A32-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, January 19,2002
HOW IMPORTANT
IS SUSTAINABLE
AGRICULTURAL?
In weekly “Feedstuffs" publi
cation, the Aug. 6 issue described
the decline of poultry production
in the state of Connecticut.
It so happens that the Nutmeg
state originally was an important
leader in poultry production, dat
ing back to Yankee Clipper ships
of the early 1900 s.
The broiler chicken industry in
the U.S. started in this region
when Alexander Hamilton di
rected the Clipper ships to bring
back farm animals from Europe
and Asia to expand the genetic
diversity and quality of livestock
and poultry. Early New England
farmers would greet the clipper
ships to purchase the new arriv
als.
Breeds such as “Rhode Island
Reds" were developed just a few
miles from the clipper ship docks.
By the late 19th Century, the
poultry industry of New England
was very viable as it included
lay er/breeder flocks, small farms,
and feed mills. In 1986 in Eastern
Connecticut, the University of
C onnecticut started research,
teaching, extension and educa
tion in poultry science and hus
bandry This institution is cred
ited as the first poultry program
in the land-grant university sys
tem.
Ihe poultry industry flour
ished in the New England area
on man\ specialized farms, and
included small family farms in
this icgion Ihe genetic founda
tions oi man) meat biids were
bud and developed in this region
as well 1 he dewelopment of poul
tr\ \ asunes foi major poultn
diseases and impioved feeding
and nutrition of jsoultry was pin
ned ed by the poultry men of
Connecticut
As of this past Aug. 14, the last
poultiy farm in Connecticut was
depopulated and left empty, with
only the poultry houses left as a
reminder of the once robust and
histone agncultuie heritage. Pro
gress, mtegialion. and migration
of the poultry industry to the
southern states are the reasons
for the extinction of this once
y ital industry
Do you think that this will ever
happen in Pennsylvania?
This is hard to predict. How
ever. the importance of sustaina
bility through direct marketing
and consumei education about
regional food supplies cannot be
overemphasized.
Sustainability is the responsi
bility of every farmer or grower
in the sustainable food system.
Healthy environments, clean
water, and crop diyersity are im
portant to everyone’s futuie.
Consumers must support local
agriculture to preserve the pictur
esque fat inland they love to gaze
upon fanners must devote
promotional time between mar
keting and food production.
I ventually, the Pennsylvania
community can contribute to
healthy food systems that will
preserve farms and farmland bv
supporting local agriculture.
Ag
Sustainability^
6dM|rd Herrmann
'SHpision Agent J#
Agricultural Sustainability
Lebanon County
Farmland preservation efforts
by government and nonprofit
foundations are contributing to
protecting agriculture land. How
ever, this effort, critics argue, will
only preserve open space, and
does not guarantee that someone
will manage or be the husband
man of that land. People are re
quired to manage and farm the
land. We need to encourage new
and beginning farmer programs
in agriculture education at the
high school and university levels.
Agriculture issues and marketing
need to be incorporated into both
education systems.
Hands-on experience and prac
tical instruction time should be
integrated into the current sys
tem. Internships can be promoted
and offered rewardingly as part
of the education process. Other
education areas needed should be
incorporated into agriculture ed
ucation are developing food pro
cessing and production of value
added products.
What will agriculture look
like?
In the next 20 to 50 years, do
you want to read about the great
agriculture heritage of Pennsyl
vania as a historical producer of
food that made important ad
vances to farming and livestock
practices? Or would you prefer to
see opportunity and sustainabili
ty generate the precedent for oth
ers to model and emulate?
Many people thought it would
never happen in Connecticut.
Many local consumers think it
will never happen in Pennsylva
nia
In some local farming commu
nities where cheap, overabundant
food and large numbers of live
stock exist, the opinion of local
residents deny or ignore the fate
ful reality that steam rolled
through New England during the
previous three decades.
In many local communities
throughout central Pennsylvania,
residents think this is impossible
and “that it could never happen
in their backyard." But how
much longer can farmers contin
ue to produce food at or above
the cost of production? Ihe fed
eral government subsidizes agri
culture at more than 40 percent
of the total dollars returning to
the farm. Farmers continually
complain about the government’s
involvement in agriculture. How
ever. without the government
payments, many farms would go
broke. The margin for profitabili
tv is very thin, and several farms
are often one disaster from bank
ruptcy.
Many agriculture economists
believe that we will have two
classes of farms left in the next 10
years the very large, and the
very small.
Large farms will continue to
grow larger in size as they are
formed by alliances or by farms
that are bailed out of bankruptcy
The production and marketing
systems will retain commodity
market orientation. It is hopeful
that wholesale prices will remain
even or above the cost of produc
tion.
Integrated food company
Schweiker Administration
Announces More Than $1.2 Million
For Farmland Conservation
HARRISBURG (Dauphin
Co.) State Agriculture Secre
tary Sam Hayes announced
more than $1.2 million for the
state's 66 conservation districts
to support conservation prac
tices on farms.
“Our conservation districts
lead grassroots-level efforts to
protect our lands, and fulfill
our commitment to the chil
dren who will inherit our farms
and pristine lands,” Hayes said.
“The districts work closely with
farmers, foresters and others
who strive to use environ
mental best management prac
tices. I commend the dedication
of the State Conservation Com
mission, the Pennsylvania As
sociation of Conservation Dis
tricts, and landowners who
work to protect our farmland.”
Hayes presented the funding
to the Pennsylvania Association
of Conservation Districts
(PACD) on behalf of all 66 con
servation districts at a recent
meeting of the 11-member
State Conservation Commis
sion (SCC). The SCC is the
farms are growing very rapidly in
many regions of the U.S. Farmers
are producing animals, milk,
eggs, and crops under contract
arrangements with several com
panies. This production system is
good for companies, but serves as
a risk management tool for large
farms.
The small farms and part-time
farms will continue to grow as
many farmers work in jobs off
the farm. The small farm has the
potential to be a very profitable
enterprise in the sustainable
farming system. Community sup
ported agriculture that builds re
lationships between consumers
and a farmer develops trust in
this food svstem.
Preserving a food system that
is closer to home, and a system
that preserves and protects local
agriculture, inspires consumers
and farmers alike. This system
can function without government
support payments. Many regions
in Pennsylvania have begun
“partnerships” that make their
communities sustainable.
Technology is a valuable mar
keting tool for this size or pro
duction system of farms E-com
merce could make this small
farming system more profitable
than many large farms. Farmers
will have to take advantage of ed
ucation and training opportuni
ties to capitalize in this market
ing system.
What can be done to enhance
the sustainable farming food sys
tem?
Agriculture changed more rap
idly in the year 2000 than it did
the previous 30 years. There will
always be a need for larger pro
duction types of farms to feed the
masses. However, local-based ag
riculture that is sustainable sys
tem is valuable to the community
it provides food and fiber for.
The need for local “connections”
to the food supply is important to
producers and consumers alike.
Sustainable agriculture pro
tects the environment and serves
as a mechanism to “clean the
air" from urban pollution. The
woodlots serve as habitat for
wildlife. Local farms serve as a
filter to protect valuable water re
sources and provide wetlands to
oversight group for the state’s
conservation districts. The
Pennsylvania Association of
Conservation Districts is a non
profit conservation organiza
tion representing those dis
tricts. The funding is channeled
to individual districts through
the SCC.
The funding is used to sup
port five program areas:
• Agricultural Conservation
Technician Program (36 coun
ties), $600,000, enables conser
vation districts to employ and
train engineers and technicians
to design and oversee the in
stallation of best-management
practices
• Farmland Preservation
Administrative and Technical
Support (38 counties),
$200,000, provides funds to eli
gible conservation districts that
provide administrative and
conservation planning support
to approved county farmland
preservation programs
• Leadership Development
(66 counties), $lOO,OOO, pro-
improve the water quality of our
rivers and streams. These ecosys
tems also filter out excess nutri
ents and pesticides.
Farms that have soil conserva
tion plans in practice are saving
valuable topsoil and preventing
the silting of our waterways. This
sustainable practice in combina
tion with livestock farms that
have nutrient management plans
are helping to improve the quali
ty of life for all people that live in
both rural and urban commu
nities.
Sustainable agriculture accom
plishes three important objec
tives:
1. It contributes to long-term
farm profitability.
2. Provides for environmental
stewardship.
L Improves the rural quality of
life.
What can be done to preserve
sustainable farms?
There aie several important
transformations that farmers and
agriculture enterprises can do in
order to remain important to
rural and urban communities.
Farmers can learn more about
implementing management prac
tices that will help them become
more profitable:
• Develop a business plan.
• Be familiar with risk man
agement tools.
• Manage your finances.
• Incorporate technology
wherever it is practical.
• Learn to market your crops,
livestock, and farm-produced
products.
Eliminate the phrase “get rid
of’ from your marketing lan
guage.
• Form alliances, networks, or
merge your farming efforts with
other local farms. Utilize and or
ganize cooperatives to decrease
your input costs, or increase your
bargaining power in the market
place. Consider forming limited
liability corporations (LLC) to be
come efficient and competitive m
commodity markets.
• Learn and apply sustainable
agriculture management prac
tices. Realize that vonr nonfarm
ing neighbors do not always un
derstand your business Be
considerate of your neighbors
vides funds for the develop
ment and delivery of leadership
development and capacity
building tools (strategic plan
ning. personnel management,
fiscal planning and manage
ment) that are tailored specif
ically to the needs of conserva
tion district directors and staff
• Ombudsman Pilot Project
(Berks, Chester, and Lancaster
counties), $185,000, for the de
velopment of new tools and
techniques to help conservation
districts facilitate the review
and consideration of nutrient
management plans for livestock
operations, to create a better
understanding among the pub
lic of the changing nature of
agricultural production meth
ods, and to recognize agricul
tural producers that are meet
ing or exceeding state and
federal conservation standards
and
• District Manager Cost-
Share (66 counties), $125,000,
which helps to enable conserva
tion districts to employ qualifi
ed managers.
when deciding to apply manure
to fields. Be considerate of holi
days and weekends when sched
uling fieldwork or manure appli
cations whenever practical.
• Become active and involved
in your community and local
government.
• Take an active role in agri
culture education of children in
schools, or adults in community
projects.
As consumers and neighbors,
several key objectives in keeping
local farms in your communiU
should be emphasized:
• Buy local foods whenever
possible. Support your local
farms.
• Become familiar with the
seasonality of food crops you
consume. Inquire about how your
food is produced, f armers love to
share information about what
they do.
• Develop working relation
ships with local farmers. Share
your food preference and food
safety concerns. Realize that or
ganic agriculture production sys
tems are not practical on every
farm.
• Encourage local farms to try
and add one new sustainable
management practice that pro
tects or improves the environ
ment.
• Be reasonable and try to un
derstand the individual chal
lenges farmers face. Realize that
milk, meat, and eggs have a man
agement side that includes odors
and dust that farmers have to
cope with every day.
• Become active and involved
in your community and local
government.
• Participate in the education
process of children in schools, or
adults in community projects.
It is everyone in the sustain
able food system's responsibility
to ensure that it never allows
farming in local communities to
end.
Do you think what happened
in Connecticut would never
happen here?