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Marcel Aillery, Stan Daberkow, Linda Foreman, Noel Gollehon, Wen Huang, Jim Johnson, C.S. Kim, Janet Livezey, Michael Livingston, William McBride, Mitchell Morehart, Craig Osteen, James Payne, William Quinby, Marc Ribaudo, Carmen Sandretto, and Glenn Schaible
Production decisions concerning what crops and livestock to produce, how much effort and resources to invest, and which physical practices to follow have immediate consequences for the farm and long-term effects on the environment. This section examines the management of farm businesses; and the conventional and organic production systems employed, including soil, nutrient, pest, and irrigation water management. Among the findings:
- Most farms are operated by a single operator or an operator and spouse, but most production comes from farms with larger and more complex management teams. Full-time operators of larger and more complex enterprises are more likely than other operators to adopt recommended conservation practices.
- Some management practices can enhance soil quality. These beneficial practices include crop rotations, crop residue management, and various field/landscape structures and buffers.
- Use of commercial fertilizers and pesticides has been steady or declining in recent years, due to improvements in technology and other factors.
- Increasing concentration in animal production can have adverse impacts on air and water quality.A variety of voluntary and regulatory measures have been introduced at the Federal, State, and local level to mitigate these impacts.
- Competition for water is increasing. U.S. agriculture can achieve greater water conservation through improved irrigation technology and management.
- Information technology, especially in the form of computers and the Internet, is affecting the way farmers produce and market their output and how rural residents receive services and communicate.
- Among all U.S. farmers, those who adopt selected conservation practices are more likely to be younger, full-time operators who plant more acreage and participate in government programs.
- Certified organic farmland more than doubled between 1992 and 2003. USDA national standards for organic production and processing came into effect in 2002.
Contents
Agricultural Production Management
4.1 Farm Business Management — html, pdf
4.2 Soil Management and Conservation — html, pdf
4.3 Pest Management Practices — html, pdf
4.4 Nutrient Management — html, pdf
4.5 Animal Agriculture and the Environment — html, pdf
4.6 Irrigation Water Management — html, pdf
4.7 Information Technology Management — html, pdf
4.8 Production Systems Management and Conservation Practices — html, pdf
4.9 U.S. Organic Agriculture — html, pdf
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