Project Overview
FNE05-558
Project Type: Farmer
Funds awarded in 2005: $3,859.00
Projected End Date: 12/31/2006
Region: Northeast
State: Maine
Project Leader:
Mia Morrison
Maine Organic Milk Producers
Commodities
- Agronomic: barley, grass (misc. perennial), hay
- Animal Products: dairy
Practices
- Animal Production: grazing - continuous, feed rations, grazing - rotational, feed/forage
- Crop Production: double cropping, intercropping
- Production Systems: holistic management
Proposal summary:
Purchased concentrates are the largest expense on organic dairy farms, so identification of alternative forage programs is important to producers. This project will investigate the efficacy of growing winter barley in central Maine and will look at integrating various combinations of intensive grazing with round bale harvest of winter barley in the soft-dough stage. Outreach will be through presentations at forage conferences and publications.
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.