Bradford Farm practices sustainable farming
byRebecca Lewis, posted Nov. 3, 2008
Tim Reinbott, Bradford Research and Extension Center superintendent, educated the public with a presentation over sustainable farming on Oct. 14 at Bond Life Sciences Center.
Reinbott’s presentation, “Bradford Farm and Sustainability: from Native Plants to Campus Dining,” encompassed many aspects of sustainability and how Bradford Farm plays a role in educating the public and producers about the farming practice.
Sustainable agriculture is a system of agriculture production that over a period of time satisfies the human need for food and fiber while enhancing environmental quality and efficiently using non-renewable resources according to the United States Department of Agriculture Web site.
Reinbott spoke about how Bradford Farm was working to implement more programs that research and incorporate native grasses, conservation and modern agriculture. In the past these different systems have been used separately.
“All (of these practices) are on three different pages and always bumping heads,” Reinbott said.
Bradford Farm has become a model for how to increase the population of the Bobwhite quail, or as Reinbott calls it, “the sacred bird.” The research facility has combined native grass plots, brushy fencerows and intentional burn schedules to enhance the quality of the quail habitat.
“Bradford’s various programs bring farmers, landowners and suburbanites alike,” Reinbott said.
One project that excites Reinbott is the partnership between Bradford Farm and MU Campus Dining Services. Each year Bradford Farm supplies MU students who eat in the dining halls with fresh vegetables from the farm’s hoop houses. Hoop houses are specialized greenhouses that require no energy to heat or cool. This is due to the house’s strategic location and design.
“There is still a need for research,” Reinbott said, referring to the hoop houses.
However, he later stated that the houses were still very profitable and on average were generating around 1200 pounds of harvested vegetables per house.
Tying sustainable agriculture into modern farming practices is one way to increase the profits of a farm. Places like Bradford Farm are essential in the research for new methods to grow and market farm products.
