Region’s farmers focusing on soil
Claim holistic grazing helps deter flooding
Can land management help farmers’ profitability and deter flooding?
Agronomists in the Mohawk Valley think so and the proof is in the soil, they say.
“Most farms in the Mohawk Valley practice conventional agriculture,” said local farmer Leon Atwell.
However, local farms that transitioned to holistic grazing – Grassy Cow Dairy, Kriemheld Dairy, and Guenen Aue Farm – claim their profitability has increased two-fold, along with helping with water absorption.
Water can infiltrate when the soil is healthy, which helps reduce the chance of flooding, explained local farmer Nathan Weaver. They’ve also recorded higher levels of carbon sequestration in their soil.
“People often overlook the fact that the way we farm impacts our landscape at large,” Weaver said.
What is holistic grazing?
While there’s no clear-cut definition of holistic grazing, regenerative farming techniques include minimal to no tilling of soil, crop rotation, planting cover crops to enhance soil health and using compost instead of fertilizers.
If you’ve driven past a farm and seen a herd of cows munching on the grass, then you’ve seen grazing before, said Weaver.
Grazing is claimed to increase the soil’s ability to retain water; increased pasture plant growth leads to more carbon from the atmosphere being sequestered into the soil.
A study referenced at the United Nations’ last climate conference in Dubai (COP28) found grazing promotes soil organic carbon formation (SOC) from plant litter, which maintains SOC storage in grasslands.
Weaver claims to have seen this firsthand; after a decade of grazing, he said the SOC in his soil leaped by 4%.
“When we take carbon dioxide from the air and place it in the soil, it can be used as a cause of good,” said Weaver. “I no longer have pools of groundwater on my property, instead it’s held under the first 8-12 inches of my soil.”
How do grazing cows help flood mitigation?
In Central New York, a region prone to flooding, local farmers argue carbon sequestration is crucial. Yet, they find themselves on an island of their own.
Troy Bishopp, affectionately known as “The Grass Whisperer” has been a grass farmer for 35 years. He splits his time between managing his family farm in Deansboro and working as a grazing specialist at the Madison County Soil and Water Conservation District.
Bishopp explained that when rainwater falls on his property, at a 1200 ft. elevation, it runs downhill into the Oriskany Creek.
“When half of route 12B was closed due to flooding, the culverts on my property didn’t plug, since we have sod, wetlands, and trees planted,” said Bishopp. “Regenerative farmers are the unsung re
source managers. We’re performing food production and ecosystem services for the benefit of the region.”
‘Improving local farmland for the next generation’
Though few local farmers have made the transition to regenerative agriculture, Bruce Rivington, Nathan Weaver, and Leon Atwell have. Bishopp commends the trio for “improving local farmland for the next generation.”
Rivington owns Kriemhild Dairy – a small agribusiness in Central New York that specializes in organic and cultured dairy foods. His wife, and family of six, moved their practice from Ontario, Canada to Hamilton, to give their cows more opportunity to graze.
“In 1994, we realized the total confinement model wasn’t working for us,” said Rivington. “We were wearing ourselves, our soil, and our equipment thin.”
Kriemhild Dairy’s grazing management is centered on soil health. The farm is made up of deep-rooted perennials, so the cows can graze while the soil health stays resilient enough to combat inclement weather patterns.
Nothing can be environmentally sustainable if it’s not economically sustainable, explained Rivington.
“But, we’ve found that the closer we mimic nature the better our results have been,” he said.
Higher profitability
Nathan and Kristine Weaver are coowners of Gruen Aue Farms in Canastota. Nathan grew up in Central Ohio on a dairy farm, where his father also practiced grazing. When he moved to New York in 2006, he gave regenerative farming a swing and found it increased his profitability.
Nathan now has more faith in the grass-milk market than the traditional organic one, and initially he was even reluctant to join the movement – writing it off as a fad. He said he was mistaken about his predictions and “the organic movement is here to stay.”
“What I’ve done is created a soil fertility bank so now I can just work off the interest,” said Nathan. “I no longer pay for seed, fertilization, or fuel so my income is higher, at a lower ecological cost.”
When reflecting on the culture at large Nathan finds himself drawn back to a quote where Henry A. Wallace referred to grass as our nation’s forgotten Cinderella: “I grew up on a farm with a healthy respect for grass but as a farmer myself that respect has turned into reverence,” he said.