BELTSVILLE, Md. -- As broad and deep as sustainable farming itself, a new
directory connects readers with groups and individuals who are changing
the way America farms.
The third edition of the Sustainable Agriculture Directory of
Expertise contains 723 entries that identify and describe nearly 1,000
individuals and more than 200 organizations throughout the United States
and two of its territories. The listings have proven to be valuable
resources for those seeking information about alternative approaches to
achieving farm profitability, resource enhancement and the ongoing
vitality of rural communities.
Included are 169 farmers and ranchers, 247 agricultural researchers,
161 Cooperative Extension Service personnel, 72 agribusiness people, 63
farm consultants and others in marketing or communicating roles.
The document, available in both softcover and electronic versions,
features contact information and detailed descriptions of entrants in six
areas: sustainable agriculture work or professional role, areas of
expertise, primary crop and livestock enterprises, description of related
work, personal approaches to sustainable agriculture, and available
resources.
"The Directory is a great tool for anyone seeking information about
farming," says Andy Clark. He coordinates the Sustainable Agriculture
Network (SAN), the communications and outreach arm of the USDA Sustainable
Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program.
"Use the Directory to find groups and individuals who want to share
their experience and expertise to answer specific questions," Clark says.
"This updated reference puts you only a call, a letter or an e-mail
message away from people across the country who are putting sustainable
farming to work."
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-2- Directory Spans Horizon
Staff members at Appropriate Technology Transfer for
Rural Areas (ATTRA) compiled the information and created seven types of
indexes. The indexes provide quick access by state, individual,
organization, crop and livestock enterprise, area of expertise, product or
service available and management method. Combining the entry descriptions
with multiple indexes makes it easy to find the best contacts, saving
valuable research time.
For example, David Schafer appears twice in the Missouri section,
first individually as "full-time farmer/rancher, information provider." In
this listing he outlines skills in livestock production, economics and
marketing, as well as descriptions of his farm enterprises - forage crops
and pastured livestock. He describes the farm's sustainable approach to
harvesting forages through livestock for slaughter, and notes the goal of
augmenting soil and water resources to increase biodiversity.
Schafer's second listing comes as lead contact for the Green Hills
Farm Project, a grassroots group of more than 100 producers plus
researchers and consumers focused on sustainable food production. The
entry outlines the group's work in promoting grazing, water development
and direct marketing, and lists information resources. Those types of
descriptions open a world of opportunities for followup far beyond the
indexed topics.
For further details on the Directory's content, contact Andy Clark, SAN
Coordinator, c/o Alternative Farming Systems Information Center, Room 304,
National Agricultural Library, Beltsville MD 20705-2351, (301) 504-6425, fax
(301) 504-6409, e-mail: san@nal.usda.gov
To order the Directory in paperback or 3.5-inch floppy disk, send
$18.95 (postpaid) as check, money order or purchase order payable
to Sustainable Agriculture Publications, c/o Hills Building, Room
12, University of Vermont, Burlington VT 05405-0082. For
information on bulk-order discounts, please call (802) 656-0471.
Use of the electronic disk on Macintosh systems disk requires
"SoftPC" or "SoftWINDOWS" software.
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Andy Clark, Ph.D.
SAN Coordinator
c/o AFSIC, Room 304
National Agricultural Library
10301 Baltimore Ave.
Beltsville, MD 20705-2351
PH: 301-504-6425
FAX: 301-504-6409
san@nal.usda.gov