In the fall of 2019, we planted 10 acres of a meadow seed mix comprised largely of species native to the northeast. This meadow seed mix was created based on information learned in the Native Meadow Trial. The larger acreage compliments ongoing monitoring in the trial and provides an opportunity to learn more about establishment and management of a seeded meadow on a larger scale. In addition, the meadow allows for further study of the insect biodiversity and beneficial insects found in a seeded meadow.
Since 2020 we have been growing a variety of white corn as part of our partnership with seed keepers from the Mohawk community in Akwesasne. Each year the grow-out can be increased as we save seeds. Both seed and food are harvested and return home to the Canary - a community-wide educational and food sharing center in Akwesanse connected to the Akwesasne Freedom School. To learn more click here.
This is our third season growing Sehsapsing Blue Corn in partnership with the Lenape Center. We are continuing to increase the This is our third season growing Sehsapsing Blue Corn in partnership with the Lenape Center. We are continuing to increase the grow-out of this corn, a blue-black Lenape flint corn variety. We hope to harvest enough for both seed and food this year.
As part of our commitment to soil health, we are developing innovative no-till systems that we hope can be adopted by regional growers. In the summer of 2021, for example, we grew no-till cantoloupe and watermelons. The process involved transplanting melons in June into a rolled and crimped cover crop of oats and peas. The oats and peas were no-till planted in April into a winter killed cover crop of sorghum, cow pea, sunflower, and sunnhemp.
This area of the farm is seeded in a hay mix selected by ecology and production staff with the conservation of grassland birds in mind. The field is a mix of grasses and clovers that, paired with habitat management, have the potential to support declining grassland breeding birds such as Bobolinks and Meadowlarks. This area was chosen for permanent cover due to its proximity to the creek which makes it prone to flooding and erosion.
We have been taking 36” deep soil core samples around the farm to find out how much carbon is stored in our soils. By sampling many different locations including production fields, forested areas, and field/forest edges, we hope to see how agriculture impacts soil carbon and if we can manage our production fields to store more of it.
Since 2017 the Farm Hub has been growing Kernza, a distant cousin to agricultural wheat, in partnership with the Kansas-based non-profit The Land Institute. The Farm Hub is part of a network of farms across the country growing and providing feedback on this perennial crop. Apart from reducing the need for annual tillage, Kernza has other environmental benefits. By forming an intricate, permanent root system, the grain anchors the soil and prevents erosion. It also helps fix nutrients in the soil, which improves soil ecology and can mitigate the need for chemical inputs. Like other closely related perennial grasses such as tall wheatgrass, Kernza has the potential to be a viable tool for addressing agriculture’s impacts on climate change.
In 2016 the Native Meadow Trial was established at the Farm Hub, in partnership with the Hawthorne Valley Farmscape Ecology Program and the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. The purpose of the trial is to document the establishment and maintenance of the meadows without the use of herbicides, test the performance of different meadow seed mixes native to northeastern North America on farmland in the Mid-Hudson Region, monitor the development of the plant composition of the seed mixes and fallow fields, and assess the value of the seed mixes for supporting insect biodiversity and beneficial insects. In the meadows, one can see species such as Blackeyed Susan, Lance-leaved Coreopsis and Wild Bergamot.
Launched in 2020 in collaboration with researchers from Cornell Cooperative Extension Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture, this research trial tests the efficacy of Brassica bio-fungicides (low-risk pesticides that contain naturally occurring beneficial microorganisms) on broccoli. The goal is to help growers make decisions for managing certain brassica family diseases.
This year's seed garden includes a variety of activity and initiatives. Beans, popcorn, and squash are being grown for seed with the Mohawk community in Akwesasne, and beans and tobacco are being grown for seed with the Lenape Center. Finally a new seed space, known as the Seed Teaching Garden, will focus on research and education focused on regional seed saving and community seed literacy and seed saving skills.
We are growing no-till beans as part of a Cornell University research trial that examines the growing strategies for organic dry bean production in the Northeast and Upper Middlewestern U.S. Key objectives of the trial are to identify varieties best suited for organic production in the region and to experiment with tillage reduction strategies that can improve soil health.
We use the term “permanent cover” to refer to flood prone parts of the farm that have been planted with a perennial crop such as a flowering meadow mix or a hay mix. In extremely flood-prone areas on the farm it is important to limit tillage as much as possible, so these areas are either never tilled or only tilled every few years. Permanent cover can help prevent runoff, increase soil infiltration, and help hold the soil in place to prevent erosion.
This research trial is a collaboration with researchers from Cornell Cooperative Extension. It tracks the amount of greenhouse gases released from a field of winter squash over the course of a season in both tilled and un-tilled ground and using several different fertility teatments. The goal is to collect data that will help growers find ways to promote carbon sequestration without unintentionally increasing the release of more potent greenhouse gases like methane and nitrous oxide.
Sweet potato “slips” are stem cuttings (similar to transplants) that are used to grow a sweet potato plant. The vast majority of sweet potatoes produced in the northeast are grown from slips produced in North Carolina. In 2021 we began hosting this research trial led by Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture Program. The trial asks the following questions: What effect do locally produced slips have on yield? Is it economically viable to produce slips in the Hudson Valley region, given the cooler weather (compared with North Carolina)?
Our vegetable production is part of a carefully choreographed three-year rotation that moves small grains, cover crops, and vegetables across 100 acres of the Farm’s most productive land. Each year, 30 acres of this land will host a small grain, 30 acres will host a cover crop, and 30 acres will produce mixed vegetables. Each year following, the crops will rotate to a new 30 acre field, and on the fourth year, the cycle will begin anew. In this way, pest and weed pressure is reduced and the soil is improved for each subsequent crop in the rotation.
In an effort to improve soil health and add resilience to growing systems, in collaboration with Cornell University, this 3-year trial is looking at producing field crops in no-till roll and crimp systems. Several different cover crop and cash crop combinations are trialed. In addition to yield, several other factors are measured including weed suppression, pest pressure, soil moisture, and crop growth. The trial will be completed in 2022.
over crop protects the soil, suppresses weeds, and eliminates the need for tillage in a cropping cycle. Over time, soil structure is improved, biology is stimulated, and the land is able to shield itself from extreme weather events such as floods or droughts.
In the fall of 2019, we planted 10 acres of a meadow seed mix comprised largely of species native to the northeast. This meadow seed mix was created based on information learned in the Native Meadow Trial. The larger acreage compliments ongoing monitoring in the trial and provides an opportunity to learn more about establishment and management of a seeded meadow on a larger scale. In addition, the meadow allows for further study of the insect biodiversity and beneficial insects found in a seeded meadow.
Since 2020 we have been growing a variety of white corn as part of our partnership with seed keepers from the Mohawk community in Akwesasne. Each year the grow-out can be increased as we save seeds. Both seed and food are harvested and return home to the Canary - a community-wide educational and food sharing center in Akwesanse connected to the Akwesasne Freedom School. To learn more click here.
This is our third season growing Sehsapsing Blue Corn in partnership with the Lenape Center. We are continuing to increase the This is our third season growing Sehsapsing Blue Corn in partnership with the Lenape Center. We are continuing to increase the grow-out of this corn, a blue-black Lenape flint corn variety. We hope to harvest enough for both seed and food this year.
As part of our commitment to soil health, we are developing innovative no-till systems that we hope can be adopted by regional growers. In the summer of 2021, for example, we grew no-till cantoloupe and watermelons. The process involved transplanting melons in June into a rolled and crimped cover crop of oats and peas. The oats and peas were no-till planted in April into a winter killed cover crop of sorghum, cow pea, sunflower, and sunnhemp.
This area of the farm is seeded in a hay mix selected by ecology and production staff with the conservation of grassland birds in mind. The field is a mix of grasses and clovers that, paired with habitat management, have the potential to support declining grassland breeding birds such as Bobolinks and Meadowlarks. This area was chosen for permanent cover due to its proximity to the creek which makes it prone to flooding and erosion.
We have been taking 36” deep soil core samples around the farm to find out how much carbon is stored in our soils. By sampling many different locations including production fields, forested areas, and field/forest edges, we hope to see how agriculture impacts soil carbon and if we can manage our production fields to store more of it.
Since 2017 the Farm Hub has been growing Kernza, a distant cousin to agricultural wheat, in partnership with the Kansas-based non-profit The Land Institute. The Farm Hub is part of a network of farms across the country growing and providing feedback on this perennial crop. Apart from reducing the need for annual tillage, Kernza has other environmental benefits. By forming an intricate, permanent root system, the grain anchors the soil and prevents erosion. It also helps fix nutrients in the soil, which improves soil ecology and can mitigate the need for chemical inputs. Like other closely related perennial grasses such as tall wheatgrass, Kernza has the potential to be a viable tool for addressing agriculture’s impacts on climate change.
In 2016 the Native Meadow Trial was established at the Farm Hub, in partnership with the Hawthorne Valley Farmscape Ecology Program and the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. The purpose of the trial is to document the establishment and maintenance of the meadows without the use of herbicides, test the performance of different meadow seed mixes native to northeastern North America on farmland in the Mid-Hudson Region, monitor the development of the plant composition of the seed mixes and fallow fields, and assess the value of the seed mixes for supporting insect biodiversity and beneficial insects. In the meadows, one can see species such as Blackeyed Susan, Lance-leaved Coreopsis and Wild Bergamot.
Launched in 2020 in collaboration with researchers from Cornell Cooperative Extension Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture, this research trial tests the efficacy of Brassica bio-fungicides (low-risk pesticides that contain naturally occurring beneficial microorganisms) on broccoli. The goal is to help growers make decisions for managing certain brassica family diseases.
This year's seed garden includes a variety of activity and initiatives. Beans, popcorn, and squash are being grown for seed with the Mohawk community in Akwesasne, and beans and tobacco are being grown for seed with the Lenape Center. Finally a new seed space, known as the Seed Teaching Garden, will focus on research and education focused on regional seed saving and community seed literacy and seed saving skills.
We are growing no-till beans as part of a Cornell University research trial that examines the growing strategies for organic dry bean production in the Northeast and Upper Middlewestern U.S. Key objectives of the trial are to identify varieties best suited for organic production in the region and to experiment with tillage reduction strategies that can improve soil health.
We use the term “permanent cover” to refer to flood prone parts of the farm that have been planted with a perennial crop such as a flowering meadow mix or a hay mix. In extremely flood-prone areas on the farm it is important to limit tillage as much as possible, so these areas are either never tilled or only tilled every few years. Permanent cover can help prevent runoff, increase soil infiltration, and help hold the soil in place to prevent erosion.
This research trial is a collaboration with researchers from Cornell Cooperative Extension. It tracks the amount of greenhouse gases released from a field of winter squash over the course of a season in both tilled and un-tilled ground and using several different fertility teatments. The goal is to collect data that will help growers find ways to promote carbon sequestration without unintentionally increasing the release of more potent greenhouse gases like methane and nitrous oxide.
Sweet potato “slips” are stem cuttings (similar to transplants) that are used to grow a sweet potato plant. The vast majority of sweet potatoes produced in the northeast are grown from slips produced in North Carolina. In 2021 we began hosting this research trial led by Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture Program. The trial asks the following questions: What effect do locally produced slips have on yield? Is it economically viable to produce slips in the Hudson Valley region, given the cooler weather (compared with North Carolina)?
Our vegetable production is part of a carefully choreographed three-year rotation that moves small grains, cover crops, and vegetables across 100 acres of the Farm’s most productive land. Each year, 30 acres of this land will host a small grain, 30 acres will host a cover crop, and 30 acres will produce mixed vegetables. Each year following, the crops will rotate to a new 30 acre field, and on the fourth year, the cycle will begin anew. In this way, pest and weed pressure is reduced and the soil is improved for each subsequent crop in the rotation.
In an effort to improve soil health and add resilience to growing systems, in collaboration with Cornell University, this 3-year trial is looking at producing field crops in no-till roll and crimp systems. Several different cover crop and cash crop combinations are trialed. In addition to yield, several other factors are measured including weed suppression, pest pressure, soil moisture, and crop growth. The trial will be completed in 2022.
over crop protects the soil, suppresses weeds, and eliminates the need for tillage in a cropping cycle. Over time, soil structure is improved, biology is stimulated, and the land is able to shield itself from extreme weather events such as floods or droughts.
View Other Locations
View Other Locations
Since 2020 we have been growing a variety of white corn as part of our partnership with seed keepers from the Mohawk community in Akwesasne. Each year the grow-out can be increased as we save seeds. Both seed and food are harvested and return home to the Canary - a community-wide educational and food sharing center in Akwesanse connected to the Akwesasne Freedom School. To learn more click here.
View Other Locations
View Other Locations
Spring wheat is no-tilled into the winter-killed warm season summer cover crops.
As part of our commitment to soil health, we are developing innovative no-till systems that we hope can be adopted by regional growers. In the summer of 2021, for example, we grew no-till cantoloupe and watermelons. The process involved transplanting melons in June into a rolled and crimped cover crop of oats and peas. The oats and peas were no-till planted in April into a winter killed cover crop of sorghum, cow pea, sunflower, and sunnhemp.
This area of the farm is seeded in a hay mix selected by ecology and production staff with the conservation of grassland birds in mind. The field is a mix of grasses and clovers that, paired with habitat management, have the potential to support declining grassland breeding birds such as Bobolinks and Meadowlarks. This area was chosen for permanent cover due to its proximity to the creek which makes it prone to flooding and erosion.
We have been taking 36” deep soil core samples around the farm to find out how much carbon is stored in our soils. By sampling many different locations including production fields, forested areas, and field/forest edges, we hope to see how agriculture impacts soil carbon and if we can manage our production fields to store more of it.
Since 2017 the Farm Hub has been growing Kernza, a distant cousin to agricultural wheat, in partnership with the Kansas-based non-profit The Land Institute. The Farm Hub is part of a network of farms across the country growing and providing feedback on this perennial crop. Apart from reducing the need for annual tillage, Kernza has other environmental benefits. By forming an intricate, permanent root system, the grain anchors the soil and prevents erosion. It also helps fix nutrients in the soil, which improves soil ecology and can mitigate the need for chemical inputs. Like other closely related perennial grasses such as tall wheatgrass, Kernza has the potential to be a viable tool for addressing agriculture’s impacts on climate change.
In 2016 the Native Meadow Trial was established at the Farm Hub, in partnership with the Hawthorne Valley Farmscape Ecology Program and the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. The purpose of the trial is to document the establishment and maintenance of the meadows without the use of herbicides, test the performance of different meadow seed mixes native to northeastern North America on farmland in the Mid-Hudson Region, monitor the development of the plant composition of the seed mixes and fallow fields, and assess the value of the seed mixes for supporting insect biodiversity and beneficial insects. In the meadows, one can see species such as Blackeyed Susan, Lance-leaved Coreopsis and Wild Bergamot.
Launched in 2020 in collaboration with researchers from Cornell Cooperative Extension Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture, this research trial tests the efficacy of Brassica bio-fungicides (low-risk pesticides that contain naturally occurring beneficial microorganisms) on broccoli. The goal is to help growers make decisions for managing certain brassica family diseases.
This year's seed garden includes a variety of activity and initiatives. Beans, popcorn, and squash are being grown for seed with the Mohawk community in Akwesasne, and beans and tobacco are being grown for seed with the Lenape Center. Finally a new seed space, known as the Seed Teaching Garden, will focus on research and education focused on regional seed saving and community seed literacy and seed saving skills.
Cover crops are planted for the purpose of suppressing weeds, improving soil health, reducing the need for fertilizer inputs, and breaking up compaction. They also protect the soil from wind and water erosion. Red clover, buckwheat, timothy, alfalfa, rye, oats, and many others are all part of the farm’s carefully planned rotation.
We are growing no-till beans as part of a Cornell University research trial that examines the growing strategies for organic dry bean production in the Northeast and Upper Middlewestern U.S. Key objectives of the trial are to identify varieties best suited for organic production in the region and to experiment with tillage reduction strategies that can improve soil health.
We use the term “permanent cover” to refer to flood prone parts of the farm that have been planted with a perennial crop such as a flowering meadow mix or a hay mix. In extremely flood-prone areas on the farm it is important to limit tillage as much as possible, so these areas are either never tilled or only tilled every few years. Permanent cover can help prevent runoff, increase soil infiltration, and help hold the soil in place to prevent erosion.
This research trial is a collaboration with researchers from Cornell Cooperative Extension. It tracks the amount of greenhouse gases released from a field of winter squash over the course of a season in both tilled and un-tilled ground and using several different fertility teatments. The goal is to collect data that will help growers find ways to promote carbon sequestration without unintentionally increasing the release of more potent greenhouse gases like methane and nitrous oxide.
Sweet potato “slips” are stem cuttings (similar to transplants) that are used to grow a sweet potato plant. The vast majority of sweet potatoes produced in the northeast are grown from slips produced in North Carolina. In 2021 we began hosting this research trial led by Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture Program. The trial asks the following questions: What effect do locally produced slips have on yield? Is it economically viable to produce slips in the Hudson Valley region, given the cooler weather (compared with North Carolina)?
Our vegetable production is part of a carefully choreographed three-year rotation that moves small grains, cover crops, and vegetables across 100 acres of the Farm’s most productive land. Each year, 30 acres of this land will host a small grain, 30 acres will host a cover crop, and 30 acres will produce mixed vegetables. Each year following, the crops will rotate to a new 30 acre field, and on the fourth year, the cycle will begin anew. In this way, pest and weed pressure is reduced and the soil is improved for each subsequent crop in the rotation.
In an effort to improve soil health and add resilience to growing systems, in collaboration with Cornell University, this 3-year trial is looking at producing field crops in no-till roll and crimp systems. Several different cover crop and cash crop combinations are trialed. In addition to yield, several other factors are measured including weed suppression, pest pressure, soil moisture, and crop growth. The trial will be completed in 2022.
over crop protects the soil, suppresses weeds, and eliminates the need for tillage in a cropping cycle. Over time, soil structure is improved, biology is stimulated, and the land is able to shield itself from extreme weather events such as floods or droughts.
In the fall of 2019, we planted 10 acres of a meadow seed mix comprised largely of species native to the northeast. This meadow seed mix was created based on information learned in the Native Meadow Trial. The larger acreage compliments ongoing monitoring in the trial and provides an opportunity to learn more about establishment and management of a seeded meadow on a larger scale. In addition, the meadow allows for further study of the insect biodiversity and beneficial insects found in a seeded meadow.
Since 2020 we have been growing a variety of white corn as part of our partnership with seed keepers from the Mohawk community in Akwesasne. Each year the grow-out can be increased as we save seeds. Both seed and food are harvested and return home to the Canary - a community-wide educational and food sharing center in Akwesanse connected to the Akwesasne Freedom School. To learn more click here.
This is our third season growing Sehsapsing Blue Corn in partnership with the Lenape Center. We are continuing to increase the This is our third season growing Sehsapsing Blue Corn in partnership with the Lenape Center. We are continuing to increase the grow-out of this corn, a blue-black Lenape flint corn variety. We hope to harvest enough for both seed and food this year.
View Other Locations
As part of our commitment to soil health, we are developing innovative no-till systems that we hope can be adopted by regional growers. In the summer of 2021, for example, we grew no-till cantoloupe and watermelons. The process involved transplanting melons in June into a rolled and crimped cover crop of oats and peas. The oats and peas were no-till planted in April into a winter killed cover crop of sorghum, cow pea, sunflower, and sunnhemp.
View Other Locations
This area of the farm is seeded in a hay mix selected by ecology and production staff with the conservation of grassland birds in mind. The field is a mix of grasses and clovers that, paired with habitat management, have the potential to support declining grassland breeding birds such as Bobolinks and Meadowlarks. This area was chosen for permanent cover due to its proximity to the creek which makes it prone to flooding and erosion.
View Other Locations
We have been taking 36” deep soil core samples around the farm to find out how much carbon is stored in our soils. By sampling many different locations including production fields, forested areas, and field/forest edges, we hope to see how agriculture impacts soil carbon and if we can manage our production fields to store more of it.
View Other Locations
In 2016 the Native Meadow Trial was established at the Farm Hub, in partnership with the Hawthorne Valley Farmscape Ecology Program and the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. The purpose of the trial is to document the establishment and maintenance of the meadows without the use of herbicides, test the performance of different meadow seed mixes native to northeastern North America on farmland in the Mid-Hudson Region, monitor the development of the plant composition of the seed mixes and fallow fields, and assess the value of the seed mixes for supporting insect biodiversity and beneficial insects. In the meadows, one can see species such as Blackeyed Susan, Lance-leaved Coreopsis and Wild Bergamot.
View Other Locations
This year we are growing 26 acres of pinto beans. Over half will be no-till, planted directly into rolled and crimped rye.
