Conservation practices
Through careful nutrient management, rotational grazing, and protected waterways, our farm keeps a continuous cycle going from soil to pasture to table.
Protecting waterways
Every stream on our farm has a riparian buffer, a vegetative strip of native plants and trees left uncut along the bank, that filters runoff before it reaches the water. Our barnyard is cemented and our laneways are graveled so that cattle traffic doesn't churn up mud and send it downhill. Throughout the farm our cows are fenced out of waterways and have designated, protected stream crossings. Slowing, spreading, and sinking water into the ground here on the farm benefits everyone downstream from us.
Manure & Nutrient Management
Our manure pit is covered, and everything that comes out of it goes back onto the fields on a schedule tied to regular soil and manure testing—never more than the ground can use. It's part of the same continuous nutrient cycle that feeds our pastures and, eventually, shows up in the flavor of our milk, yogurt, and cheese.
Sweet Rowen Farmstead partners with federal and local conservation agencies to help implement these practices. Our covered manure storage was installed with USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Orleans County Natural Resources Conservation District supports regular soil sampling.
Graywater Irrigation
We recycle about 400,000 gallons of gray water back onto our fields every year, using an irrigation pond and an automated pump system that runs on just 30 gallons of fuel annually. It's an efficient way to keep our pastures watered without waste.
Sweet Rowen Farmstead participates in the “Marketing Conservation Program," led by the Orleans County Natural Resources Conservation District and funded by the Agricultural Clean Water Initiative Program. The Marketing Conservation Program bridges agricultural stewardship and public awareness. By highlighting the daily conservation efforts of local farms, this initiative demonstrates how farm management practices protect water quality and farm viability.
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