Large, small farm operations can be sustaniable
July 9, 2007
The size of an operation does not determine whether or not it is sustainable. That's according to Jerry DeWitt, the director of Iowa State University's Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture.
There are comparatively large family run hog operations that he considers to be sustainable, says DeWitt.
This week the center observes its twentieth anniversary of making competitive grants dedicated to research that helps keep farm families on the land. The center hosts a conference Thursday with several sessions on agricultural sustainability.
"I'm a firm believer that a fairly substantial sized operation can be moving toward sustainability, can be doing the very, very right things, so size probably should not be viewed as really an indicator, 'is this sustainable or not'" DeWitt told Brownfield from his office at the center. The Leopold Center's mission is science based research, according to DeWitt.
