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 Welcome
to the "Natural Resource Economics" section of "Soybean
Answers ." If you have economic and/or environmental
questions about conservation tillage (no-till, mulch-till,
etc), sustainable agriculture, or ecosystem management,
post them here. I or other experts will try to answer
your questions. If you're interested in applying conservation
tillage, you will want to visit my no-till site. There
you will find an education manual titled "Designing,
Implementing, and Controlling No-till Systems."
It's a hands-on manual that helps you switch to no-till.
I've said enough; it's your turn. Ask those questions,
and together we can find the answers.
Employment
Richard L. Farnsworth holds an extension/research position in the Department
of Agricultural and Consumer Economics at the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign. His extension and research responsibilities primarily
cover natural resource problems linked to agricultural production.
Currently, he serves as chairperson of the Cooperative Extension Service's
Natural Resource Management team. Prior to joining the staff in 1985, Dr.
Farnsworth worked at the Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of
Agriculture.
Education
Dr. Farnsworth received his bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University.
He received his master's and doctoral degrees from the University of
California at Berkeley.
Extension/Research
Dr. Farnsworth develops education programs and conducts research that help
farmers select profitable, more environmentally sound approaches to conserve natural resources. Two of his education programs, the Conservation Systems and the
Resource Conservation Systems Application programs, were used by cornbelt
farmers to meet the conservation provisions of the 1985 and 1990 farm acts.
Farmers who worked through the first program wrote conservation plans. The
second program provided the necessary information for farmers to apply the
conservation practices (no-till, mulch-till, contouring, and waterways)
identified in their conservation plans.
His current research is focused on two areas: sustainable agriculture and
ecosystem management. In the first project, Dr. Farnsworth is working with
an interdisciplinary team of experts who are trying to identify economic and
cultural barriers to the adoption of sustainable agricultural systems. The
ecosystem project also consists of an interdisciplinary team of experts
charged with defining and assessing the feasibility of ecosystem management
for the agricultural sector.
Additional information about conservation can be found at the Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) website. CTIC is a nonprofit, information / data transfer center which promotes environmentally and economically beneficial natural resource systems by:
- Producing and circulating information, data and contacts
- Coordinating national initiatives
- Sponsoring interactive meetings, conferences and tours
Related Publications
Designing, Implementing, and Controlling No-Till Systems, Booklet Two. The United States Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, July 1994.
Sustainable Agriculture: Its Similaries and Differences Compared to Conventional Agriculture and Barriers to Adoption, by Richard Farnsworth, Sonya Salamon, Don Bullock.
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