Exploring Connections
Our researchers explore connections between agricultural practices and outcomes on soil health, food quality, and the environment. The data collected through our research efforts helps inform consumers and producers about healthier, more sustainable farming practices andย allows us to make better management decisions.
Our Research
Variation in the Nutritional
Quality of U.S. Grass-fed Beef Supply Chain
There is large variation in beef production practices that can fall under a โgrass-fedโ label claim. To better understand the impact of these varying production practices, 750 samples of beef labeled as “grass-fed” were collected from sub-regions of the United States. Samples were analyzed for nutritional differences to help consumers and ranchers/farmers understand the impact that variations in production practices, season, and other factors may have on the quality of grass-fed products.
When the Green Grass Grows: Seasonal
Variation in the Nutritional Quality of Grass-fed Beef
Unlike the consistent rations that cattle receive in a grain-based system, grass-fed cattle experience seasonal variations in their diet. The variation is based on the growing cycles of the grazed forages. This study investigated how the harvest season can play a role in the nutritional quality of a grass-fed beef product.
Grass-fed Beef Production: Feed
Supplementation and the Drivers of Beef Quality
Feed supplementation allowed under current โgrass-fedโ beef labeling requirements include bailage, soy bean hulls and other non-grain feedstuffs. The purpose of this study is to understand the impact that each type of supplementation has on the overall quality and nutrition of resulting grass-fed beef products. Results will be compared to grass-fed cattle receiving only access to pasture and hay (i.e. beef marketed as โgrass-fed and grass-finishedโ).
Establishing Tallgrass Prairie with
Cattle: Practices, Progress and Pitfalls
Establishing native tallgrass prairie holds many benefits both for the environment and for cattle farmers/ranchers by increasing productivity during hot and dry summer months. Despite the known benefits, many farmers forgo establishing tallgrass prairie due to the perceived challenges associated with the process. This study attempts to address one of the most often cited objections amongst beef producers โ loss of pasture production during the establishment year.
Woodland Health and Preservation
Conservation and preservation are at the heart of the Greenacres mission. Our combined properties have over 600 acres of forests/woodlands. Research projects encompass ecological monitoring, invasive species management and methods to improve forest health. Under the framework of adaptive management, data collected help inform our management decisions.
Agriculture: Livestock and
Crop Production
Greenacres has over 300 acres of pasture land on which it raises livestock and grows vegetables choosing agricultural practices which generate soil health. Research projects encompass pasture monitoring and improvements, effects of integrating livestock into vegetable production systems and nutritional quality of our products.
Food Production Systems and their
Impact on Antimicrobial Resistant Pathogens
Livestock productionโs overuse of antibiotics important in human medicine has been well documented. One of the perceived benefits of regenerative livestock production is natural living conditions which could lead to reduced livestock illness, in turn eliminating prophylactic antibiotic usage and minimal antibiotics for the treatment of illness. This study compares conventional feedlot livestock production systems with regenerative pasture raised livestock systems and their impact on the presence and development of antimicrobial resistant pathogens.
Improved Pasture Resiliency
in Response to Climate Change
Our changing climate is leading to many challenges for the future of food production, including short periods of intense rain followed by extended heat and drought. Pasture diversification provides resilience to these potential impacts of climate change. Native warm-season grasses are a promising option to increase diversity in grazing systems. This project focuses on understanding how warm-season grasses grow and develop in pastures. Results will identify successful management practices for warm-season pastures to promote their use in Ohio.
Regenerative Farming Systems and their
Impact on Food Quality and Human Health
Regenerative agriculture focuses on building health from the ground up through the use of agro-ecological principles (e.g. diversity, livestock integration, increased plant cover, etc); however, little is known about how these practices impact human health outcomes. The purpose of this project is to test the hypothesis that consuming foods produced using โregenerativeโ practices improves consumer health compared to consuming similar foods from conventional or hydroponic farming systems.
Metrics, Management and Monitoring: an Investigation
of Pasture and Rangeland Soil Health and Its Drivers
Degradation of agricultural soils is well documented. Rising aridity and extreme rain events are projected to worsen, leading to increased adversity for the future of food production. Concurrently, agricultural industries and food suppliers are tasked with reducing supply-side greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. To achieve these goals, improving on-farm water cycling and soil health (and subsequent carbon storage) combined with reduced agricultural inputs are necessary. Achieving these management goals requires an approach that accurately measures productivity, carbon flux and the water cycle โ at scale and in real time. The purpose of this study is to identify practices that link landscape health to personal well-being, educate and incentivize land managers to adopt them, while simultaneously measuring physical and socio-economic changes accurately, and at scale.
Research Updates
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Department Director
Chad Bitler
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Echinacea, the sweetest ewe in our flock, gave birth to triplet lambs over the weekend!Lamb triplets are fairly rare and this is the first time itโs happened at Greenacres.
Ewes only have 2 teats, making it hard for a momma to feed 3 at once. Thankfully another ewe who had a single baby is also feeding one of the triplets. The livestock team will keep a close eye on all three to make sure everyone gets enough to eat.
It was an all-hands effort to plant brassicas in our Ley field at the start of May! The beds had been resting under a thick tarp for a few weeks, which terminated last yearโs cover crop and helped warm the soil. We added several inches of compost from our onsite compost facility, and gently worked it into the top few inches of soil with a power harrow. Our brassica seedlings are now happily growing - look for this broccolini, cabbage, kohlrabi and kale to be in our farmstore later this season!
Our โAsk a Farmerโ plant and flower sale event is this Saturday 9-1 at our Farmstore! We have veggie, herb and flower plants, and gorgeous cut flower bouquets for Mom. Our garden staff will be on hand to answer questions! All our plants and flowers are grown from seed on our farm, following organic practices. ๐ฑ๐ธ
Ohio Native Plant Month is almost over, but we're still appreciating the plants that make our region beautiful!
We're quite fond of Northern Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) as it is a great understory shrub that can be used to replace invasive honeysuckle. They produce red berries in the fall that are a great food source for migrating song birds.
Earth Day is about celebrating and acknowledging every creature and the habitats they call home. Our staff lives this mentality. Earlier this month, our Research Assistant Chad, found a spotted salamander egg mass while working in our wetland.. a sign of clean, healthy water.
The state amphibian of Ohio, spotted salamanders lay up to 100 eggs in a jelly-like clump in a pool of water. The eggs hatch in a month or so, and the juvenile salamanders live in the water for several months before losing their gills and moving onto land. Amphibians like salamanders need clean water to reproduce, another reason we work hard to protect and monitor our waterways. Happy Earth Day! ๐
๐ธ@philipchad
The Grand Tent is up and we are ready for the start of a busy 2022 event season. Looking forward to hosting you at the Arts Center soon!
@alleen_company
Students from Oyler School visited our Indian Hill location recently - this class had the opportunity to observe our routine cattle vaccinations and they were able to touch the side of one of our bulls. This kind of hands-on education happens all year round here at Greenacres - if your class or homeschool group would like to learn more about our educational programming visit our website to learn more.
The tomato plants in our new greenhouse expansion are almost as tall as Nate! The garden team is experimenting with best practices in LED lighting, beneficial insects, and soil biology to grow tomatoes outside their typical season in Ohio. Fruiting plants are complex, needing different wavelengths of light at different stages to grow foliage, flower, and fruit successfully - and each step of the process can impact fruit flavor. ๐