Project Overview
FNE03-499
Project Type: Farmer
Funds awarded in 2003: $2,522.00
Projected End Date: 12/31/2004
Matching Non-Federal Funds: $1,471.00
Region: Northeast
State: Massachusetts
Project Leader:
Commodities
- Agronomic: general hay and forage crops, grass (misc. perennial), hay
- Additional Plants: native plants
Practices
- Animal Production: manure management, pasture renovation, grazing - rotational, feed/forage
- Crop Production: conservation tillage
- Education and Training: technical assistance, farmer to farmer, networking, on-farm/ranch research
- Farm Business Management: budgets/cost and returns, marketing management
- Natural Resources/Environment: biodiversity, habitat enhancement
- Pest Management: biological control, field monitoring/scouting, integrated pest management, mulching - vegetative, weed ecology
- Production Systems: agroecosystems, holistic management
- Soil Management: composting, earthworms, green manures, organic matter, soil analysis, nutrient mineralization, soil quality/health
- Sustainable Communities: social networks, sustainability measures
Proposal summary:
Hot, dry summers and draining soils have combined to make summer forage problematic, and the farmer will initiate a pasture renovation that will include aerial surveys, soil sampling, manure spreading, seeding, and monitoring of results. Rainfall will be recorded and the performance of different seed mixes will be noted, and the results will be disseminated through the farm-based school, an educational homestead, an article for the agricultural media, and direct contact with other farmers.
Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture or SARE.