Developing Drought Resilient Pasture Based Forage Strategies that Promote Productivity and Protection of Natural Resources

New England livestock farms that rely heavily on pasture based forage systems are having difficulty meeting the dry matter and nutrient needs of livestock during drought. In addition, all grazing farms place a value on top quality forages to reduce outside importation of feed to improve farm viability and environmental quality. The objectives of this project are to determine the feasibility and productivity of low cost inline pod irrigation systems and implementation of warm season annuals to alleviate or overcome drought stress with the goal of improving resiliency of New England pastures to drought conditions. The strategies and systems will be developed and tested by livestock farms both organic and conventional throughout the state of Vermont. Creating and implementing drought resilient pasture systems can provide an element of risk for the farmer. This project proposes to develop on-farm demonstration and outreach in the area of pasture irrigation and warm season summer annual evaluation. Evaluating these new systems through on farm demonstration, workshops and field days will help other farmers determine potential risk factors and derived benefits before implementing them on their farm.