Integrating Existing Crop and Livestock Enterprises on a Native Hawaiian Homestead Farm

View the project final report

Commodities

• Fruits: melons
• Animals: goats

Practices

• Animal Production: grazing management, stocking rate
• Crop Production: conservation tillage
• Education and Training: demonstration, extension, on-farm/ranch research
• Energy: energy conservation/efficiency
• Farm Business Management: whole farm planning, new enterprise development
• Pest Management: eradication

Land clearing is a costly activity for small family farms. By learning to integrate goats with crop farm enterprises, farmers can reduce their cost of land clearing.

The project successfully demonstrated that goats can be used for land clearing, followed with crop production. During the final period of the project watermelon, eggplant and papaya were produced on land that was cleared by fenced goats instead of using farm tractor and their implements. With the production and marketing of the vegetable crop the project objective was successfully accomplished.

The goats are excellent browser and grazers and can remove bunch and broadleaf grasses, brush and woody plants effectively. Planting area was cleared well enough for planting crops. In 2011, the project focused on growing crops on land cleared by goats. A field day was held to share the progress of the project.

1.Plan and design integrated crop and livestock system.
2.Develop record keeping book for the project.
3.Purchase project supplies and materials.
4.Install portable and moveable livestock fences in crop field
5.Implement and maintain crop/livestock rotation system.
6.Maintain record book for the project.
7.Review project record book.
8.Conduct field day.
9.Compile information from record book and complete project reports.