for Profit, Stewardship, Family and Community
"The goal of sustainable agriculture is to increase economic profitability,
enhance environmental stewardship and improve the quality of life on farms
and in rural areas."
Agriculture Secretary, Dan Glickman, 1992
| In this issue: Fall 2000, No. 5 Quarterly Newsletter SARE "Scholarships" for Trainings 2001-Systems in Agriculture and Land Management Conference |
Website: http://sustainable.tamu.edu
With the approaching fall and winter months, there will be many opportunities to attend conferences, seminars and workshops of various kinds. There are federal funds available from the Southern Region - Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program to the Texas Agricultural Extension Service for use in training agents in the concepts of Sustainable Agriculture. We will offer "scholarships" up to $400.00 per person to agents and specialists wishing to attend training events where sustainable agriculture practices are taught. The following page is a application for attendees to fill in for approval.
Sustainable agriculture is defined as "an integrated system of plant and animal production practices having a site-specific application that will, over the long-term: satisfy human food and fiber needs; enhance environmental quality and the natural resource base upon which the agriculture economy depends; make the most efficient use of nonrenewable resources and on-farm resources and integrate where appropriate natural biological cycles and controls; sustain the economic viability of farm operations; and enhance the quality of life for farmers/ranchers and society as a whole. (Title XVI, Subtitle A Sec. 1603)."
In simplified terms, sustainable agriculture is the use of Best Management Practices (BMP's). Whether conventional production systems, conservation tillage, Total Resource Management, IPM organic production or any other term, practices that maximize profits while responsibly protecting our natural resources are BMP's, and are considered under the category of sustainable agriculture.
Trainings
A few of the possible up coming meetings that will qualify are:
- December
- 4 -6 Plant Protection Conference - College Station
- 7 - 8 Texas Forage and Grassland Mtg. - Huntsville
- 7 - 8 Texas Forage and Grassland Mtg. - Huntsville
- January
- 9 - 13 Beltwide Cotton Conference - Anaheim, California
- 29 - 31 Conservation Tillage Conference - Houston
- 29 - 31 Conservation Tillage Conference - Houston
- March
- 1- 3 Small Farm/Sustainable Ag. - Dallas
- Nutrient Management Training
- Nov. 13-16, College Station
- Jan. 22-26, San Angelo
- Feb. 5-9, Mt. Pleasant
- Feb. 19-23, Stephenville
- March 5-9, Amarillo
- March 26-30, Corpus
- Sept. 10-14, Weslaco
- Oct. 15-19, Lubbock
- Jan. 22-26, San Angelo
"Systems in Agriculture and Land Management - Conference 2001"
Holistic Resource Management of Texas, Inc., is sponsoring a one and a half day workshop that is open to the public in place of their HRM annual meeting and co-sponsored by Texas Agricultural Extension Service.
Holistic Resource Management of Texas, Inc., is a non-profit organization made up of ranchers, farmers, public land managers, educators, conservationists, and others who are interested in finding economically and ecologically sound ways to manage land.
The intent of the conference is to broaden our understanding of how we humans can recognize, acknowledge and thrive synergistically within natural systems. The conference will he be held on Friday and Saturday, March 2 & 3, 2001 in Ft. Worth, Texas at the Green Oaks Hotel. Hotel reservations may be made by calling the hotel directly at 1-800-772-2341 within Texas and outside of Texas at 1-800-433-2174. The local phone number is 817-738-7311. Room rate $69/night. Deadline for reservations is February 1, 2001.
Registration fees are as follows:
Early bird registration by February 1
$110 per person $200 per couple/family member pair $85.00 student
Registration at the door:
$120 per person $220 per couple/family member pair $90.00 student
The workshop will begin at 8:00 am on Friday and include lunch and an evening reception. Saturday will begin at 8:00 am and end at noon.
Speakers:
Dr. Elaine Ingham, soil microbiologist, Oregon State University and president of Soil Food Web Inc., will talk about the soil food web and the foliar food web.
Dr. John Ikerd, agricultural economist, University of Missouri Extension, will speak of the changes in economic systems that would better promote sustainability in agricultural systems.
Dr. W. Joe Lewis, entomologist at USDA/ARS at Tifton, GA, will look at the complexity of interconnected life cycles in agricultural systems and discuss management implications, principles and strategies.
Father Darryl Birkenfeld, parish priest in Straford, Texas, founder of Promised Land Network, will talk about our system of human ethics and how it affects-and is fundamental to-agriculture and sustainability.
Malcolm Beck, founder of Gardenville, San Antonio, Texas, will provide a naturalist's understanding of how we can move toward agricultural sustainability through synergy with "that thin layer of topsoil that sustains all life on earth".<
Conservation Tillage
This spring, two video tapes were made in South Texas on conservation tillage.
"Facts about Conservation Tillage" is a 40 minute video of interviews by Charles Stichler with farmers who are practicing conservation tillage; how they are making it work, footage of equipment they are using and the benefits they have seen on their soils and profitability.
"Tools of Conservation Tillage" is a 30 minute video with Dr. Jim Smart, USDA-ARS in Weslaco. He goes in depth with discussions and video footage of the different equipment available to make conservation tillage work. Planters, residue managers, fertilizer applicators, sprayers, cultivation and stalk destruction equipment are all on the video. Since herbicides and pesticides are discussed in each video, they would be good to use as pesticide re-certification training.
Call Charles Stichler if you would like a copy, or they can be ordered through the pesticide safety library at College Station.
By Charles Stichler
SARE Coordinator and Extension Agronomist
P.O. Box 1849
Uvalde, Texas 78802
830/278-9151
E-mail: C-Stichler@tamu.edu
Extension programs serve people of all ages regardless of socioeconomic level, race, color, sex religion, disability or national origin. The Texas A&M University System, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the county commissioners Courts of Texas Cooperating.
Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education
The cost of attending a sustainable agriculture training event will be reimbursed up to $400.00 per person. Since these are federal funds, you must save all receipts for meals, travel, etc. Reimbursements will be made on standard TAEX travel forms, and hotel/motel, maximum meal allowances, etc. will be followed according to state travel guidelines. Travel requests must be approved by each person's supervisor as any other event prior to submitting application. Conference registrations are eligible expenses.
If you are planning to attend a conference, please get your forms in ASAP - scholarships will be awarded on a first come - first served basis.
Charles Stichler, SARE coordinator will review applications as to appropriateness of the meeting as a sustainable agriculture training event. If you have questions, please call or e-mail Charles Stichler at (830) 278-9151 or c-stichler@tamu.edu. Mailing address: Texas A&M Agricultural Extension Service, P.O. Box 1849, Uvalde, TX 78802.
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