Soil testing, nitrogen management, seed selection, and so forth are all a part of the identification and evaluation of alternatives. A final example of small farm options is the work linking conservation activities on the land and in the production process with environmental outcomes more favorable than the current ones. Regardless of the specific area, there are many more examples of work with potential for small farms. Although risking going over my time, I would still like to briefly present my recommendations to the commission. All USDA-funded studies should be evaluated for their impact on size.
Different technologies benefit different sizes of farms.
In the recent Rural Life Poll in Iowa, farmers were asked who they thought would benefit from 10 new technologies. If we are truly interested in small farms, then we should be pursuing technologies and systems to benefit them. We need to keep the distinction between public and private research clearly in mind. I have given a paper on this and it is one of the important dichotomies to remember. Private research is for private gain.