Tim Marten Thesis Presentation

Towards Sustainable Agriculture: The Dudley

Smith Farm “Revision – New”

Thesis PresentationTimothy Marten

BLA

Funded by: Dudley Smith Initiative

World, we have a problem…

Impacts of Industrial AgricultureImpacts of Natural Systems•Hypoxia•Soil erosion•Chemical dependency & pollution•Generation of greenhouse gases •Unmanageable and polluting mountains of waste

Impacts of Economic Systems•Profits end up in agri-business giants, including fertilizer and pesticide manufacturers•No accounting for environmental costs•Lower rural living standards

Impacts of Social Systems•Public Health i.e. Endocrine disruption from pesticides•Rural Exodus•Dying rural communities•Consolidation of powers and means of production

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Agriculture at a Crossroads

Can we achieve sustainability under our current Industrial paradigms or is a paradigm shift needed?

A new paradigm for Midwestern agriculture that balances social support systems, economic viability and environmental limits and preservation is needed.

Agriculture must be rebalanced to support our social and economic systems while constraining to ecological limits and functioning as a sustainable agroecosystem. Nevertheless, how can sustainable agroecosystem be developed and assessed?

The DSF & Project Aim

“understand the interactions among the components of the agricultural and community system, including its natural resources, economic base and social elements, to make agriculture sustainable over the long term.”

Fundamental Sustainability Goals1. Produces all energy needed for

farm operations, hauling, and processing of biofuels or fertilizers.

2. Sequester more carbon then it produced and off set all NOx and Methane Emissions

3. Produces all feeds needed for animal production

4. Import no chemical nutrients 5. Reduce nitrate runoff by 90% from

existing conditions and capture at least 50% of nitrate originating from the farm

6. Be economically viable

Process/Methodology

Process/Methodology What are the potential

futures and the implications of these futures within bioregion ?

How will various scenarios affect the sustainability of the DSF a bioregion?

What are the key metrics to measure scenarios/possible futures by?

How would the Dudley Smith Farm, as an example, look under various scenarios?

Illinois Farm Sustainability Calculator - IFSCDevloped Peter McAvoy, Tim Marten & Aaron Petri

IFSC and Excel Based Agroecosystem Model

• 169 Sheets: 65 interface sheets & 104 calculation sheets

• 69 Crops: Grains, vegetables & forages

• 17 Animal Species: Full life cycle representation, nutrition w/over 100 feeds and animal housing

• Incorporates renewable and liquid fuel energy production

• Assessments and Balances

• Energy

• Greenhouse gases

Additions to the IFSC open source architecture for this project

• Orchard crops

• Economic assessment and balance

• Nutrients

• Crops/Feed

Dudley Smith Farm Baseline

IFSC Balance

Design Intent

Create a agroecosystem where variety of scales of learning and research can be fostered.

This is made possible with a hierarchies of farm type and scales. Where new and old hands can learn the opportunities and issues of farming with a new paradigm and adapted farming systems.

10 Acre Edge FarmCompatible with suburban edge

Produces mix of perennial and annual cropping systems

Pasture/farm can support small ruminant or poultry population

Vegi Fields,17.2% Food

Forest 9.8%

Or-chard 4.9%

Pasture ,Hay & Buffers46.6%

Mis-can-thus

19.6%

Buildings & Non Ag Other; 1.8%

% Per Dollar of Gross Income

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Dudley Smith 10 Acre FarmIFSC Balance

Vegi Fields15.6%

Food Forest 5.6%Orchard

6.9%Pasture, Hay Buffers 40.0%

Row Crops

20.0%

Wetlands4.4%

Non Ag Other 2.5%

Miscanthus5.0%

40 Acre Starter FarmLower capital equipment costs

Supports stable ruminant heard

Focus on annual produce crops and pasture

1-2 Fulltime employees% Per Dollar of Gross

Income

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Dudley Smith 40 Acre FarmIFSC Balance

Vegi Fields2.77%

Food Forest 1.00%

Orchard1.22%

Pas-ture,Hay, Buf-fer

45.35%

Row Crop 39.82%

Wet-lands4.87

%

Non Ag Other1.22%

Miscanthus 2.65%

Algae Pond1.11%

% Per Dollar of Gross Income

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226 Acre Production FarmAdditional components of course or small grain row crops augmented with beef cattle

Energy exporter

2-4 Fulltime Employees

Dudley Smith 226 Acre Farm

IFSC Balance

Impacts and ImplicationsIllinois Farm Sustainability

Calculator

• Whole systems modeling is easy and possible

• The time taken to shift a farms paradigm can be reduced

• Regional agroecosystem planning

Dudley Smith Farm Sustainable Master Plan

• Creating new novel teaching and research modalities

• Engagement in an sustainable agricultural future for Midwest

• DSF could become a Long Term Environmental Research Center

• Grass is greener in these pastures.

Future WorkFuture Work

• Implementation of sustainable farm teaching environment

• Additional IFSC capacities

• Development of regional sustainable agriculture standards or BMP’s

• Regional modeling

“The past is our definition. We may strive, with good reason, to escape it, or to escape what is bad in it, but we will escape it only by adding something better to it.”

- Wendell Berry -

FIN

Questions

MethodsStakeholder/WorkshopIFSCBaseline DSFDesign Intent10 Acre Farm40 Acre Farm226 Acre Farm

Site PlanImpacts & ImplicationsWorkshop MetricsOther IFSC ModelingBioregional AnalysisDesign & TechnologyThe FarmsteadSuitability Analysis

Doubled Energy Cost Scenario: Baseline DSF

Doubled Energy Cost Scenario: 226 Acre Production Farm

True Cost of Energy Scenario : Baseline DSF

True Cost of Energy Scenario : 226 Acre Production Farm

Metrics & Themes

Social Issues Why Metric GoalRural Population

Decline and aging of population

Total Population Increase rural populations

Urban/Rural Interface & Zoning

sprawl development interactions with suburban fringes

Better urban rural interface/zoning

Guidelines, Zoning, Legal Status

Control of Farm Base

Local families control few acres (land swaps regional agri business)

Local control of regional base Majority control by locals

Rural to Urban Inequity

difference between rural and urban incomes and access

Closing income and access gaps

Improve Education Medical and Wages

Self Employment

the falling earnings ability from self employment in rural communities

Self employment earnings

1/3 Increase (make up for 1980-current losses)

Opportunity Structure

Opportunities form educated children and families

Number of advanced jobs Creation of more advanced

jobs

Farming Legacy

Creation of new farmers or generational inheritances

Creation of new farms or farming options

Create viable new farms and farmers

Metrics & Themes

Economic Issues Why Metric Goal

Small Scale Producers Viability

Loss of farms & increased farm size 67 - 96 Dbl size and 50% loss in farms

Number of small farm operations with economic viability

Reverse current trends

Small Scale Producers Survivability

difficulties in new farm starts and small operations

Number of small farm operations Reverse current

trends

Rural Economic Opportunities Relatively few sectors

Improved access to economic sectors for employment

Goods and Services Diversity

Limited goods and services available and markets for good and services

# of good and services produced/provided

More value added goods or higher value good and services to a region

Rural to Urban Connections

Integration of local rural area into markets and market share

Intra regional trade Improved intra regional trade

Environmental Credits

Opportunities for farms to earn from carbon and other credits

Earnings from credit Increase per acre income

Farm Management Subsides

Moving subsides form direct payments to EU style management payments

BMP or Management Subsidies

Metrics & Themes

Environment Issues Why Metric Goal

Surface Water Quality

Hypoxia and water treatment costs (Nitrate and Phosphorous)

Nitrate and Phosphorous rates X % Less N and P

Green House Gas Emissions

CO2 and N2O From farms, livestock and farm operations

CO2, N20, CH4 Balance

Carbon neutral/sequester less Nitrous Oxide and Methane

Farm Energy Use

Industrial modal require significant upstream and on farm energy inputs

Energy Use - Production

More production and less use

Biodiversity Lack of bio diversity in rural landscape Biodiversity Provide habitat and

biodiversity capital

Lack of BMP or Industrial Regulations

Farms operate look like a duck quack like a duck and should be regulated like one

Industrial, Federal Regulation (Clean Water Act)

Tile drainage regulation

Soil Fertility & Conservation

Healthy Soil = Healthy People

Soil Fertility and Management

Reduced Erosion and Soil Building

Understanding A Bioregion



Average Operator Age in 2002: 55-58

Average Operator Age in 2002: 50-55%


Farms with less than 10K/yr Sales: 30%

Acres of Harvested Cropland as % in farms: 90-93%

Specific Design & Technology Solutions




The Farmstead

The Farmstead

The Farmstead

Feasibility: Pasture

Feasibility: Row Crops

Feasibility: Wetlands

Feasibility: Development

Documents

Tim Marten Thesis Presentation