Additional Links

CSANR of Washington State University
csanr.wsu.edu

Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education
www.sare.org

Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education
wsare.usa.edu

Sustainablity:

The idea of sustainable agriculture is a new concept in the agriculture industry. The concept of sustainable agriculture has three main ideas:

Environmental health: Taking care of the land, soil and animal life that exists on the land that is entrusted to us. Reducing erosion by direct seeding and eliminating the use of some pesticides are good examples of our dedication to preserving the environmental health of our land.
Social and Economic Equity: Is the idea that crops grown with both care for the environment and a focus on the intended use of the crop will have more value to the buyer than crops grown with only yield in mind. All Shepherd's Grain products are identity preserved meaning that our flour and other products are not mixed with lower quality non identified products. This brings a consistency out in our products that is impossible through commercial channels.
Economic Profitability: Farming like any other occupation has a certain amount of risk involved. All of our work to preserve our environment and increase the quality of our end product would be wasted if we could not make a living while doing our job. The pricing structure used on Shepherd's Grain products is derived from local university data on the costs of producing our crops. Our pricing structure is also transparent so that the buyer can see all of the costs that are associated with the product purchased.

Direct Seeding:

The idea behind producing sustainable products is to allow farmers to produce safe, high quality crops, in way that will allow the soil that he farms to remain productive and be able to be passed down to the next generation while making a reasonable profit while farming.

Farming is a profession that is constantly changing. In comparison to our fathers and grandfathers we've reinvented ourselves by changing the way that we grow our crops. Direct seeding is to our farms what the invention of the tractor was to our grandfathers. By direct-seeding we no longer have to invert the soil with a plow. Our plants are seeded directly into the residue of the crop that came before it. Direct seeding is a complete change in the way a farmer grows his crops. The change from conventional seeding to direct-seeding is a major change requiring new equipment as well as a new approach to weed and disease control. Although the direct seed system has many challenges that the farmer must deal with it also has many advantages.

Soil erosion is reduced, reducing soil runoff into streams and rivers.
Less fuel is burned than conventional tillage. Reducing the amount of exhaust fumes being released into the air.
The amount of carbon in our soils is increasing. Conventional tillage releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere where direct seeding traps the carbon in the soil, increasing organic matter and building a healthier soil structure for creatures that live in the soil such as earthworms.
By direct-seeding we've taken a more holistic approach to crop disease and pest management. We use different crops in a rotation so that diseases and pests don't build up in the soil and have to be treated by using chemicals.