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Uncovering the Value of Manure: Sustainable Farming in the NYC Watershed
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The Value of Manure project aims to help farmers understand the value of cow manure and use it as efficiently as they can, reducing reliance on nitrogen (N) based synthetic fertilizers. The Hanselman family has owned and operated their neighboring farms, Windy Acres and DelRose farms, since 1954 and 1979, respectively. They have a dairy…
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Should I Fertilize My Beef Pastures?
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In part 17 of our “What’s Your Beef?” series on raising cattle on small farms, we discuss grazing conditions for beef cattle and other classes of grazing livestock. My motivation in writing this article is due to the many atrocious grazing conditions that I find beef cattle and other classes of livestock grazing in…
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Fighting Feces with Fire: Research Shows How to Transform Manure into Dry Fertilizer
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Managing cow manure has historically been a hassle for farmers, but new research shows how it can be transformed into valuable dry fertilizer. By using a process called pyrolysis, which “burns” organic matter at temperatures of 700 to 1,200 degrees F without oxygen, researchers from Cornell and Bio365 found that the nutrients from manure can…
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Green Practices Can Negate Climate Emissions on New York Farms
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New York agriculture has the capacity to mitigate its own greenhouse gas emissions, two Cornell researchers say in a state-funded report commissioned by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. The 65-page report “New York Agriculture and Climate Change: Key Opportunities for Mitigation, Resilience, and Adaptation” provides a scientific assessment of opportunities and…
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Workshops on Anaerobic Digesters for Small Farms Offered this Winter
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It is generally accepted that anaerobic digesters (AD) are efficient technologies for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from livestock operations. In addition, AD technology has a number of other potential benefits including: energy production for use on the farm and for sale, separation of manure solids for ease of use or export off farm, pathogen…
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Briquetting a Better, Burnable Cow Patty: Farmer Turns Livestock Waste into Fuel Source
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A farmer recently completed a USDA Northeast SARE funded project to demonstrate a hydraulic press used to make fuel briquettes from manure and bedding. The machine, dubbed the “Biomass Beast” by its creator, Rose Marie Belforti, was built for $5,766 and produced briquettes at a rate of 90 dry pounds per hour for 3 cents…
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Building Healthy Pasture Soils
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The following article is an excerpt from the factsheet “Building Healthy Pasture Soils” available in full at www.ATTRA.org and can be downloaded as a free PDF at the website, along with many other guides and resources. Let’s consider the agricultural practices that help build healthy soil. In essence, we want to increase aggregation, contribute soil organic matter, increase biodiversity,…
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