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Foreword
Driven by economics, concerns about the environment or a yearning
for a more satisfying lifestyle, the farmers and ranchers profiled
in this collection have embraced new approaches to agriculture.
Their stories vary but they share many goals -- these new American
farmers strive to renew profits, enhance environmental stewardship
and improve life for their families and communities.
The profilees in The New American Farmer, 2nd edition,
hail from small vegetable farms and ranches and grain farms covering
thousands of acres. They produce commodities like beef, corn and
soybeans, or they raise more unusual crops like ginseng, 25 kinds
of lettuce or Katahdin lamb. Others add value -- and profits --
by producing ice cream, goat cheese, cashmere wool and on-farm processed
meat. Another set provides agriculture-oriented tourism through
"guest" ranches, inns, on-farm zoos and education centers.
Many producers cut costs with new management strategies, such as
replacing purchased fertilizers and pesticides with cover crops
and crop rotations, or raise animals on pasture rather than in confinement.
Some developed innovative marketing strategies to gain a better
end price for their products. Others combine trimming production
costs with alternative marketing, doubling their efforts to boost
profits.
The paths to their successes come from every direction. Some NAF
farmers and ranchers credit the Sustainable Agriculture Research
and Education (SARE) program
with providing a timely grant or research-tested information as
they approached a fork in the road. Some turned to information centers
such as the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service
run by ATTRA or the Alternative
Farming Systems Information Center (AFSIC)
at the National Agricultural Library. Others found help from their
local Extension agent or educator, or an adviser from a government
agency or nonprofit organization.
These farmers and ranchers were not only willing to share what
they learned with us, but they also volunteered their contact information.
To learn how to adapt what they've done to your farm or ranch, consider
getting in touch.
This second edition updates many of the profiles from the first
New American Farmer, published in 2001. Fourteen new profiles
further probe the many options available to today's producer. (A
tagline at the bottom informs of each updated profile or newly researched
one.) We hope The New American Farmer, 2nd edition provides
both inspiration and information as you explore your new approaches
to farming.
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