Toward a More Sustainable Agriculture

Our nation''s grandest enterprise is our agricultural industry. It is second to none in terms of assets, workers, and exports. Agricultural success has be­ come an accepted fact and is taken for granted by the majority of the American public. Few believe or are even willing to consider that the con­ tinued future success of this industry is threatened. Yet threatened it is. The resource base of agriculture is becoming dimin­ ished through overuse and environmental misuse. A further complication is the competition for agricultural resources by other users. The energy, soil, and water resources cannot sustain agriculture into the far future at their present rate of use. Something must be done to bring about public awareness and support for the changes needed to move our nation toward a sustainable agriculture. More research and funding must be directed toward this end. Our agriculture educators and other information disseminators must make sure that the farmers, politicians, and the public receive the message. Farmers must be willing to make the necessary changes. Something is being done. Our agricultural system is in a transitional stage. Traditional agriculturists are changing some practices and their attitudes.