SUSTAINABILITY FOR THE REAL WORLD How this no-waste Indiana facility is changing the future of farming words: Shauna L. Nosler | graphic redesign: Caryn Scheving
MATERIAL RECEIVING
FORAGE CROP PRODUCTION
LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION
APPLICATION
ANAEROBIC DIGESTION NATURAL FERTILIZER PRODUCTION AND WATER RECYCLING POWER GENERATION
S
ustainability. It’s one of the most talked about topics across all industries and a hot-button issue for politicians, educators, environmentalists and just about any and everyone with a pulse. But, what is sustainable? As it turns out, the definition varies from group to group, and when it comes to agriculture, what’s considered a sustainable practice for one commodity—say soybean or corn production—can be vastly different than it is on a dairy farm or cattle ranch. According to BeefResearch.org and the Beef Checkoff program [part of the 1985 Farm Bill], the beef industry defines sustainability as “meeting growing global demand for beef by balancing environmental responsibility, economic opportunity and social diligence throughout the supply chain.” And here in Indiana, on a 125-acre farm about 90 minutes northwest of Indianapolis, Bio Town Ag is doing just that.
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edible INDY
Winter 2019
Technology and the Environment Bio Town Ag, a livestock farm in Reynolds, runs off an operating model that they say is both environmentally sound and financially stable. A typical multigenerational Midwest farm on paper, they’ve been in business since 1980 and for nearly three decades have dedicated themselves to implementing the kinds of technological advances that they claim enhance the sustainability of their livestock operations, while also working to eliminate environmental impacts of past agricultural production processes. But just how does that work? Bio Town Ag President Brian Furrer explains how they’re working to turn animal waste into energy and why sustainable farming is so important for our future. Edible Indy: Was there a pivotal point when you started thinking it’s time to be (more) aware of the environment and what sustainable farming really means?
