River Friendly Farms Grazing School

Commodities

Practices

• Education and Training: decision support system, farmer to farmer, networking, workshop
• Farm Business Management: agricultural finance, budgets/cost and returns, business planning, financial management, grant making, labor/employment, marketing management, new enterprise development, whole farm planning
• Production Systems: holistic management
• Sustainable Communities: analysis of personal/family life, employment opportunities, leadership development, local and regional food systems, new business opportunities, partnerships, public participation, quality of life, social capital, social networks

The River Friendly Grazing School
proposes to teach farmers to implement rotational grazing in
their livestock operations, a practice that demonstrably improves
the health and resiliency of farmers’ soil, pasture, livestock,
and waterways. Healthier pastures and soil are better able to
absorb rain and filter pollutants, thus reducing the
contamination of waterways. It will encourage farmers to “grass
finish” their animals, a practice for which consumers will pay a
premium.

A series of four workshops will
be hosted in the spring and fall seasons of 2024-2026 and be led
by renowned farmer, soil scientist, and grazing specialist Greg
Brann. It will draw farmers from across Tennessee. 

With grant funding, the Grazing
School will be low-cost to farmers. It will draw historically
underserved farmers through a partnership with the educational
non-profit, the Tennessee Local Food Summit, as well as through
outreach with the HBCU Tennessee State University’s New Farmer
Academy. 

Rotational grazing responds to a
number of Tennessee’s concerns. The primary forage for continuous
grazing operations is tall fescue, a cool-season grass that goes
nearly dormant during Tennessee’s hot summer months. Climate
models suggest that Tennessee’s summers will get hotter, drier,
and longer. Rotational grazing can prevent the overgrazing of
tall fescue and set aside paddocks of warm season and annual
grasses for summer grazing.

The time to increase adoption of
rotational grazing practices is now. Studies have shown a number
of unique barriers to adoption of these practices. Start-up costs
can be offset by new funding to USDA NRCS cost share programs.
Increased profitability has been shown to offset high management
expenses. Producer unfamiliarity with rotational grazing is among
the top barriers to adoption, and this River Friendly Grazing
School project will address that impediment.

Tennessee’s Department of
Agriculture is tasked with approving Watershed Based Plans and
administering EPA 319 Nonpoint Source Program grants. The
Cumberland River Compact has written six plans and received
approval on four plans with two plans pending approval. In
addition, the Cumberland River Compact has also reviewed and
edited two other Watershed Based Plans written by a project
partner, who contracted the Compact to provide training to their
staff. Our experience with Watershed Based Plans drives our
commitment to partner with the agricultural community to find
profitable solutions to environmental challenges. Improving soil
health through rotational grazing can yield significant water
quality benefits.

• Enroll 60 farmers across
  Tennessee in 4 Grazing School Workshops, hosted in the spring
  and fall on farms in Middle and West Tennessee. 
• Increase knowledge of
  rotational grazing practices. By providing them with this
  knowledge, farmers can increase their pasture health and
  productivity. 
• Certify farmers who have
  implemented the multi-paddock system as River Friendly Farmers.
  This type of certification increases consumer trust and raises
  the price a farmer can charge for their product. It also
  establishes a outlet for peer-to-peer mentorship and connects
  these farmers into the future. 
• Connect farmers with financial
  resources (NRCS, TAEP) to implement the practices
  learned.