When Nick Green restored his family’s farm in 2015, he knew he wanted to implement sustainable techniques to build on the practices that were in place when he was growing up.
Nick wanted to ensure that his farming methods benefited the environment and his community, while also honoring his family’s farming legacy.
He has introduced reduced and no-till farming, shifted toward high legume content in grass mixes and feed, and instituted adaptive grazing techniques.
Unlike continuous grazing, which allows livestock full access to a pasture, adaptive grazing involves moving livestock from one blocked-off area of land to another, which improves pasture quality and fertility, helps with soil erosion, and limits the need for chemical input.
This style of grazing uses rest periods and increases the positive impact of animals on pasture.
These approaches have enabled Kingston View Farms to nearly eliminate fertilizer use and cut other input needs by more than 50% while also improving soil and herd health.
After seeing the soil improvement on his own farm from rotational grazing, Nick reached out to other local producers to see if there was interest in using adaptive grazing to better utilize pastures.
The enthusiastic community response has led to several rotational grazing projects.
“By taking the natural instincts of the cows and scheduling it, we can improve soil health.”
