A team of interdisciplinary researchers at Ohio State is interested in working with Ohio farmers to explore how different approaches to livestock-crop integration impacts their farm’s profitability, soil health, nutrient cycling, and resilience in the face of volatile weather and markets. This project is focused on gathering data from working farms to better understand the economic and environmental tradeoffs and interactions associated with different types of crop-livestock mixes. We want to partner with producers with one of these four types of farms:
1. Cash Grain farms – cash grain production with standard rotations (e.g., corn/soy/wheat) who have not utilized manure as a source of nutrients or soil amendment for at least 5 years.
2. Cash Grain + Manure farms – cash grain operations with conventional rotations, who do not raise livestock but who have relied on importing cattle manure to meet all or a significant part of the crop nutrient requirements for their cash grain rotations over the last 5 years.
3. Diversified Crop-Livestock farms – farms that have cattle and raise cash grains as part of a diversified crop-livestock operation, utilize more complex crop rotations (with perennial forage crops present in the rotation), and who rely on manure to meet all or a significant part of nutrient requirements in their cash grain rotations.
4. Livestock (no cash grain) farms – dairy or beef operations who have relied on pasture and forage production only for at least 5 years, without a significant cash grain enterprise.
Darke, Mercer, and Auglaize County Extension offices will be hosting the lead researchers on December 2 for an information meeting for local farmers who are interested in participating. There will be light refreshments at each meeting!
1:00-2:00 p.m. Mercer County Extension Office: 220 W. Livingston St, Rm B252 in Celina
2:00-3:00 p.m. Drop in Q&A at Mercer County Extension Office
4:30-5:30 p.m. Darke County Extension Office 603 Wagner Ave. in Greenville
7:30-8:30 p.m. Auglaize County Extension Office 208 South Blackhoof St. in Wapakoneta
