Overview

What is RSS? |

The goals of sustainable agriculture are to provide a more profitable farm income, to promote environmental stewardship, and to enhance the quality of life for farm families and their communities. CSREES promotes sustainable agriculture through national program leadership and funding for research and extension. It offers competitive grants programs and a professional development program, and it collaborates with other federal agencies through the USDA Sustainable Development Council.

In Focus

• CSREES' Green Team supports Federal Sustainability Executive Order.
• Report reveals special needs of Hispanic small-scale ranchers and farmers.
• There are thousands of ways to farm more sustainably--10 farm and ranch profiles describe enterprises that are doing so.
• Sustainable agriculture encompasses many different production methods, systems, and approaches--one is organic farming.
• The goals of sustainable agriculture apply to farms and ranches of all sizes and types, yet methods and practices may differ from one size or type to another.
• Every U.S. land-grant college and university conducts research, extension, and/or education activities in sustainable agriculture.


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Partnerships

• CSREES Partners with the Appalachian Regional Commission to support value-added agriculture and renewable energy.
• CSREES' SARE program partners with USDA's National Agricultural Library in support of the Alternative Farming Systems Information Center.
• CSREES' SARE program has co-funded agroforestry grants in collaboration with USDA's National Agroforestry Center.


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Events

• North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture/CSREES-SERD Conference, Stillwater, OK, June 17-20, 2009.
• ASA-CSSA-SSSA 2009 International Annual Meetings, Pittsburgh, PA, November 1-5, 2009.

Selected Results and Impacts

• Washington researchers use CSREES funds to study the effects of biofuels production on soils.
• With CSREES funds, Minnesota researchers target soybean aphids.
• CSREES funds are helping Oregon researchers understand why not all farmers' markets succeed.


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Resources

• Continuing Education Program in Sustainable Agriculture. On-line course for Cooperative Extension, NRCS, agricultural, natural resource and other professionals.
• 2008 SARE National Conference presentations. Over eight presentations by farmers, researchers and educators on crops, livestock, marketing, energy, and more.
• Sustainable Agriculture Network, Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program, CSREES. Extensive sustainable agriculture resources.


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Contacts

Jill Shore Auburn

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