl.edu. To subscribe, send a message to
listserv@crcvms.unl.edu that says:
SUBSCRIBE altmarketing Firstname Lastname
Find more marketing information at www.sare.org/san/ncrsare/marketing.htm. For
more information, contact Lisa Bauer at 402-472-0265, lbauer2@unl.edu.
INTEGRATED FARM PROJECT: A MODEL FOR COLLABORATION
University research most often focuses on components of a system, for
example, feedlot rations, fertilizer rates, or new soybean varieties. Less
often we look at combinations of these components to see how they fit in the
overall farming systems puzzle. Rarely do we work together to study the
whole farm system in all its complexity. The Integrated Farm Project was
started to help fill this void.
Building on interest from animal science, agronomy, and forestry, fisheries
and wildlife faculty, and with strong interest from the Agricultural
Research and Development Center (ARDC) administration, we began to look for
themes that would add value to experiments already in the field at ARDC.
Grazing studies on crop residues, compost from feedlot manure, and windbreak
effects on livestock, field crops and vegetables were already a part of the
research agenda, and involved several departments working together. We found
that these systems still needed to be linked into a whole farm context, and
the concept of the Integrated Farm became a reality. Federal support over
the past eight years has provided some funds for developing infrastructure
and personnel.
Some highlights of the Integrated Farm include grazing corn residues under
different tillage systems, windbreak studies with agronomic crops and
vegetables, and long-term crop rotations. Experiments have shown that there
are no measurable effects of grazing residues on crop production the next
year, and that there is more loss of grazing benefit when cattle trample the
stalks in a ridge-till system compared to flat planting. Protection from
windbreaks has shown both higher production and increased quality of some
vegetable crops compared to non-sheltered areas, similar to the benefits
found with agronomic crops. Long-term crop rotations continue to show
benefits to diversity over time, with reductions in need for fertilizer
application and less costly pest management. Compost from the feedlot has
been applied in strips across ARDC production fields, and we are currently
calculating the long-term effects of this practice.
Innovative research in the Integrated Farm includes a new silvopastoral
experiment that will couple grazing livestock with tree plantings, and these
both combined with some crop and hay production between the tree rows. Diets
in livestock rations are being tested for not only their effects on
performance but also on the quality of manure and compost that comes from
the feedlot. Crop rotations with compost and manure are being compared to
similar rotations using legumes as the primary nitrogen source. Finally,
the overall biological and economic performance of different sizes of
diversified farms for eastern Nebraska will be calculated from the data
available at ARDC. This will include estimation of the environmental impact
of different farming strategies and their influence on the local community.
The Center for Sustainable Agricultural Systems has been the primary funding
contact for this project. The Integrated Farm has provided a fresh way to
conduct interdisciplinary research at ARDC—an approach that will be
continued into the future. More information is available at
ianrwww.unl.edu/ianr/ardc/intfarm.htm.
Submitted by Charles Francis, Jim Brandle, and Terry Klopfenstein
NEBRASKA STUDY SHOWS MONARCH DANGER IS EXAGGERATED
Field studies of pollen from Bt corn fields accumulating on milkweed leaves
indicate the threat to monarch butterflies may have been greatly
exaggerated. UNL entomologists tracked pollen shed and monarch activity
around five Bt corn fields in Saunders County, Nebraska, last year. Most of
the pollen seemed to stay within 5 meters of the fields, and no pollen
counts above 20 grains per square centimeter were found on any milkweed
leaves more than 5 meters from the fields. Other studies have shown pollen
densities of less than 150 grains per square centimeter had no effect on
monarch butterfly larvae. For more information, contact John Foster, UNL
Entomology Department, 402-472-8686, jfoster1@unl.edu.
REGISTRATION FEE SET FOR ALTERNATIVE AG EXPO
In our last issue you read about the second annual Alternative Ag Expo to be
held August 29, 2000 in Sioux City, Iowa. Topics will include farming
alternatives, nutrition issues, economics of alternatives, transitioning
from traditional agriculture to alternative methods, and direct marketing.
Two roundtables will address alternative types of pork production and
rotational grazing. Featured speaker, Sally Fallon, will talk about the
nutritional benefits of natural foods. Fallon will also speak on the evening
of August 28. The registration fee is $40 for the conference, an additional
$10 for the August 28 session. For more information or a registration form,
call 712-943-7882, or e-mail darrell.geib@ia.usda.gov.
CSAS BIDS HEIDI CARTER FAREWELL
Heidi Carter, the CSAS Education Coordinator for more than five years, has
accepted a position as County Extension Education Director for Page County
in southwestern Iowa. She begins her new duties June 15. Her address and
phone will be: Page County Extension Office,
311 E Washington St., Clarinda, IA 51632, 712-542-5171. We wish Heidi much
success as she takes on this new challenge.
FARMERS' MARKETS MOVING AHEAD
On May 6, the 8 am whistle started the 16th season for Lincoln's Haymarket
Farmers' Market. By noon there had been more than 4,000 customers buying
local vegetables, beef, poultry, breads, and crafts from 100 vendors. By
mid-season there will be twice that number of customers and close to 150
vendors, according to Billene Nemec, the manager of the market. The Lincoln
Journal Star gave the market good coverage, an important dimension of how to
make a market successful and demonstration of excellent support from local
media.
But the business planning and organization for a market starts well before
the whistle blows. Food vendors who make up the backbone of the market have
been busy building facilities, buying seed, and planning their plantings for
months to meet their expected consumer demands. There is an educational
meeting for vendors held prior to the May-to-October market season to
acquaint them with local health and safety regulations, weights and measure,
tax obligations, and market rules. They also get tips from other vendors on
how to display products and how to best meet the public. According to one
young couple, "The orientation session was one of the best events we have
had in this business. It's great to learn from people who already have
experience, and who are so willing to share what they know."
This year a special workshop on farmers' markets was held on April 18 at the
University of Nebraska's Agricultural Research and Development Center. There
were several growers as well as people who will be organizing markets in
other communities in Nebraska. Extension specialists with experience in
vegetable production and nutrition provided helpful ideas on how to grow and
market quality products. Nemec described the operation and the many details
of how to organize a successful market. One highlight of the workshop was a
panel of growers who each described their farm and the motivations for
getting into direct marketing. These ideas were valuable to others just
starting out. The workshop was sponsored by the Nebraska Sustainable
Agriculture Society (NSAS) and the CSAS, with funding from a USDA
Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) grant.
For further information, contact Billene Nemec, 402-435-7496, or NSAS
executive director Paul Rohrbaugh, 402-869-2396.
Submitted by Charles Francis
COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AGRICULTURE: NEW POTENTIALS FOR NEBRASKA
"How many consumers in Nebraska would prefer to have locally-grown
vegetables on their tables every day, and know where that food was
produced?" This was a question from Shelly Gradwall, Cooperative Extension
Specialist from Iowa State University at a workshop in York on April 4. She
and Robert Karp of the Practical Farmers of Iowa shared an intriguing
program to demonstrate the success of community supported agriculture (CSA)
in their state with our growers and Extension Educators.
We don't know how many Nebraskans would prefer this option, but we did learn
that the program has been highly accepted in Iowa. In 1995 there were three
CSAs in that state, and in the 2000 growing season there will be 45 CSAs in
operation. It is likely that this success will continue, because consumers
like to know who produces their food and want to support local farmers,
according to Gradwall and Karp.
Most CSAs are initiated by growers who learn the vegetable business, develop
a marketing plan, and begin to assemble a list of potential customers. One
unique group in Ames was organized in the opposite direction—it was started
by consumers. In this case the city people came together and decided what
they wanted in terms of food items, then set out to find growers willing to
produce and sell to them. The group continues to be highly involved in the
distribution and record keeping for the CSA. Their Magic Beanstalk
Cooperative was provided with assistance from the Practical Farmers of Iowa,
and was used as a model for other consumer-driven activities in the state.
There was great interest in the Equinox CSA in Lincoln, described in the
program by Ruth Chantry and Evrett Linquist. They are in the fourth year of
a growing business (pun intended!) with vegetables delivered to more than 30
families in Lincoln and Omaha, and recently moved to their own property near
Raymond where they plan to certify as biodynamic producers. Their new farm
was used as a planning model by the UNL class in Agroecology this last
semester—a practical way for students to gain real-world experience in
putting their academic education to work under the constraints faced by
growers. Ruth Chantry is currently President of the Board of Directors of
the Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Society (NSAS).
The workshop concluded with a tour of John and Susie Ellis' farm south of
York. They are upgrading their packaging facility in a retrofitted
straw-bale barn to be able to better market to their CSA members in York and
Lincoln. They also sell directly in the farmers' markets in Omaha and
Lincoln each Saturday through the season. One of the new products is a
home-ground wheat flour that is finding a ready market. The Ellis family
finds this a challenging but valuable departure from their prior
conventional corn and soybean production system. John says the problems are
bigger and more diverse in this kind of farming, and he finds that they are
always on a steep learning curve. Their success demonstrated the potential
for conversion from conventional commodity crops to a diverse farming and
marketing system in Nebraska.
The York workshop on CSAs was sponsored by NSAS, CSAS, and Nebraska
Cooperative Extension. Gary Zoubek in York County was responsible for local
arrangements. We anticipate that these types of workshops will generate a
larger demand for innovative educational activities in the future.
Submitted by Charles Francis
E-CONFERENCE ON INTEGRATING SUSTAINABLE FOOD SECURITY
An electronic conference on Integrating Sustainable Food Security Dimensions
into the Research Agenda of the National Agricultural Research Systems
(NARSs) will be held June 5 – July 14, 2000. This is a follow-up to the
World Food Summit held in Rome in 1996, and will assist NARSs of developing
countries in integrating sustainable food security dimensions into their
research agendas. Additional information, including how to sign up, is at
www.fao.org/NARS/RAFS2000, or contact the CSAS office.
RESOURCES
U.S. Organic Agriculture. A USDA ERS report issued in March 2000. Contains a
great deal of information and statistics about growth and present status of
the organic industry. Online at www.econ.ag.gov/whatsnew/issues/organic/.
Organic Food Markets in Transition. $15. New report by Carolyn Dimitri of
the USDA's Economic Research Service and Nessa Richman of the Wallace Center
identifies the most critical issues confronting the organic foods industry,
develops potential approaches to resolve the issues, and outlines a future
research agenda.Wallace Center, 9200 Edmonston Rd. Ste. 117, Greenbelt, MD
20770-1551, 301-441-8777, wallacecenter@winrock.org.
In November 1999, the North Central Region SARE program hosted a regional
conference, Alternative Agricultural Marketing: Developing Skills for the
New Millennium. A limited supply of the conference notebook, which includes
abstracts from speakers and exhibitors, as well as a bibliography of
resources, is available from the NCR SARE office. Contact Lisa Bauer at
402-472-0265, lbauer2@unl.edu.
The Agroforestry Advantage. Free. Quarterly newsletter published by the
Center for Integrated Natural Resources and Agricultural Management and the
Minnesota Agroforestry Coalition. Carries articles on integrated land use
systems. CINRAM, 115 Green Hall, 1530 Cleveland Ave. N., St. Paul, MN
55108-1027, 612-624-4299, CINRAM@forestry.umn.edu, www.cnr.umn.edu/FR/cinram/.
ATTRA (Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas), keeps adding great
new Web pages. Here are some announced in March: 1) Suppliers of Organic,
Non-GE*, or Heirloom (O-P*) Vegetable Seed,
www.attra.org/attra-pub/altseed.html; 2) Alternative Soil Testing
Laboratories, www.attra.org/attra-pub/soil-lab.html; 3) Sustainable Farming
Internships & Apprenticeships Supplement (contains 28 new farm listings
added since the Year 2000 edition (with 200+ farm entries) was published in
December, www.attra.org/attra-rl/internsuppl.html. Another recent report
available in hard copy is "Pastured Poultry," which you can get free by
calling 1-800-346-9140.
World Food Security and Sustainability: The Impacts of Biotechnology and
Industrial Consolidation. First copy free, $5 each after that. The report is
from the 1999 annual meeting of the National Agricultural Biotechnology
Council, which was held in Lincoln, Nebraska. Send an e-mail request for
NABC Report 11 to nabc@cornell.edu (include full name, mailing address and
telephone number).
The last in a set of 10 windbreak circulars has finally been published. The
titles and dates are: How Windbreaks Work (1991); Windbreak Establishment
(1991); Windbreaks for Rural Living (1991); Windbreaks and Wildlife (1991);
Windbreaks in Sustainable Agricultural Systems; (1991); Windbreaks for
Livestock Operations (1994); Windbreak Management (1996); Windbreaks for
Snow Management (1996); Windbreak Renovation (1998); Field Windbreaks
(2000). Single copies are available free at Nebraska Extension offices, or
by contacting Tim McGill, printing and distribution coordinator,
402-472-3023, tmcgill1@unl.edu. For multiple copies, contact Jim Brandle,
jbrandle1@unl.edu. They are also on the Web at ianrwww.unl.edu/pubs/forestry/.
SARE 2000 Highlights. Eight-page national report by the Sustainable
Agriculture Network is available in print and online. Features 12 recently
funded, innovative SARE projects from around the country. See
www.sare.org/san/2000high/.
COMING EVENTS
Contact CSAS office for more information.
2000
June 24 – Specialty Crops Field Day, Lincoln, NE
June 24 – Bison and Grass Ranch Tour (featuring Allan Nation), Rose, NE
July 8 – The Grain Place tour, featuring Jo Robinson, author of Why Grassfed
Is Best, Marquette, NE
July 18-20 – Grazing Retreat, Center, NE
July 25-26 – Grazing Retreat, Franklin, NE
July 29 – NSAS farm tour, Hooper, NE
Aug. 12 – NSAS farm tour, Milford, NE
Aug. 25 – NSAS farm tour, Ogallala, NE
Aug. 29-30 – Alternative Ag Expo, Sioux City, IA
Aug. 29-31 – Carbon: Exploring the Benefits to Farmers and Society, Des
Moines, IA, www.cvrcd.org/carbon.htm
Aug. 28-29 – Alternative Ag Expo, Sioux City, IA
Sep. 13/14/15 – Grazing Tour with Burt Smith, Crofton/Atkinson/Imperial, NE
Oct. 29-31 – Community Food Security Coalition annual conference, Santa Fe, NM
Nov. 30-Dec. 1 – Future of Our Food and Farms Summit 2000, Philadelphia, PA
2001
Jan. 5-6 – Great Plains Regional Vegetable Conference, St. Joseph, MO
For additional events, see:
www.sare.org/wreg/view_notice_adm.pl
www.agnic.org/mtg/
DID YOU KNOW...
A graph in "Earth Day 2000: A 30-Year Report Card" (March-April 2000 issue
of World Watch) shows that from 1970 to 2000, the number of
pesticide-resistant weeds has increased from a handful to more than 200, and
the number of pesticide-resistant pathogens from less than 50 to nearly 250.
According to a USDA ERS report (see Resources), the number of acres of
certified organic cropland increased from 403,000 in 1992 to 850,000 in
1997; the 1997 figure represents 0.2% of all U.S. cropland. The 1998 Organic
Farming Research Foundation survey reported that the average size of a U.S.
organic farm is 140 acres.
"We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we
see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love
and respect."
Aldo Leopold
"The emerging structure of agribusiness puts American farmers well down the
road to serfdom and renders food consumers vulnerable to exploitation."
Auburn University professor C. Robert Taylor
# # #
***********************
Pam Murray, Coordinator
Center for Grassland Studies and
Center for Sustainable Agricultural Systems
PO Box 830949
221 Keim Hall
University of Nebraska
Lincoln, NE 68583-0949
phone: 402-472-9383
fax: 402-472-4104
e-mail: pmurray1@unl.edu
http://ianrwww.unl.edu/ianr/cgs
http://ianrwww.unl.edu/ianr/csas
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