Project Overview
FNE08-642
Project Type: Farmer
Funds awarded in 2008: $7,807.00
Projected End Date: 12/31/2009
Region: Northeast
State: Massachusetts
Project Leader:
Peter Lowy
Pete and Jens Backyard Birds
Annual Reports
Commodities
- Animals: poultry
Practices
- Animal Production: grazing management, grazing - multispecies, grazing - rotational
- Crop Production: crop rotation, fallow, nutrient cycling, organic fertilizers
- Education and Training: farmer to farmer, on-farm/ranch research
- Farm Business Management: feasibility study, agricultural finance
- Production Systems: integrated crop and livestock systems
- Soil Management: soil analysis, organic matter, soil quality/health
Proposal summary:
Farms on the urban fringe are pressured to show more profit per acre because land values are high. The farmer will explore a diversification model where sheep and chickens become integrated into a vegetable operation. The goal is to break weed, disease, and pest cycles, add new farm products, and reduce labor costs by controlling pasture growth through two-phase grazing.
Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and should not be construed to represent any official USDA or U.S. Government determination or policy.