Regenerative grazing that builds soil health and improves water infiltration and storage holds great promise for livestock producers coping with unpredictable climatic conditions, but it has been slow to catch on in the southern United States.
In four states, though, this practice is gaining traction. The National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) recently concluded a three-year project through its Soil for Water program, funded by Southern SARE, whose goal was to identify practical and regionally appropriate methods of regenerative grazing and accelerate the adoption of those methods in Arkansas, Mississippi, Texas, and Virginia.
Focusing on the needs of small, underserved, and limited-resource farmers, the project team created working groups in each state to learn how families in these states are implementing regenerative grazing and how they are supporting each other through peer-to-peer learning and mentorship.
Together, these case studies provide a snapshot of the real-world experience of producers, the obstacles they face, the successes they’ve enjoyed, and how the ideas and methods of regenerative grazing are spreading in the south.
Read more in our new publication series, Regenerative Grazing in the South.
Regenerative Grazing in the South: Case Studies from Virginia
Five Virginia livestock producers work to regenerate their land and strengthen their communities in the face of uncertain weather, predatory land acquisition, and lack of support for local markets.
For more inspiration, check out the new video series that tells the stories of 11 producers in Virginia, who share their experiences and insights about regenerative grazing.
This project was based upon work that is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under award number 2020-38640-31521 through the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program under subaward number LS21-345. USDA is an equal opportunity employer and service provider. 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.
https://soilforwater.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Guille-Yearwood.jpg7771166ATTRA - Sustainable Agriculture/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/soil-for-water-logo-101921.pngATTRA - Sustainable Agriculture2024-11-18 09:55:572024-11-18 16:03:26New Publications Showcase Success Stories of Regenerative Grazing in the South
“When I was in college, I was taught that you fed hay and grain, and the pasture was just something you put the animals out on to look pretty, or just to get a little bit of supplement. I had to really change the way that I think to make that switch. It was tough to wrap my head around all of that, but once I did, I would never go back to doing it any other way.”
That’s how one producer described the intellectual and emotional journey that led him to adopt regenerative grazing: raising livestock in ways that improve soil health and increase biodiversity and productivity. For the past three years, NCAT has been talking to producers, listening to their stories, and leading a project funded by Southern SARE whose purpose was to “identify practical and regionally appropriate methods of regenerative grazing and accelerate the adoption of those methods in Arkansas, Mississippi, Texas, and Virginia.”
We told Southern SARE that we wanted to expand the work NCAT’s Soil for Water program was already doing in Texas, California, Colorado, and New Mexico. We also wanted to give special attention to the needs of small, underserved, and limited-resource farmers—not just for reasons of fairness but also to learn if regenerative grazing can be done affordably at a small scale. I had the pleasure of leading an interdisciplinary team that included four of NCAT’s best livestock specialists, researchers at four universities, thought leaders from several nonprofit organizations, and dozens of farmer cooperators.
What we learned is that regenerative grazing, while still far from mainstream, is gaining traction throughout the South. In focus groups at the end of our project, producers in all four states named many new organizations that were invisible to them three years earlier but now “leading the way.” Participants also noted greater support and sympathetic interest from universities, some of which had previously been skeptical or hostile.
Arkansas Grazing School. Photo: Nina Prater, NCAT
Folks told us the hardest barriers to overcome were not technical but social and psychological, requiring a mindset shift and willingness to put up with negative peer pressure from neighbors. Many found that their initial fears about up-front cost and labor were exaggerated. After periods of trial and error, they saw economic gains as they reduced purchases of fertilizer and hay and saw labor decreasing as livestock became familiar with rotations.
The best ways we found to encourage adoption were variations on the theme of peer-to-peer learning. We hosted informal pasture walks, launched new mentoring programs; encouraged low-risk, do-it-yourself, on-farm experiments; and gave scholarships enabling limited-resource producers to attend Understanding Ag’s renowned Soil Health Academy. We created new supportive working relationships between agency staff, nonprofits, and producers. Over and over again, we saw that a little emotional support and encouragement goes a long way.
Besides healing overgrazed and damaged grazing lands, regenerative grazing can increase forage production, drought resilience, and profitability. It facilitates local food systems offering healthy meat products to consumers. It’s giving producers access to emerging payment programs for carbon sequestration, clean water, and other public benefits. All of these things are already happening across the South, and we need them to happen faster.
We’ve just released a new series of ATTRA publications, titled Regenerative Grazing in the South, sharing many of our key findings. Please check them out:
Our friends at Virginia Tech have also completed a fantastic series of video case studies, where producers talk about how they discovered regenerative grazing, how they overcame barriers, and how they’re making it work. You can find all 12 video case studies here.
For sharing their wisdom, experience, and personal stories, I’d like to give special thanks to:
Farmer cooperators Gary Armstrong, James Burch, Lauri Celella, Lucille Contreras, Juanita Daniels, Jeremiah Eubank, Matt Flynt, Adam Isaacs, Emily Jost, Servando Leal, Deydra Steans, Becky Szarzynski, Tony and Levonna Uekmann, and Guille Yearwood
Co-Principal Investigators Dr. Dirk Philipp (University of Arkansas), Dr. Rocky Lemus (Mississippi State University), and Dr. Eric Bendfeldt (Virginia Tech University)
State working group leaders Felicia Bell (Mississippi), Linda Coffey (Arkansas), Darron Gaus (Texas), Peggy Sechrist (Texas), and Lee Rinehart (Virginia)
Science advisors Dr. Kelly Lyons (Trinity University), Dr. Barbara Bellows, and Ann Wells, DVM
Wayne Knight (Holistic Management International), Brent Wills (Virginia Association for Biological Farming), and Allen Williams (Understanding Ag).
Our external evaluators, Erika Berglund and Kristal Jones (JG Research & Evaluation)
This project was based upon work that is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under award number 2020-38640-31521 through the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program under subaward number LS21-345. USDA is an equal opportunity employer and service provider. 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.
https://soilforwater.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/large-soil-monitoring.jpg9601280NCAT IT/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/soil-for-water-logo-101921.pngNCAT IT2024-11-18 07:58:412024-11-25 15:05:46Regenerative Grazing in the South: Changing Attitudes and Gaining Ground
In this video, Eric Benfeldt, an Extension Specialist with Virginia Cooperative Extension, introduces the Soil for Water Video Case Studies series.
The purpose of this systems research project led by National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) was to identify and promote practical ways of using regenerative grazing practices to improve soil health and catch and hold more rainwater in soil. Virginia Tech and Virginia Cooperative Extension’s project team conducted 11 semi-structured interviews and conversations across Virginia to learn and better understand farmers’ and ranchers’ agroecological motivations and overall values related to the protection and conservation of water resources. The project aimed to highlight distinct and diverse farms of Virginia’s agricultural community through a narrative inquiry framework.
The project team included Eric Bendfeldt, Kim Niewolny, and Katie Trozzo from Virginia Tech and Virginia Cooperative Extension; Lee Rinehart and Mike Morris of NCAT; and Ernie Didot of Clear Impact Productions.
The project team especially wants to thank the participating farmers for sharing their time, experiences, and insights about regenerative grazing and soil health-building systems with us and the broader community.
This project material is based upon work that is funded and supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under award number 2020-38640-31521 through the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SSARE) program under subaward number LS21-345. USDA is an equal opportunity employer and service provider. 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.
Virginia Cooperative Extension is a partnership of Virginia Tech, Virginia State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and local governments. Its programs and employment are open to all, regardless of age, color, disability, sex (including pregnancy), gender, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, ethnicity or national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, or military status, or any other basis protected by law.
Bean Hollow Grassfed Farm Rappahannock County, Virginia
Bean Hollow Grassfed Farm is a multi-generational farm located in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Rappahannock County. A core belief for Michael Sands and Bean Hollow Grassfed Farm is having and encouraging a healthy ecosystem where farm and land management reinforce natural processes because a farm cannot be healthy if the land is sick. Sheep and cattle are their primary livestock, but they also have layers for eggs. Most of their meat sales are sold through their on-farm store. In this video, Michael shares about his early career as a researcher and educator with the Rodale Institute; describes how the gnawing in his gut led him into farming and the move toward more regenerative practices that strengthen biodiversity, build soil health, and sequester carbon; and explains his family’s efforts to mitigate climate change. Farming for Mike is about continuous improvement, assessment of finances and hard-to-measure ecological metrics, and making management decisions that push forward the adoption of regenerative practices, while being mindful of farm transition and conservation planning.
Bramble Hollow Farm Bedford County, Virginia
Bramble Hollow Farm is owned and operated by Brent and Anna Wills and is located along the eastern foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Bedford County. Brent and Anna and their family raise pork and chicken on pasture. They have also raised other livestock and poultry through the years. Brett and Anna use multiple market channels, including farmers markets, on-farm sales, community supported agriculture (CSA) deliveries, participation in a food hub, and affiliation with the Edible Goose Creek farm alliance. Additionally, Bramble Hollow Farm invested in an on-farm commercial kitchen to diversify and add value to what they grow and offer. In this video, Brent shares who (i.e., writings of Gene Logsdon, Wendell Berry, and others) and what influenced him and helped form his vision for regenerative agriculture where soil health equates to plant health, plant health equates to livestock health, and ultimately equates to human and planetary health.
Cattle Run Farm LLC Greene County, Virginia
Cattle Run Farm LLC is a third-generation, family-operated, and veteran-owned farm located in Greene County and the central Piedmont region of Virginia. Sarah Morton and Ralph Morton seek to carry on the tradition of their family and expand the concept of an agrarian lifestyle and business to the community. Sarah shares about her family’s roots in farming and how asset mapping played a critical role when her father wanted to transition to the next generation. Sarah and Ralph raise cattle, chickens, produce, blackberries, hogs, cows, and more as they continue to look to add value and diversify their operation. They are active members in the Minority and Veteran Farmers of the Piedmont and work closely with several other community-focused organizations. Sarah emphasizes that Cattle Run Farm’s story is one of resilience, scale, diversification, and fortitude to keep farming and reaching towards sustainability and empowering others. Like many multi-generational family farms, sustainability, resilience, and viability are forged out of necessity. Sarah reiterates the critical importance of community in farm viability and similarly how farm viability strengthens community viability beyond the farm’s gate. Overall, the story gives a glimpse into Sarah’s and Ralph’s ecological and social consciences and how reconnecting to the land instills passion and power.
Ellett Valley Beef Company Montgomery County, Virginia
Gil Yearwood of Ellett Valley Beef Company reflects on his time raising beef since 1975. Ellett Valley Beef Company is in Montgomery County in southwest Virginia and specializes in South Poll cattle because they are excellent for grass-based grazing systems and have relatively small frames, easy dispositions, and are tender. Gil admits he has tried every variation of rotational grazing and has found that it is significantly better than continuous grazing. Gil took an interest in cattle and grazing as a teenager. He has been a mentor for many young and second-career cattle farmers. Gil demonstrates that regenerative agriculture and grazing is a journey and an adaptive lifelong process. He openly shares his overarching goals, challenges, the lessons he has learned, and what gives him hope with soil health, water quality, and regenerative grazing adoption as he interacts with other farmers and visitors to his farm.
Ember Cattle Company Rockbridge County, Virginia
Becky Szarzynski is the owner and operator of Ember Cattle Company in Fairfield in Rockbridge County, Virginia. Becky as a grazier has honed her grazing management skills over the past 15 years by working with her father, attending conferences, being mentored by other farmers, and serving in a coordinator role of the farmer-to-farmer mentoring network with the Virginia Forage and Grassland Council. Becky raises South Poll cattle as a cow-calf operation, breeds replacement heifers, and sells seed stock on 160 acres of land. Becky practices rotational grazing with a diverse forage base that includes native warm-season grasses, summer annuals, and cool-season perennials. She prefers the term adaptive grazing over rotational grazing because conditions are constantly changing, and you must be very observant of the interactions between soil health, plant diversity, livestock, pollinators, the weather, stocking density, and the overall system. Becky shares her motivations, lessons learned, aspirations, ongoing research and study of grazing, and, of course, her fascination with dung beetles.
Glade Road Growing Montgomery County, Virginia
Glade Road Growing is a small family farm within the town limits of Blacksburg in Montgomery County, Virginia. Sally Walker and Jason (JP) Pall started the farm operation in 2010, building on their experience with home gardening. Sally and JP did not grow up on farms but have learned through internships, conferences, reading, YouTube videos, farm visits, and their own experiences as the farm has grown over the past 14 years. Sally and JP and their growing full-time and part-time staff raise certified naturally grown produce and pasture-raised, organic-fed pork, poultry, and eggs. They have worked with the USDA-Natural Resource Conservation Services on several cost-shared soil and water conservation practices. Glade Road Growing started marketing their produce at the Blacksburg Farmers Market, but their sales now include a farm stand and a season-long farm share and community supported agriculture (CSA) subscriptions. Nutrition, health, and connections with community are critically important to Glade Road Growing’s mission and vision. Although JP and Sally are not quick to use the term regenerative for their vegetable production practices and livestock rotations, respect for their soil, water, animals, staff, and customers is always at the forefront of their thinking, and they are growing together with the community in mind.
Heaven’s Hollow Farm Madison County, Virginia
Heaven’s Hollow Farm is a fourth-generation family farm that has been in operation since 1951. Jacob Gilley, his wife Jennifer, and their children operate the farm in Orange, Virginia. Jacob, a first-generation farmer, is thankful for the support of his parents and credits his involvement showing cattle in 4-H as a teenager for his career in farming and conservation. He continues to learn and study through reading and visiting with other farmers. Heaven’s Hollow Farm is a commercial Black Angus cow-calf operation that also includes pastured poultry and pork. Most of their beef, poultry, pork, and eggs are marketed directly to consumers and local restaurants. Jacob and Jennifer take a holistic approach to managing their farm and seek to improve soil health, water quality, bird and wildlife habitat, and pollinator diversity as much as possible. Jacob describes their thinking about these processes and their rotations. Soil health, profitability, and quality of life must be balanced and should not be too complex. Being flexible and adaptable is important for Jacob and Jennifer, particularly with grazing, raising a family, and managing the farm holistically.
Holsinger Homeplace Farms Rockingham County, Virginia
Holsinger Homeplace Farms is a family farm in Rockingham County in the central Shenandoah Valley. Buck and Amanda (AJ) Holsinger and their children are the tenth and eleventh generations to live on the farm. Buck and AJ started farming with the goal of feeding their family the healthiest food possible. Their animals are raised humanely and given the freedom to roam and obtain a nutritious diet from the forage base and their silvopasture system that includes black locust, black walnut, pine, cedar, and other mast, fodder, and shade-producing trees. Holsinger Homeplace Farms now provides other families excellent grassfed beef and eggs from free-range laying hens. Buck and AJ share their motivations and how they have a generational perspective. Russell Smith’s book Tree Crops was an early influence and motivation for Buck, along with his experience visiting other countries as a veteran and pilot. AJ’s background in dietetics and nutrition has influenced her perspective on soil, plant, and animal health. Silvopasture management is a centerpiece of their farm as they seek a system that is multi-functional and provides multiple benefits across time. USDA and state conservation and cost-share programs have helped them financially in getting started and allowing them to set a pathway for transforming the farm and achieving their long-term holistic vision.
Shamoka Run Farm Augusta County, Virginia
Shamoka Run Farm is a modest family farm in northern August County, operated by Leo and Judy Tammi. Leo grew up in Delaware on a small, diversified farm with a few milk cows, hogs, sheep, and poultry. Leo and Judy moved to the Shenandoah Valley region in 1981. Leo learned very early to farm with nature and what the land is best suited to. Shamoka Run Farm is a sheep and lamb farm that includes about 240 acres of hay and pasture, along with 60 additional acres of rented land. Leo was a founder of the early Virginia Lamb Cooperative, is an active member of the Virginia Forage and Grassland Council, and has worked with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Services and Headwaters Soil and Water Conservation District on a variety of best management practices like riparian buffers, bird and pollinator habitat, and native grass plantings. Leo shares several epiphanies and observations on rotational grazing, resiliency, aesthetics, marketing, and wildlife habitat, as well as the need to educate people about the complexity of farming and the services farming and good land productivity provides to the broader community. Leo reminds us that regenerative and soil health-building principles must be internalized, require inquisitiveness, energy, resilience, and continual observation.
Singing Spring Farm Craig County, Virginia
Adam Taylor and Elizabeth Spellman-Taylor co-operate Singing Spring Farm, which is in the Sinking Creek Valley in Craig County, Virginia. Adam’s and Elizabeth’s goal is to be a whole, complete-diet farm that offers heirloom fruits and vegetables; goat milk, kefir, and cheese; culinary and medicinal herbs; eggs; and pastured, lamb, goat, and poultry. Agroforestry and permaculture are important themes on their farm as they seek to protect the Singing Spring on their farm, create community, and live out paradise gardening. Adam’s experience interning on a farm in southwest Virginia and being a Peace Corps volunteer in Zambia profoundly impacted how he views farming, while Elizabeth has a deep conservation ethic in agricultural land protection and agrarian commons. For each of them, Joe Hollis’s essays and musings on Paradise Gardening were instrumental for their vision of a family lifestyle that was balanced with everyday practices.
Swisher Family Farm Rockbridge County, Virginia
Jerry Swisher is a cattleman, farm consultant, and retired Senior Extension Agent for dairy sciences. He continues to own and operate Swisher Family Farm, his family’s farm in Fairfield and Brownsburg in Rockbridge County, Virginia. Throughout his career with Virginia Tech and Virginia Cooperative Extension, Jerry served in many capacities to support Virginia’s dairy farmers, 4-H youth, and industry. Jerry designed and developed the Dairy Rotational Loafing Lot System, which became a standard best management practice for dairy farms to prevent soil erosion, protect natural resources, and enhance cow comfort and performance. Jerry was instrumental and a key resource for Virginia and Mid-Atlantic dairy farmers who desired to transition to grass-based dairy systems. He led multiple educational tours regionally and internationally so farmers could learn from other grass-based farmers in Ireland, New Zealand, and Australia. He provides an historical perspective and motivated farmers to transition to grazing systems rather than conventional confinement with limited access to pastures. Jerry documents farmers’ motivations for grazing in an era of high costs and frantic industrial change, the pushback from the dairy industry, and frequently asked questions about grass-based regenerative dairy farming.
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By Katelyn Amador, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
The Hub of Prosperity is an urban 5-acre farm managed by sustainable agriculture students like me at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in Edinburg, Texas. At the Hub, alongside UTRGV classmates, coworkers, and community members, we dive deeper into building a sustainable food system in the Rio Grande Valley. Water conservation in an area as hot and dry as the Rio Grande Valley can be tough, especially when it comes to irrigation. The Hub of Prosperity ventures into different water conservation methods with a 3,000-gallon rainwater harvest tank and drip irrigation. This large water tank is connected to a rain gutter and aids in the collection of rainwater that can be used to water the farm’s crops. Experimenting with water conservation practices at the UTRGV Agroecology Garden and the Hub of Prosperity farm helps our community understand the importance of implementing water conservation projects.
A key point that is discussed in our tours of the farm and with community garden members is why we use drip irrigation. There are many forms of irrigation, the most common being drip irrigation, sprinkler irrigation, and flood irrigation. Drip irrigation distributes water through plastic tubing that contains spaced-out emitters, which drip water slowly and directly onto the soil directly to the plant root zone. Drip irrigation is effective because of its water-saving ability compared to other methods of irrigation that use more water than necessary. According to NCAT’s The Irrigator’s Pocket Guide, microirrigation helps retain 85-95% of water to the root zone.
In the Rio Grande Valley, flood irrigation, or simply waiting for it to rain, is much more common than drip irrigation. The use of drip irrigation on a large-scale farm can become very difficult very quickly when it comes to affordability, set-up time, and plastic longevity.
As the size of a farm increases, choosing an irrigation method becomes more complex. Not only does the size of the farm matter, but access to water, budget, and environmental impacts also contribute to irrigation method choice. How must our farmers gain maximum efficiency in watering crops when they are so limited in the number of resources that are available?
Converting the irrigation method of a farm can be stressful, especially when the farm has used another irrigation method for a long time. If a farm wants to implement drip irrigation but does not know where to start, the USDA-NRCS provides a program called EQIP (Environmental Quality Incentives Program). EQIP can help farms financially and technically to implement drip irrigation to replace the former method of irrigation. This program helps farms make the switch from a less efficient irrigation method to drip irrigation and funds it for the sake of natural resource conservation. Financial and technical support through NRCS programs and conservation demonstration sites like the Hub of Prosperity can help ease the process of adopting more water-smart practices and guide our region into a more water-conscious and sustainable future.
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By Luz Ballesteros Gonzalez and Felicia Bell, NCAT Agriculture Specialists
When you have common goals, things align much easier and faster. This is what has been happening in Mississippi through the MS Holistic Management International (HMI) Regenerative Agriculture Mentor Program (RAMP) organized by Felicia Bell, NCAT Agriculture Specialist. The MS HMI RAMP Cohort has been actively working together with a common goal of learning to take care of the environment and develop thriving enterprises.
What is HMI?
HMI is an adaptive management and decision-making framework that encompasses the social, economic, and environmental aspects of a ranch or farm. In summary, it helps producers make decisions and embark upon projects that work for them and the land. Learn more here: What is Holistic Management?
What is RAMP?
RAMP is a mentor program by HMI that brings together producers, researchers, and agriculture professionals to learn the holistic decision-making approach. Through NCAT’s Soil for Water project and the support of a USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education (SARE) grant, this program is free to the Mississippi cohort. Learn more here: 3HMI’s Regen Ag Mentoring Program (RAMP).
What is Happening in Mississippi?
The Mississippi cohort, led by HMI Educator Linda Pechin-Long and comprised of James Burch, Fulton McField, Dr. Leyla Rios, Elmarie Brooks, Kelli Randle, and Towanda Herrington, has been busy learning and embarking on a series of exciting projects brought forward through NCAT Soil for Water and guided by Felicia Bell.
One of these projects is the implementation and development of Safe to Fail Trials, with the goal of observing the changes to the land in response to the implementation of regenerative agriculture practices without the risk of not being fruitful on the entire operation. Learn more here: Graeme Hand – Safe to Fail Trials.
Another project, being carried out in collaboration with Dr. Rocky Lemus and Dr. Leyla Rios, both of MSU Extension, strives to better understand forage present and soil health results from the implementation of conservation practices through an HMI framework. Dr. Lemus has been crucial in assisting the livestock producers across Mississippi understand the needs of each individual pasture toward better soil health.
It’s exciting to see this cohort not only grow and learn together but also share their knowledge. If you have any questions about projects happening in Mississippi or how to be part of them, feel free to contact Felicia Bell at feliciab@ncat.org.
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By Luz Ballesteros Gonzalez, NCAT Agriculture Specialist
When will it rain again? How much will it rain? These questions are becoming more common—while such uncertainty has always existed, it’s now more prevalent. In the wake of unpredictable weather, the opportunity to work synergistically with soil and plants has opened up again. Farmers all over the United States are changing the way they farm to boost soil health, use less water, and reduce fertilizer and pesticide use.
Lighthouse Herb’n Farm is located at the base of Palomar Mountain in San Diego and is run by Damian Valdez and Jaime Williamson. In recent years, they have experienced harsh climates and constant drought.
“It kind of feels like you’re on the frontier of climate change,” said Damian.
However, this hasn’t stopped the pair from adopting conservation practices like cover crops, such as sunn hemp, to help fix nitrogen and produce biomass. They mow it down and use the mulch as an organic ground cover that breaks down naturally feeding the soil microbes. Mowing the cover crop leaves the roots in the soil allowing those air pockets and pores to be intact and for water to be captured. As Damian said, “It’s really about moisture retention.”
You can watch and learn about the work Damian and Jamie are doing in this video:
Additionally, if you are interested in learning more about what cover crop might work best for your situation, you can find more information in the following ATTRA resources:
You can also send your most pressing cover crop and soil health questions through ATTRA’s online chat, by calling 1-800-346-9140, by email, or posting it in the ATTRA forum.
By Luz Ballesteros and Darron Gaus, NCAT Agriculture Specialists
Farmers and ranchers are weather watchers—we begin the day by turning on the local news or checking our apps for the weather highs, humidities, and chances of rain. A lot of us have noticed that temperatures are getting higher, for longer periods of time, and come with little or no rain. Here in Texas, summer is in full swing and most of us are seeing consistent 90+ degree temperatures, with no signs of it stopping until we get into October. NCAT’s Climate and Agriculture Program Manager, Elise Haschke, and our Climate Solutions team focus on these historical trends and future projections linking agriculture and climate disruption. You can read more in ATTRA’s Climate Primer.
The increasing heat causes stress for all of us. There are steps we can take to not only keep you, your staff, and your animals safe, but also to help mitigate climate change and have a more resilient agricultural operation.
This extreme heat has an impact on anyone working outside. When the weather is constantly 90+ degrees and people are outside for prolonged periods of time, the risk of getting a heat-related illness increases. According to the National Center for Health and Statistics, heat-related deaths in the U.S. have increased since 2020 and are projected to continue increasing as prolonged days of heat are a direct result of increasing global temperatures and adapting jet streams that trap hot air in heat domes.
Heat-related illnesses are sneaky, especially when you have stuff to get done. These are the signs and actions you need to take in the event of a heat-related illness:
Adapted from OSHA Occupational Heat Exposure Table
It is important to take preventative measures and encourage friends and staff to do the same. The best way to prevent heat-related illness is to stay hydrated; wear loose, breathable clothing; and take breaks in the shade or an air-conditioned area. Avoid the hottest hours of the day and wear sun- protective gear, such as long- sleeve shirts, sunblock, and hats. Sometimes it is not feasible to implement all preventative measures, so make sure you have an emergency plan in the event you, your friends, or staff experience signs of heat illness.
Just like us, livestock and plants need extra care during these longer periods of higher temperatures. Livestock performance goes down. Cows spend more time dealing with stress than they do consuming daily rations. Plants lose water faster through their pores than they can uptake from the soil. The resources listed below can give you good guidance on when you need to start planning and looking for signs of heat stress.
Providing water and shade are the best adaptations to climate change. Incorporating silvopasture into your operation is a great way to provide livestock with critical shade and shelter while also bringing more carbon into the agroecosystem. Some animals and plants are better adapted for certain climates, so choosing those breeds and varieties is important, especially when first starting a new enterprise. If you care for any fowl, looking at their rear-end feathers and any signs of poop sticking to them will help know if they need electrolytes added to their water supply. Problems tend to compound as heat stress becomes more prevalent, due to rising temperatures and intensifying drought.
Luckily, there are ways to start making a change to reduce the impacts of climate change and build resilience. The carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that are accumulating in our atmosphere and raising average temperatures each year can be reduced or sequestered in our farming and ranching practices. There are many Climate Beneficial Practices that can pull carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and convert solar energy into the liquid carbon pathway beneath our feet. Carbon is the life blood of everything we grow as producers. Focusing on soil health principles increases temporary and long-term carbon in the agroecosystem and improves the health of plants, animals, and humans. Additionally, adopting conservation practices like agroforestry can help create cooler microclimates that benefit both livestock and people.
Tell us how you are beating the Summer Bummers and taking part in mitigating the effects of climate on the ATTRA Forum. Reach out to luzb@ncat.org or darrong@ncat.org if you have any questions on your journey or want to learn how you can have a positive impact on climate change while making your operation more resilient.
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By Stephanie Kasper, University of Texas Rio GraSoil for Waternde Valley Program Manager
As a south Texas farmer, there’s not much I love more than a refreshing rainy day. However, my rain appreciation grew deeper this year after my partner John and I installed a 1,650-gallon rain harvest system at our house.
After moving into our home just outside Edinburg city limits in February 2022, we replaced most of our turf grass with a 336-square-foot vegetable garden in the front yard and an 840-square- foot one in the back, surrounded by vibrant native wildflowers.
The transformation from a lawn to food-producing gardens brought us both joy and water savings. Drought-adapted native plants require less water than traditional grass lawns, and we use drip irrigation for the vegetables, which is more efficient than overhead sprinklers. However, we wanted to reduce our reliance on the municipal water supply for outdoor plants even further, and help save the cleanest, highest-quality water for human consumption.
This desire felt ever more pressing as we settled into another hot, dry south Texas summer. Falcon Reservoir, which supplies water to the Rio Grande Valley, reached a historic low of 9% capacity in August 2022, leading to water use restrictions. Frustrated by complex water management issues and worried about our region’s long-term water supplies, I channeled that energy into action at home. I mapped my roof’s runoff potential and natural drip points, gathered supplies from Lowes, found six food-grade, 275-gallon IBC totes on Facebook Marketplace (with free delivery!), and studied YouTube videos on gutter installations.
The first rainfall after installing the gutters and tanks had me running from tank to tank, blissfully soaked, watching the water pour in. Even after nearly a year, I’m still out there for nearly every rainfall, happily watching the tanks fill and clearing any debris blocking the water flow.
A rain harvester rule of thumb is that 1 inch of rain on 1 square foot yields 0.6 gallons of potential water capture. With a roof area of 2,000 square feet and an average of 23 inches of rain in Edinburg per year, over 27,000 gallons of water flow off my roof annually. My 1,650-gallon tank storage can be filled entirely with just 1.5 inches of rain.
I arranged the tanks based on the flow rates of each roof section and with the destinations for water use in mind – two tanks in the front yard for the smaller front garden and four in the back for the larger backyard garden. The two front yard tanks are located at natural drip points, where 438 square feet of roof runoff can be channeled into them without additional gutter installations. These natural drip points are the easiest entry point for rain harvesting.
Once the rainwater is collected, the key is to use it efficiently. We use a 12V plug-in water pump to send water directly into the existing garden drip irrigation systems, eliminating the need for manual water hauling. The front yard drip irrigation uses 1.3 gallons per minute, so the 550 gallons of stored rainwater can provide about seven hours of irrigation time. The backyard system, with a water use rate of 2 gallons per minute and 1,100 gallons of water storage, provides nine hours of irrigation time.
In the past year, the stored water has helped reduce our municipal water use even further. The front yard garden required supplemental city water for only 50 out of 365 days (14%), and the back yard needed it for 153 out of 365 days (42%), with the gardens collectively producing 148 pounds of food in that time. Our city water usage came mostly during a 97-day dry stretch between late December and late March, when we received a total of only 0.5 inches of scattered rainfall. Since the backyard system was not complete until midway through last year, I expect our city water needs to decrease even further next year. The system is modular, and we can add additional tanks to increase water storage capacity based on our needs, providing flexibility for the future.
Installing a rain harvest system takes planning, funds, and maintenance, and I’m not going to suggest that it’s an easy sustainability swap that’s right for everyone. I’ve only saved a few dollars each month on my water bill at most. However, it has given me confidence in the resilience of our food-producing gardens amid heat waves and droughts and made me a more conscious water user.
Rainwater harvesting is already supported in Texas through exemptions from state sales tax on equipment and supplies. Some cities, like San Antonio and Austin, also offer educational programming and rainwater storage rebate programs to encourage rain harvesting. However, more efforts are required to promote rainwater harvesting on a larger scale, especially as Texas stares down the impacts of climate change and prepares for significant potential water shortfalls by 2040. Confronting these challenges in the Rio Grande Valley and beyond must include a reconsideration of our relationship with water, in small ways and large, to secure a sustainable future for all.
https://soilforwater.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/rainwater-harvesting.png551741NCAT IT/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/soil-for-water-logo-101921.pngNCAT IT2023-08-01 11:56:532023-08-01 11:57:15When in Drought, Plan It Out: Rain Harvesting
Almost every day, I am lucky enough to be able to take a quick walk to the creek that runs at the western edge of our property. I watch it change with the seasons. It becomes a tumultuous riot in the spring, sometimes it dries out completely in a droughty summer, in the fall the river birches drop their yellow leaves that float like tiny boats down the calm current, and in the winter ice forms on the banks and on the branches that dip into the water. This stretch of creek that feels like an old friend to me is affected by everything that happens upstream – how people manage their farms, yards, forests, and even their septic systems, as well as development – and it all can impact the clarity of the water, the health of the insects, birds, fish, amphibians and even people who spend time at the water.
This was on my mind when I was researching for an ATTRA podcast I recently recorded with my NCAT colleagues, Guy Ames and Lee Rinehart. We tackled the topic of phosphorus, an element essential for life and productive farming, but one that can have devastating negative impacts on lakes and streams if it washes off the land and into the water.
Over-application of phosphorus either in the form of a synthetic fertilizer or as manure is one of the main reasons for the huge dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico and for miles of beaches being closed every summer because of toxic algae blooms in lakes, rivers, and coastlines around the country.
I personally refuse to accept that this is “the price you pay” for food security. There are so many better ways to manage the essential macronutrient of phosphorus, and to manage waste from livestock operations so it is a resource, not a waste product, while still growing the food our communities need. We can have our clean waters and eat our cake too. (Is that how that expression goes? Something like that.)
Here are some ways to make sure you are being a good steward of your land and all the waterways downstream from you:
Regular soil testing: If your phosphorus levels are already high, don’t apply more!
Manage pH: If your soil pH is above or below the ideal range of 6-7, phosphorus becomes much less plant-available. Try to adjust your soil’s pH first before adding phosphorus.
Encourage mycorrhizal fungi: Mycorrhizal fungi partners with plant roots to help the plants access more phosphorus, in exchange for photosynthates. Try to reduce tillage to avoid damaging mycorrhizal fungi and have a diversity of plant species.
Choose the right cover crops: Some cover crops are good at scavenging and holding phosphorus in organic forms.
Follow the four R’s of fertilization: Right rate, right source, right placement, and right timing.
Keep your soil protected: Prevent phosphorus from leaving your fields in the form of soil erosion.
There are many other strategies for phosphorus management. Find our recent podcast here where we talked about the history of phosphorus fertilizer, the importance of getting it right, more tips and tricks for proper management, and much more. We all deserve to live and work on farms and ranches where you can take a dip in a cool creek after a long day’s work and not worry about fish kills and toxic algae. Proper soil and phosphorus management is essential in order to keep our waterways thriving. I’m sure everyone has their favorite spot like my creek – a swimming hole, a lake, a pond, a stream, a favorite beach vacation spot – some place you have special affection for, some place that can motivate you to find the best way to grow food or fiber, without causing harm. To find out more ways to do this, listen to our podcast, or reach out to me, Guy, Lee, or one of our many other ATTRA specialists. We are more than happy to hear about your favorite fishing hole and help you find ways to be a productive farmer with a good fertility management plan.
This blog is produced by the National Center for Appropriate Technology through the ATTRA Sustainable Agriculture program, under a cooperative agreement with USDA Rural Development. ATTRA.NCAT.ORG.
https://soilforwater.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/creek-e1687458808244.jpg242360NCAT IT/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/soil-for-water-logo-101921.pngNCAT IT2023-06-22 13:24:542023-06-22 13:33:55Managing Phosphorus for Clean Water
This video is a primer on how to use LandPKS, a phone app that lets you gauge the production and conservation potential of your land through easy monitoring, tracking, and data-analysis tools.
The presentation by Laura Hamrick, Program Coordinator for LandPKS, and Jeff Herrick, a soil scientist with the USDA Agricultural Research Service in Las Cruces, New Mexico, demonstrates how to use LandPKS to identify the soil, monitor soil health, monitor vegetation, track management, and track wildlife on an operation’s land.
This video is produced by the National Center for Appropriate Technology through the ATTRA Sustainable Agriculture program, under a cooperative agreement with USDA Rural Development. ATTRA.NCAT.ORG.
https://soilforwater.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/SHI-IMAGE-6-scaled-1.jpg17072560NCAT IT/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/soil-for-water-logo-101921.pngNCAT IT2023-06-22 12:34:492023-06-22 13:32:24LandPKS: Learning How to Monitor Our Land Over Time and Discover Its Potential
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This project was based upon work that is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under award number 2020-38640-31521 through the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program under subaward number LS21-345. USDA is an equal opportunity employer and service provider. 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.
