Pasture Raised Pioneers

View the project final report

Commodities

• Animals: bovine

Practices

• Animal Production: grazing management, grazing - rotational, pasture fertility, rangeland/pasture management, stocking rate, winter forage
• Education and Training: demonstration, youth education
• Soil Management: soil analysis, soil chemistry, soil microbiology, soil quality/health

What we taught youth about sustainable agriculture:

Climate resilience, regenerative grazing and nutrient management

Educational approach and youth learning outcomes:

Through this grant, students managed a small group of cattle on a rotational grazing system. The students participate in moving the cattle to different paddocks within our current 2 acre pasture throughout the year to maximize the growth of beneficial forages and reduce the impact of overgrazing.They also developed and led lessons involving elementary students in grades 1-4 at Zane Trace School.

In addition to learning sustainable pasture management systems, many students developed a greater understanding and appreciation for the labor involved with bringing dairy products from farm to table. The majority of the 3rd grade students who participated in our elementary ag lessons had never even touched a cow, let alone milked one! They had a great amount of interest in how the milk differed from the milk they typically saw at home. 

Conclusions:

I would love to see more agriculture instructors in Ohio apply for and implement SARE Youth Educator grants in their programs. Students were able to engage in activities that were both scientific and production-based in nature. They collected and labeled samples, analyzed results, installed fence, learned how solar energizers work, handled cattle and calves, identified forages, taught youth about pastures and milk production, and even toured local farms and production facilities to see every step of the "field to table" process. 

Youth, educator, and parent adoption actions:

At least one student is interested in adopting rotational grazing on their existing operation. We will continue this program into the future.

1. Increase rotational grazing and animal husbandry skills among 40 high school agriculture students by involving them in management tasks related to raising a small herd of Jersey females in a dairy/beef crossbred operation at Zane Trace High School. 
2. Provide educational outreach to increase awareness of sustainable agriculture for at least 350 students in grades 1-4 at Zane Trace Elementary through pasture tours and classroom visits. 
3. Introduce high school agriculture students to livestock career opportunities through a visit to the Ohio State Dairy Farm, a local pasture based livestock operation and three guest speakers in class.