Is whole-farm conservation planning the answer?

Excerpt

WHAT I sense is that we all have a common vision. That vision is to balance the short-term and long-term needs of our environment and our economy and to do it in a manner that respects the people who manage the land and take the risks. In SCS, we express this vision as, “A productive nation in harmony with a quality environment.”

As we translate this kind of vision into policy, our goal has to be something workable on the land. And from close to 60 years of working directly with farmers and ranchers, the Soil Conservation Service has a sense of where that vision might take us.

Some call it “whole-farm planning.” We haven't yet agreed on what to call it. Our first inclination was to call it “total resource management” or “total resource planning.” But we have some problems with that word “total.” It has caused a lot of misunderstanding. So, we still are looking for some good words-some simple, understandable words.

But let us not get hung up right now on the terminology. I would like to explore the concept-what it is and what it is not. Then, I would like to share some thoughts on why this concept makes sense and how we can make it work. …