Unlike many cattle farmers, Lyn Garland rarely feeds her Jersey Heifers grain. Instead, Garling, manager of Integrated Pest Management at Penn State and secretary of the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture, allows her cows to feed on the grass covering her 26 acres of land using a method called rotational grazing, one technique of a farming concept known as sustainable agriculture.

Since the 1980s, there has been a push for farmers and consumers to change the way they look at food production. During the past five years, the concept of sustainable agriculture has become more prominent globally as farmers look for ways to produce that are better for the environment, economically profitable and better for the community as a whole, said Jack Watson, assistant director of Sustaining Pennsylvania Agriculture.

There is no easy way to describe what sustainable agriculture is. In fact, Watson refused to assign a definition to this method of production, which can involve practices ranging from soil conservation to IPM to selling goods locally. Watson did emphasize that sustainable agriculture is not strictly limited to organic farming.

"Sustainable agriculture is kind of a philosophy of farming," said Kim Knorr-Tait, vice president of the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture and owner of Tait Farm Foods in Centre Hall. "It's a willingness to continue to explore new techniques (of farming)."

Those who practice sustainable agriculture focus on three basic interactions: economics, ecology and social. The interests of the farmers in terms of turning a profit, preservation of the environment and providing consumers with fresh and healthy food are all goals that farmers and communities use in a sustainable system.

PASA, an organization started 10 years ago, promotes the profitable production of healthy foods that is environmentally sound and the education of consumers. It has about 900 members, consumers and farmers and is one of the largest and most successful organizations of its type in the country, Tait said.

In February, PASA will be holding its annual conference in State College called "Farming for the Future," where participants can attend seminars covering topics such as farming economics, composting, using greenhouses and long-term planning in farms. The conference is part of the organization's effort to reach out into the community and educate farmers and consumers about ways to protect the environment and support local farms.

"We think its good to have more farmers rather then less," Garling said. She pointed out that in buying foods locally not only will food be fresher, but it will also allow local farmers to get more of the dollar spent then when foods are shipped across country, which is one of the economic concerns that sustainable agriculture addresses.

Heather Karsten, assistant professor of crop production and ecology agreed, citing a statistic from the United States Department of Agriculture that said on average, farmers are only paid 25 cents for every dollar the consumer spends on food.

Local farmers like Tait and Garling regularly incorporate techniques of sustainable agriculture at their farms, as well as actively encouraging others to do so. Tait, who grows fruits and vegetables, attempts to sustain soil fertility using compost and crop rotation.

The practice of sustainable agriculture has not been ignored at Penn State.

"The College of Agriculture is definitely trying to address it more," Karsten said. Recently, the college added a new interdisciplinary major called agroecosystems science, which teaches students to look at the entire agricultural system and its implications. The College of Agriculture offers classes in subjects such as IPM and is conducting research in the areas such as seed saving and dairy sustainability.

One of the biggest challenges facing sustainable agriculture is farmers' perception that it is just limited to organic farming, Watson said.

PASA tries to be very inclusive when it comes to sustainable agriculture, they bring farmers from all over the world to educate farmers and consumers about the benefits of this method of farming.

"We try to break down barriers and stereotypes," Tait said.