Agraria_Journal_WINTER_2022

MEGAN BACHMAN Land Director Jeremy Schleining and Assistant Land Director River Johnson are overseeing the introduction of goats next year in the Carver Farm pasture. PASTURES READY FOR RUMINANTS With the installation this year of pasture fencing in two fields, Agraria is ready to welcome some new members to the regenerative farm family: a tribe of goats and a herd of cattle. The goats will take up residence in the 12.6-acre south pasture and a small herd of cattle, in the 19.6-acre north pasture. Both pastures will have movable fencing, which will allow Agraria to demonstrate and study one of the keystone practices in a regenerative farming system: intensive rotational grazing. In this grazing system, animals are routinely rotated from one paddock, or cell, to another in the pasture. This allows the area they’ve grazed to rest and restore itself before they rotate back for another round of grazing. They work their manure into the soil with their hooves as they graze, storing carbon in the process and adding organic matter that continuously improves the soil along with the health and productivity of the forage crop. Central State University Extension partnered with Agraria to prepare the pastures for the coming of the ruminants. They seeded both pastures with soil-building cover crops this fall and will drill seed a perennial forage crop in the spring. The seeds are from Agraria’s cover crop partner, Walnut Creek Seeds. The south pasture, which is part of the Carver Farm, will include movable goat hutches for shelter and a silvopasture, with fast-growing trees planted along the existing tree line. The trees will provide shade for the livestock, increase bird habitat, and fix carbon and nitrogen in the soil. A silvopasture site composed of fruit trees on another part of the Carver Farm will be home to a flock of “tree” range chickens, so called because the birds will be able to roost in the trees hidden from and out of the reach of predators like raptors and coyotes. The pastures will provide fertile ground for teaching, learning, and research. Agraria’s Land Team will manage the goat pasture under the direction of Land Director Jeremy Schleining, who has experience working with goats. They’ll learn about raising cattle in a rotational grazing system by partnering with a local rancher, organization, or institution. “Then we can raise our own cattle in the future,” said Schleining. The grazing operations will also be teaching sites for Agraria’s farmer training and other educational programs. They will also enable Agraria to expand opportunities for research. “We’re hoping to gather data on the effects of rotational grazing on soil health,” said Schleining. Agraria’s research team will also be looking at the performance of the various cover crops now in the ground, as well as the impact on ecosystem health of silvopasture. ~ Amy Harper AGRARIA JOURNAL 2022 35 MAKE YOUR END-OF-THE-YEAR GIFT IN SUPPORT OF AGRARIA’S GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER FARM CAMPAIGN! The George Washington Carver Farm is a center of innovation in farming practices from which Agraria can support a network of BIPOC and other underserved growers through training, incubation, propagation, and collaborative grant and market opportunities. This farm will support many programs including our farmer education program, the Regenerative Farmer Fellowship. To purchase crucial assets for the GWC Farm, Agraria has launched a Capital Campaign to raise $350,000! We can only continue to grow with support from people like you, always with an eye toward our mission to cultivate community resilience by modeling regenerative practices that restore ecosystem health, heal our relationship with the land, and grow just and equitable food systems. AGRARIACENTER.ORG/GEORGE-WASHINGTON-CARVER-FARM