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Resources
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Jim Stute of the Michael Fields Agricultural
Institute inspects malt barley used to expand crop rotations on 40 Wisconsin farms
as part of a successful profit-generating diversification effort, partly funded by SARE.
– Photo by Ron Doetch |
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General Information/Resource Centers
Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program
(301) 504-5230; san@sare.org; www.sare.org.
Studies and disseminates information about sustainable agriculture via a nationwide
grants program. See research findings at www.sare.org/projects.
Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA) (800)
346-9140 English, (800) 411-3222 (Spanish); http://attra.
ncat.org. Provides information and other technical assistance to farmers,
ranchers and educators involved in sustainable agriculture. See especially “Alternative
Agronomic Crops,” by Patricia Sauer and Preston Sullivan, an overview
of the considerations involved in selecting, cultivating and marketing alternative
agronomic crops, http://attra.ncat.org/field.html.
Alternative Farming Systems Information Center (AFSIC) (301)
504-6559; afsic@nal.usda.gov; www.nal.usda.gov/afsic.Specializes
in identifying and accessing information related to alternative agricultural
enterprises and crops as well as alternative cropping systems.
Jefferson Institute(573) 449-3518; www.jeffersoninstitute.org.
A nonprofit agricultural education and research center that provides help on
growing and marketing alternative grains, oilseeds and other specialty crops.
Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN) (301) 504-5236; san@sare.org;
www.sare.org. As SARE’s national outreach
arm, SAN offers farmer-ready information through electronic and print publications.
It helps farmers, ranchers, Extension educators and other agricultural professionals
learn more about applying sustainable agriculture principles and practices in
farm settings across the U.S.
“Tilling the Soil of Opportunity,” a NxLeveL™
course for agricultural entrepreneurs, is aimed at those who are thinking about
starting an agricultural based venture that is not tied to large-scale commodity
production. This 10–session course is taught by specially trained instructors.
To find out if NxLevel is offered near you, go to www.nxlevel.org/
Pages/states.html
Publications from the Sustainable
Agriculture Network
(To order SAN books, go to http://www.sare.org/publications/order.htm
where you can download an order form. To order by credit card, or for information
about bulk discounts and rush orders, contact (802) 656-0484; sanpubs@sare.org.
Building Soils for Better Crops, 2nd edition $19.95 + $3.95
s/h. This 240-page book contains detailed information about soil structure and
the management practices that affect soils.
Managing Cover Crops Profitably, 2nd edition $19 + $3.95
s/h. This is the most comprehensive book ever published on the use of cover
crops to sustain cropping systems and build soil. Provides all the information
needed to build cover crops into any farming operation.
Building a Sustainable Business: A Guide to Developing a Business
Plan for Farms and Rural Businesses $14 + $3.95 s/h. Helps today’s
alternative and sustainable agriculture entrepreneurs transform farm-grown inspiration
into profitable enterprises. Sample worksheets illustrate how real farm families
set goals, determined potential markets and evaluated financing options –
and help the reader develop a detailed business plan.
‘Naturalize’ Your Farming System: A Whole-Farm Approach
to Managing Pests This free 20-page bulletin helps producers –
and the educators who work with them – design farm-wide approaches to
controlling pests. Download a printable version from www.sare.org/publications
or contact san_assoc@sare.org or (301)
504-5236.
Other Publications
Agricultural Production Contracts University of Minnesota
Extension. Legal considerations involved in agricultural production contracts.
www.extension.
umn.edu/distribution/businessmanagement/DF7302.html
Alternative Field Crops Manual University of Wisconsin-Extension,
University of Minnesota Center for Alternative Plant & Animal Products and
Minnesota Extension Service. Comprehensive source of production information
on nearly 50 alternative agronomic crops adapted to the upper Midwest. www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/afcm/index.html.
Biodiversity and Pest Management in Agroecosystems 2nd edition,
by Miguel Altieri and Clara Nicholls. Entomological aspects and the ecological
basis for the maintenance of biodiversity in agriculture. $49.95 (soft cover),
$79.95 (hard cover) from The Haworth Press, Inc.,1-800-HAWORTH; getinfo@haworthpress.com;
www.hayworthpress.com.
Inside Agroforestry The National Agroforestry Center’s
quarterly newsletter covers the latest agroforestry news and information. See
the summer/fall 2003 issue to read about SARE’s partnership with NAC.
(402) 437-5178 or http://www.unl.edu/nac/ia.html
“Production Practices for Major Crops in U.S. Agriculture, 1990-97”
September 2000, USDA Economic Research Service, www.ers.usda.gov/publications/sb969
Web sites
www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/watershed/products.htmlUSDA
Natural Resources Conservation Service Conservation Buffers web site. Provides
a variety of handbooks and technical notes for farmers and ranchers on the use
of conservation buffers.
www.sarep.ucdavis.edu/ccrop
University of California Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program
web site includes a cover crops database that describes the management and effects
of 32-plus species of cover crops. Readers can view more than 400 different
cover crop images.
www.cedarmeadowfarm.com
This permanent cover cropping systems web site is maintained by Pennsylvania
grower Steve Groff.
www.oatlink.com
Oatlink is a consortium of farmers, grain handlers, processors and
university researchers striving to connect the production, handling
and processing of value-added grain. Download the “Farmers
Guide and Resource to Quality Small Grain Production,” www.oatlink.com/bugrep.htm.
www.deltanetwork.org
Delta Enterprise Network is an evolving group of farmers, entrepreneurs and
others who assist each other in overcoming barriers to sustainable agricultural
enterprises in the seven Delta states.
Organizations
Center for New Crops & Plant Products Purdue University;(765)
494-1329; www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop.
Subscribe to Purdue’s New Crop Discussion Group or order Purdue’s
New Crop Compendium CD-ROM, a searchable resource of new, specialty, neglected
and underutilized crops. (Also available by calling (800) 830-0269.) $75 + $5
s/h.
Michael Fields Agriculture Institute (262) 642-3303; mfai@michaelfieldsaginst.org
www.michaelfieldsaginst.org
A public nonprofit education and research organization committed to promoting
resource-conserving, ecologically sustainable and economically viable food and
farming systems.
National Agroforestry Center USDA Forest Service and NRCS;
(402) 437-5178; www.unl.edu/nac Develops
and delivers technology on a broad suite of agroforestry practices to natural
resource professionals and conducts research on how to design and install forested
buffers to protect water quality. The center publishes “Inside Agroforestry”
newsletter and fact sheets.
University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry (573) 884-2874;umca@missouri.edu;
www.missouri.edu/~umca An interdisciplinary
research and teaching program on forestry, fisheries and wildlife, entomology,
plant pathology, agronomy, animal science, agricultural economics, rural sociology
and horticulture.
The Land Institute Salina, Kansas. (785) 823-5376; theland@landinstitute.org;
www.landinstitute.org Offers a number
of books and other publications on a perennial plant system of agriculture and
the role of diversity in the agricultural landscape.
The Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture Iowa State
University. (515) 294-3711; leocenter@iastate.edu;
www.ag.iastate.edu/centers/leopold.
Conducts research into the negative impacts of agricultural practices and assists
in developing alternative practices.
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