Case Studies of Contemporary, Sustainable Farms in the South

Abstract

Many farmers in the South have adopted sustainable (energy saving) agricultural practices. Some of the practices include:

• Free Ranging Livestock – Energy is saved when they feed themselves

• Heritage Breeds – Breeds adapted to survive without energy subsidies

• Draft Animals – Powered by the sun; no petroleum subsidies needed

• Organic Vegetables – Nutrients recycled by energy of micro-organisms

• Cover Crops and Conservation Tillage – Conserves energy of the soil organic matter

• Composting and Manuring – Energetically expensive nitrogen fertilizer not needed

• Integrated Pest Management – Uses energy supplied by beneficial insects

• Adding Value – On-farm processing of produce yields energy gain

• Teaching and Research – Producing and teaching energy-saving techniques for future farmers

These are techniques that increase sustainability, but a single farmer cannot do them all. To maintain a closed nutrient cycle, for example, a farm should include both livestock and field crops. But to succeed economically, a farmer needs to specialize and raising livestock requires a different set of farming equipment and marketing skills than producing vegetables, fruits or grains. A community of farms that integrates many specialized individual farms is more feasible than single farmers trying to optimize energy efficiency in all aspects of farming.