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Sustainable Agriculture Education and Training
The nonpoint source water pollution potential of conventional farming systems has become an issue of major public concern. The 1990 farm bill lists among the primary purposes of the agricultural research and extension systems: to "develop information and systems to enhance the environment and the natural resource base upon which a sustainable agriculture depends." However, any solution to nonpoint source water pollution associated with agriculture must be achieved within the context of whole-farm systems.
Sustainable agriculture is a whole-farm systems approach to the nonpoint source water pollution issue. The farm bill defines sustainable agriculture as integrated, site-specific systems of crop and livestock production that will over time: provide for the food and fiber needs of society, protect the environment and natural resource base, make efficient use of on-farm and non-renewable energy, maintain economically viable farming operations, and enhance the quality of life for farmers and society as a whole. The issue of nonpoint source pollution must be addressed in the process of developing more ecologically sound and economically viable systems of farming.
Until recently, Missouri's major efforts to address nonpoint pollution risks associated with agriculture have been oriented primarily toward controlling soil loss. Missouri voters approved a one-tenth of one percent retail sales tax in 1984, half of which is deposited annually in a state fund earmarked for "the saving of the soil and water of this state for the conservation of the productive power of Missouri agricultural land."
One of five major programs carried out with Missouri's Soil and Water Tax Fund combines elements of cost sharing and interest sharing for targeted watersheds. These programs include the SALT (Special Area Land Treatment) program and the EARTH program which is similar to the SALT project but includes larger watersheds. Landowners within a watershed can volunteer to develop a conservation plan over a two-year period which qualifies landowners for additional incentives over a five-year implementation period. These areas receive annual support grants for personnel, equipment, promotion, tours, and other expenditures in support of the total project in addition to targeted delivery of all other conservation programs.
The project areas for the demonstration/education program to be carried out by means of this subgrant will be SALT and EARTH watersheds with expansion beyond the current Clarence and Otter Creek watersheds by recruiting farm cooperators from throughout the North Salt River Basin. A major portion of the nonfederal cost-share budget will come from MDNR contributions to the above-mentioned projects. A letter from Steven Taylor, SALT Program Manager for the Soil and Water Conservation Program (SWCP), is included to document that the funds are available for the nonfederal cost share and that SWCP supports the project.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
A farm decision support system (PLANETOR), developed by a national ES-USDA task force under the federal LISA program, will be an important element in identifying linkages between chemical input use and water quality risks in the NPS-DE project. PLANETOR is a micro computer based, multiple-objective, whole-farm, multi-year farm planning system that allows farmers to evaluate alternative systems in terms of both their ecological and economic dimensions.
The system identifies potential water quality risks associated with using specific pesticides on specific soil types with respect to the probability of their leaching into ground water or running off into surface waters. PLANETOR utilizes a soil-pesticide interaction matrix to determine high, medium, and low probabilities of pesticides showing up in either ground water or surface waters using an algorithm proposed by Don Goss and accepted for use nationwide by the Natural Resource Conservation Service.
The procedure used in PLANETOR is currently being refined to include estimates of the amounts and relative toxicity of pesticides expected to reach surface and groundwater supplies. Other research-oriented watershed models, such as AGNPS, are capable of adding refinements to the Goss approach and will be used in the watershed to validate and expand upon watershed data collected in the farm planning process.
Potential soil loss is estimated using the universal soil loss equation, the same algorithm used by Natural Resources Conservation Service in evaluating conservation compliance under government commodity programs. Nitrogen pollution potential is estimated by balancing nitrogen applied to land, from both inorganic and organic sources, against expected nitrogen utilization by the crop at expected and optimistic yield levels.
Financial returns and financial risks are derived from farmers' estimates of expected, optimistic, and pessimistic production and prices for each crop or livestock enterprise. Default crop and livestock budget values are modified to fit each individual farmer's situation and expectations.
OBJECTIVES
The overall objective of this program is to reduce agricultural nonpoint source water pollution in Missouri though education and training of University Extension agents, Small Farm Education Assistants, and other information providers which will develop their understanding, competence, and ability to teach, and communicate the concepts of sustainable agriculture to farmers, residents of rural communities, urban residents, and others who need information on sustainable agriculture.
Specific objectives are to help extension agents and other information providers:
1. Gain an understanding of the basic concepts and principles of sustainable agriculture and the interdependence of agricultural sustainability and water quality;
2. Gain an understanding of and competence in "holistic," management intensive approaches to farm resource management; based on the three-part goal of economic, social, and environmental sustainability, which includes pollution prevention and water quality protection as specific objectives;
3. Enhance their appreciation for, and ability to carry out participatory, on-farm trials and demonstrations programs related to sustainable agriculture, and to promote farm tours, field days, and other means of information dissemination;
4. Learn to facilitate the development of farmer-to-farmer information exchange networks, to promote farmer input into extension and research programs, and to otherwise promote farmers' sharing of information pertaining to agricultural sustainability.
PRODUCTS
The NPS-DE program is expected to generate a variety of output. The most important is likely to be the one-on-one consultations with individual farmers and the two series of on-farm demonstrations that will be open to farmers within and outside the North Salt River Basin.
These events will generate tangible results in the form of demonstration reports, videotapes, slide sets, and case studies. However, their far greater impact may be the intangible changes in perceptions and attitudes of farmers and the general public as a result of these exposures of alternative ways of farming.
Specific tangible output expected:
Two annual series of farm demonstrations (A minimum of 12 farms/year)
Fact sheets and technical guides for farmers
Annual demonstration reports
Annual report changes in use of nonpoint source pollutants
Individual farm case reports (A minimum of 30 farms)
Total NPS-DE Project Report
Journal article on use of PLANETOR computer program
Videotapes and slide sets of on-farm demonstrations.
PROJECT SPONSOR
Curators of the University of Missouri
COOPERATING AGENCIES
Farmers-Landowners in the North Salt River Basin
Missouri Department of Natural Resources
Natural Resources Conservation Service, USDA
Shelby County Soil and Water Conservation District Board
Monroe County Soil and Water Conservation District Board
Missouri Department of Conservation
University Extension State and Area Specialists
CONTACT
Office of Sponsored Program Administration
University of Missouri - Columbia
310 Jesse Hall
Dr. E. Kenneth Bittner, Assistant Director Columbia, Missouri 65211
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