Life Sciences Commons^™

Drivers Impacting The Adoption Of Sustainable Agricultural Management Practices And Production Systems Of The Northeast And Southeast United States, G. F. Sassenrath, J. M. Halloran, D. Archer, R. L. Raper, J. Hendrickson, P. Vadas, J. Hanson

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Agricultural production responds to social, political, economic, environmental, and technological drivers that influence producers’ decisions and shape the individual systems through modification of management practices, crop and livestock mix, and marketing strategy. We use an interview and discussion approach with producer panels to examine production systems in the eastern United States and explore key drivers impacting their unique characteristics and development. The internal social driver that values the farming lifestyle is a principle factor that leads people to choose farming. Irrespective of location, farming is first and foremost a lifestyle choice. The choice of type of production system is partly …