I was down on the farm when the Bergland reports on organic farming and the structure of agriculture were released. I thought at the time they were a “breath of fresh air.” At last we were having a national dialogue on how we should farm and who would farm. I was very disappointed in 1981 when this dialogue seemed to come to a screeching halt. It had been so refreshing to watch people get involved in these important issues.

Effects of soil fauna on soil quality are largely unknown. Our objective was to learn whether long-term soil management has significantly affected earthworm species and populations at two Iowa locations. Soil cores were collected in fall 1989, spring 1990, and fall 1990 from a long-term tillage study in Polk County, Iowa, involving monoculture of corn (Zea mays L.) with either no-tillage, fall disking, fall chisel plowing, or fall moldboard plowing. Species found were Lumbricus terrestris (L), Octolasion tyrtaeum (Savigny), Aporrectodea trapezoides (Duges), A. turgida (Eisen), and A. tuberculata (Eisen), with O. tyrtaeum dominant across all treatments. As the amount of tillage increased, the number of earthworms generally decreased. InBoone County, Iowa, we compared the populations of mature and immature earthworms and cocoons on two adjacent fields, one managed conventionally, the other managed with an alternative farming system for more than 20 years. The predominant species was A. tuberculata. Regardless of management practice, the most worms were found in Canisteo soil on the toeslope landscape position.

We surveyed a total of 549 Cooperative Extension clientele (consumers), farmstand owners, and food industry representatives in New England to assess the potential for certification and labelling of produce grown using integrated pest management (IPM). The survey elicited self-reported knowledge of IPM, perceptions of current pesticide use and IPM, and attitudes toward certification and labelling of produce as “IPMGrown.” The respondents expressed widespread support for certification and labelling of produce grown using IPM. Potential barriers to the marketing of IPM-labelled produce were also revealed. The survey showed the need for education to inform the public about pest management in agriculture and to build confidence in the safety of our food supply.

The nutrient composition of swine excreta can be altered by manipulating the composition of the pig's diet Several approaches are reviewed: feeding according to the pig's growth phase, formulation according to the feed's digestible amino acids, use of crystalline amino acids, the ideal protein approach, formulation according to available phosphorus, and the addition ofphytase enzymes. Each has the potential to lower nitrogen or phosphorus excretion levels. Together they can dramatically reduce the nitrogen and phosphorus concentration of swine manure, which could be a major advantage in regions with a high density of swine or for swine operations with limited access to arable land. However, the value of the swine manure would be much less as a fertilizer because these two elements are important plant nutrients.

Quantitative studies are needed to separate the real and supposed benefits of alternative farming practices. Our objective was to learn how conventional and alternative practices on adjacent farms in central Iowa affected the water stability of soil aggregates. We collected samples of Clarion loam (fine-loamy, mixed, mesic Typic Hapludoll) from adjacent 16 ha fields in fall 1990 and spring 1991. Aggregate stability was determined by wet-sieving and by measuring turbidity of soil-water suspensions. The combined effects of alternative practices resulted in greater water stability of soil aggregates, higher soil organic matter content, and lower bulk density compared with conventional practices. The components of the alternative system that were mainly responsible for these differences were: rotations that included oat and hay crops; ridge-tillage; and additions of 45 Mg/ha of a mixture of animal manure and municipal sludge during the first 3 years of each 5 year rotation. The more favorable soil physical conditions, shown by increased water stability of soil aggregates, presumably will improve soil water regimes and reduce long-term soil erosion losses from the alternatively managed fields.

The transformation of agriculture according to an industrial model has had clear benefits in improving efficiency and lowering production costs, but also has had adverse consequences on rural culture and the environment. Sustainable agriculture offers alternative practices and values intended to promote environmental stewardship, conserve resources, preserve farm traditions, and support rural communities. Strong arguments can be made that it will have these consequences, based on the interactions among agricultural structure, rural community viability, and environmental quality. However, counterarguments can also be made, and the claimed benefits of sustainable agriculture for rural communities must be regarded as not yet demonstrated.

History is the greatest teacher of all. As a first step in determining policy options and strategies to encourage sustainable agriculture we should look back and evaluate the past. A review of the 1990 farm bill debate provides six important lessons to guide our future efforts in sustainable agriculture. These lessons can be spelled out this way: Representation; Exhaustion; Frustration, Organization; Retirement; and Mistakes — in sum, REFORM.

Much has been said here about misplaced priorities. I would like to add an example from my own experience. When I was Secretary, I visited the University of California at Davis to review federally funded research. The researchers there showed off a very expensive new piece of machinery developed largely by federal research funds. The machine was designed to pick square, green tomatoes. When I asked “What in the world is this all about?” they explained that we needed to find new ways to eliminate labor. Back in Washington, I asked the same question, and got the same answer.

The problems facing farmers in the Esperance Sandplain region of Western Australia—salinity, herbicide resistance, wind erosion, and plant disease—are highly interrelated. Unless the biological, economic and social aspects of the problems are examined in an integrated way, no sustainable system will be found. Similarly, agricultural teaching and research must become much more integrated if they are to address agricultural and environmental problems satisfactorily. This will require changes in the structure of university and research institutions and in the rewards for research and teaching.

Four land use options—annual cropping, agroforestry, agrihorticulture, and agrosilviculture—were tried on a Land Capability Class IVs Alfisol under rainfed conditions to find a farming system that would be profitable and sustainable. The agrihorticultural system required more cash input but gave a value/cost ratio of 2.16 compared with 1.95 with annual cropping, 1.69 with agroforestry and 1.52 with agrosilviculture. Runoff was 4.9% in the agrihorticultural system, and 10.6% with agroforesty. Economic and soil health considerations led to the conclusion that the agrihorticultural system would be a sustainable land use option for the semi-arid Alfisol However, other options also are profitable, with value/cost ratios of more than 1.50. Therefore, land users can choose among several systems, depending on their desired production level and their investment capacity.

Research serves different purposes for scientists and for farmers, and the two groups evaluate research results differently. Scientists are mainly concerned about the chance that they have reached an incorrect conclusion, while farmers are mainly concerned about the chunce they will make an incorrect decision based on the results. Research conducted by farmers on their own farms can be more directly applicable to other farmers' conditions than experiment station research, and therefore can reduce the risk of an incorrect decision.

As concern about the long-term viability of our food and fiber system has grown, many agricultural research administrators, prominent scientists and policymakers have focused increasing attention on the important research and educational needs in sustainable agriculture. Colleges of agriculture should be important in meeting the challenges of sustainable agriculture; a central question is whether they are adequate for the task. This paper highlights several individual and institutional constraints that limit the ability of these colleges to address the needs: 1) assumptions and biases regarding the relationship between humans and nature, and the concept of progress; 2) the demographic characteristics, education, and experience of research scientists; 3) the specialized departmental organization of research institutions; 4) imbalances among analyses on the molecular, cell, organism and ecosystem levels; 5) emphasis on farm level analysis and technology development; 6) new agricultural biotechnologies that may overemphasize short-term, narrow technical considerations and proprietary products; 7) compartmentalization of education by discipline, and the limited informal and field experiences for students; 8) the background and education of current Extension Service agents; 9) the emphasis on economic effects in research impact assessments, to the neglect of environmental effects and social consequences for farmers, rural communities and society at large; 10) limited capability for comprehensive public policy analysis.

Despite these limitations, new research agendas and college programs are effectively addressing many needs of sustainable agriculture systems. To be more successful, these efforts must be broad-based and sensitive to a wide range of issues, and must include all participants in the system.