Economics of Enhanced Livestock Production

Production Economics,

Comparing the Profitability of Beef Production Enterprises in North Dakota

Agricultural Finance, Production Economics,

Crambe as a Specialty Crop in North Dakota

Production Economics,

Enhancing Export Potential for Northern Plains Mustard

International Relations/Trade,

The Financial Status of North Dakota Farmers and Ranchers: January 1, 1985, Survey Results

Agricultural Finance,

Economics of Establishing a Beef Cattle Feedlot Using By-Products of Ethanol Production in North Dakota

Production Economics, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy, Agribusiness,

Attitudes Toward the Environment: How Do the Attitudes of Conventional, No-Till, and Organic Farmers Compare?

One of Che key dynamics in today\u27s increased interest in alternative fanning is concern for the environment (Beus and Dunlap, 1990). Many advocates of alternative farming argue that conventional farming harms the environment and may even destroy the future of agriculture. The implicit, and often explicit, notion associated with this view is that conventional farmers are less concerned about the environment than are alternative farmers. The present study will test this notion by comparing the attitudes toward the environment of conventional farmers with two types of alternative farmers, organic and no-till. By definition, conventional farmers are those farmers who practice high-input farming, including the use of such commercial chemicals as herbicides, pesticides, fungicides, and synthetic fertilizers. Additionally, they typically practice routine tillage to supplement their chemical efforts to control weeds. In contrast, alternative farmers are those farmers who generally avoid the use either of commercial chemicals or of conventional tillage techniques. Specifically, organic farmers minimize the use of commercial chemicals, while no-till farmers minimize tillage. Presumably, the goal in switching to these alternative practices is to reduce pollution and soil erosion, so it is reasonable to expect that farmers who engage in these practices have more pro-environment attitudes than those who do not

Single-Calf Heifer System Profitability Compared to Other North Dakota Beef Production Systems

Production Economics, Productivity Analysis,

A COMPARISON OF SUSTAINABLE AND CONVENTIONAL FARMERS IN NORTH DAKOTA

Interviews and mail-out/mail-back surveys were conducted in 1992 with 38 conventional and 41 sustainable North Dakota farmers. The results emphasize the differences and similarities of these two types of farmers. Sustainable farms had more diverse cropping practices and were more likely to raise alternative crops like alfalfa, buckwheat, hay, millet, oats, and rye than conventional farmers. Conventional farmers were more likely to raise traditional crops like barley, sugar beets, sunflowers, and spring wheat. Conventional farmers averaged substantially higher crop yields than sustainable farmers. Three-fourths of the sustainable farmers raised livestock compared with one-half of the conventional farmers. Conventional farmers had greater equity, assets, gross farm income, and net farm income than sustainable farmers. Conventional and sustainable farmers reported nearly the same amount of satisfaction with farming as an occupation, the same stress levels, and the same perceived skill requirements.sustainable farms, conventional farms, organic, North Dakota, Environmental Economics and Policy, Farm Management,

USDA Farm Programs: North Dakota Farmer Participation and Opinions

Agricultural and Food Policy,