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Unit 2: The Agricultural Professional's Role

NRCS district conservationist discussing soil health improvement with producer. (Scott Bauer, USDA NRCS)

While much of the process of Reading the Farm is based on your communication with the farmer, and at times your intuition, there is also a strong technical aspect to this work. The technical side of Reading the Farm often involves some kind of assessment of the farm's sustainability.

Sustainability indicators rely on measurements and data that, when followed over time, can reveal strengths or weaknesses in a farm enterprise. Indicators may be environment-related (e.g., soil quality, water quality, biodiversity), financial (e.g., net income, cash flow) or social (e.g., family and community relationships). In advising your clientele, one of the challenges is seeing the relationship between different indicators and how one component of the farm or ranch system can impact its sustainability in other areas. Explore this idea further through the activity on the following page.