Transcript Slide 1
Developed by:
Cinda Williams, UID Ext.
Kevin Laughlin, UID Ext.
Susan Donaldson, UNV Coop. Ext.
Univ. of Idaho Extension
The whole-property concept
Integrating the lessons you’ve learned
Viewing your property through a
sustainability lens
How others are making it work
Monitoring and assessing progress
How you’re making it work
“meeting the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations
to meet their own needs.” (U.S. EPA)
“involves farming systems that are profitable,
environmentally sound and good for people and
communities.” (SARE)
These systems must be:
◦ Economically sustainable
◦ Environmentally sustainable
◦ Socially sustainable
USDA NRCS
Steward: a person who manages another's
property or financial affairs
Environmental stewardship:
the responsibility to take care of our
natural resources to ensure they are
sustainably managed for current and
future generations
“The practice of carefully managing land usage
to ensure natural systems are maintained or
enhanced for future generations.”
-The Land Stewardship Center
USDA NRCS
Caring for the system as a whole
◦ Holistic approach
Conserving resources
◦ Renewable and non-renewable
Maintaining, building and enhancing
stability in nature
◦ Encourage biodiversity
Honoring cultural values and ethics
◦ Think long term
Use what you’ve learned about:
Inventory and goals
Soils
Water
Wildfire threat reduction
Plants
Animals
Management
Redrawn by
A. Miller
from
System: a group of interacting,
interdependent elements that function
together as a complex unified whole
www.unesco.org
National Center for Atmospheric Research
www.extension.org/pages/Whole_Farm_Nutrient_Balance
Inputs
Managed
outputs
Feed
Meat and milk
Animals
Feed
Irrigation
water
Manure
Crops
Manure
Fertilizer
Farm
boundary,
Legume N
Losses or soil storage
Livestock and Poultry Environmental Stewardship
but remember
to think
outside the
box too!
What are the components of your system?
How are they interrelated?
How does an
action on one
component
affect other
parts of your
system?
www.icra-edu.org
Seeks to understand
the big picture
Observes how
elements within
systems change
over time,
generating patterns
and trends
Changes perspectives
Identifies the circular
nature of complex causeand-effect relationships,
i.e. interdependencies
www.sare.org
Environmental
concerns
Economic factors
Social issues
Soils
Short-term Actions
Long-term Goals
1. Do a soil test for
nutrients, organic matter
content, etc.
Outcome:
Improved soil quality
2. Plant cover crops and till
in as green manure
Plants
Short-term Actions
Long-term Goals
1. Assess existing vegetation
Outcome:
Healthy pastures and
healthy animals
2. Improve grass mixture
3. Implement rotational
grazing
Business
Short-term Actions
Long-term Goals
1. Research and identify a
feasible niche market
Outcome:
Make a profit from
your small-acreage
enterprise
2. Develop a business plan
Short-term Actions
Long-term Goals
How do the practices we employ on
our land influence the soil?
USDA NRCS
Work on the basics of high-quality soils
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◦
◦
Reduce tillage
Add organic matter
(plant cover crops)
Reduce applications of
synthetic-based chemicals
Monitor for:
•Earthworms,
•Organic matter,
•roots and residues,
•Subsurface compaction,
•Soil tilth,
•Erosion,
•Water-holding capacity,
•Drainage and infiltration,
•Crop condition,
•Nutrient-holding capacity,
•pH
Water quantity
Water quality
◦ Reduce unnecessary water loss by covering soil (cover
crops, mulch, etc.)
◦ Increase water-use efficiency by proper irrigation
◦ Prevent runoff of soil into water bodies
◦ Prevent contamination by livestock by installing buffers
or providing off-stream watering
USDA NRCS
For your crops or pasture?
For your animals?
In your landscape?
In your home?
NDEP
Build well-structured soils that retain water
Design for infiltration of water, rather than
runoff
Plant species that are drought-tolerant and
disease-resistant
Capture, conserve and recycle water
Drought index
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/research/prelim/drought/palmer.html
In the short term?
In the midterm (3 years)?
In the long term (5 years)?
What is your contingency plan?
What will you do differently?
Was wildfire
part of your
long-term
plan?
Make a plan for protecting and preserving your space
Promote ecological balance with plant
diversity
Maintain vegetative cover
Enhance or provide organic matter
Enhance nutrient recycling
Promote pest population balance through
biological strategies
Pasture rotation
ATTRA
You can manage parts of the system to
decrease internal parasites and their effects
Make use of renewable energy
◦ Solar
Pumps for watering and irrigation
Greenhouses
◦ Wind
Electricity for buildings
◦ Biofuels
Oils or fuel from plants
◦ Energy from animal waste (which is not a waste
after all!)
Methane digesters
Choose your production system
Develop your niche
◦ Your uniqueness is the key
◦ Tell your story!
Value-added products
Connect to customers and the
community
Understand the bottom line
For you and your family
◦ Physical health: exposure and safety
◦ Mental health: stress and depression
For employees
◦ Fair treatment
◦ Decent wages and living conditions
For animals
◦ Humane treatment of animals
◦ Low-stress handling
USDA NRCS
Links between the landowner or farmer
and the community
Networking
Partnerships and collaboration
Lifelong learning
What can you do?
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Host public and school tours
Share what you’ve learned
Donate food to local food banks
Buy fresh and buy local
Join a co-op or support group
Focus on systems sustainability by looking
at all aspects of your property: land, soil,
water, plants, animals, etc.
Protect ground and surface water resources
Conserve water, practice efficient application
Stabilize, amend, and cover soil
◦ increase organic matter
◦ Increase moisture content
◦ decrease erosion
Improve vegetative cover and better manage
vegetated areas to increase occurrence
Host field trips for schools
Encourage students to
participate in the farm
Create school gardens
Support youth programs
Volunteer
Before you took this class, how were
you interacting with your resources?
What are you doing differently now?
What do you plan to do differently in
the future?
What results do you want?
How will you achieve your goals?
How will you know if you succeeded?
How are you making progress toward
making your property more sustainable?
SARE – www.sare.org
ATTRA – www.attra.org
Local organizations
◦ CSU Ext.
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/sam/
◦ USDA-NRCS
◦ Conservation District
http://www.mountsopriscd.org/
◦ CSFS
http://csfs.colostate.edu/pages/grandjunctiondist.html
What do sustainability and stewardship
mean to you?
How will you be a better steward?
How can you help your neighbors become
better stewards?
How does systems thinking help you achieve
your goals?
How are you integrating what you’ve learned
about your resources?
How have you affected your own property?
How have you affected your community?
Have your long-term goals changed? Why?
What do you hope to accomplish?
How will your property be more sustainable?
Are you a better steward?
You’re on your way to a sustainable approach to
managing all the resources on your small-acreage
property!
UNCE, Reno, NV