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An Agro-ecosystem Design Plan Hilltop Farm

An Agro-ecosystem Design Plan Hilltop Farm. prepared by C. Crawford, M.S. North Carolina State University. Close to Rails to Trails Access. Demographic Description Hilltop Farm. Moderate Climate: Ave. annual temperature 57.8 F, 33-54 in. precipitation Acreage: 21.42 acres total

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An Agro-ecosystem Design Plan Hilltop Farm

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  1. An Agro-ecosystem Design PlanHilltop Farm prepared by C. Crawford, M.S.North Carolina State University

  2. Close to Rails to Trails Access

  3. Demographic Description Hilltop Farm • Moderate Climate: • Ave. annual temperature 57.8 F, 33-54 in. precipitation • Acreage: • 21.42 acres total • ~ 5.05 acres clear • Agrosilvopastoral system • Crops, pasture animals, timber could be managed on same land

  4. Potential Crops • Vegetable • 16 crops: eggplant, garlic, spinach… • Fruit • 2 crops: muscadine grape, strawberry • Flower • 8 crops: tulip, gerbera daisy, lily, lavender… • Cover crop: • Cold season: crimson clover, rye, hairy vetch • Warm season: sorghum-sudangrass, soybean

  5. Muscadine Grape Vineyard One Acre Cut Flower Field 1 Vegetable Field 1 Cut Flower Field 2 Vegetable Field 2 Cut Flower Field 3 Cover Crop Strawberry Field: Pick your Own Vegetable Field 3 Cut Flower Field 4 Vegetable Field 4 Cover Crop Vegetable Field 5

  6. Proposed Animals • Incorporation of animals: • 2 goats, 10 chickens • Diversify income • Prepare and fertilize soil • Recycle nutrients on farm • Clear underbrush for next season • Animal rotation plan: • Jan-Feb: pasture chickens upper land parcel • Chickens rotated on lower land rest of year • Goats rotated in temporary fencing weekly

  7. Goats Clear Pasture all year Chickens Prepare Soil Jan-Feb

  8. Common Species in Natural Area • rhododendron (Rhododendron) • flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) • mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia) • sourwood (Oxydendrum arboreum) • sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) • yellow-poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) • shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata) • loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) • Virginia pine (Pinus virginiana) • white oak (Quercus alba) • scarlet oak (Quercus coccinea) • southern red oak (Quercus falcata) • northern red oak (Quercus rubra) • post oak (Quercus stellata)

  9. Soil Management • Soil type: • 8B--Clifford sandy loam, well drained, 5% slope • Sandy loam 0-6 in, clay loam 6-55 in • Fine, kaolinitic, mesic Typic Kanhapludults • pH 5.8 (NRCS 2004) • Management plan: • Cover cropping • Conservation tillage • On-farm nutrient recycling • Living mulches

  10. Soil Management • Tillage: • Conservation tillage, shift towards no till • Retro-fit tractor • Designed to cut, roll crop biomass into soil for increased SOM • Manure management: • Compost goat, chicken manure • Spread on fields after 6 months

  11. Soil Amendments • Nitrogen • On-farm compost, cover crops, manure, feathermeal • Phosphorus • Rock phosphate • Potassium • Potassium sulfate • Magnesium, pH • Dolomitic lime to increase pH from 5.8 • Soil Structure & Microbial Activity • Seaweed to condition soil • Worm castings improve structure, add microorganisms, and nutrients

  12. Pest Management • Potential crop pests: • Cutworms, grape root borer moth, potato tuberworm, japanese beetle, slug, nematodes • Mechanical pest barriers: • Foil/cardboard tubing for cutworm protection • Screen in potatoes for potato tuberworm protection • Create mound around grape vines to protect against grape root borer moth • Handpicking/scouting weekly

  13. Pest Management • Traps: • Japanese beetle traps • Shallow beer can to trap slugs • Interplanting: • Mulberry tree border around vineyards for birds • Importation: • Parasites of greenhouse whitefly • Prevention practices: • Guard dogs for larger mammalian pests/predators of chickens or goats

  14. Proposed Marketing • South Boston Farmers’ Market • Sell vegetables, fruits, flowers • Value-added products • Value-added products: • Goat cheese, goat milk, eggs, jams • Upscale restaurants • Bistro 1888, South Boston, VA • Molasses Grill, Halifax, VA • Farm to school programs • Charlottesville, VA involved in program • Utilize contacts in school system

  15. Income Diversification • Farm tours • Horseback trail riding • Pick your own strawberries • Sell grapes to local wineries

  16. Resources/Funding • USDA Grants and Loans for Small Farms: Alternative Farming Systems Information Center • CFSA Incubator Farm Programs • USDA National Agricultural Library: Rural Info Center

  17. References • Coffey, Linda. “Goats: Sustainable Production Overview” ATTRA. 2004 • Baldwin, Kenneth & Nancy Creamer. “Cover Crops for Organic Farms” CEFS. • Roos, Debbie. “Soil Management Grower Profiles: Alex Hitt, Peregrine Farms” NC Cooperative Extension. • Roberts, Roland. ”Vegetable Rotations, Successions, and Intercropping” Texas Agricultural Extension Service. • Farmtoschool.org • Guera, Martina and Holly Born. Strawberries: Organic Production. ATTRA. 2007. • NRCS Soil Data Mart. Halifax County and the City of South Boston. 2004. • The Cooperative Soil Survey. Soil Data Map Unit Interpretation Report. Halifax County and the City of South Boston. 2004. • Simone, Eric et al. “Drip-irrigation systems for small conventional vegetable farms and organic vegetable farms” IFAS Extension. 2008. • Cover Crops: Selection considerations for cover/companion crops on Vineyards and Orchards. S&S Seeds. 2007. • Poling, Barclay and Connie Fisk. “Muscadine Grapes in the Home Garden” NCSU Horticulture Information Leaflets. 2006. • Roos, Debbie. Pasture Poultry. Growing Small Farms. Chatham County Center NC Cooperative Extension. • Jones, Doug and Debbie Roos. Planting and Harvesting Guide for Piedmont Vegetables and Herbs. Chatham County Center NC Cooperative Extension. 2009. • Sorenson, Kenneth et al. “Insects and Related Pests of Vegetables”. NCSU Center for Integrated Pest Management. • Pest Management. ATTRA National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service. 2009. • Grants and Loans for Farmers. USDA National Agriculture Library Alternative Farming Systems Information Center. 2008.

  18. Happy Farming!

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