Grazing for Conservation

October 22, 2024

Interns took handfuls of seeds and broadcast them into pastures to grow future food for the goats and sheep.

Jeff’s farm interns help us accomplish bigger projects on weekends. The interns learn by doing, and this weekend, we worked together on the second phase of our conservation grazing program. The goal is for these students to develop real-world skills for their chosen career pathways.

All four fall student interns are interested in different ways of enabling people, plants, and animals to thrive together. Jeff integrated these interests into one focus area: conservation grazing projects. These projects include both animal husbandry and caring for growing silvopasture so all interns can learn applicable skills.

This week, we read an interesting piece about similar programs taking root in Mariposa, California. Nearly 20 Wildfire Prevention Grants from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection went to projects that included grazing, which highlighted the increasing importance of developing conservation grazing programs.

We believe conservation grazing is a preventative and adaptive climate change tool in our farming tool belts that can help us manage land and limit risks. After experiencing drought conditions for nearly a month this autumn, the prospect of fires came into closer view in the Midwest. We visited dry farm fields in Wisconsin and heard the extremely dry popcorn stalks swaying in breezes within our own farm fields. Our interns are helping us develop this program more quickly than we might on our own.

The first step in this process was to see if we could take goats from a dairy farm and adapt them to new ways of grazing within a silvopasture with mixed grasses, shrubs and mature trees. The goats’ natural inclinations to reach and graze allowed them to limb up and clean up the pastures in no time.

The next step was to train the goats to different fencing systems. For instance, once they understand electric fences are their limits within new forests or pastures, we can manage their movement throughout the farm. We’re also building and adapting previously unused wagons into goat transport wagons to move the group around the farm this spring.

Finally, the interns helped us reestablish their pastures, trim hooves, and ensure the herd was healthy with updated vaccinations. This will better prepare them for the stress that might come from movement from their normal confines.

As the weather gets cold, we will work indoors to map out rotational strategies throughout the farm, similar to those we use with our organic vegetable and cover crops.

When interns return this spring, we’ll work together to actively move the goats around the farm. Thank you to our interns for helping us to manage this hard-working (and cute) herd!

Your farmers,

Jeff, Jen, farm interns, and the Liberty Prairie team