Greening Your Farm
Elaine Long BaileyCalvert County 4-H Educator
Shannon DillTalbot County Agricultural Extension Educator
The University of Maryland Extension is an Equal Opportunity Employer with Equal Access Programs.
GREEN is . . .
• Conservation-oriented• Environmentally
friendly• Of low ecological
impact• Sustainable• Concerning ourselves
today for what is available tomorrow
• Other?http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Kermit_the_Frog
Conservation-oriented
• Water• Energy• Soil• Other resources
Water on the Farm
Uses
• Water for humans• Water for animals• Water for crops• Water for bathing animals• Water for washing
equipment or facilities
Direct Sources
• Wells• Wells or springs• Wells, springs,
ponds• Wells, springs,
ponds• Wells, springs,
ponds
How can we effectively manage water?
• Keep wells protected (contamination and caving)
• Clean out and protect springs (debris)
• Prevent vegetative overgrowth in ponds
• Repair leaks, drips, and other “escapes” of water
• Proper pasture management/soil protection
Energy•Turn off lights when areas not in use
•Turn off heat (or AC) when areas not in use
•Replace incandescent bulbs with energy saver ones
•Longer life
•More efficient use of electricity
•To learn more, go to www.energystar.gov
Alternatives to Save Energy
• Proper insulation for temperature-sensitive areas
• Tack rooms, observation areas, feed rooms• Bonded Logic’s UltraTouch
insulation• Recycled jeans
• See www.bondedlogic.com
• Cellulose (recycled newspaper)
• Straw
• Wool
http://www.bondedlogic.com/construction-products/ultratouch-denim-insulation
Soil Erosion
• Water• Wind• Relates to water
management, landscaping, farm planning
www.ent.iastate.edu/images/practices/tillage/conventional/erosion.jpg
Some Other Simple Changes
• Use feed bags as trash receptacles
• Recycle paper, plastic, (glass), etc.
• Reduce, recycle, reuse . . . Retrofit, repurpose
• Reuse items imaginatively
Brainstorms: WHAT Do We Have Lots of?
• Baling twine• Baling twine makes neat
craft projects• Repair devices• Scrub buckets
http://www.horsegroomingsupplies.com/pictures/files/9/1/1/3/CoolProject006.jpg
Baling Twine Challenge
Teams of 3-4 people
• Formulate an idea for use of baling twine
• Collect some twine, and GO FOR IT!
Twine Creations
• http://www.alpacabytes.com/2010/02/09/how-to-make-a-recycled-baling-twine-rug
/
http://happilyhome.blogspot.com/2011/02/whats-twine-is-twine-and-whats-twine-is.html
http://www.focusoncommunity.org/BalingTwine.html
Land/Property Management
Nutrient Management
• Nutrient Management incorporates– Soil Tests– Crops and Crop Nutrient Needs– Manure Usage
• Responsible farm management and environmental practice
• Balancing act . . .
Benefits of Nutrient Management
• Reduces fertilizer costs
• Gives pH values – pH helps plants use nutrients
• Better management and usage of forage and pastures
• Better manure handling and management
Basic Types of Pastures• Continuous
– animals graze in the pasture for extended periods of time– animals choose the plants they eat– plants overgrazed and/or undergrazed
Continuous Grazing
Basic Types of Pastures
• Rotational– animals graze for limited period of time – animals moved when existing forage has been removed – intensive rotational grazing systems subdivide pastures
into paddocks and use high stocking rates where animals are forced to eat all forages
– most efficient
Rotational Grazing
Maintaining Pastures• Rotate• Clip• Drag Manure • Irrigate/Sprinkler if possible___________________________________• Soil Test (3 yrs)• Fertilize/Lime• Spray/Herbicide• Overseed
Through the grazing season
Done Yearly
Recycle Manure
• An average 1,000-pound horse produces 9 tons of manure a year
• Manage manure
• Stockpile manure for flexibility in timing of use
• Compost and use for gardens, pastures and flower beds.
http://www.certaindoubt.net/steaming-piles-of-spin/john-with-
Advantages of Composting Horse Manure
• Relatively dry end-product that is easily handled• Reduced volume (40 to 65 % less volume and weight
than raw manure)• Decreased # of fly eggs and larvae, pathogens and weed
seeds (temperature-dependent)• Less odor than raw manure and more easily marketed• Acts as a slow release fertilizer and an excellent soil
conditioner
http://www.extension.org/sites/default/files/w/e/ec/Manure_compost.jpg
Equipment Needed to Compost Horse Manure
• Bin or other covered area
• Tractor
• Manure spreader
• Front-end loader
http://www.deere.com/wps/dcom/en_US/corporate/our_company/news_and_media/press_releases/2012/agriculture/2012aug23_ms23_spreader.page
http://www.icsman.co.nz/products/front-end-loaders/tractor-front-end-loader-3.aspx
Bin Sample
Jessica Paige, WSU Cooperative Extension, Whatcom County
Sustainable Landscapes
• Windbreaks
• Low-Water Landscapes with Natives - Xeriscaping
• Rain Gardens and Rain Barrels
Windbreaks• Slows wind on its downwind side for a distance 10X
the height of the trees
• Shelter for horses
• Provides shelter and food for wildlife
• Reduces dust, thus improves air quality
• Noise reduction
• Can mix in deciduous
trees and shrubs
Eastern Red Cedar
Windbreak Plants•Plant a diverse mix of trees – prevent spread of disease and loss to severe weather
•Eastern Red Cedar, Juniperus virginiana
•Eastern Hemlock, Tsuga canadensis
•Northern White Cedar, Thuja occidentalis
•Eastern White Pine, Pinus strobus
Eastern Hemlock Northern White CedarEastern White
Pine
Low Water LandscapesXeriscaping
• Xeriscaping is a term used for a waterwise, natural landscape using native, drought-tolerant plants. – Mulch beds– Water only when plants need it– Plant trees and shrubs in mass plantings – Improve soil structure– Reduce runoff– Attract pollinators
Redbud
Rudebeckia
Salvia
http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/animals/
Xeriscaping Plant List• Ornamental Trees – Redbud, River Birch, Crapemyrtle
• Shade Trees – Ginkgo, Red Oak, Tupelo, Pin Oak
• Evergreens – American Holly, Red Cedar, Scotch Pine
• Deciduous Shrubs – Red Chokeberry, Smoketree, Pinxterbloom Azalea, Rugosa Rose
• Evergreen Shrubs – Glossy Abelia, Junipers, Northern Bayberry, Cherry Laurel, Pyracantha
• Herbaceous Plants – Butterfly weed, Bearded Iris, Coral Bells, Yarrow, Coreopsis, Red-Hot Poker, Black Eyed Susan, Sedum, Salvia, Hens and Chicks, Goldenrod, Lamb’s Ear, Purple Coneflower, Salvia, Zinnia, Sage
Xeriscaping Plants
Butterfly Weed
Purple Coneflower
Redbud
Black Eyed Susan
Ginkgo Biloba
SedumSalvia
Sage
Sedum
Image Credit: Stanton Gill
Rain GardensA dish-shaped garden that is planted in native,
wetland, wet prairie wildflowers, grasses, trees and shrubs that collect water and recharge the water table, thus preventing polluted runoff.
Rain Garden Features• Designed to collect water, but not hold it
• Berm can be used around the garden to “hold” the water
• After rain, drains in 4-6 days
• Attracts birds, dragonflies, beneficial insects, and pollinators
• Can be used as a buffer to shoreline areas
Plant list for clay soil in full sun
• Red Milkweed - (Asclepias incarnata) • White False Indigo - (Baptista lactea)• Blue Flag Iris - (Iris versicolor) • Smooth Penstemon - (Penstemon digitalis) • Prairie Blazingstar - (Liatris pycnostachya) • Wild Quinine – (Parthenium integrifolium)• Yellow Coneflower – (Ratibida pinnata)• False Aster – (Boltonia asteroides)• Sweet Black-Eyed Susan – (Rudbeckia subtomentosa)• Ironweed – (Vernonia fasciculata)• New England Aster – (Aster novae-angliae)• Stiff Goldenrod – (Solidagio rigida)• Fox Sedge - (Carex vulpinoidea)
*Weems Creek Conservancy
Blue Flag Iris
Prairie Blazingstar
Ironweed
Wild Quinine
Stiff Goldenrod
Fox Sedge
Plant list for loam to sandy/loam soils in full sun
• Red Milkweed – (Asclepia incarnata)• White False Indigo – (Baptista lactea)• Blue Flag Iris – (Iris versicolor)• Smooth Penstemon – (Pestemon digitalis)• Nodding Pink Onion – (Allium cernuum)• Prairie Blazingstar – (Liatris pycnostachya)• Wild Quinine – (Parthenium integrifolium)• False Aster – (Boltonia asteroides)• Sweet Black-Eyed Susan – (Rudbeckia subtomentosa)• Ironweed – (Vernonia fasciculata)• New England Aster – (Aster novae-angliae)• Ohio Goldenrod – (Soldiago ohioensis)• Fox Sedge – (Carex vulpinoidea)
*Weems Creek Conservancy
Red Milkweed
Smooth Penstemon
Nodding Pink Onion
Rain Barrels• Collect and store roof rainwater runoff
• Provide a free source of soft water
• Contains no chlorine, lime or calcium
• Can help reduce your water bill
• Can be directed into a garden
• Easy to build or buy
Image: Low Impact Development Center
Helpful References and Websites• Native Plants for Wildlife Habitat and
Conservation Landscaping – U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
• Conservation Choices for Maryland Farmers – MDA
• Xeriscaping and Conserving Water in the Landscape – UME Home & Garden Mimeo #HG25
• www.hgic.umd.edu
• http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/ORG/WATER/WM/dsfm/shore/documents/rgmanual.pdf
Questions?
Thank you!
• Elaine Long Bailey [email protected]
The University of Maryland Extension is an Equal Opportunity Employer with Equal Access Programs.