The Real Dirt: Farmers Tell About Organic and Low-Input Practices in the Northeast

Editor's note
The following abstract describes a publication that is only available for purchase. A link to ordering information is on this page.

The Real Dirt provides a vivid snapshot of organic and sustainable farming in the Northeast in the 1990s. Based on interviews with more than 60 farmers in eight states, the book summarizes practical methods and offers a farmer's-eye view of how to design rotations, select crops and survive economically in the face of an increasingly chemical dependent and industrialized agricultural system.

Prepared by the Northeast Organic and Sustainable Farmers Network -- a collaborative group of farmers, farm organization representatives, northeastern extension agents and university researchers -- The Real Dirt responds to increased interest in sustainable and organic farming. Producers and extension staff can turn to The Real Dirt for answers to questions about organic and sustainable agriculture.

Its 264 pages of readable, farm-tested experiences are even more accessible thanks to a comprehensive index, bibliography and eight appendices. The glossary, resource directory and lists of organizations and Cooperative Extension contacts for the Northeast region were all updated in 1998 for the second printing.

Sustainable agriculture refers to an agricultural production and distribution system that:

Achieves the integration of natural biological cycles and controls,
Protects and renews soil fertility and the natural resource base,
Optimizes the management and use of on-farm resources,
Reduces the use of nonrenewable resources and purchased production inputs,
Provides an adequate and dependable farm income,
Promotes opportunity in family farming and farm communities, and
Minimizes adverse impacts on health, safety, wildlife, water quality and the environment.

Keywords

Ecological soil
Pest
Disease
Crop
Greenhouse
Livestock
Management

Pages

SX1001, reviewed 1998