A farming systems trial has been conducted at the Rodale Institute Research Center in Kutztown, Pennsylvania since 1981. Over time, the organic rotation has changed to reflect improved knowledge and experience. The current, three-year rotation (hairy vetch/corn, rye/soybeans, and wheat) focuses on mechanical tillage for weed control and year-round live plant cover for pest control and nutrient supply. We constructed long-term enterprise budgets for the organic and conventional cash grain rotations and compared returns earned during the first years of the study, which for the organic rotation involved investment in soil capital, with returns during two later 5-year periods. The organic rotations during these two later periods produced com and soybean yields comparable with the conventional rotation, but grew higher-value crops less frequently and required more family labor and management. The differences in the profitability of the conventional and organic farming systems depend on whether the analysis includes the initial investment in building up the soil and the value of family labor.

In a 400-day laboratory experiment, soil was amended with rape, sunflower and soybean residues to monitor the quantitative changes in the main inorganic nutrients. Total N, available P, exchangeable K+, Ca2+, and Mg2+ in all the amended samples increased significantly. Generally, the increase in the amounts of these nutrients was maintained until the end of the incubation period, suggesting that the mineralization of the three crop residues enhanced soil fertility. In amended soil samples, disappeared within 14 days, while available N was released as after 60 days in soybean-treated and after 120 days in rape- and sunflower-treated soil, respectively. Water-soluble P was completely lacking in each treatment because of microbial immobilization and adsorption or precipitation processes in soil.

This paper explores issues of agricultural sustainability in relation to arguments to sustain the family labor farm and the theoretical justification for the recent increase in smallerscale milk processors and differentiated dairy product markets. Using a population of New York State dairy farm households, we identified farm structural variables that influence farmers' use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers and their consideration of intensive rotational grazing. Milk sales, division of hired labor on the farm, and ownership arrangements are found to be interrelated and predict relative use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers within a “conventional” confinement feeding system. Marketing strategies predict production practices within a confinement feeding system less reliably but do predict whether the farm has considered adopting an intensive grazing system. Farms that have higher saks, that use hired labor more extensively, and that are not single family operations are more likely to use chemical pesticides and fertilizers. Farms that sell to differentiated markets are more likely to look favorably on an eventual switch to an intensive rotational grazing system.

Within the past decade, low cost and convenient soil tests have been developed and marketed to permit better matching of soil nitrogen levels with crop needs. We explore the factors related to farmers' initial adoption and their commitment to continued use of one such kit, marketed in Iowa as N-Trak. Early adopters of the N-Trak had many of the same personal and farm operation characteristics as farmers who have been early adopters of other farming innovations. Further, the principal factors in differentiating between various levels of commitment to continued use of the kit were perceptions of technological attributes of the kit and, to a much lesser extent, farmer attitudinal factors and personal characteristics. These results suggest that perceived attributes of the technology, especially its returns to time, effort, and financial investment, were critical in the decision to adopt and continue to use the N-Trak kit. Early adopters' decisions to continue using it focused primarily on cost, profitability, and technological issues, to the exclusion of water quality concerns measured by attitudinal items. These findings suggest that providing information that shows the kit's ease, compatibility, and advantages, would be more persuasive than marketing it as a tool to enhance water quality.

The long-term health of a community's food system is an important indicator of its vitality and sustainability. A logical and appropriate way to revitalize a community is by the development of a local food economy. People throughout the United States are designing and implementing sustainable, local food systems that are rooted in particular places, aim to be economically viable for farmers and consumers, use ecologically sound production and distribution practices, and enhance social equity and democracy for all members of the community. This paper reviews the existing literature on local food systems, examines a variety of strategies and initiatives that are currently underway, and identifies steps that community kaders and citizens can use to develop their own local food systems. Finally, I suggest what research is needed to support these community efforts.

The threat to sustainability posed byglobal economic integration and the surging interest in local and regional food systems provide an opportunity to unite the diverse constituencies of the sustainable agriculture movement behind a common political and economic agenda. Neither the campaign to influence the Farm Bill nor a romantic vision of bygone agrarian communities are sufficient to broaden the movement's existing political base and deepen its influence. This paper suggests an alternative approach: grassroots organizing guided by the vision of “community-controlled economic development.” Theory linking this new paradigm in local economic development to sustainable agriculture is presented, along with practical examples from innovative networks promoted by the California Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture (CASA). I analyze the experience of CASA organizations, both separately and as an alliance, to illuminate how a strategic vision of community-controlled economic development can enable the movement to meet three difficult political challenges: holding power accountable; unifying environmental and social agendas; and developing strong leadership accountable to the movement's community base.