The USDA Agrees With Joel Salatin?

by: Jill Richardson

Wed Jun 10, 2009 at 00:26:24 AM PDT

Grass and other perennial plants may be just what the doctor ordered for farmers facing the uncertainties of climate change. And beef and dairy products from free-ranging, grass-fed cattle--along with legumes and grains grown in addition to grass--may be just what the doctor ordered for consumers.

That's the "post-oil agriculture" vision portrayed by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists and other participants at the Farming with Grass Conference held in Oklahoma in 2008.

Would you believe that that is advice from the USDA??? They are promoting an online book called "Farming With Grass" and the description of it given on their site is simply too good to be true.

[The authors] explain that perennial plants, in diverse agricultural systems, have great potential to enhance resilience against uncertain climate and market conditions.

[Two of the authors] are in the second year of a 5-year study to develop a system to produce grass-fed beef for the southern Great Plains... [USDA] ARS scientists... are also looking for innovative ways to include grazing cattle in economically diverse farming systems.

In summarizing stories from the conference, participants envisioned mixed livestock, perennial plants, and other crops, instead of large stands of a single-row crop monoculture. The goal is to sustain farms and rural communities both economically and environmentally, while offering local, healthy foods and other new products.

Just...wow.