Course 3 Resources

The resources listed here cover the major topics of this course: agroecology, sustainable crop and livestock production, monitoring agroecosystems, and organic agriculture. The list includes publications and a variety of web resources that will help you in your work with farmers and ranchers on these important topics. To find out about other resources and educational opportunities in your state or region, contact your local Cooperative Extension office or state SARE coordinator.

Agroecology/Sustainable Agriculture

Agroecology and Agroecosystems. Stephen Gliessman. Chapter 2 in Agroecosystems Analysis. Edited by D. Rickerl and C. Francis. American Society of Agronomy, Madison, WI. 2004. pp. 19-30.

Agroecology: The Ecology of Sustainable Food Systems (2nd Edition). Stephen R. Gliessman,  CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL. 2007

Agroecology: The Ecology of Sustainable Food Systems (3rd Edition). Stephen R. Gliessman,  CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL. 2014

Agroecology: Principles and Strategies for Designing Sustainable Farming Systems. Miguel Altieri.

Agroecology: The Science of Sustainable Agriculture (2nd Edition). Miguel Altieri, with contributions by John Farrell, Susanna Hecht, Matt Liebman, Fred Magdoff, Bill Murphy, Richard Norgaard and Thomas Sikor. Westview Press, Boulder, CO. 1995.

Assessing a farm's sustainability: Insights from resilience thinking. Ika Darnhofer. International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability 8(3): 186-198. July 2010.

The diversity-stability debate. Kevin Shear McCann. Nature 405: 228-233, 11 May 2000.

Ecological Principles of Agriculture. Laura E. Powers and Robert McSorley. Delmar Publishing, Albany, NY. 2000.

Ecology: A Bridge Between Science and Society. Eugene P. Odum. Sinauer Associates, Inc, Sunderland, MA. 1997.

Fundamentals of Ecology. Eugene P. Odum. W.B. Saunders Co., Philadelphia, PA. 1971.

The New American Farmer: Profiles of Agricultural Innovation (2nd Edition). USDA SARE. 2005.

The Science of Ecology. P.R. Ehrlich, and J. Roughgarden. Macmillan, New York. 1987.

General Soil, Water, and Pest Management

Advanced Soil Organic Matter Management. Sieglinde Snapp and A. Stuart Grandy. Michigan State University Extension, Bulletin E-3137. 2011.

Building Soils for Better Crops(3rd Edition). Fred Magdoff and Harold Van Es. USDA SARE. 2010.

Conceptual framework for Integrated Pest Management (IPM) of Tree-Fruit Pests. M. Kogan and R. Hilton in Biorational Tree-Fruit Pest Management. Martin Aluja, Tracy Leskey, and Charles Vincent (Eds.) CABI. Cambridge, MA. 2009

Ecological Pest Management Information Resources (AFSIC)

Manage Insects on Your Farm: A Guide to Ecological Strategies. Miguel Altieri, Clara Nichols and Marlene Fritz. USDA SARE. 2005

Nutrient Management (SoilQuality.org)

Organic Matter Management. Ann Lewandowski. University of Minnesota Extension. 2002.

Pest Management Publications (ATTRA)

Smart Water Use on Your Farm or Ranch. Valerie Berton. USDA SARE. 2006.

Soils and Compost Publications List (ATTRA)

Soil and Water Management Information Resources (AFSIC)

Water Management Publications List (ATTRA)

A Whole Farm Approach to Managing Pests. USDA SARE. 2003.

Cover Crops

Cover Crop Innovators Video Series (SARE)

Cover Crops (SARE Topic Room)

Cover Cropping in Vineyards. Chuck Ingels. University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources. Publication 3338. 1998.
Managing Cover Crops Profitably (3rd Edition). Greg Bowman, Craig Cramer, Christopher Shirley, et al. USDA SARE. 2007.

Overview of Cover Crops and Green Manures. Preston Sullivan. NCAT ATTRA. 2003

Crop Rotation

Crop Rotation on Organic Farms: A Planning Manual. Charles L. Mohler and Sue Ellen Johnson (Eds.) SARE / NRAES. NRAES 17. 2009.

Building Soils for Better Crops(3rd Edition). Fred Magdoff and Harold Van Es. USDA SARE. 2010.

The New Organic Grower: A Master's Manual of Tools and Techniques for the Home and Market Gardener (2nd Ed.) Eliot Coleman. 1995. Chelsea Green, Chelsea, VT.

Reduced- and No-Till

Classification of Conservation Tillage Practices in California Irrigated Row Crop Systems. Jeff Mitchell, et al. University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources. Publication 8364. 2009.

Conservation Technology Information Center: Find Information

Tillage Systems (University of Minnesota Tillage Program)

ATTRA No-Till Case Studies:
Bauer Farm: Cover Crop Cocktails on Former CRP Land
Brown’s Ranch: Improving Soil Health Improves the Bottom Line
Miller Farm: Restoring Grazing Land with Cover Crops
Richter Farm: Cover Crop Cocktails in a Forage-Based System

Compost/Soil Amendments

On-Farm Composting Handbook. Robert Rynk (Ed.). NRAES. NRAES-54. 1992.

Compost Production and Utilization. Mark Van Horn. University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources. Publication 21514. 1995.

Building Soils for Better Crops(3rd Edition). Fred Magdoff and Harold Van Es. USDA SARE. 2010.

Organic Soil Amendments and Fertilizers. David Chaney. University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources. Publication 21505. 1992.

Hedgerows / Buffer Strips

Establishing Hedgerows on Farms in California. Rachel Long and John Anderson. University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources. Publication 8390. 2010.

Hedgerows for California Agriculture. Sam Earnshaw. Community Alliance with Family Farmers. 2004.   

Farmscaping to Enhance Biological Control. Rex Dufour. NCAT ATTRA. 2000.

Pasture/Rangeland Management

Grazing Systems and Pasture Management Information Resources (AFSIC)

Livestock and Pasture Publications List (ATTRA)

Profitable Pork: Alternative Strategies for Hog Producer. USDA SARE. 2003.

Profitable Poultry: Raising Birds on Pasture. USDA SARE. 2014.

Rangeland Management Strategies. USDA SARE. 2007.

Rotational Grazing

Grazing Management Concepts and Practices (University of Florida Extension). L. Sollenberger, J. Vendramini, and J. Dubeux. University of Florida IFAS Extension. Publication SS-AGR-92. 2009.

Grazing Systems and Pasture Management Information Resources (AFSIC)

Livestock and Pasture Publications List (ATTRA)

Pastures for Profit: A Guide to Rotational Grazing. Dan Undersander, Beth Albert, Dennis Cosgrove, Dennis Johnson, and Paul Peterson. University of Wisconsin and University of Minnesota Extension. Publication A2539. 2014

University of Vermont Rotational Grazing Project

Monitoring Agroecosystems

California Rangeland Monitoring Series (University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources)

Colorado Rangeland Monitoring Guide. Colorado Resource Monitoring Initiative. 2014.

Cornell Soil Health Assessment Training Manual. Cornell University. 2009.

Kansas River Friendly Farm Environmental Assessment (Kansas Rural Center)

The Landscape Toolbox (USDA ARS and Nature Conservancy)

The Monitoring Toolbox (Land Stewardship Project)

Nevada Rangeland Monitoring Handbook (2nd Ed.) Sherman Swanson, et al. University of Nevada  Cooperative Extension. Bulletin 06-03. 2006.

Wyoming Rangeland Monitoring Guide. Wyoming Range Service Team. 2008.

USDA NRCS Soil Health Site

• Soil Quality Test Kit

• Soil Health Cards

Organic Agriculture

eOrganic: Tools for Transition Project

Organic Farming Publications (ATTRA)

Organic Transition: A Business Planner for Farmers, Ranchers and Food Entrepreneurs. Gigi DiGiacomo, Robert P. King and Dale Nordquist. USDA SARE. 2015.

Transitioning to Organic Production. Diana Friedman. USDA SARE. 2003

USDA National Organic Program

High Tunnels / Season Extension

High Tunnels and Other Season Extension Techniques (SARE Topic Room)

High Tunnel Information Resources (Utah State University)