Agriculture in general and intensive animal production in particular can degrade the environment, especially as a consequence of the overuse of nutrients. Intensively grazed dairy systems, defined by the presence of foraging animals in the landscape, are often considered a more benign approach to dairy production with perceived smaller impacts due to the reduced requirement for manure disposal. However, grazing dairy cows contribute nutrients and pathogens in excreta, and sediment through landscape deformation. These impacts can dramatically increase in parts of the farm such as feeding, watering and sacrifice areas, laneways and night paddocks where animals are concentrated and spend a disproportionate amount of time. Other practices such as the disposal of dairy shed or dairy factory effluent and cultivation of fodder crops can also pollute the environment. A common approach to reduce nutrient, pathogen and sediment losses from dairy farms is to establish buffer zones in riparian areas that act as an interface between upland land use and waterways. This is generally done by fencing riparian areas to exclude stock and revegetating with understory and overstory species, with the aim of increasing infiltration, trapping sediment and decreasing contaminant losses from upland pastures. However, poorly designed and managed riparian areas may themselves contribute to further environmental degradation. Rarely is an integrated approach, including factors such as animal behavior and dairy farm management practices, as well as an analysis of landscape and riparian hydrology used in developing riparian management recommendations for individual farms. This paper reviews the threats posed by intensively grazed dairy systems, approaches to improve riparian zone management and recommends future research needs.

Soil testing strategies that include biologically based indicators in organic and alternative farming systems are needed in order to improve recommendations that balance production and environmental goals. In this study, soil samples were collected before and after soils were transitioned from conventional row crop production to organic management using rotations that varied in both their inputs and tillage intensity. Ley-, row crop- and vegetable-based farming systems were implemented using locally specific production practices. Subplots were imposed within each system to allow comparison of farming systems without amendment and with dairy manure- and compost-amendment. Soil analyses included standard chemical tests (0–15 cm) for available phosphorus, exchangeable potassium, calcium, magnesium, pH, total organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN). Biological assays (0–15 and 15–30 cm) included particulate organic matter-C and -N (POM-C, POM-N), soil and POM C:N ratios, fluorescein diacetate (FDA) hydrolysis, potentially mineralizable N (PMN) and hydrolysable amino-N + NH4 (IL-N). Even though cropping and tillage intensity varied among systems (ley < row crop < vegetable), organic matter and nutrient reserves were not statistically different. Nutrient concentrations tested medium to high, even without compost or manure application. Labile fractions of soil organic matter were more enriched in the deeper sampling depth; whereby, POM stocks within the 15–30 cm depth increased by 20% on average compared to roughly 6% in the surface depth. This and observed changes in other properties demonstrate the multiple benefits derived from use of winter annual or perennial crops. Results from our analyses suggested PMN and POM have particular promise as metrics of change in commercial soil testing facilities to assist recommendations for amendments to balance production and environmental goals.

Proper sulfur management in winegrapes may potentially reduce both insecticide/miticide use and the human/social problems associated with sulfur's impacts on air quality and odors, particularly in wine tourism regions. Data from California's unique Pesticide Use Report (PUR) database, which records agricultural pesticide applications on all crops throughout the state, are used to determine if either winegrape grower's choice of sulfur formulation (dust only, wettable only, or a combination) or overall sulfur use rates (pounds per acre planted) correlate with annual miticide and insecticide use in Fresno and Madera (hotter–drier) and Napa and Sonoma counties (cooler–damper). Annual sulfur use has declined by 36–55% in these counties from 1993 to 2009. In 2000, the greatest number of growers in each county were combination users; wettable users were higher in Napa (38%) and Sonoma (34%) than in Fresno (24%) and Madera (10%); and dust-only users varied little (15–19%) across the four counties. Data for 2005 and 2009 showed similar trends. The use of high-toxicity insecticides in Fresno was 387% higher than in Napa–Sonoma in 2000, but was 25 and 8% lower in 2005 and 2009, respectively. In Fresno, wettable sulfur users used less high-toxicity insecticides; while in Fresno and Madera dust users used less lower-risk insecticides than combination or wettable sulfur users. No significant differences in insecticide use were evident between the three sulfur use categories in Napa–Sonoma (P = 0.97). On average, dust users in Fresno–Madera used more high-toxicity miticides than combination or wettable sulfur users in 2000. That trend decreased in the data for 2005 and 2009. Average miticide use in Fresno–Madera was higher than in Napa–Sonoma by 1349% in 2000, 1103% in 2005 and 146% in 2009. Higher sulfur use intensities among individual growers in Fresno–Madera were positively correlated with greater use of high-toxicity miticides in 2000 and 2005, but not 2009. The comparable results for Napa–Sonoma were less clear. Since PUR data represent statewide information on pesticide use decisions in real-world farming scenarios, it can complement data from field and laboratory studies. Expanding these analyses to compare pesticide use by individual growers across years, or to correlate pesticide usage with any published mite field surveys may shed more light on the enigmatic relationship between sulfur fungicide use and mite outbreaks in winegrapes.

Integrated pest management (IPM) has been very successful in directing farming to a more environment-friendly production. It is a great tool for producers in transition to organic farming. However, the extent of its economic impact is not well understood by farmers. This study looks at the amount of savings and potential market profitability of using IPM in South Carolina collard production considering alternative scouting methods. Scouting is an essential part of IPM that is usually ignored. This analysis presents a comparative assessment of the merits of conventional sampling (CS) and binomial sequential scouting method (SSM). SSM is a recently developed scouting system for traditionally operated collard farms that is geared toward a more economical execution of scouting without forfeiting the effectiveness of the process. Financial analytical tools, specifically costs and returns methods and sensitivity analysis on prices, were utilized to determine the economic advantages or disadvantages of the two methods. Outcomes indicate that both scouting methods would result in cost savings if used on traditionally operated farms. Particularly, the cost savings per hectare generated from IPM with SSM [3.62% of total cost (TC) and 3.91% of total variable cost (TVC)] is higher than the cost savings from IPM with CS (2.91% of TC and 3.15% of TVC). The difference in cost savings between IPM with CS and IPM with SSM basically came from the less scouting time of SSM that entailed lower labor cost for the farm. Therefore, to attain maximum profitability potential, using IPM with the SSM is a better option. Some may conjecture that the cost savings were insignificant due to the low percentages in cost savings. However, its importance is evident at the potential savings per farm and at the aggregate/state level.

Potato production in several Mediterranean countries is focused on the ‘early’ crop type, and is generally associated with intensive applications of farming inputs. Here we report, for the first time, a comparison of crop performance between organic and conventional cultivation systems. Three cultivars were tested over two seasons (2007 and 2008) to record their phenology, yield and tuber chemical composition. The organic cultivation system was less productive than the conventional one across both years with respect to total yield, but in the season (2008) when late blight infection was not severe the difference was narrowed from 7% (Ditta) to 20% (MN 2-1577 S1). The Italian breeding clones (MN 1404 O5 and MN 2-1577 S1) deserve specific consideration due to their higher total yield and nutritional value (in terms of total protein and vitamin C content) under organic cultivation system than the cultivar Ditta. In addition, the organic farming produced tubers with a lower nitrate content, an important benefit in the context of human health. In conclusion, our results indicate that organic cultivation of ‘early’ potatoes can deliver acceptable agronomic and qualitative performances. However, the response of the ‘early’ crop potato to organic farming depends upon both seasonal conditions and cultivar choice. In particular, the selection of appropriate cultivars is one of the key aspects to optimize this environmentally friendly production system.

Organic cropping systems that utilize winter grown cereal–legume cover crop mixtures can increase plant available nitrogen (N) to a subsequent cash crop, but the rate of N release is uncertain due to variations in residue composition and environmental conditions. A study was conducted to evaluate N availability from rye (Secale cereale L.)–hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth) cover crop mixtures and to measure the response of organically grown sweet corn (Zea mays L.) to N provided by cover crop mixtures. Nitrogen availability from pure rye, pure hairy vetch, and rye–vetch mixtures was estimated using laboratory incubation with controlled temperature and soil moisture. Sweet corn N response was determined in a 2-year field experiment in western Washington with three cover crop treatments as main plots (50:50 rye–vetch seed mixture planted mid September, planted early October, and none) and four feather meal N rates as subplots (0, 56, 112 and 168 kg available N ha−1). Pure hairy vetch and a 75% rye–25% hairy vetch biomass mixture (R75V25) released similar amounts of N over 70 days in the laboratory incubation. But, the initial release of N from the (R75V25) treatment was nearly 70% lower, which may result in N release that is better timed with crop uptake. Cover crops in the field were dominated by rye and contained 34–76 kg ha−1 total N with C:N ranging from 18 to 27. Although time of planting and management of cover crop quality improved N uptake in sweet corn, cover crops provided only supplemental plant available N in this system.

This paper uses a hypothetical choice experiment to investigate Italian consumer preferences and willingness-to-pay (WTP) for organic, conventional and genetically modified (GM)-fed beef, utilizing intrinsic, search cues (price, color and visible fat) and extrinsic, credence cues. Data are gathered from three different locations in northern, central and southern Italy using a sequential Bayesian approach. Results showed that consumers attach higher value to organic meat. WTP for GM-fed beef, which is not yet sold in Italy, is well below current conventional beef prices. Organic beef is attractive to consumers because it is associated with higher animal welfare standards and environment-related issues (food miles and biodiversity preservation). No differences are found in marginal WTP estimates by gender, age, education, being a parent or having a higher level of knowledge about organic production. Ethical/environmental issues (credence cues) appear to be more relevant in explaining variation in WTP for organic beef than ordinary product characteristics (search cues).

Meeting the needs for a growing world population calls for multifunctional land use, which can meet the multiple demands of food and fuel production, environmental and biodiversity protection, and has the capacity for adaptation or resilience to climate change. Agroforestry, a land-use system that integrates trees and shrubs with crops and/or livestock production, has been identified by the International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD) as a ‘win–win’ approach that balances the production of commodities (food, feed, fuel, fiber, etc.) with non-commodity outputs such as environmental protection and cultural and landscape amenities. Evidence is now coming to light that supports the promotion of agroforestry in temperate developed countries as a sustainable alternative to the highly industrialized agricultural model with its associated negative environmental externalities. This paper reviews this evidence within the ‘ecosystem services’ framework to evaluate agroforestry as part of a multifunctional working landscape in temperate regions. Establishing trees on agricultural land can help to mitigate many of the negative impacts of agriculture, for example by regulating soil, water and air quality, supporting biodiversity, reducing inputs by natural regulation of pests and more efficient nutrient cycling, and by modifying local and global climates. The challenge now lies in promoting the adoption of agroforestry as a mainstream land use through research, dissemination of information and policy changes.

Conservation biology and agriculture share a common landscape and a future that demands novel research and practice. Inevitably, limited resources create conflict in the absence of a shared vision forward. Therefore, given the similarities in proximate and even ultimate goals, we must envision a joint path toward renewable and resilient agroecosystems. In this commentary, I highlight the root of past conflicts and share a vision of progress forward that encompasses mutually beneficial outcomes. I include six areas of anticipatory research and inquiry at the intersection of conservation biology and agriculture to better identify shared goals and facilitate more frequent communication among disciplines.