Farming for a Sustainable Future

July 1996

Greensboro, NC: Many present-day agriculture efforts are shifting their focus toward a balance of insuring farm profitability, promoting land stewardship, and sustaining rural communities. This redirection is often referred to as "su stainable agriculture" and recognized as just doing a better job of what agriculture has always done. A recent tour organized by the North Carolina A&T State University School of Agriculture exposed participants to the effects of sustainable agriculture practices in the Piedmont.

"For many years, farmers have been concerned about the future of their profession," said Dr. John O'Sullivan, a marketing specialist with the North Carolina A&T State University Cooperative Extension Program. "Now, with pressure being applied by cor porate farms and consistently emerging environmental issues, farmers are looking for agricultural methods that will ensure their viability into the future."

Sustainable agriculture is commonly described as a type of farming that is "economically viable, environmentally sound, and socially responsible." Sustainable agriculture typically involves reducing or totally eliminating soil tillage, and improved ma nagement practices, such as reduced usage of fertilizers and chemicals. A renewed respect for the environment, including the community and human environment, is the motivation at the center of these practices.

On the June 11 tour, a group of about fifty people toured Greensboro-area farms that are practicing sustainable agriculture. The group included agents and technicians from the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service, and staff and faculty from b oth A&T and North Carolina State University.

"The tour was designed to expose people to the sustainable agriculture practices of farmers in the area," said O'Sullivan. After the tour, group members met to discuss and evaluate what they had seen, and to examine their various roles in promoting t he future of agriculture.

The first stop on the tour was Celebrity Dairy Farm, located near Siler City and operated by Fleming Pfann, which specializes in goat dairy products. The farm milks about 50 goats daily, and has been in operation for eight years. Relying on specialt y markets and a loyal customer base, Celebrity Dairy Farm has been able to sustain itself at its smaller scale, requiring little outside help and avoiding the environmental pollution problems incurred by many larger livestock operations. The farm was cit ed as an example of finding a niche market and capitalizing on that market.

The group then visited Sunny Slope, a greenhouse-based tomato operation near Bennett, owned and managed by Jim LeTendre and David Denson. "Sustainable agriculture, to me, means staying in business," LeTendre told the group as they toured his greenhou ses. Like Celebrity Dairy Farms, Sunny Slope focuses its efforts on securing and maintaining a loyal customer base. "By maintaining our standard of quality, we maintain our clientele," continued LeTendre. Sunny Slope utilizes integrated pest management (IPM) to ensure that their tomatoes are of the highest quality, and that their production meets the high consumer demand.

Integrated pest management is a sustainable agriculture practice which involves the use of beneficial insects to control the population of harmful insects. In this way, the need for chemical pesticides is reduced or eliminated.

This practice was demonstrated on the tour's final stop at Uwharrie Farm, an operation owned and managed by Larry and Judy McPherson, near Farmer. At Uwharrie Farm, Drs. David Orr and Mike Linker of North Carolina State University captured insects an d explained their relation to agriculture.

Linker, the IPM coordinator at NC State, pointed out that insect management choices are not limited to insecticides. "Knowing the different insects and economic thresholds of damage helps all farmers promote production while preserving the environme nt," said Linker.

Uwharrie Farm also showcased sustainable agriculture success through a marketing method called "community supported agriculture." Community supported agriculture is an arrangement in which regular customers buy shares in a year's yield. Each shareh older is then entitled to a portion of each harvest throughout the season. In essence, members of a community supported agriculture group became partners in the enterprise, and share the risks and benefits normally incurred by only the producer. In retu rn, they are promised fresh quality produce.

The McPhersons grow a variety of produce using sustainable agriculture methods, such as no-till management of their garden plots and integrated pest management.

Recently, with the assistance of a grant from A&T, the McPhersons built a greenhouse which they use to grow early crops of tomatoes. This allows them to attract more members to their community supported agriculture group and to increase the quantity of produce available for sale at local farmers markets.

"The goal of balancing profitability, environment and the community, so that agriculture in North Carolina will be thriving well into the future, is challenging," said O'Sullivan. "But the well-being of our future generations depends on our good ste wardship of the environment."

For more information, please contact Dr. John O'Sullivan, NC A&T Cooperative Extension Program, (336) 334-7956.

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