National Academies Press: OpenBook

Toward Sustainable Agricultural Systems in the 21st Century (2010)

Chapter: Appendix G: Specialty-Crop Farms: Topics of Discussion During On-Farm Interview

« Previous: Appendix F: Grain Farms: Topics of Discussion During On-Farm Interview
Suggested Citation:"Appendix G: Specialty-Crop Farms: Topics of Discussion During On-Farm Interview." National Research Council. 2010. Toward Sustainable Agricultural Systems in the 21st Century. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12832.
×

G
Specialty-Crop Farms Topics of Discussion During On-Farm Interview

Elements of “Success” and Barriers and Broader Assessments of the Sustainability of the Farming Systems

1.

What factors have contributed to progress or success for your farm/company?

2.

In what important ways has this operation changed over the last 5 years?

3.

Overall, how would you assess the performance of your farming systems on some broader indicators of sustainability—

 

3.1.

Local ecosystem sustainability (for example, water, soil, air, biodiversity and critical species)

 

3.2.

Global ecosystem sustainability (for example, energy use, climate)

 

3.3.

Social sustainability (for example, quality of life, labor, economics, community)

 

3.4.

Food system sustainability (for example, food quality, nutrition, affordability and access)

4.

What are the main opportunities you have to improve your farming operation? What are the main risks?

5.

How have you overcome problems or decreased risks? (provide examples)

6.

Do you do research or experimentation on new methods? If so, what kind? Do you work with other organizations/people that do this work? If so, who?

7.

Do you have any specific problems that might benefit from more (or better) scientific research?

8.

What do you think is the future outlook for your own farming operation/enterprise?

9.

What factors will most influence your long-term viability? What do you think is the future outlook for sustainable systems/organic farming?

10.

Do you foresee any barriers to continuing to farm sustainably, or to developing additional strategies to enhance sustainability?

11.

What are you proudest about when you think of your farming operation?

Suggested Citation:"Appendix G: Specialty-Crop Farms: Topics of Discussion During On-Farm Interview." National Research Council. 2010. Toward Sustainable Agricultural Systems in the 21st Century. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12832.
×

1.
Production Practices

PRACTICES

1.

What practices do you implement on your farm and what percentage?

 

Conventional__________

Integrated pest management__________

Low input__________

Certified organic__________

Mixed crop and animal systems__________

Biodynamic__________

Other__________

2.

Do you rotate crops?

3.

Do you use cover crops?

4.

Do you control flowering, fruit set, or growth of your crops?

5.

How do you accomplish pollination?

6.

Do you manage bees or other pollinators?

7.

If you grow annual crops, do you use hybrid varieties?

8.

Do you grow perennial, woody, or tree crops?

9.

Do you have a strategy for managing biodiversity on your farm?

WEED, DISEASE AND INSECT CONTROL
  1. What control practices do you use for weeds?

  2. What control practices do you use for diseases?

  3. What control practices do you use for insects?

  4. If you use integrated pest management (IPM), what practices do you employ?

  5. If you use IPM, do you hire or contract with IPM management firms or individuals?

SOIL RESOURCES—General Soil characteristics (for the major soil types only)
  1. Please describe the soil types on your farm.

  2. Relate soil characteristics to specific enterprises/crop rotations, vegetation management

  3. Highlight any limitations (for example, are soils erodible, subject to flooding, poorly structured, sloped, etc.?)

  4. What do you like best about your soil? How do you to respond to challenges to soil quality (compaction, erosion, periodic flooding, poor structure, slope, etc.)?

  5. What soil management program do you use?

  6. How do you assess soil health and fertility? Do you do bioassays to evaluate microbial activity?

  7. Do you use fertilizers? __Yes or __No

  8. Do you use compost? __Yes or __No

  9. Do you use green manures/cover crops. If so, what crops?

  10. Do you use soil amendments? If so, what kind?

  11. Do you use soil conservation/prevention of erosion methods? If so, what kind?

  12. Do you know the level of soil organic matter in your fields? If so, how do you measure this?

Suggested Citation:"Appendix G: Specialty-Crop Farms: Topics of Discussion During On-Farm Interview." National Research Council. 2010. Toward Sustainable Agricultural Systems in the 21st Century. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12832.
×
WATER RESOURCES
Quantity
  1. What is the average rainfall?

  2. Do you irrigate?

  3. How adequate is the water supply for your operation?

  4. Have you made significant changes in your operation to adapt to water scarcity?

  5. Has water availability changed in recent years?

Water Quality
  1. Have water quality concerns been raised in your area?

  2. How have these concerns impacted your farming operation?

  3. Have you made significant changes in your operation to adapt to water quality concerns?

  4. What specific steps have you taken to protect water quality in your area?

  5. Do you test your water source?

  6. Do you have any drinking water health issues?

CLIMATE
  1. Have there been any major droughts, storms, or other weather events that have impacted your operation in recent years?

  2. How do you feel your operation has been impacted by climate change or global warming?

  3. How do you think this might impact your operation in the future?

AIR QUALITY ISSUES
  1. Are there any air quality or odor issues that currently affect your farming operation?

  2. What specific steps have you taken to address potential concerns?

CARBON FOOTPRINT ISSUES
  1. 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)?

  2. What specific steps have you taken to address potential concerns?

ENERGY
  1. What are your main sources of energy?

  2. Do you use any other forms of renewable energy (wind, solar, etc.) in your operation?

  3. How well have these systems worked for you?

  4. What are the best aspects of these systems?

  5. What are the worst aspects of these systems

  6. Do you have an energy management plan?

Suggested Citation:"Appendix G: Specialty-Crop Farms: Topics of Discussion During On-Farm Interview." National Research Council. 2010. Toward Sustainable Agricultural Systems in the 21st Century. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12832.
×
EQUIPMENT AND STORAGE
  1. What kind of specialized farm equipment do you use (i.e., precision seeders, seedling transplanters, plastic layers)?

  2. Do you use animals to farm?

  3. Do you have postharvest storage capabilities? If so, what type, what capacity?

  4. Do you have postharvest cooling capabilities for fruits and vegetables? If so, what type, what capacity?

2.
Socio-Economic/Market Questions

SALES
  1. How have your gross farm sales changed over the last 5–10 years

  2. What do you expect the change to be in the next 5 years?

MARKETING
  1. Where do you sell your farm products?

  2. What proportion of your produce is marketed locally?

  3. Do any of your products go outside the United States?

  4. Do you sell any of your farm products on contract?

  5. Do you get farm credit?

  6. How have your marketing approaches changed over the last 5–10 years?

  7. Do you provide value-added packaging or branding for your harvested products (i.e., clam shells, special boxes)?

Organic Products

1.

Do your farm productions have any other official “certifications” that you use in marketing your product?

2.

If you are a certified-organic grower, please answer the following questions

 

2.1.

Do you get price premiums for your products?

 

2.2.

Have these premiums increased or declined in recent years?

 

2.3.

How important are these premiums to your ability to use organic practices?

 

2.4.

Are organic premiums important to your decision to use sustainable practices?

FARM ENTERPRISE FINANCIALS

Although the committee does not need complete details regarding your farming operation finances, it is interested in the economic opportunities and challenges facing different kinds of farm enterprises. Can you provide us with rough estimates of the following economic information?

Suggested Citation:"Appendix G: Specialty-Crop Farms: Topics of Discussion During On-Farm Interview." National Research Council. 2010. Toward Sustainable Agricultural Systems in the 21st Century. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12832.
×
INCOME
Gross Income
  1. What are your approximate annual gross sales of farm products?

  2. What is your approximate income from government program payments?

  3. Are there other sources of farm income?

Net Income
  1. In how many of the last 5 years has your enterprise made a profit?

  2. Has your net income increased over the last 5 years?

Farm versus Off-farm Income
  1. Does anyone in your family work off the farm (known as public work in the South)?

  2. To what degree does your household depend on the farm for income and benefits?

Debt
  1. Roughly what would you estimate is the current ratio of your farm debts to farm assets? (no debt, debts less than 10 percent assets, debts 10–40 percent assets, debts exceed 40 percent of assets)

  2. Are you comfortable with your current debt levels?

LABOR
  1. Do you have workers assisting you on the farm?

  2. Do you provide them with housing on-farm or off-farm?

  3. Have you been able to find adequate labor to sustain operation and quality of life?

  4. What specific practices do you use to ensure labor is treated fairly?

  5. How do labor issues affect your decisions about which production practices to use?

RISK MANAGEMENT
  1. What are the major sources of risk on your farm?

  2. What strategies have you developed on your farm to deal with these sources of risk?

  3. 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?

  4. What alternatives do you see in managing future (expected) shortages in energy, fertilizer, land and water resources, and concomitant increases in production costs?

  5. Do you have crop insurance?

  6. What would cause you to purchase crop insurance?

  7. If you currently have it, how could the policy be improved?

  8. How important is crop insurance to your farm’s long-term financial security?

Suggested Citation:"Appendix G: Specialty-Crop Farms: Topics of Discussion During On-Farm Interview." National Research Council. 2010. Toward Sustainable Agricultural Systems in the 21st Century. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12832.
×

3.
Social and Community Aspects

SOCIAL AND COMMUNITY

1.

What motivated you to choose this approach to farming? What keeps you enthusiastic about your approach?

 

1.1.

Could you give us a thumbnail description of what you mean by sustainability?

2.

Do your customers/buyers have an impact on how you farm? Do they impact what you produce? If so, what kind of impact?

3.

How do you get information and advice for your farming? (i.e., main sources)

4.

Who comes to you for advice about farming?

5.

Do you share information with other farmers?

6.

Do you make an effort to share information about your operation with the public?

 

6.1.

Other?

7.

Are you involved with any farmers’ groups or other organizations?

8.

Do you work with any government agencies?

9.

What government programs have the largest impacts on your operation?

 

9.1.

Positive?

 

9.2.

Negative?

10.

Are you involved in farm policy issues? If so, how and at which level: federal, state, county, or town?

11.

How does the way you farm influence they way your community relates to you?

DEVELOPMENT PRESSURE

1.

How much pressure does your operation feel from growth and development in your area?

2.

What opportunities and challenges does urban growth and development present to your farm?

3.

Farm transition challenges—how do you ensure viability of operation across generations/time?

 

3.1.

How to ensure sustainability (values) across generations/time?

 

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 replace fee-simple purchase and/or inheritance models by community-based stewardship models)?

 

3.3.

How to connect successive generations to pass on knowledge and practical experience?

 

3.4.

How to secure the older generation while enabling the future of the next generation?

FOOD SAFETY
  1. Do you have a Food Safety Plan?

Suggested Citation:"Appendix G: Specialty-Crop Farms: Topics of Discussion During On-Farm Interview." National Research Council. 2010. Toward Sustainable Agricultural Systems in the 21st Century. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12832.
×
Page 565
Suggested Citation:"Appendix G: Specialty-Crop Farms: Topics of Discussion During On-Farm Interview." National Research Council. 2010. Toward Sustainable Agricultural Systems in the 21st Century. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12832.
×
Page 566
Suggested Citation:"Appendix G: Specialty-Crop Farms: Topics of Discussion During On-Farm Interview." National Research Council. 2010. Toward Sustainable Agricultural Systems in the 21st Century. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12832.
×
Page 567
Suggested Citation:"Appendix G: Specialty-Crop Farms: Topics of Discussion During On-Farm Interview." National Research Council. 2010. Toward Sustainable Agricultural Systems in the 21st Century. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12832.
×
Page 568
Suggested Citation:"Appendix G: Specialty-Crop Farms: Topics of Discussion During On-Farm Interview." National Research Council. 2010. Toward Sustainable Agricultural Systems in the 21st Century. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12832.
×
Page 569
Suggested Citation:"Appendix G: Specialty-Crop Farms: Topics of Discussion During On-Farm Interview." National Research Council. 2010. Toward Sustainable Agricultural Systems in the 21st Century. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12832.
×
Page 570
Toward Sustainable Agricultural Systems in the 21st Century Get This Book
×
 Toward Sustainable Agricultural Systems in the 21st Century
Buy Paperback | $95.00 Buy Ebook | $74.99
MyNAP members save 10% online.
Login or Register to save!
Download Free PDF

In the last 20 years, there has been a remarkable emergence of innovations and technological advances that are generating promising changes and opportunities for sustainable agriculture, yet at the same time the agricultural sector worldwide faces numerous daunting challenges. Not only is the agricultural sector expected to produce adequate food, fiber, and feed, and contribute to biofuels to meet the needs of a rising global population, it is expected to do so under increasingly scarce natural resources and climate change. Growing awareness of the unintended impacts associated with some agricultural production practices has led to heightened societal expectations for improved environmental, community, labor, and animal welfare standards in agriculture.

Toward Sustainable Agricultural Systems in the 21st Century assesses the scientific evidence for the strengths and weaknesses of different production, marketing, and policy approaches for improving and reducing the costs and unintended consequences of agricultural production. It discusses the principles underlying farming systems and practices that could improve the sustainability. It also explores how those lessons learned could be applied to agriculture in different regional and international settings, with an emphasis on sub-Saharan Africa. By focusing on a systems approach to improving the sustainability of U.S. agriculture, this book can have a profound impact on the development and implementation of sustainable farming systems. Toward Sustainable Agricultural Systems in the 21st Century serves as a valuable resource for policy makers, farmers, experts in food production and agribusiness, and federal regulatory agencies.

READ FREE ONLINE

  1. ×

    Welcome to OpenBook!

    You're looking at OpenBook, NAP.edu's online reading room since 1999. Based on feedback from you, our users, we've made some improvements that make it easier than ever to read thousands of publications on our website.

    Do you want to take a quick tour of the OpenBook's features?

    No Thanks Take a Tour »
  2. ×

    Show this book's table of contents, where you can jump to any chapter by name.

    « Back Next »
  3. ×

    ...or use these buttons to go back to the previous chapter or skip to the next one.

    « Back Next »
  4. ×

    Jump up to the previous page or down to the next one. Also, you can type in a page number and press Enter to go directly to that page in the book.

    « Back Next »
  5. ×

    Switch between the Original Pages, where you can read the report as it appeared in print, and Text Pages for the web version, where you can highlight and search the text.

    « Back Next »
  6. ×

    To search the entire text of this book, type in your search term here and press Enter.

    « Back Next »
  7. ×

    Share a link to this book page on your preferred social network or via email.

    « Back Next »
  8. ×

    View our suggested citation for this chapter.

    « Back Next »
  9. ×

    Ready to take your reading offline? Click here to buy this book in print or download it as a free PDF, if available.

    « Back Next »
Stay Connected!