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6
Methods
Our research method involved three main components. We conducted on-site
interviews with local dairy farmers, sent out an electronic survey to dairy farms of all
feeding methods in the surrounding area, and conducted literature research. We designed
our methods so that all three pillars of sustainability as described by Boström (2012),
were covered at some point. We defined the environmental pillar as anything involving
the financial capital and commerce of the grass-fed dairy industry. The environmental
pillar included everything pertaining directly to the health and viability of the earth and
organisms involved with the industry, e.g. humans and cows. The social theme of
sustainability covered the socio-political relationships and culture of the industry.
Our interview questions covered a variety of topics ranging from their personal
and cultural connection to the dairy industry to what effects from climate change they
have seen on their farms (Appendix 1). In order to clarify potentially ambiguous terms
and statements, we asked participants to define sustainability in their own words as well.
The electronic survey contained both qualitative and quantitative questions (Appendix
II). For example, to gather quantitative data we included questions on how many cows
does the farm have and how many acres are on the farm. For qualitative data, we asked
questions about how climate change as impacted their dairy farms and what
accommodations they have had to make because of those changes. According to Boström
(2012), “The social pillar of sustainable development could thus be seen as including
both procedural aspects, such as the role of democratic representation, participation, and
deliberation and substantive aspects, that center on ‘what’ is to be done (i.e., the social
goals of sustainable development)”. Thus, these interviews and survey were critical to the
procedural aspects of sustainability in terms of the social pillar, as they provided an
opportunity for the local dairy industry workers to participate in the research. By
interviewing these farmers directly, we were given a more personal look at the very
specific issues that these individuals have in the face of climate change and heard directly
what they felt needed to be done. The other component of our method involves primary
literature, which provided a more scholarly and quantitative data-driven aspect to our
research, as well as background information on dairy industries and climate change at the
national level that we could then apply to our particular context.
Results
Through utilization of our three research methods we were able to obtain data on
the social, economic, and environmental components of the grass-fed dairy industry in
Madison County and the nation. Through the interviews and literature review we were
able to address key vulnerabilities of grass-fed dairy, as an industry in general as well as
in the context of climate change.
We visited three farms in Madison County: Red Gate Farm, an Amish Organic
Valley farm, and New Moon Farm. Red Gate farm is a pasture-fed farm of approximately
400 heads of milking cattle located within 10 minutes of Colgate run by Bruce Rivington,
whom we interviewed on site. The Amish farm we visited, located in Canastota, is run by