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800-346-9140 MAKING THE TRANSITION TO SUSTAINABLE FARMING

Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas FUNDAMENTALS OF SUSTAINABLE www.attra.ncat.org

ATTRA is the national information center funded by the USDA’s Rural -- Cooperative Service.

Sustainable farming is a management-intensive It is widely agreed that a truly sustainable method of growing at a profit while system must be sustainable economically, concurrently minimizing negative impact on the ecologically and socially: environment, improving , increasing biological diversity, and controlling pests. To be economically sustainable, should Sustainable agriculture is dependent on a whole- generate sufficient equitable returns to support system approach having as its focus the long- farm families and to provide an economic base term health of the land. As such, it concentrates for the surrounding community. on long-term solutions to problems instead of short-term treatment of symptoms. One result of To be ecologically sustainable, farming methods such a strategy is that use of agricultural must be modeled on to foster energy flow, chemicals and similar inputs is reduced, though effective water and mineral cycles, and viable not necessarily eliminated. As a consequence, community dynamics. the land develops diversity and resiliency that further reduce the need for agricultural ✔ Energy flow is enhanced through increased chemicals. capture of solar energy and strategies to effectively utilize and store it. Off-season ❁❁❁❁ CONTENTS ❁❁❁❁ cover crops, perennial vegetation and relay planting are among the tools for capturing Planning and Decision Making ...... 2 Rotations and Cover Crops...... 3 more sunlight; feeding on-farm and , and ...... 4 carefully managing are and Management ...... 5 means of conserving and storing it. Key Ideas for Transition...... 8 Final Note...... 9 Strategies that conserve fossil-based fuels References ...... 9 and/or substitute renewable energy sources also contribute positively to energy flow.

IS A PROJECT OF THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY ✔ Water cycling is improved through Several useful processes for decision making, strategies and techniques that prevent goal formation, and whole farm management , increase the infiltration and have been developed. The Kerr Center for water-holding potential of the soil, and Sustainable Agriculture, for example, has reduce contamination of developed 10 criteria for wholistic evaluation of by , fertilizers, and suspended farming systems (1). A more comprehensive matter. approach called Holistic Management is more widely known and practiced, however. Both ✔ The mineral cycle is fostered by the processes (and others like them) guide the cycling and recycling of wastes on-farm. through an evaluation procedure to test the On-farm feeding of livestock is especially suitability of tools and enterprises for the useful, as is the careful management of operation. residues, the use of catch crops to reduce losses, and practices that prevent One key element of success in the transition to wind and water erosion. sustainable farming is the farmer’s ability to monitor both progress towards the goal and the ✔ Effective community dynamics is overall health of the system. It is advisable to encouraged through increased . assume that one’s plan will not work and develop , , strip a system for determining (as soon as possible) if cropping, and the integration of livestock indeed it isn’t working. For example, if the goal and crop enterprises are all means of includes increased biodiversity, the farmer needs increasing farm biodiversity. Community to know—quickly—if the management dynamics is also enhanced by the system being used is actually decreasing the appropriate introduction of perennial number of species per acre; or if hiring a crops and trees where possible. neighbor to combine grain is more economical than personal combine ownership. To be socially sustainable, agriculture should promote the physical, spiritual, cultural, and The ability to evaluate and replan is a vital tool economic health of farm families and for the farmer wishing to become more communities. sustainable. When part of the plan is not working as intended, it becomes necessary to Sustainable agriculture is neither high technology replan and reflect the new conditions. This nor low technology, rather it is appropriate conceptthe idea of planning−monitoring− technology; and unlike the conventional controlling−replanningis a key characteristic of approaches of the late 20th century it varies Holistic Management and is referred to as the considerably with each farm and farmer. In place feedback loop. of the prescriptions characteristic of conventional agriculture, the modern farmer has access to An international organization, the Center for descriptions of new, innovative, and highly Holistic Management, has several publications on effective approaches that can be applied to Holistic Management, and offers a series of virtually any farm situation from micro-scale courses that may be quite helpful to farm families growers to large-scale moving towards sustainable farming (2). . The transition towards more sustainable farming Planning And Decision Making requires not only more responsibility for decision making on the part of the farmer, but also access Because sustainable producers are much more to appropriate and helpful information. sensitive to the complexity of healthy natural Fortunately, increased interest in sustainable systems, effective management depends on clear agriculture has stimulated greater investment in goal-setting and effective decision making. research and education. As a result, much more usable information is available today than ever

// MAKING THE TRANSITION TO SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE Page 2 before. Access to this information can be made will, in any case, have a noticeable impact on through various means, one of them being cash flow; if expenses do not decrease at least as ATTRA. In addition to its publications and much as income decreases, there will also be a custom reports on production and marketing, negative impact on net income. Therefore, ATTRA also provides resource lists covering careful planning is essential to avoid negative sustainable agriculture organizations, educational results. programs, internships, and related resources. Please consult the ATTRA Materials List for a In planning rotation options it is also important detailed publications listing. to consider that cultivated row crops, such as corn and or , tend, by their Hiring a consultant can also pay off well, nature, to be soil-degrading crops especially in especially in the early years of transition. A warmer climates. Since the soil is open and study by State University Extension (3) cultivated between rows, microbes break down reports that 59% of farmers hiring a consultant soil organic matter at a more rapid pace. reported an increase in profits and attributed that Furthermore, row crops have modest increase to their consultant. However, be certain systems and consequently do not contribute to check credentials and ask for references before enough new organic matter to replace that lost making a commitment. from the open soil between rows; in most cases above-ground crop residues make only minor Rotations And Cover Crops contributions to replacing lost organic matter. A continuous CORN--CORN-BEAN "rotation" Crop rotation, the planned sequencing of crops can, therefore, lead to soil degradation similar to over time on a , is one of the cornerstone that found in systems of continuous corn techniques of sustainable farming. Rotating production. Cropping continuous vegetables has crops diversifies farm income, increases the a roughly similar effect. biodiversity of the farm organism both within and on top of the soil, breaks many weed and A noteworthy challenge in sustainable row-crop other pest life cycles, improves nutrient cycling production is that reduction of use may and utilization especially where are lead to increased (for ). used to fix and provides the Unless great care is taken, this may actually result opportunity for soil building where crops are in a loss of organic matter comparable to that of employed. similar conventional systems. Consequently, it is important to develop production systems that Crop rotation improves overall and reduce tillage in a manner consistent with increases farm system diversity through time and effective weed control. Careful timing, for across space. Good rotations are sufficiently long example, can substantially reduce the number of and diverse to minimize pressure from , cultivations required each season. insects, and diseases. Whereas conventional production seeks to maximize the productivity of Management of soil organic matter is especially an individual crop with agricultural chemicals, the important in sustainable systems particularly sustainable approach makes the whole system where row cropping is involved. One recent more productive through creative use of study (4), for example, has shown that in sandy biodiversity and recognition of new profit , raising soil organic matter from 1% to 2% opportunities. increased the available water content of that soil by 60% (from 5% of total soil volume to 8%). Developing a Cropping Mix Such an improvement in a soil's water-holding Developing a new rotation cropping mixone capacity will have a beneficial effect on crop that allows for soil buildingrequires that some growth, especially during droughty periods. land be used to grow crops that appear less profitable in the short term. This may be and other crops (such as annual green especially challenging on high-priced land and manures) planted with a grain drill or broadcast-

// MAKING THE TRANSITION TO SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE Page 3 seeded are more closely spaced and have more bushel. The net income picture is even more extensive root systems than do row crops, greatly encouraging, however, because conventional reducing the amount of soil exposed to degrada- production costs for an acre of corn are quite a bit tion. In addition, they receive little or no higher than for . A good crop of fixes cultivation after planting which reduces organic at least $50 of nitrogen every year, and by thus matter loss even more. As a result, cereals and reducing costs for the subsequent corn green manures can be considered neutral crops, crop, the net income for that crop is improved replacing soil organic matter at roughly the same also. rate at which it breaks down. Crops that make a perennial sod cover, such as grasses, , and Besides equipment costs, the major drawback to alfalfa, not only keep the soil entirely covered, selling hay is that the nutrients it contains are but also have massive root systems, producing shipped off the farm. Since, however, something far more organic matter than is lost. Sod crops like 75–90% of the minerals going into the front are the most effective soil-building crops end of come out the back end, keeping making a major contribution by healing the cattle helps retain nutrients on the farm. Cattle damage done to soil by row cropping. can serve as a very profitable method of adding value to the forage crops they consume; and The Importance of Sod in Rotation when new high tensile electric fencing is employed, the costs of marketing forage as Conscientious producers incorporate sod crops as are not prohibitive. a fundamental part of their rotation, not only to build soil, but to buttress weed control strategies. Cover Crops & Green Manures Weed control improves because the types of weeds encouraged by row cropping systems are Since farmers are often reluctant to usually not adapted to growing in a sod/hay plant perennial and biennial sod crops, annual crop. An ideal rotation might include one year of green manures and cover crops assume an sod crop for each year of row crop, and as many important role in soil building in field cropping years of neutral crops as makes sense in the systems. Hairy vetch, for example, is not only a circumstances. A common example among soil-conserving , but is capable of sustainable cash crop/livestock farmers is the providing all the nitrogen required by Corn-Beans--Alfalfa-Alfalfa rotation. subsequent crops like commercial tomatoes (8).

Many farmers (5,6,7) report the best results from The soil-building crops most appropriate for a focusing on sod crops early in the given farm depend not only on regional factors transition process; after several years of soil- (harshness of winter, etc.) but also on the type of building, more grasses are planted to prevent the production system involved: each farmer will system from becoming too rich in nitrogen. have to determine which cover crops are most appropriate to his or her system. The ATTRA The chief challenge of incorporating sod crops publication entitled Cover Crops and Green into a rotation is to include livestock in the Manures, which may help in cover crop system or to find a for the hay. evaluation, is available upon request. Sustainable production is much easier when livestock are present in the system to recycle Composts, Manures And Fertilizers wastes and assist in transferring (via ) nutrients from one part of the farm to another. Planned crop rotations, cover cropping and green Fortunately, land capable of producing a 100- manuring are key elements in soil building. bushel corn yield will generally be able to However, modern production systems place high produce 5-ton hay yields. At the $60−$70 per ton demands on land resources, requiring additional prices common for even fairly ordinary hay, attention to soil fertility management. To better gross revenues per acre from hay will exceed understand the basic concepts involved, those from corn so long as corn is under $3.00 per ATTRA’s Sustainable

// MAKING THE TRANSITION TO SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE Page 4 publication is suggested. It provides practical plowdowns (for nitrogen), this 4-16-16 can be information about alternative soil management banded at seeding or otherwise applied just like approaches. Since some of these approaches may the regular 5-20-20, but with reduced negative entail the use of various off-farm inputs, two impact on soil life. additional ATTRA publications Nonconventional Soil Amendments and Sources There are several conventional fertilizers that for Organic Fertilizers & Amendmentsare should be avoided in sustainable farming due to recommended. harmful effects on soil organisms and structure. These include anhydrous ammonia and Manures and composts, especially those potassium chloride. The use of dolomitea produced on-farm or available locally at low cost, liming material having a high are ideal resources for soil management. From magnesium:calcium ratiohas also been the standpoint of overall soil and crop health, generally discouraged. This results more from composts or aged manures are preferred. the frequent misuse of dolomite for raising pH on has a unique advantage in comparison soils already high in magnesium, rather than to unaged manure and other organic soil innate detrimental qualities. It is certainly amendments in that it has a (usually) predictable, appropriate for use on fields deficient in and nearly ideal, ratio of carbon to nitrogen (9). magnesium as indicated by proper soil tests. As a result, there is no need to calculate the extra amount of nitrogen needed to balance the decay Significant additions of lime, rock phosphate and process, and farmers need not fear that soil fertilizers should be guided by soil testing to nitrogen will be tied up by decaying residues. avoid soil imbalances and unnecessary Compost can safely be applied to row-crop expenditure on inputs. Cooperative Extension ground at any practical rate; applications of 10 offers low-cost soil testing services in many tons per acre (9) are common where quantities states. For additional sources, ask for ATTRA’s are available, but much higher rates are not Alternative Soil Testing Laboratories publication. unusual, especially when soil is being improved rather than maintained. Weed And Pest Management

Compost has some particular advantages in row In the early years of transition towards crop production, especially when used in sustainable production, farmers should expect conjunction with cover crops and green manures. significant fluctuations in pest and weed In sandy soils, compost's stable organic matter is populations. Farm chemicals and healthy farm especially effective at absorbing and retaining systems each act as powerful dampers on the water. Fresh plant material incorporated as green population swings of "problem organisms." manure, on the other hand, retains its waxy leaf However, during the period between reduction coating and cannot perform the same function of chemical applications and re-establishment of until thoroughly digested by microbes. biological equilibrium neither of those dampers is especially effective. Such fluctuations, while Some of the more "environmentally friendly" frightening and frustrating, should be seen not as chemical fertilizers such as mono-ammonium signs of failure, but of progress. While dealing phosphate (12-50-0), commonly called MAP, may with such swings may be challenging, dealing also have a role in the transition away from the with the perceptions of other farmers and the harsher chemical fertilizers. A very serviceable larger rural community may be even more and affordable 4-16-16 transitional fertilizer with difficult. As one farmer wryly observed during magnesium, , and other minor nutrients this phase of the shift, "Right now, the worst weed can be prepared from a combination of two- problem I've got is down at the coffee shop." thirds sulfate of potash-magnesia and one-third mono-ammonium phosphate. When used in Although the health and environmental combination with composts and/or legume difficulties associated with conventional pesticides justify a significant change of

// MAKING THE TRANSITION TO SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE Page 5 approach, a great deal of improvement can be Unfortunately, the scheduling of weed control made with relatively little risk. Sustainable operations is often hindered by unfavorable production goes far beyond simply reducing the weather conditions. It may also be complicated quantities of chemicals applied. It involves by operational timing intended to thwart other numerous positive steps, many of which can be crop pests. ATTRA has additional information initiated without having to make major shifts in on weed control options for both agronomic and pest management strategies at the very horticultural crops, available on request, beginning. including a recent publication entitled Principles of Sustainable Weed Management. Weed Management Insect Pest Management Weed management is one of the most challenging activities in low-chemical and Insect pests can have a serious impact on farm sustainable production systems. A basic income. In balanced farm production systems, understanding of weed and the influence insect pests are always present. However, of cropping patterns on weed communities will massive outbreaks resulting in severe economic help growers refine their use of cultural and damage are minimized. This results in good part mechanical techniques, thereby reducing the time from the presence of natural control agents required for effective weed control. especially predatory and parasitic insects, mites and spidersthat keep pest populations in check. Because are used sparingly in Restoring this population of beneficial sustainable production, prevention of weed arthropods is one of the objectives of a well- problems is a fundamental component of planned transition. The two basic features of management. In gen-eral terms, weed transition planning to restore populations of prevention is based on developing a sound beneficials are: rotation, thwarting all attempts by existing weeds to set seed, and by minimizing the arrival of new 1) The cessation or reduction of practices which weed seeds from outside the field. destroy beneficials. Most importantly, this entails reducing usage and/or the While a good weed prevention program will careful timing of applications. decrease weed pressure substantially, successful crop production still requires a well-conceived 2) Management of habitat for beneficials in the program for controlling weeds to the point that form of protected zones, cover crops, com they have no negative impact on net income. panion , etc. Management of habitat for Weed control programs include a range of beneficials is sometimes called farmscaping. carefully timed cultivations and other mechanical ATTRA’s publication Farmscaping for Biological interventions designed to kill as many young Control provides details on theory and seedlings as possible. implementation of this concept.

A well-developed sense of timing is essential for Farmers need to consider carefully how to effective weed management. Delayed seeding, manage the shift to fewer pesticides during the for example, can be combined with pre-plant first few years, before beneficial insect tillage to control early-germinating weeds. The populations have rebuilt to levels where they can farmer will need to know how long seeding can exert significant control of the major pests. be delayed without compromising yields; also, Farmers should plan to work closely with local when to work the soil to stimulate maximum experts—especially farmers with transition weed emergence so they can be rapidly and experience—to ensure as smooth a shift as easily killed. In other instances relatively early possible. seeding may be preferred (if soil temperatures permit) to get a jump on later-emerging weeds. Actually, the first step towards preventing serious insect problems in any is

// MAKING THE TRANSITION TO SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE Page 6 the production of healthy plants which are, in of one or two pests on a secondary crop, applying turn, nurtured by a microbially active soil their usual if the threshold of enriched with organic matter and a balanced economic injury is approached. Others may shift mineral diet. This belief—that a healthy soil from a broad-spectrum insecticide such as produces healthy plants more resistant to insect Guthion™ to a more beneficial-friendly material, and disease attack—is a fundamental principle of such as Imidan™. As operator comfort with IPM organic agriculture and has arisen from decades increases, it is common to apply basic concepts to of largely undocumented field observations by the primary crop and expand IPM management practicing farmers. More recently, however, this on the secondary cropperhaps through the viewpoint has become accepted as fact among introduction of beneficial parasites or predators many soil scientists and others in the scientific of the target pest insect. community (10). As they move towards greater sustainability, IPM Sooner or later nearly every grower confronts programs tend to go through three phases, with unacceptable pest pressure, making some each stage using and building on previous method of necessary. Integrated pest knowledge and techniques (11): management (IPM) is the basic framework used to decide when and how pests are to be a) The pesticide management phase, controlled. The primary goal of IPM is to provide characterized by establishing economic clear pest management guidelines to growers in thresholds, sampling, and spraying as order to optimize pest control in an economically needed. and ecologically sound manner. b) The cultural management phase, based on a IPM integrates habitat modification, cultural, thorough understanding of the pest's physical, biological, and chemical practices to and its relationship to the cropping minimize crop losses. Monitoring, record system. Tactics employed to control pests keeping, and life cycle information about pests include delayed planting dates, crop and their natural enemies are used to determine rotation, altering dates, etc. which control options are needed to keep pests below an economically damaging threshold. IPM c) The biological control phase, or "bio- also involves specific techniques to manage pests, intensive IPM," requires thorough summarized in the ATTRA publication understanding of the biology of natural Integrated Pest Management. enemies (in addition to that of the pest) and an ability to measure how effective these One class of techniques used in pest agents are in controlling pests. When management, and already discussed in brief, is natural agents do not meet expected goals, biological control. Biological control is the use of "soft" pesticides (relatively non-toxic to living organisms to control crop pests. Biocontrol nontarget organisms) are used, and agents may be predatory, parasitic, or applications are timed to minimize pesticide pathogenic; they may also be either "natural" exposure of beneficials. (from naturally occurring organisms such as wild beneficial insects) or "applied" (meaning the Because sustainable production depends on such organisms are introduced). Biocontrol agents bio-intensive IPM for its long-term success, a include insects, mites, , fungi, viruses, working knowledge of the life cycles of pests and and nematodes. Certain beneficial nematodes their natural enemies is very important. The aim (Steinernema sp., for example) transmit is to identify and exploit the weak link in a pest's to their prey, and could be seen as a form of life cycle. Several good books and publications indirectly applied biocontrol. on insect identification are available through Cooperative Extension; more may be found in Farms exploring IPM concepts for the first time local libraries and bookstores. may limit their involvement to monitoring levels

// MAKING THE TRANSITION TO SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE Page 7 When all other integrated pest management interesting disease management materials have tactics are unable to maintain insect pest been identified. These include: populations below economic thresholds, insecticide application to control the pests and Compost extracts (also called compost prevent economic loss is clearly justified. In such “teas.”) cases, sustainable farmers will usually attempt to Fungal antagonists. Beneficial fungi obtain satisfactory control using one of the capable of preventing colonization of the "biorational" pesticides. crop by pathogens. Baking soda. A least-toxic Biorational pesticides are fairly pest specific and against several diseases and is, apparently, usually non-persistent, causing a minimal not harmful to beneficials. amount of harm to beneficial organisms. Plant extracts. As commonly used in Biorational pesticides may include some Biodynamic™ agriculture. conventional synthetic pest control materials, but more typically embody the microbial Key Ideas For Transition to Sustainable Farming: like Bacillus thuringiensis or Beauveria bassiana; insecticidal soaps; pheromones (for trapping or As mentioned earlier, it is risky to rely on recipes, mating disruption), and insect growth regulators. but that being said, there is a general transition Botanical plant extracts like neem and ryania are path that has worked well for many farmers also known as least-toxic, narrow-spectrum (5,6,7) over the years. controls combining minimal negative impact on beneficial species with very rapid decomposition a) Lengthen and diversify the rotation from the in the environment. very beginning of the transition, before making any significant changes in the Plant Disease Management management of individual crops. Such attention to the rotation is significantly easier Disease management through cultural means is under the 1996 Farm Bill than under the considered the most sustainable methodology. restrictions of previous legislation. Techniques and strategies include crop rotation, resistant , good soil drainage, adequate b) CORN-BEANS-OATS-ALFALFA-ALFALFA or air movement , and planting clean seed. These CORN-BEANS-OATS- are two proven may be supplemented through the use of rotations for corn and bean growers (5,6,7), biorational . As with insect pest while VEGETABLES-VEGETABLES-VEGETABLES- management, integrated management principles -CLOVER-CLOVER is popular with should be applied, including monitoring of conscientious vegetable growers (6,7) environmental conditions, to determine whether preventative fungicidal sprays are required. c) In stone-free soils, use the rotary hoe enthusiastically in corn and bean crops, while With the exception of a few plant extracts used reducing herbicide dosage rates. Delayed in Biodynamic farming, fungicides in organic planting may allow for extra pre-plant production systems have largely been limited to mechanical weed control as long as cutworms and sulfur-based products. Most don't become problematical. are labeled for anthracnose, early and d) If at all possible, eliminate anhydrous late blight, gray leaf mold, and Septoria leaf spot. ammonia from the fertility program because it Sulfur is labeled for control of is so damaging to soil life. Reduce all chemical and is also effective as a miticide and mild nitrogen applications by 25% from the outset, insecticide. Coppers also function as and by another 25% once the rotation cycle is bactericides in the control of bacterial diseases well-established. Shift to a sulfate of potash- such as bacterial spot and bacterial speck. magnesia and mono-ammonium phosphate Several copper formulations are available based blend of starter fertilizer. Work to commercially. In recent years, some new and discontinue all chemical nitrogen, replacing it

// MAKING THE TRANSITION TO SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE Page 8 with legume plowdown crops and composted References: manure. 1) Horne, James E. and Ken Williams. 1993. e) If manure is applied, begin to use a more Farming Systems Criteria: Ten Principles of aerobic handling system. Consider Sustainability. The Kerr Center for Sustainable composting; the ATTRA publication Farm- Agriculture, Poteau, OK. 2 p. Scale Composting contains much useful Available free of charge from: material. The Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture P.O. Box 588 Poteau, OK 74953 f) Get involved with a local organic farmers 918-647-9123 group—the members are a wealth of practical, region-specific information. 2) Center for Holistic Management 1010 Tijeras, M.W. g) Learn about Holistic Management or another Albuquerque, New Mexico, 87102 means of sound, holistic decision-making and 505-842-5252 apply the principles to the farming operation. Consider working with an experienced 3) Petrzelka, Peggy. 1995. Crop Consulting in Iowa. consultant to identify trouble spots and to Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa. 4 p. develop a more detailed plan for transition. 4) Hudson, Berman D. 1994. Soil organic matter and h) Get to know the major pests, their life cycles, available water capacity. J. Soil and Water Cons. Vol. 49, p. 189–94. and the beneficials that attack them. Make the farm more attractive to those beneficials. 5) Kansas Rural Center Develop primary, secondary, and alternate PO Box 133 pest management plans for all major pests of Whiting, Kansas, 66552-0133 the crops grown. 913-873-3431 i) Continue to replace herbicides with 6) Organic Crop Improvement Association mechanical weed control; pay special attention 1001 Y Street, Suite B to the timing of weed control activities—it's Lincoln, Nebraska, 68508-1172 more important than the specific equipment 402-477-2323 used. 7) Martin, Wayne et. al. 1991−95. Numerous j) Remember that transition will take time and farmers' personal communication during organic the approaches used in the beginning may no certification inspections in Kansas, Iowa, longer be appropriate as the system changes Wisconsin, Minnesota, Missouri, , Illinois, Indiana, North Dakota, Nebraska, and and improves. Alberta.

A FINAL NOTE 8) Abdul-Baki, Aref A. and John R. Teasdale. 1994. Hairy vetch cover crop provides all the N It is important to remember that each farm required by tomato crop (abs.). American Society of system is unique. The needs, goals, and abilities Horticultural Science Annual Meeting, Oregon of each farm family are distinct; the strengths and State University, Corvallis. weaknesses of each farm unit are different. 9) Parnes, Robert. 1990. Fertile Soil. agAccess, Nevertheless, the skills, abilities, and knowledge Davis, California. p. 51−58. acquired in the course of shifting from a product- focused approach towards a more management- 10) Ingham, Elaine. 1997. The Soil Foodweb: It’s based strategy of collaboration with nature offer Importance in Ecosystem Health. many rewards, financial, personal, and http://rain.org:80/~sals/ingham.html ecological.

// MAKING THE TRANSITION TO SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE Page 9 11) Ferro, D.N. 1993. Integrated pest management in vegetables in Massachusetts. p. 95–105. In: Anne R. Leslie, and Gerrit W. Cuperus (ed.) Successful Implementation of Integrated Pest Management for Agricultural Crops. Lewis, Boca Raton, Florida.

Prepared by Bart Hall & George Kuepper, NCAT Agriculture Specialists

December 1997

IP107

The ATTRA Project is operated by the National Center for Appropriate Technology under a grant from the Rural Business-Cooperative Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. These organizations do not recommend or endorse products, companies, or individuals. ATTRA is located in the Ozark Mountains at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville at P.O. Box 3657, Fayetteville, AR 72702. ATTRA staff members prefer to receive requests for information about sustainable agriculture via the toll-free number 800-346-9140.

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