Enhancing Nutrient Management on Southern New England Dairy & Vegetable Farms

With crashing milk prices, rising land competition, climate change, & now the devastating impacts due to COVID-19, the future of agriculture in the northeast is in peril. To survive this &amp, future disasters, whether due to climate change or public health emergencies, agricultural industries across the spectrum must build resilience & improve longterm viability in part through the implementation of soil health management systems (SHMS). With improved soil health practices, Massachusetts farms can strengthen their financial standing, setting them up for greater stability & presence in our local food system. Leveraging data from American Farmland Trust’s (AFT) on-farm soil health demonstration (SHD) network, which includes four dairy & vegetable farms in Massachusetts, AFT will stimulate the adoption of cover crops & other soil health practices by women through the sharing of short-term soil, economic, & social changes that occur as the SHD farms transition to full SHMS. These examples will be shared & discussed with women farmers during three Soil Health Learning Circles, aimed at working with women landowners & women farmers including farmers of color, to improve access to resources & enable better stewardship & farmland protection. Following the Learning Circles, six in-depth profiles highlighting women farmers from across MA will be produced, capturing participants' stories of newly gained conservation knowledge or successful implementation of soil health practices. Additionally, in an effort to provide cover crop & no-till implementation education in a more technical & hands-on setting, we will also execute a soil-health demonstration field day highlighting on-farm soil health trials, & the use & operation of equipment such as a roller crimper, no-till seed drill, & a no-till vegetable transplanter.