Economic pressures come in a variety of forms. A move toward sustainable practice may impact a farmer’s relationship with implement, chemical, and seed dealers. In certain locations within the northern Midwest, the infrastructure no longer exists to handle and process crops other than the principal commodities. Transporting an alternative or uncommon crop to an appropriate market is complicated by this lack of infrastructure. Marketing such a crop is further complicated by volatile prices and consumer demand.
Lending institutions often have to be convinced of the soundness of a new prac-tice, and those who are employed at such institutions don’t always know how to evaluate practices that are new to a locale. It is sometimes easier for farmers to just continue practices that they have been using than to convince lenders that adopting little known or understood practices is in their best interests (Hamilton, 1990).
If farmers are under financial stress, that situation can, in itself, serve as a stimu-lus to consider making substantive changes. The farmer may conclude that changes
will help alleviate adverse economic circumstances. However, lending institutions or other farmers may observe the same economic situations and conclude that the best future direction is to “stay the course” while assuming that the circumstances will get better. Thus, adverse financial circumstances are often a constraint in moving toward sustainable agriculture, but they also are an impetus for change (LSP, 2003).
In recent years, farm profits have been closely linked to participation in gov-ernmental farm programs (Nordquist et al., 2004). Multiperil crop insurance, loan deficiency payments, preventative planting payments, historical yields, and base acreages all play a part in decisions that influence farm operations. Government farm programs can be dynamic (e.g., the vagaries of the Conservation Security Program), and farmers seeking greater financial stability through such programs may favor the status quo so that they can remain positioned for participation.
In this region, the North Central Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Program, as well as the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, have had both producer and researcher on-farm demonstration grant programs that have aided in organic research and outreach efforts.
4.4 PersPeCTives aNd PraCTiCes of farmers moviNG ToWard susTaiNaBiliTy
The environmental, social, and economic challenges farmers face constitute agroeco-logical constraints that can affect their ability to move toward change. Nonetheless, in their efforts to move toward sustainability within their agricultural systems, the farmers we interviewed have made substantial changes in their practices. Their eight farms are distributed within various agricultural systems (Table 4.4) and regions of Minnesota (Figure 4.2). Their farms range in size from a few hundred acres to several thousand acres, and they produce a wide array of crops, livestock, and other products (Table 4.5).
The interviews of the farmers were organized around the following topical areas:
The farmers’ perceptions of the processes they have followed in moving
•
toward sustainability.
The kinds of factors that prompted them to make changes in how they farm.
•
The farmers’ perceptions of constraints they have faced during the
•
change process.
Surprises they have encountered during the process.
•
Examples of specific changes that farmers have made on their farms.
•
How they regard the change process they have made (e.g., is it a “redesign?”).
•
How the farmers perceive the influences of neighbors and community
dur-•
ing the process.
Their perceived needs for further knowledge as they continue the process
•
of change.
The specific questions used to guide the interviews are provided in the Appendix at the end of this chapter.
The farmers we interviewed are active within their communities and various agri-cultural organizations. For example, Mary Jo Forbord has served as executive direc-tor of the Sustainable Farming Association (SFA) of Minnesota. Jaime DeRosier has chaired a local SFA chapter and has authored a book about his experiences with organic and sustainable production methods. Another farmer, Carmen Fernholz, has used his background as a teacher to share his knowledge of organic systems at field days, workshops, and guest lectures at universities. He has been a leader in the SFA and has served on an organic marketing board (Organic Farmers’ Agency for Relationship Marketing [OFARM]). He also contributes to his community beyond agriculture by directing local high school and community theater plays. Tony Thompson’s Willow Lake Farm regularly hosts an agroecology summit designed to help participants gain a greater understanding of agroecological concepts. He has also been an advocate for innovative strategies to manage wildlife within agricultural
TaBle 4.4
luverne and mary Jo forbord’s a to Z “Product” list
Alfalfa and art
Beef, bees, beets, birds, and butterflies Cows, calves, corn, and carbon sequestration Deer, ducks, dogs, and dried distiller grains Eggs, education, and ethanol
Flax, forbs, fish, and fun Geese and grass (native and not) Home, history, hens, and hunting Inspiration and insight
Jobs for everyone!
Kinship and kohlrabi
Ladyslipper, leadplant, and leaves Musicians and mystery
Native prairie, nutrients, and next generation Opportunities and oddities
Photosynthesis, ponds, and ponderings Quality of life
Rye, recreation, and relationships
Straw, scenery, skinks, spirituality, and sensory delights Trees, teff, tomatoes, and thankfulness
Unity and understanding Vodka
Wheat, wildlife, and water filtration X-asperation!
Yarrow and yawns
Zest for this way of life and all of its rewards for us and everyone Farming Forever! Amen.
systems. Steve Smith has served as a community advisor for a research/outreach cen-ter of the state university.
The farmers we interviewed have strong convictions regarding the importance of serving the public good through their farm operations. For example, Chuck and Karen Knierim’s Wildrose Farm Web site states, “At Wildrose Farm there is no mil-lion dollar designer at the top and there are no kids in sweatshops at the bottom….
The people that work with us are talented artists and sewers…. Everyone earns a decent wage.” Similarly, Luverne and Mary Jo Forbord’s “alphabet product list” at their Prairie Horizons Farm includes intrinsic values as well as products (Table 4.4).
Dave and Florence Minar of Cedar Summit Farm are committed to “provide clean, healthy, locally grown and safe meat and dairy products.” Similarly, Tony Thompson has stated, “I would like be recognized as much for the increased numbers of upland plover birds that are on my farm as for the bushels of corn I produce.” Clearly a healthy environment and food supply are high priorities for all of the farmers we interviewed. They possess a strong work ethic and an absence of inflated or unreal-istic financial expectations from their farms.
4.4.1 CharaCteristiCsoFthe Farmsand Changes made
Of the eight farmers interviewed, seven have some certified organic acreage, two have a diversified organic crop/livestock operation, and two others have organic crops and conventional livestock (Table 4.5). Two would be considered pasture-based sys-tems, two mixed cropping, three crops only, and one a sustainably managed timber
1
2 3
4 5
6 7
8
1 2 3 4 6 5
7 8
Chuck & Karen Knierim Florence & Dave Minar Tony Thompson Steve & Sally Smith Carmen & Sally Fernholz Luverne & Mary Jo Forbord Lee & Noreen Thomas Jaime & Laura DeRosier Farmers Interviewed
fiGure 4.2 The location of the farmers chosen for interviews.
TaBle 4.5 Characteristics of the farms operated by interviewees farm NameacresaoperatorsCropslivestockotherduration and Transitionsuse estimates Thomas Farm, Moorhead1,200 (1,200)Lee and Noreen Thomas and three children Wheat, corn, soybean, rye, alfalfa NoneCertified organicBegan farming conventional sugarbeet-based system in 1986; began transition to organic in 1999
100% resale 60% for human consumption Smith Farm, Southern Minnesota
390 (358)Steve and Sally SmithbCorn, soybean, wheat, red clover; fruit and vegetables for own use Organic pasture-fed cows/calves; chickens for own use; conventional hogs Certified organicBegan farming conventionally in 1973; transitioned to organic in 1998
90% for resale 60% for human consumption Cedar Summit Farm, New Prague, McGrath, and Kerkhoven
871 (821)Dave and Florence Minar and adult children Pasture and hay for winter feedGrass-fed cows, pasture-raised hogs and steers Milk processing; direct marketed meat Began conventional dairy in 1969; transitioned to rotational grazing–based dairy in 1993 Crops for animal consumption; milk and meat for human consumption Prairie Horizons Farm, Benson480 (250 in transition)
Luverne and Mary Jo Forbord and three children Alfalfa, grass, corn, flax, wheat, rye, native prairie plants, vegetables, trees Beef cows, chickens, eggsRotational grazingConventional dairy before 2002, when transitioned to rotational grazing–based beef 99% for resale Crops for human and animal consumption and industrial use Animals for human consumption
A-Frame Farm, Madison400 (350)Carmen and Sally FernholzCorn, soybean, wheat, oats, flax, interseeded legumes Conventional feeder pigsCertified organicStarted farming in 1972; began pursuing sustainability in 1973; entire farm certified organic in 1994
100% for resale Wheat, flax, pigs for human consumption Beans for seed Corn, oats, alfalfa for animal consumption DeRosier Farm, Red Lake Falls1,000 (1,000)Jaime and Laura DeRosier and five children
Wheat, rye, barley, oats, soybeans, flax, millet, corn, peas, sunflowers, alfalfa, buckwheat, popcorn Chickens, turkeys, pheasants, pigs, calves, horses (for own use) Certified organicBegan farming in 1985; received organic certification in early 1990s
100% resale Mostly for human consumption Willow Lake Farm, Windom3,700 row crops; 400 wetlands; 2,000 prairie (12)
Tony ThompsonCorn, soybean, native prairie plants, buckwheat, popcorn NoneRidge-till planting system, conventional with some certified organic crop acres
Ridge-till system since 199199% for resale, animal consumption Wildrose Farm, Breezy Point21 (0)Chuck and Karen KnierimSustained-yield timber, herbs and vegetables
Chickens, turkeysOrganic cotton clothing and rugs, recycled fiber, timber made into furniture In business for 30 years; expanded to organic clothing about 10 years ago
Furniture and clothing for resale/ human consumption Herbs and vegetables for own use a Certified organic acres in parentheses. b Identity disguised to preserve anonymity.
operation that purchases off-farm organic cotton for the manufacturing of clothes.
There were no vegetable producers surveyed.
The 1,200-acre farm of Lee and Noreen Thomas, which is in the Red River Valley of northwestern Minnesota, has been in Lee’s family for multiple generations. From the mid-1980s (when Lee started farming) until the late 1990s, this farm depended on sugarbeets as the principal cash crop. However, a combination of sugarbeet dis-eases, human and food safety concerns, and changes in the global sugar economy caused the Thomases to reevaluate their operation. This resulted in their transition to certified organic production in the early 2000s. They now commonly grow food-grade soybean, wheat, and corn.
The 390-acre farm of Steve and Sally Smith, located in southwestern Minnesota, had been a typical corn and soybean operation since the Smiths began farming in the early 1970s. Both Steve and Sally had grown up on conventional farms in the area.
By the late 1990s it had become apparent to them that something had to change if they were going to remain viable. Other farmers in their area were expanding their acreages in order to try to remain profitable. But similar to the Thomases, the Smiths chose in the late 1990s to transition their crop acreage toward a certified organic system involving food- and feed-grade corn, soybean, and wheat. They have retained their conventional confined hog production operation; however, in early 2004 the Smiths’ son began raising cattle organically on the farm.
Dave and Florence Minar’s Cedar Summit Farm in east-central Minnesota began as a conventional dairy in 1969. In 1974 they chose to discontinue pesticide use on their farm, and in 1993 they changed to milking entirely grass-fed cows. In the early 2000s they established an on-farm milk and cheese processing facility, and began to change their entire operation to certified organic production. Detail regarding their business development plan is available from the Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture (MISA, 2003). Their farm is approximately 440 acres with 180 milk cows.
Luverne and Mary Jo Forbord’s 480-acre Prairie Horizons Farm in west-central Minnesota was also formerly a conventional dairy operation. In 2002, they changed their farm operation to rotationally grazed beef.
Carmen and Sally Fernholz, of A-Frame Farm in west-central Minnesota, began farming in 1972. They have tried to farm their 400-acre operation sustainably since 1973, and all of their crop acreage has been certified organic since 1994. As with the Smiths, the Fernholzes have continued to use a conventional confinement approach to raise feeder pigs, and they do so in partnership with Carmen’s brother.
Jaime and Laura DeRosier’s farm, located in northwestern Minnesota, began in 1985. Their 1,000 acres of cropland have been certified organic since the early 1990s. They grow a variety of crops and market what they can as food grade, with the remainder being sold as feed grade. They have no livestock except what they raise for their own use.
The land that forms the backbone of Tony Thompson’s Willow Lake Farm, located in southwestern Minnesota, has been in his family for several generations. Thompson farms in partnership with a neighbor and together they manage approximately 4,000 acres. The main crops are corn and soybean, but there are also a number of wetlands on the farm, as well as riparian buffer strips along most of the waterways. A por-tion of Thompson’s agricultural income is derived from harvest of seed from native
prairie species, which is sold to public agencies and others who do prairie restoration and right-of-way work. He also has a limited number of certified organic acres on which he has grown soybean, wheat, rye, and alfalfa. Thompson utilizes ridge-till planting, which is a reduced-tillage system that conserves soil on his corn and soy-bean acreage. He began using ridge-till planting in the early 1990s.
Chuck and Karen Knierim operate the Wildrose Farm in a deciduous forested area of central Minnesota. They have been in the lumber business for 30 years and recently have diversified their business by manufacturing and marketing high-qual-ity organic cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) clothing.