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Sustainable Master Plan for the University of Illinois Dudley Smith Farm and Illinois Farm Sustainability Calculator
Citation preview
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
Org
anic
Trad
ition
al
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
Org
anic
Trad
ition
al
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
Org
anic
Trad
ition
al
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
Understanding A Bioregion
Understanding A Bioregion
Average Operator Age in 2002: 55-58
Average Operator Age in 2002: 50-55%
Understanding A Bioregion
Farms with less than 10K/yr Sales: 30%
Acres of Harvested Cropland as % in farms: 90-93%
Specific Design & Technology Solutions
Specific Design & Technology Solutions
Specific Design & Technology Solutions
Specific Design & Technology Solutions
The Farmstead
The Farmstead
The Farmstead
Feasibility: Pasture
Feasibility: Row Crops
Feasibility: Wetlands
Feasibility: Development