NC State University News ServicesCampus Box 7504Raleigh, NC 27695-7504919/515-3470[email protected] www.ncsu.edu/news
NEWS RELEASE
Media Contacts:Dr. Nancy Creamer, 919/515-9447 or [email protected]
Kevin Potter, NC State News Services, 919/515-3470 or [email protected]
Sept. 21, 2000
NC State Center Studies Environmentally Friendly Farming Practices
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
According to conventional thinking, agricultural productivity and environmental sustainability are often at odds. North Carolina State University scientists, however, are uniting the two at one of the nation's largest centers for the study of environmentally sustainable farming practices.
The Center for Environmental Farming Systems aims to develop agricultural practices that allow farmers to make a living while meeting two of society's inescapable requirements: the need for a clean environment, and the need for a safe, high-quality supply of food and fiber.
"In our view, the health and prosperity of future generations depend upon the mutually beneficial partnership of agriculture, environment and consumers," said Dr. Nancy Creamer, director of the center and NC State associate professor of horticultural science. "Our goal is to protect and enhance North Carolina's environmental quality as we sustain the long-term productivity of its farms."
The center, which was established in 1994, conducts research on 2,200 acres of cropland, pasture and woodland located near Goldsboro, N.C., and owned by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture. Fifteen scientists and graduate students from 10 academic departments at NC State and North Carolina A&T State University are currently conducting research there.
The center has three major components:
--an organic farm that researches alternatives to conventional agrochemicals;
--a sustainable "whole-farm" demonstration project emphasizing livestock and crop production; and
--a long-term research project on the environmental benefits of no-till conservation farming practices.
The organic farm is the largest such research facility in the nation. Before being flooded by Hurricane Floyd in 1999, 80 acres were certified as organic by the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association. After moving to higher ground, 80 new acres are undergoing the rigorous three-year certification process. Currently, 15 acres are certified.
Research at the farm focuses on the development of alternatives to pesticides and fertilizers, including diversified crop systems based on planned rotations, the use of cover crops, organic soil amendments, and biological and mechanical methods of pest management.
This research is crucial, says NC State crop scientist Dr. Paul Mueller, because organic producers are the largest growth segment in agriculture today. "There's a strong public demand for organic production, and that's what's driving a lot of what's happening," Mueller said. Experts predict that many farmers may consider expansion into organic markets as government subsidies for agriculture are reduced or eliminated in the future.
Research at the center's farming systems unit, which receives funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, focuses on long-term evaluations of alternative farming systems. Systems being evaluated include: a plantation forest/woodlot, an integrated crop and animal production system, an organic production system, a cash grain cropping system, and a natural successional ecosystem.
Scientists are making a special effort to identify effective and economical management strategies that farmers can use during their transition from conventional agriculture to these alternative systems. For instance, a new grass-based dairy facility research project examines the benefits of rotational grazing and other herd management techniques as means to achieve environmentally sound milk production, while also producing an acceptable income for the farmer.
The center also is conducting rotational grazing studies through its Eastern North Carolina Beef Cattle Demonstration Project. The project's long-term research will focus on the fate of nutrients on pasture soils, long-term profitability, and ground and surface water quality.
At the farm's conservation tillage test plot, a long-term project is under way to compare the effects of no-till farming and conventional tilling approaches. No-till farming is considered more environmentally friendly than conventional plowing because it reduces erosion, generally requires less fossil fuel consumption by tractors, and provides cover and food for some wildlife species.
The NC State researchers are studying whether the no-till approach results in increased crop productivity, reduced movement of pesticides and other chemicals into ground and surface water, and any difference in weed control and crop population compared to conventional tillage methods.
The Center for Environmental Farming Systems also has an important teaching emphasis. This summer, 16 interns -- many of whom lived at a dormitory adjacent to the organic farm -- spent two to three days a week working at the farm. In a classroom and on field trips, they also learned about environmental science and about agricultural production and marketing.
"I think (organic farming) is where the future will be," said Jennifer Jones, an NC State senior majoring in botany who was one of the summer interns. "A lot of people are going to end up going this way."
-- potter --
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