Steve Gould of HaR-Go Farms in Genesee County, NY. Photo: Kevin Keenan
By Olivia Fuller
Saratoga Springs, NY—Farmers are often faced with difficult decisions between doing what is best for the land and maintaining economically viable farm businesses – but American Farmland Trust is working to dispel these as mutually exclusive outcomes. AFT has released a suite of new resources aimed to help farmers adopt or expand conservation practices that benefit the environment and their bottom line through the Genesee River Demonstration Farms Network.
Launched in 2018, the Genesee River Demonstration Farms Network, in partnership with AFT, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, showcases the impacts of practical and innovative conservation practices on real working farms. While focused on the Genesee River watershed, these resources are applicable to farming operations across the state and beyond.
HaR-Go Farm Case Study
A new case study features HaR-Go Farms, an organic dairy spanning 650 acres in western New York, owned and operated by Steve Gould with his parents John and Sue. HaR-Go Farms produces their own feed for their cows, putting 450 acres into a five-year crop rotation of hay, corn, soybean and sorghum.
American Farmland Trust completed a partial budget analysis to determine the economic impacts of the Gould’s soil health practices with the following outcomes:
- By implementing no-till, triticale and clover as a cover crop, and nutrient management, the Goulds increased their net income by $11 per acre per year, or $4,780 annually on the 450-acre study area, an 18% return on investment.
- USDA’s COMET Tool was used on a 10-acre parcel to evaluate the effects of these soil health practices on greenhouse gas emissions and found they were reduced by 158%, the equivalent of taking one car off the road each year.
Read the full case study here.