Overview
Farmers combine land, water, commercial inputs, labor,
and their management skills into practices and systems
to produce food and fiber. To sustain production over
time, farmers must make a profit and preserve their resource
and financial assets. Society wants food and fiber products
that are low-cost, safe to consume, and aesthetically
pleasing, and wants production systems that preserve or
enhance the environment. These often competing goals and
pressures are reflected not only in the inputs made available
for production, but also in how the inputs are selected,
combined, and managed at the farm level.
Increasingly, farmers are facing pressures to change
from conventional production practices to more environmentally
friendly practices that encompass critical aspects of
crop production, including pest management, nutrient management,
soil management, and sustainable production systems. ERS
research examines the critical role of economic and environmental
factors in the adoption of management practices and technologies,
including the use of conservation tillage, integrated
pest management, precision farming, nutrient testing,
organic farming, and biotechnology.
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