Whole Farm Analysis of Low-Input Sustainable Farming Systems Using An Extension Farm Financial Management Package

Farmers in recent years have been faced with economic hardships and an increasing awareness of the environmental impacts of conventional farming practices. These factors have led many farmers to consider alternative farming methods and practices to replace conventional farming practices. Alternative systems include those going by a variety of labels, not all of which always mean the same thing. Terms used include regenerative sustainable, low-input, and organic, among others. A recently established research and education program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture uses the term low-input/sustainable agriculture ( LISA ). The LISA program contrasts conventional and alternative or low-input/sustainable farming systems in the following language which is useful for the purposes of this paper