IN THIS ISSUE:
Recharging Your Battery
Learn, Share Ideas at Upcoming NSAS Events
IMPACT Groups are Forming Across Nebraska
Meet the Director
Mentor Program Helps Farmers With CRP Transition
Why I Compost
Beginning Farmers are Optimistic
New Hope for Extending the CRP
Organic Certification Deadline Approaching
Resources
Creative Stuff
RECHARGING YOUR BATTERY
by Lowell Schroeder
On a cold winter morning, we go out to see what won't start or what's
frozen. Sometimes it's us that won't crank over. After dealing with the
stresses of harvest, it's a long cold winter before spring turns the
countryside green. Farming is by nature stressful with the weather, markets,
costs, and production risks. Sometimes even a trip to the coffee shop can be
enough to make you hang up a sale bill.
It's difficult to be motivated at all times, but we can take some steps to
help keep a positive attitude. Let's try to deal with the things we can
control or influence.
I find that when I get a little drained, it's usually talking to another
person that sparks a recharge. A lot of friends through NSAS are people who I
greatly admire and who help me out when I need a boost. It might be because
they are often optimistic, forward looking people. It's exciting to hear
others talk about new ideas that might work on my farm. And most people are
very willing to share ideas and listen to me talk about what I'm trying on my
farm.
Networking has been a buzz word of the 90's. We have been networking for
years. Several of our NSAS programs focus on networking. The Mentor Program
seeks to match farmers who have successfully implemented practices with those
trying to learn. The IMPACT project seeks to encourage groups of farmers to
learn together, to experiment and to solve their problems.
NSAS has always utilized farmers on panels at our meetings I recently talked
with Terry Gompert about several meetings that he is planning. He stressed
that farmers are very interested in hearing what other farmers say, and to
ask questions. In the future, farmers learning from farmers will be a key
part of the educational process. Extension educators and NSAS will help to
facilitate the process.
There are some great winter meetings planned. Please support them, learn and
get excited about what others are doing. NSAS has some new and innovative
programs; please take advantage of these programs, and our staff. The
programs are yours. If you use them, we will try to get additional funding to
continue them in the future.
If you have a special friend who charges you up when you need a spark, draw
some electricity. Just remember to provide some enthusiasm and electricity to
others. We have a resource available to us that we don't have to buy, a
renewable energy source. IT'S US.
LEARN, SHARE IDEAS AT UPCOMING NSAS EVENTS
The 1995 Annual Meeting and Western Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture
Conference are coming up soon. In addition to an interesting lineup of
speakers and workshops, these events offer you a great opportunity to meet
and share ideas with other people interested in sustainable agriculture,
rural communities, and other quality of life issues.
The Western Nebraska Conference will be held on Saturday, January 28th at
the Stagecoach Inn and Convention Center in Ogallala. The keynote
presentation on "Dryland Sustainability Western Style" will be given by Jim
Sims of Montana State University and a panel of farmer cooperators who have
done on-farm research with him. Workshops will focus on a wide variety of
issues, including beginning farmers and intergenerational land transfer,
organic crop certification, direct marketing, the REAP program, writing
farmer grant proposals, Holistic Resources Management, and on-farm research
involving dryland legumes. Registration information has been sent out to NSAS
members in western Nebraska. If you did not receive information on this
conference and would like to, please contact the NSAS office.
The Annual Meeting is scheduled for Saturday, February 25th at the New World
Inn in Columbus. Dick and Sharon Thompson, who helped found the Practical
Farmers of Iowa and who have cooperated with the University of Iowa and the
Rodale Institute in doing on-farm research, will give the keynote
presentation. Workshop topics will include designing and doing on-farm
research, direct marketing and value-added agriculture, farmers markets,
biological control of weeds, organic gardening, the 1995 Farm Bill, and much
more. We are offering child care at this year's Annual Meeting. Details and
registration information are included with this newsletter.
Please mark your calendars and get your registration in early. We look
forward to seeing you at these events!
IMPACT GROUPS ARE FORMING ACROSS NEBRASKA
With the ground frozen and the harvest in, farmers and ranchers across
Nebraska have enough time to catch their breath and think about the projects
which they'd like to start. After the unavoidable fence and facilities
repairs, now is the time to gather together with like-minded souls and start
planning those projects you've always wanted to do or try.
Several groups across the state have already applied to the IMPACT project
for sustainable agriculture activities and research/demonstration projects.
The applications we have received reflect the diverse needs of Nebraska
producers and other community members who want to live and farm sustainably.
Farmers in eastern Nebraska are interested in learning more about the impact
of managed grazing along streambanks on water quality and the riparian
ecosystem. Farmers in central Nebraska are interested in using bees to make
sweet clover cover crops profitable in fallow years. Rural women's groups in
western and eastern Nebraska are forming to learn more about marketing,
long-term financial planning, value-added agriculture, child care, and
sustainability issues directly affecting their families and communities.
The IMPACT project will be choosing groups to fund over the next few months.
Groups can receive up to $3500 for organizing, education and projects. If you
and your fellow sustainable-minded neighbors have an idea you want to pursue,
call us soon for an application, or for help in applying. Applications are
due by February 1st and March 31, 1995. Please contact the Hartington office
for more information.
MEET THE DIRECTOR
by Cris Carusi
Some of the best moments of my first three months with NSAS have been spent
visiting NSAS members, past and present. I've been fortunate to meet with
most of the board members on their farms, learning firsthand about the issues
and concerns affecting sustainable farmers and ranchers in Nebraska. It's
virtually impossible to set goals and a direction for NSAS from behind a desk
in the Hartington office. In order to understand your needs, hopes and
dreams, its helpful for me to spend a few hours with you, seeing your farms
and hearing your ideas.
If you would like a chance to show off your farm and share your ideas with
me, let me know and I will gladly come visit. My schedule is jam-packed
through the Annual Meeting, but anytime after that I will happily jump in my
truck and make a trip out to your place. If you live far enough away from
Hartington that I can't make it there and back in a day, I'd appreciate a
corner to sleep in (I carry my own sleeping bag). Call or write me at the
Hartington office if you would like to take advantage of this offer.
The whole point of this idea is to stress how important NSAS members are to
the life of our organization. We need to work together in order to take NSAS
down a path that will benefit you. I look forward to meeting you.
MENTOR PROGRAM HELPS FARMERS WITH CRP TRANSITION
by Ron Cleveland, Northeast Research and Extension Center
Larry Mason, his wife Rose, and his brother Monty manage a small family farm
outside of Dixon, NE. Recently, over 100 acres of Mason's farm was given
early release from the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). Rather than
returning the CRP acres back to crop production, the Masons decided to try
intensive grazing. They believed that they could get the best return from
their CRP acres through intensive grazing, but lacked the experience in this
particular sustainable ag practice.
"We knew what we wanted," said Mason, "but we didn't quite know where to
start. We needed to see some sort of an example or find someone who could
`show us the ropes'".
Then, through one of the crop clinics sponsored by the University of
Nebraska, the Masons discovered the Sustainable Agriculture Mentor Program.
From the Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Society (NSAS) membership list,
NSAS board member referral, and county Extension Educator referral, UNL farm
management specialist Tim Powell found Gerald Henzler of Pierce, NE. Gerald
has had over 20 years of experience in intensive grazing practices. After an
initial orientation meeting, Henzler and the Masons visited each other's
farms.
It made little difference that Henzler grazed cattle and the Masons wanted
to graze sheep. "The best thing about intensive grazing practices," said
Henzler, "is that we manage the grass, not the animal. The grass may be
managed differently with sheep than with beef cows, but the principles are
the same."
"One of the best things I like about intensive or rotational grazing," added
Mason, "is that it promotes weed management without the use of chemicals.
The more the grass is used, the more productive it becomes and the less
labor intensive it remains."
Although this is the first time that Henzler has been involved in the mentor
program, he says that he enjoys the contribution that he can make to other
farmers. He believes that gaining firsthand knowledge through the experience
of others can be far more productive than reading about it or trial-by-error.
"The knowledge is passed on quickly through the mentor program," added
Powell. "What we learn from here on out will also be passed on to other
farmers. With so many CRP acres going back into production in the next year
or so, farmers are going to need all the help they can get."
WHY I COMPOST
by Marty Kleinschmit, Center for Rural Affairs
It has been said that spring is the time of year when young men begin
thinking about what young women have been thinking about all winter long.
But as a young farmer with livestock, my spring time thoughts were about all
the manure that I needed to haul. My first response to composting was,
"Don't you think I work and walk through manure enough now? I'll haul it out
in the spring because the soil needs it and I want it out of the yard.
Composting may be great for gardeners and hobby farmers or urban
environmentalists, but not for busy farmers like me."
I changed my mind in 1980, as a cooperating farmer in the Small Farm Energy
Project. Ralph and Rita Engelken from Greeley, Iowa, conducted a composting
workshop. They showed how composting could save nutrients and time, reduce
compaction, and improve the soil life on my farm. I decided to try to get
as much out of the manure as possible. Crop yields increased after only one
application of compost.
This article deals with the use of farm manures in the composting process,
but the process works equally well with yard and garden residue. All it
takes is a nitrogen source, plant material, and time. I get all these from
my back [cow] yard: nitrogen from manure, and plant residue from bedding. I
know people who are so convinced of the benefits of composting that they
purchase nitrogen to add to their tree prunings to produce compost.
Raw manure can lose between 50% and 75% of the available nitrogen due to
evaporation unless it is incorporated soon after application. If the proper
carbon to nitrogen ratio is maintained, about 30% of the nitrogen will be
lost during the composting process, but the remaining material is a stable
available product. And the bacteria in the finished compost have the ability
to fix nitrogen from the air.
Nutrients in the compost are about 90% available to plants the first year.
This compares with about a 50% availability the first year for raw manure.
Once processed, the nitrogen is encapsulated in the micro-organisms that
live in the compost pile, and will not evaporate nor leach from the soil to
contaminate groundwater.
The composting process reduces manure volume and mass by two thirds. This
concentration of nutrients means fewer pounds of material needed to get the
same results as raw manure. Less weight and lower volume means fewer loads,
lighter loads, and less compaction, plus I can haul later in the year when
compaction is not a problem.
Much of the material I harvest for bedding and animal feed contains weed
seed. When the raw manure is spread, the weed seeds are spread, tilled in,
and fertilized. But the high temperatures reached in the compost process
reduce the germination rates in most weed seeds.
Some farmers have problems with crop residue not breaking down between
seasons. Since composting is the microbial decomposition of plant material,
adding compost to the soil inoculates the soil with the bacteria capable of
breaking down crop residues.
The composting process takes time but allows me to manage my time in the
spring. With raw manure I had to do all the manure hauling and spreading
before I planted the corn. The manure still needs to be loaded and piled in
the composting area in a timely fashion so as not to lose the nitrogen, but I
can load and pile manure faster than I can load, haul, and spread it.
The composting process eliminates large chunks or wads of manure. The
crumbles spread easily and over a wide area thus covering more ground per
pass with the spreader. The crumb nature of the product also facilitates
incorporation with minimum or reduced tillage operations.
I can fertilize more acres if the manure is composted because less nutrients
are lost to evaporation, the nutrients are more available, and the bacteria
in the compost break down other field residues, which releases more
nutrients. Leon Chesnin, a soil chemist at the University of Nebraska,
estimates a mere two tons of compost is sufficient to produce 100 bushel
corn.
The composting process is a valuable tool on my farm and may fit in your
operation. To better understand the composting process or the techniques and
machinery used in the process, contact this office or refer to the Small Farm
Energy Primer or the Resourceful Farming publication by the Center for Rural
Affairs.
BEGINNING FARMERS ARE OPTIMISTIC
by Wyatt Fraas, Center for Rural Affairs
The Center for Rural Affairs' Beginning Farmer Sustainable Agriculture
Project has been listening to beginning farmers about how they're getting
started and what help they need. Since 1992, a dozen beginning farm families
in northeast Nebraska have shared their start-up strategies, finances, goals,
and needs. Their progress and advice show that being a farmer is possible
for anyone with the ability to dream, plan, and persevere. And we've found
that beginning farmers care about the health of their communities, families,
and land.
How Do They Get Started?
These family farms all started small. One farmer started his dairy herd
from calves he raised himself. Others added enterprises as they gained
experience and confidence in their management and farming abilities. These
farmers also looked at additional equipment and facility purchases to see if
they would make money or cost money. "We don't have a big heated shop with
mercury lights for our equipment", said one woman. "We have a gravel
driveway and a flashlight that works . . . usually."
What About Money?
Nearly all these beginners emphasize low debt as a virtue. Aside from the
initial farm purchase, they plan for farm-generated income to pay for farm
operating expenses and expansion. And most of these families didn't finance
their start-up with bank loans. Nearly all families have off-farm jobs, and
some have several. Most families say they want the farm to provide both
operating capital and living expenses, but they have found that the small
size of their beginning farms doesn't generate enough income to both support
a family and finance farm growth.
How Do They Farm?
These beginning farmers are cautious in their farming operations. As
beginning farmers with little farming experience they have little time or
money to risk on unproven practices.
Despite the risk, these farmers did experiment with alternative farming
practices. Four are using time-controlled grazing with electric fencing to
cut feed costs and increase per-acre production. Three tried direct
marketing of meat or produce. Two tried pastured poultry production.
Livestock and diversity are at the core of these young farm businesses. All
the families have incorporated livestock into the farm or are planning to
once they move onto the land, since livestock generally require less
investment in land and equipment than do crops for the same total return.
What Do They Believe In?
The group's goals included a strong component of land and community
stewardship. They wanted to "leave the land better than they got it", "pass
on the opportunity to farm to their children", "improve their community", and
"develop personal and family potential", while not believing "a landowner can
do anything he wants with his land" and not caring strongly for "accumulating
wealth and land". The most important reasons for wanting to farm included
"being my own boss", "want to live in the country", and "want to raise a
family on the farm".
What Advice Do They Suggest?
Beginning farmers in this project had many suggestions for others
contemplating a life on the farm. Start-up strategies for these families
emphasized what they already knew and enjoyed doing. They also stressed
caution with investments and projects.
Some suggested that making the initial commitment was particularly
difficult. "The hardest part is the first shovelful," said one farmer. "Once
you take that first scoop, you are committed. Then your neighbors drive by
and see you and stop to talk, and you know you have got to finish what you
have started."
Many suggested that planning and teamwork were important. These farmers
valued their neighbors and relatives for their knowledge and help at crucial
times. They recommended finding a "mentor" to guide and watch over the new
operation. The young farmers also recommended finding others to talk and
share problems with.
An interim report on the project's design and findings is available from the
Center's Hartington office (402-254-6893).
NEW HOPE FOR EXTENDING THE CRP
by Kris Thorp, Center for Rural Affairs
On December 14, Secretary of Agriculture Mike Espy announced plans for
extending the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). The plans include
modifying and extending CRP contracts and using conservation easements on the
most environmentally sensitive acres. The USDA's plans for extending the CRP
signaled the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to maintain funding for the
program in future budgets.
The National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture is working with a
broad base of farmers, environmentalists, consumers, wildlife groups and
others to develop policy options for the CRP. The most recent draft of the
policy options includes four major proposals for changing the program:
1) Convert the CRP to a long-term protection program using permanent
easements or long-term agreements to protect the most environmentally
sensitive agricultural land. Protection would be achieved through partial
field conservation practices and other special practices in priority areas
with high environmental pay-offs. This new program should be open to land
currently enrolled, and special consideration should be given to joint bids
submitted by landowners with contiguous parcels.
2) Encourage re-negotiation of existing CRP contracts. Farmers could opt to
remove the least highly erodible or environmentally sensitive land currently
enrolled, while extending contracts for partial field options as outlined
above, or increasing enrollments for certain wildlife habitat and/or very
fragile ground. Money saved by removing higher quality land could be used
for additional new enrollments.
3) Develop transition programs that provide incentives for preserving
environmental gains made under the CRP for land that may come out of the
program. One option would be to assist beginning and re-entry farmers in
purchasing CRP land by providing a portion of the down payment in return for
conservation easements on the land and other incentives. Another alternative
is to develop and promote technical assistance and incentives to establish
sustainable economic uses of trees and forages planted on CRP, or conversion
to certified organic farm status under USDA's National Organic Production
Program.
4) Implement state level Conservation Review Committees (interagency
technical committees acting with local input) to guide decision-making on the
CRP and other farm conservation initiatives. These committees could improve
implementation and effectiveness of conservation programs by identifying
state and local concerns and providing some flexibility in how broader
programs are used to meet those needs.
If you would like more information about the Campaign for Sustainable
Agriculture or the CRP policy options paper contact Kris Thorp, Center for
Rural Affairs, P.O. Box 406, Walthill, NE 68067.
ORGANIC CERTIFICATION DEADLINE APPROACHING
Now is the time to contact the Organic Crop Improvement Association (OCIA)
if you are interested in becoming a certified organic farmer in 1995. The
certification process begins in January and applications are due by February
28, 1995. If you are interested in being certified, or if you would like
additional information, contact:
Dave Welsch
Certification Coordinator, OCIA NE #1
Rt 2, Box 63
Milford, NE 68405
(402) 826-5361
RESOURCES
Sustainable Agriculture Education Opportunities
The Michael Fields Agricultural Institute is currently initiating a formal
education endeavor. It will center around a two-year student training
program, and will consist of hands-on professional training in
horticultural/agricultural craft. Other educational activities associated
with this course include beginning and advanced gardener workshops, winter
biodynamic study courses, and training projects for gardeners and farmers.
These workshops will be presented independently of the ongoing two-year
training program.
The first winter study course in biodynamics will be held on two weekends:
January 13-15 and March 24-26, 1995. For more information about this course,
or the educational program in genera, please contact the Michael Fields
Agricultural Institute in East Troy, Wisconsin at 414-642-3303.
Report Summarizes Sustainable Agriculture Research
"A Better Row to Hoe: The Economic, Environmental, and Social Impact of
Sustainable Agriculture" summarizes the results of research on sustainable
agriculture supported by the Northwest Area Foundation. Copies can be
requested free of charge by writing to: Communications Department, Northwest
Area Foundation, 332 Minnesota St., Suite E-1201, St. Paul, MN 55101-1373.
1994 Organic Directory Available
Orders are now being taken for the 1994 edition of the National Organic
Directory reference guide for organic farmers and wholesalers. It includes
over 1000 cross-referenced listings of commodities bought and sold, as well
as organic business contacts. To order a copy, send $34.95, plus $5 shipping
& handling to: Community Alliance with Family Farmers, P.O. Box 464, Davis
CA 95617; (800) 852-3832.
Thompson On-Farm Research Released
Thompson On-Farm Research, with Wallace Institute, 1994 Report, is now
available. This report describes in detail successes and failures in crop and
livestock trials being carried on at the Thompson Farm in Boone, Iowa. To
order a copy, send $10 to: Thompson On-Farm Research, 2035 190th St., Boone,
IA 50036-7423; (515) 432-1560.
CREATIVE STUFF
Winter
The frozen earth is a child
Pretending to be asleep,
Still as a rock,
Hearing each word that
Falls from the lips of her
Deceived parents.
Behind closed eyes, her
Restless thoughts churn.
Freezing and thawing,
She moves stones to the
Soil's surface,
Cracks foundations,
Uproots young plants.
Do not be fooled by the
Slumbering earth.
Anticipate the stones she will
Hurl in your pastures.
- Cris Carusi
The NSAS Newsletter is published four times a year, in January, April, July
and October. We welcome articles, letters, poetry, prose, and other
contributions. Please send correspondence to: Newsletter Editor, NSAS, PO Box
736, Hartington, NE 68739. Articles appearing in this paper may be
reproduced; please credit the authors and the NSAS Newsletter. NSAS
membership costs $25 per year. Newsletter subscriptions cost $10 per year for
nonmembers. Additional membership and subscription information can be
obtained from the NSAS office. The NSAS Newsletter is supported, in part, by
a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.