Green Lands, Blue Waters

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Green Lands, Blue Waters

Finding the Win-Win Incorporating Sustainable
Agriculture Approaches
Helene Murray Minnesota Institute for Sustainable
Agriculture University of Minnesota Twin
Cities George Boody Land Stewardship
Project White Bear Lake, Minnesota
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Green Lands, Blue Waters

Multiple Benefits of Agriculture Initiative -
Watershed Study
Chippewa River
www.landstewardshipproject.org/mba/Multifunc_Jan05
_BioSc.pdf
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Future Scenarios

• Continuation of Present Trends
• Increased field size
• Focus on annual crop production

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Future Scenarios

• Continuation of Present Trends

• Adoption of Best Management Practices
• BMPs conservation tillage, recommended levels
  of nutrient application, 100-foot buffers

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Future Scenarios

• Continuation of Present Trends

• Adoption of Best Management Practices

• BMPs Agricultural Diversification
• Wetlands
• 5 year crop rotation including corn, soybeans,
  small grains, hay
• and more animals on the land through
  more rotational grazing

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Future Scenarios

• Continuation of Present Trends

• Adoption of Best Management Practices

• BMPs Agricultural Diversification
• Wetlands

• D. Restoring Managed Year-round Vegetative
• Cover
• Cover crops, 300 buffers, grass on higher
  slopes for energy, seed,
• increased rotational grazing

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ADAPT Model
Predict in-stream environmental benefits,
including Impacts on fish Potential wildlife
effects and greenhouse gases were calculated Soci
al scientists analyzed results to describe
impacts on communities Economists estimated farm
economic impacts, federal farm payments and
environmental benefits
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Increased Conservation

• 45,000 acres
• 81 cultivated
• 7 pasture

Chippewa River
N
P
Sediment
Percent Change from Baseline
Year Round Cover
Expanded Diversity
BMPs
Current trends
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Goals

Pride of the Prairie
Regional Sustainable Food System
An initiative to develop a local food system that
will help protect the environment, reduce energy
consumption and circulate dollars in the
community.

• Create awareness community support for locally
  grown foods by developing and enhancing existent
  educational and outreach opportunities
• Work with the U of MN-Morris and Sodexho, to use
  locally grown foods on campus
• Work with regional food-producing farmers to
  provide products for residents, institutions and
  retailers in the region
• Continue to assess and develop the necessary
  infrastructure to channel local food from
  production to consumption
• Exchange what is learned with other Buy Local
  campaigns across the state and nation.
• Evaluate our progress

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Green Lands, Blue Waters

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Pride of the Prairie

Northern area of the Corn Belt Cultural rebirth
in progress in the area Farmers direct
marketing, developing CSAs, selling to niche
markets and producing with stewardship
practices Built on base of collaborative
research efforts among U of M-Morris, NGOs,
WCROC, MISA, and agencies on diversified farming
systems Groups working together made this a
priority
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Pride of the Prairie

Polled regional restaurants and institutions to
determine food buying preferences Need for coops
or alliances to get sufficient quantity and
frequency of products from smaller farms
Enterprise Facilitation being developed to
foster entrepreneurial business development
(through Sirolli Institute, city councils, other
partners)
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Overview
Cedar Summit Farm Daves grandfather purchased
land in 1926 Dave and Florence returned to farm
in 1969
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Cedar Summit Farm
In 1974 discontinued the use of pesticides By
late 1980s they became dissatisfied with the
direction their farm was headed static debt
load equipment costs herd turn over costs
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Cedar Summit Farm
Intrigued with idea of improving herd health by
allowing them to harvest their own feed seven
months/year Set goal to convert all of their
farm to permanent pasture to reduce
erosion, improve water quality, mineral cycling
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Cedar Summit Farm

• Sold registered milking herd to restructure
  farm debt
• 1993 they bred heifers to start a grazing herd
• 1994 built a new milking parlor and re-started
  milking

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Cedar Summit Farm
Their adult children expressed a desire to be
part of the farm Dave and Florence wanted to
add jobs without increasing herd size Explored
feasibility of adding an on-farm processing plant
to add value to their milk, increase profitability
, and support more family members financially
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Cedar Summit Farm
Created a board of advisors local banker, farm
business management consultant, meat
processor clients and friends Developed a
business plan Mission Statement to provide
fresh, wholesome meat and dairy products to our
growing community to become the neighborhood
farm.
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Cedar Summit Farm
Today farm is 450 acres, 160 animals On-farm
store with a diverse, high quality product line
including milk, yogurt, cream, sour cream, ice
cream, hard cheeses, beef, pork and heritage
turkeys. Products are sold at over 60 grocery
stores, farmers markets, and co-ops Farm
supports 4 families
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Green Lands, Blue Waters
Helene Murray hmurray_at_umn.edu 612-625-0220 George
Boody gboody_at_landstewardshipproject.org 651-653-
0618 www.greenlandsbluewaters.org