| Monday Jun 08, 2020 1:00 PM - Monday Jun 08, 2020 4:00 PM | $12.00 - $15.00 |
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Event
Pasture Management and Silvopasture at Square Roots Farm
Join us at Square Roots Farm for a tour and discussion of how they apply rotational high density grazing to provide their livestock with healthy forage, minimize inputs, and improve soil health. By rotating dense herds through temporary paddocks within a pasture, livestock will eat a variety of forage, are more robust, and can sequester considerable amounts of carbon in the soil.
Square Roots Farm comprises about 185 acres of hilly fields and forest in Lanesborough, Massachusetts. They raise 1000 laying hens, 4000 meat birds, 30 cattle , 12-24 pigs, turkeys and a diversity of vegetables for their CSA customers and market.
Michael will lead our tour through his farm and we will:
-Learn about the fencing and shelters they use to keep their flocks and herds moving over the landscape
-Learn about grazing density and practices that provide superior nourishment for their animals while building nutrient rich and microbially diverse soil.
-Hear Connor Stedman explain the principles and practices of further developing pastures into silvopasture systems through functional tree planting here in New England.
-Use Square Roots Farm to provide context in a discussion about specific practices and tree species that can add additional value to a diversified grazing system.
With:
Michael Gallagher, a Berkshire County native, grew up in Cheshire and got his first taste of farming while baling hay over the summer in high school. After graduating from Williams College and teaching math for a couple of years in the Mississippi delta with the Mississippi Teacher Corps, he turned his attention to agriculture. He spent two years apprenticing on diversified, organic farms in New York and Vermont, before returning to the Berkshires to start Square Roots Farm.
Connor Stedman is an ecological designer, farm business planner, and educator based in Hatfield, MA. As principal at AppleSeed Permaculture, he works with farm businesses and organizations around the Northeast seeking to adopt industry-leading climate mitigating practices, with a speciality in agroforestry enterprises and diversified annual/perennial operations. He is an instructor in UVMs innovative Leadership for Sustainability program and holds an M.S. in Ecological Planning from UVM.
Our tour of the farm will likely cover uneven, occasionally rough terrain. We want to make sure your accessibility needs are met during the event. Please share with us your needs regarding (but not limited to): physical accessibility, allergies, noise, scent, gender; intellectual accessibility, and any instructions or tips to help you fully participate.
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LocationSquare Roots Farm (View)
95 Old Cheshire Road
Lanesborough, MA 01237
United States
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