Research
A Multidisciplinary Approach
We are a leader in independent agricultural and ecological research. Our researchers explore connections between agricultural practices and outcomes on soil health, food quality, and the environment. Additionally, through monitoring, we seek to understand our ecosystems to make informed management decisions. The data collected through our research efforts will be used to support the ideas which Greenacres was founded upon, namely: a generative and sustainable approach to agriculture, environmental stewardship, and educational opportunities for both ourselves and others.
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Our Work
Program
Agriculture
Studying the complicated relationship between food production, nutritional quality, and soil health. The data collected from these studies is intended to inform both producers and consumers about the impact of how we create healthier food and more sustainable farming practices.
Program
Ecology
Preservation is essential to our mission. Monitoring is essential to preservation. We are documenting short and long term indicators of ecosystem health by collecting data on trees, vegetation, invasive species and soil. This data guides us in making informed management decisions.
Program
Saturday Stream Snapshot
Saturday Stream Snapshot (SSS) is our water quality monitoring program that helps protect the health of the Little Miami River watershed. Run by Greenacres, SSS relies on volunteers to collect samples and help run lab tests to create a monthly snapshot of the watershed in its current state. This data is then compiled and compared to other programs in the area.
Research Partners
The Department of Animal Sciences
Center for Native Grasslands Management
Contact Us
Department Director
Chad Bitler
Follow Us
2022 Summer Camp registration opens this Monday (Jan 31st) at 11am. We're looking forward to another amazing summer and can't wait to share the magic of Greenacres with your children.
Heading into a chilly weekend looking forward to sizzling, summer setups in the tent! Simply stunning 😍⠀
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The pace of our slower winter season is already picking up…our first group of hogs for 2022 has arrived! They’ll be here on the farm, foraging under the trees and wallowing in the springtime mud.
With great excitement we just welcomed a late arrival, our final calf of 2021! A true miracle of life, mom will be closely watching over this beautiful bull calf.
Looking back on 2021, we can’t help but be thankful for what the land and animals have given to us. We care deeply about them and their impact on the environment. We wish everybody Happy Holiday’s! 🎄
📷@joshroeder
Earlier this month we mentioned that we use compost as part of our efforts to increase soil health and biodiversity. Our in-vessel compost facility makes this possible and allows us to transform up to 1,000 tons of stable waste, garden waste, and food scraps from our facilities into nutrient dense compost every year!
The Arts Center looked spectacular dressed in the first snow of the season yesterday!
Today is World Soil Day, but when you practice healthy, generative farming everyday is soil day!⠀
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All life depends on the soil so it’s important to protect it and make sure that we put more back into the ground than we take. We accomplish this on our farms with careful land management practices that include beneficial animal grazing practices, incredible composting systems, and letting fields rest in our Ley field rotation.
See the difference in grass colors?
The greener side is what we call stockpiled forage, a management practice that allows pastures to rest and accumulate late summer and fall growth for cattle and other livestock to graze when other forages go dormant. It helps minimize the use of hay feeding.
We're able to take advantage of our tall fescue as it is able to retain its green color and forage nutritive value. It is also a sod forming grass that covers the ground well and is somewhat low temperature resistant making an excellent forage to stockpile for our livestock.