Environmental Systems Management, ASM 336
Final Exam Paper
Value: 25%
Due: Friday, Dec. 11 at 3:30 pm
The Story
In October of your senior year at Purdue University you are offered, and accept, your “dream
job” about 150 miles from your grandmother’s farm (in the USA). Your grandmother died three
months later (January) and left you her farm – 80 acres with a farmhouse (built in 1905) and a
few outbuildings. She had rented out the cropland after your grandfather died in 1995 to a
neighbor, who was not particularly concerned with the farm’s sustainability. The outbuildings are
full of old machinery, chemicals or empty containers, appliances, and many years accumulation
of discarded windows, doors, and furniture left by the family and the renter. The property has:
 House and outbuildings on 5 acres
 Woodland, 15 acres, in good shape
 Row crops, 50 acres, eroded and in poor soil health
 Pasture, 10 acres, carrying a very high density of cattle
You would like to keep the farm since it has been in your family since 1900 but it is too far from
work for you to live there. You imagine using it as a get-away retreat for weekends, vacations,
and holidays. You would like to retire there, when the time comes. First, however, you need to
study of the costs associated with keeping the farm and making it more sustainable. That means
reducing erosion, improving soil health, and improving the water quality in the stream on the
south side of the property.
Your Final Paper Assignment is to create a Farm Plan that includes the following:
 Cover page: including your name, (fictional) farm address, date (December, 2015)
 Background page: an explanation of how you came to own the farm, and the current state of
the property. Review and analyze the condition of the house and outbuildings, cropland,
woodlands, and pasture. Base this analysis on the pictures shown (link on Blackboard).
Include an aerial view photo of the farm.
o Water – List the watershed (USGS cataloging unit), county & state that is your property
located in.
o Estimate the household water use for a family of 5 – 2 adults and 3 children
o Soil – List the major soils that are on your property (those that have values > 15%) and
the suitability for:
 Dwellings with basements
 Mechanical planting
 Roads
 Onsite system absorption field
 Farm clean-up: what needs to be done?
 Planning page: explain what needs to be done to move the farm towards sustainability.
Include:
o X acreage in crops
o X acres in woodlots
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o 0 acres in pasture
o 35.5 acres in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP).
 Goal 1: To develop wildlife habitat
 Goal 2: Recreational (hiking, hunting, fishing, birding)
 Goal 3: To manage eroded and marginal acres to increase sustainability
 CRP specifications: all values as given in the class assignment, except:
- Wetlands, 2.5 acres
- Upland Bird Habitat Buffers (CP-33), 6.0 ac:
o 3.7 ac early succession plants (no cost)
o 0.6 ac trees ($245)
o 1.4 ac native warm season grasses (PLS mix for planting*ac)
o 0.3 acres cool season grass (no cost)
o Mid-contract mgmt. ($60)
- Shallow Water Areas for Wildlife (CP-9), 9.6 ac:
o 7.2 ac native warm season grasses (PLS mix for planting*ac)
o 2.4 ac wetland plants (no cost)
- State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement (“SAFE,” CP-38E), 17.4 ac:
o PLS mix for planting*ac
o Planting costs ($40/acre)
o Herbicides ($15)
o Mid-contract mgmt. ($845)
o Calculate your total costs for CRP and income for the first year and the yearly income
after the first year (for the life of the contract).
o Calculate the estimated total annual volume runoff, runoff depth, and the nitrogen,
phosphorous, suspended solids, and fecal coliform for the current land use and your
proposed land use. Assume that the cropped acres are on A soils; the farmstead and
woodlots are on B soils and the CRP acres are on C soils.
Cropland: You decide to rent X acres to a cousin whose property adjoins your property on the
north side at a rate of $150/acre. Your cousin graduated with a B.S. degree in ASM from
Purdue University in 2005 and has been successfully improving the soil health and water
quality on her farm and you feel confident she’ll do the same for you. However, to make sure
that you have discussed important environmental concerns, your contract will specify:
o Chemical use and storage
o Drainage water management
o Manure spreading guidelines
o Pesticide use
o Soil testing timetable – what and when
o Tillage method and timing
Woodland: Describe any sales that you plan to allow from your woodland, what the lumber
will be sold for and the expected income and costs per acre. What yearly income can you
expect from your woodland acreage?
Other income options: your choice
Costs:
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Property Taxes: $ 1,500/year (once CRP is classified)
Electricity: $ 1,000/year
LP gas (heat & stove/oven): $ 1,200/year
Maintenance and upkeep: stone on driveway; appliance replacement, etc.
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o Opt: plowing drive, other costs you can envision
Your final analysis:
o How will your planned changes affect the sustainability of this farm?
o Can you afford to keep the farm (will it pay for itself)?
You are to do your own work but you can consult with classmates on where to find the
information you need.