E
Dairy Farms Topics of Discussion During On-Farm Interview
Elements of “Success” and Barriers and Broader Assessments of the Sustainability of the Farming Systems
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1. |
What factors have contributed to progress or success for your farm/company? |
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2. |
In what important ways has this operation changed over the last 5 years? |
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3. |
Overall, how would you assess the performance of your farming systems on some broader indicators of sustainability— |
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3.1. |
Local ecosystem sustainability (for example, water, soil, air, biodiversity, and critical species) |
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3.2. |
Global ecosystem sustainability (for example, energy use, climate) |
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3.3. |
Social sustainability (for example, quality of life, labor, economics, community) |
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3.4. |
Food system sustainability (for example, food quality, nutrition, affordability and access) |
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4. |
Do you foresee any barriers to continuing to farm sustainably, or to developing additional strategies to enhance sustainability? |
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5. |
Do you do research or experimentation on new methods? |
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6. |
Do you have any specific problems that might benefit from more (or better) scientific research? |
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7. |
What do you think is the future outlook for your own farming operation/enterprise? |
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8. |
What do you think is the future outlook for sustainable systems/organic farming? |
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9. |
What are you proudest about when you think of your farming operation? |
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1.
Production Practices
LAND BASE
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1. |
Overall, how much land do you operate as part of this dairy farm business? |
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2. |
Of the total land operated, how much is used for the following purposes: |
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2.1. |
Pasture only |
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2.2. |
Crop production |
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2.3. |
Fallow, idle, or CRP |
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2.4. |
Other |
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3. |
Of the total acres that you operate, |
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3.1. |
Roughly how much do you own? |
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3.2. |
Roughly how much do you rent/lease? |
CROP AND FEED ISSUES
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1. |
Do you raise most of the feed for your dairy cows on your own farm? |
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2. |
Roughly how much (or what %) of the following types of livestock feed do you usually BUY or IMPORT from off the farm: |
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2.1. |
Forages |
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2.2. |
Grains |
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2.3. |
Protein |
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3. |
Do you currently rely on pastures as a major source of feed for your milking dairy cows? |
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4. |
What ways is the expansion of your dairy operation constrained by the size of your land base? |
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5. |
Is the size of your land base a primary reason for expanding or not expanding your dairy operation? Are there other reasons for expanding/not expanding? (ecological, economic, animal health, milk quality, quality of life) |
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6. |
Are there any special approaches to management of crops—fertility, rotations, etc.—that are important to the sustainability of the operation? |
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DAIRY-SOIL LINKAGES
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1. |
In what ways do soil conditions on your farm affect: |
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1.1. |
your crop production practices? |
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1.2. |
your manure management? |
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1.3. |
your grazing activities (if any)? |
MANURE AND NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT ISSUES
Manure Storage and Handling
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How do you store most of the manure from your livestock?
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Do you apply your dairy manure to your own fields and what rates of application do you typically use?
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How is the manure applied?
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Do you follow manure applications with biological stimulants?
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Do you export any of your dairy manure to other operations?
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Do you import any manure from other operations?
Nutrient Management
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1. |
In what ways do you attempt to recycle livestock manures in your cropping operations? |
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1.1. |
How do you use livestock manure in your crop fertility management plans? |
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1.2. |
On what crops do you target manure applications? |
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1.3. |
During what seasons do you apply dairy manure to crop fields? |
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1.4. |
How do you estimate the nutrient contributions of manure to specific fields and crops? |
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1.5. |
What are some of the best aspects of using manure as a source of nutrients for your crops? |
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1.6. |
What are some of the most difficult aspects of using manure to fertilize your crops? What have been the biggest obstacles you face to managing manure nutrients on your operation? |
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1.7. |
Is any of your manure used to produce compost? |
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1.8. |
In fertilizing your fields with manure/compost do you focus on plant or soil nutrients? |
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1.9. |
What methods do you use in assessing soil health and fertility? |
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1.10. |
Do you use any composts in making nutrient teas? |
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2. |
Have you written (or had someone else write) a formal nutrient management plan on your farm? |
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3. |
Other aspects of crop fertility management |
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3.1. |
Do you conduct soil tests regularly in your crop fields and pastures? |
WATER RESOURCES
Water Quantity
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How adequate is the water supply for your operation?
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Have you made significant changes in your operation to adapt to water scarcity?
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Is your water supplied from wells, rain catchment systems, or from off-farm sources (which)?
Water Quality
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1. |
Have water quality concerns been raised in your area? |
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1.1. |
Surface water? |
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1.2. |
Ground water? |
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1.3. |
Nonpoint pollution? |
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1.4. |
Site-specific pollution (production related)? |
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2. |
How have these concerns impacted your farming operation? |
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3. |
Have you made significant changes in your operation to adapt to these water quality concerns? |
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4. |
What specific steps have you taken to protect water quality in your area? |
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5. |
How has your manure storage and management system enabled or constrained your ability to meet regulatory requirements? |
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AIR QUALITY ISSUES
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Are there any air quality or odor issues that currently affect your farming operation?
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What specific steps have you taken to address potential concerns?
CARBON FOOTPRINT ISSUES
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To what degree are you aware of greenhouse-gas emissions (CO2 or equivalents) resulting from farm production (fuel usage of machinery, application of fertilizers and the use of synthetics, including plastics)?
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What specific steps have you taken to address potential concerns?
ALTERNATIVE ENERGY/BIOGAS
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Do you use your manure resources to generate biogas?
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Do you use any other forms of renewable energy (wind, solar, etc.) in your operation?
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How well have these systems worked for you?
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What are the best aspects of these systems?
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What are the worst aspects of these systems?
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Do you have an energy management plan?
DAIRY FACILITIES
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Are there any aspects of your milking and housing facilities that enable or constrain your dairy operation?
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If you could do it over, how would you have designed your housing and milking facilities differently? Why?
FOOD SAFETY AND QUALITY, ANIMAL HEALTH, ETC
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1. |
What steps has your dairy operation taken to address potential concerns about: |
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1.1. |
Milk safety (antibiotic use, raw milk, etc.) |
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1.2. |
Milk quality (flavor, sweetness, mineral, vitamin, protein, antioxidant and enzyme levels) |
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1.3. |
Animal health and welfare |
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1.4. |
Potential contamination of crops by E. coli and other pathogens in manure |
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1.5. |
Biosecurity |
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1.6. |
Other food safety concerns? |
2.
Economic/Market Questions
SALES
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How have your gross farm sales changed over the last 5 years?
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What do you expect the change to be in the next 5 years?
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Milk versus other commodities—What percentage of your gross receipts are from milk sales?
MARKETING
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1. |
Where do you usually ship your milk? |
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1.1. |
How would you describe this buyer? |
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1.2. |
Does your current milk buyer have a policy on the use of rBST or Posilac? |
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2. |
Do you sell any of your farm products direct to consumers? |
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3. |
What proportion of your milk is marketed locally? |
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Do you process any of your milk into butter, cheese, or other dairy products? |
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5. |
What would motivate you to seek out local markets for your products (farm profit, local economic development, local food security, farm-to-school or farm-to-cafeteria)? |
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6. |
Do any of your products go outside the United States? |
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7. |
Do you sell any of your farm products on contract? If yes, which kind? |
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8. |
How have your marketing approaches changed over the last 5–10 years? |
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Organic Milk:
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Do you get organic price premiums for your products?
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Have these premiums increased or declined in recent years?
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How important are these premiums to your ability to use organic practices?
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Are organic premiums important to your decision to use sustainable practices?
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Aside from marketing benefits, what are some positive benefits related to being certified organic?
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What are the biggest problems or obstacles to managing your farm as a certified organic dairy and/or organic crop producer?
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How do you manage antibiotic use on your dairy?
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Does your dairy farm have any other official “certifications” that you use in marketing your product?
FARM ENTERPRISE FINANCIALS
Gross Income
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What are your approximate annual gross sales of farm products?
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Are there other sources of farm income?
Net Income
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In how many of the last 5 years has your enterprise made a profit?
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Has your net income increased over the last 5 years?
Farm versus Off-farm Income
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Does anyone in your family work off the farm (known as public work in the South)?
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To what degree does your household depend on the farm for income and benefits?
Debt
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Roughly what would you estimate is the current ratio of your farm debts to farm assets? (no debt, debts less than 10% assets, debts 10–40% assets, debts exceed 40% of assets)
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Are you comfortable with your current debt levels?
LABOR
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Have you been able to find adequate labor to sustain operation and quality of life?
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What specific practices do you use to ensure labor is treated fairly?
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How do labor issues affect your decisions about which production practices to use?
RISK MANAGEMENT
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What are the major sources of risk on your farm?
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What strategies have you developed on your farm to deal with these sources of risk?
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Given recent changes in energy and farm commodity markets, how well do you feel your operation can compete in the current high energy and high feed cost environment?
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What alternatives do you see in managing future (expected) shortages in energy, fertilizer, land and water resources, and concomitant increases in production costs?
3.
Social and Community Aspects
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What motivated you to choose this approach to farming? What keeps you enthusiastic about your approach?
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Do your customers/buyers have an impact on how you farm?
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How do you get information and advice for your farming? (main sources)
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Who comes to you for advice about farming?
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Do you share information with other farmers?
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Do you make an effort to share information about your operation with the public?
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Are you involved with any farmers’ groups or other organizations?
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Do you work with any government agencies?
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What government programs have the largest impacts on your operation?
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Are you involved in farm policy issues? If so, how?
DEVELOPMENT PRESSURE
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1. |
How much pressure does your operation feel from growth and development in your area? |
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2. |
What opportunities and challenges does urban growth and development present to your farm? |
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3. |
Farm transition challenges—how do you ensure viability of operation across generations/time? |
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3.1. |
How to ensure sustainability (values) across generations/time? |
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3.2. |
How to mitigate start-up costs for new farmers by removing land (and perhaps some infrastructure) costs through long-term lease and trust arrangements (to |