Partners are using a five-year NRCS Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG) to study and evaluate the ecological, economic, and social outcomes of incorporating grass-based soil health practices on farms.
The Vermont Land Trust (VLT), in partnership with the University of Vermont (UVM), the University of Vermont Extension (UVM Ext) and Philo Ridge Farm, is using a five-year Natural Resources Conservation Service Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG) to study and evaluate the ecological, economic, and social outcomes of incorporating grass-based soil health practices on farms.
Fifteen participating farms, a combination of dairy, beef, sheep, and multi-species grazers, have agreed as part of this project to implement a set of practices combining management intensive grazing, supplemental seeding, and nutrient amendments on all or a portion of their land base.
Farm operators are collaborating with a team of technical service providers to implement these practices, during which time a robust set of data is being collected, including species biodiversity and forage quality, physical and chemical characteristics of the soil, water infiltration, the financial costs and labor associated with implementation, social impacts on the farm, and more on an annual basis.