ON-FARM CONSERVATION: RESOURCE INVENTORY CHECKLIST

Transcription

1 ON-FARM CONSERVATION: RESOURCE INVENTORY CHECKLIST American Farmland Trust s Farmland Information Center holds a collection of resources specifically created to help landowners navigate common issues including leasing, on-farm conservation, land transfer and land protection. For more information about on-farm conservation, land transfer and land protection visit The On-Farm Conservation: Resource Inventory Checklist focuses on the farm, the farm operation, and conservation on your farm. It will help you assess both your current operation and future-plans. Answer the questions based on what is happening now on your farm and what you hope will happen in the future. GRASSLAND 1. Do you have grassland on your farm? 2. If you have grassland, how do you use it? (Select as many as apply) Current Future a. Fallow (t in use, naturalized or mown) b. Hay c. Pasture (grazed) d. Same ground is both grazed and cut for hay e. Other: f. g. 3. If you have hay land, what type of hay operation do you have? (Select as many as apply) a. For on-farm use (feeding livestock on property) b. For sale (off-farm use) c. Specialty (square bales for horses, alfalfa) d. Round bales e. For trade (in exchange for use of land, etc.) f. g. Current Future American Farmland Trust Resource Inventory Checklist - 1

2 4. If you have grazed pasture, what type of livestock do you have? (Select as many as apply) Current Future a. Cattle b. Sheep c. Goats d. Horses e. Pigs f. Poultry g. Other: h. i. TRADITIONAL CROPLAND (ex. row crops like corn and soybeans) 1. Do you have traditional cropland on your farm? 2. If you have traditional cropland, what type of crop are you producing? (Select as many as apply) Current Future a. Corn b. Beans c. Wheat d. Other: e. f. 3. If you produce a traditional crop, how do you use it? (Select as many as apply) a. Crops used on farm (ex. corn for feed) b. Crops sold off-farm for profit c. Crops both used on farm and sold off-farm d. Other: e. f. Current Future American Farmland Trust Resource Inventory Checklist - 2

3 SPECIALTY CROPLAND 1. Do you have specialty cropland on your farm? 2. If you have specialty cropland, what specialty crop are you growing? (Select as many as apply) Current Future a. Vegetable Production b. Fruit/Orchard/Berries c. Aquaculture d. Agritourism (ex. pick your own, pumpkin patch, corn maze) e. Silvaculture (ex. manage/plant trees, nursery stock) f. Horticulture (ex. cut flowers, nursery stock) 3. If you have specialty cropland, how do you use your specialty crop? (Select as many as apply) Current Future a. Pick your own b. Off-farm sales (ex. farmer s market, restaurants) c. Crops both picked on farm and sold off farm d. Other: e. f. 4. Is there a market for the specialty crop you produce or what you d like to produce? FARM INFRASTRUCTURE Fencing 1. Do you have adequate boundary fencing? (ex. Does your fencing keep your livestock on your property?) American Farmland Trust Resource Inventory Checklist - 3

4 2. Do you have adequate interior fencing? (ex. Is the farm broken into different fields?) 3. Would you consider using temporary electric fence to maximize rotational grazing? (ex. Would you consider using temporary fence todivide large fields into several smaller fields to be grazed one at a time?) Structures 4. Do you have the farm structures (ex. barns, shade structures, silos, equipment or hay storage) you need for your operation? 5. Are the existing farm structures in good, usable condition? Equipment don t I understand the question 6. Do you have the adequate equipment for your farm operation? American Farmland Trust Resource Inventory Checklist - 4

5 7. If you do not have adequate equipment, would you consider renting it? Water Supply 8. Do you have an adequate water supply for your livestock? 9. Do you have an adequate water supply for your crops? 10. Do you feel your water system could be updated/improved? Human Resources/Labor 11. Do you have adequate labor to operate your farm? 12. If not, do you have a labor force available to you? American Farmland Trust Resource Inventory Checklist - 5

6 Natural Resources 13. Are there water features on your farm? (Select as many as apply) i. ii. iii. iv. Stream Pond Seasonally flowing streams Other: s 14. If you have water features and livestock, do your livestock have access to streams and ponds? 15. Are there environmentally sensitive areas on your farm? (Select as many as apply) Wet Areas Springs Sink Holes Steep Hillsides Special Plants or Trees Other: 16. Are there eroding areas on your farm? (Select as many as apply) Gullies Ditches Exposed Soil Sloughs in Hillsides Streambank Other: American Farmland Trust Resource Inventory Checklist - 6

7 17. Do you have forest on your farm? 18. What type of trees are on your property? 19. How do you use your forest? (Select as many as apply) a. Timber products b. Enjoyment of the forest c. Wildlife habitat d. Shade for livestock e. Hunting (Personal Use) f. Hunt Club Membership g. Recreation h. Other: i. j. 20. Are there areas where you would consider planting trees? Conservation Planning Current Future 21. What are your conservation goals for your property? (Select as many as apply) Wildlife Habitat Erosion Reduction Water Quality Aesthetic Native Species Organic Farming Other: American Farmland Trust Resource Inventory Checklist - 7

8 22. Do you soil test to determine what fertilizer you might need? 23. Do you have a conservation plan? 24. Do you have a nutrient management plan? 25. Do you have any conservation practices on your farm? 26. If you do have conservation practices, were they installed using any government or outside (local or non-profit) funding? 27. Do you know your local conservation agencies? (ex. Farm Service Agency, Department of Forestry, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Soil & Water Conservation District) American Farmland Trust Resource Inventory Checklist - 8

9 28. Do you know your local natural resource professionals at the conservation agencies? This resource was developed by Great Lakes Conservation Connect, a partnership among American Farmland Trust, Utah State University, The IPM Institute of rth America, Cornell Cooperative Extension, and Wood County, Ohio, Soil and Water Conservation District, with support from the Great Lakes Protection Fund. Project partners work with retailers, farmers and landowners to implement agricultural practices that will improve water quality of the Great Lakes. More information about the project can be found at: We are grateful for funding support from the Great Lakes Protection Fund. The Great Lakes Protection Fund provides primary financial support. With additional support provided by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. American Farmland Trust Resource Inventory Checklist - 9 American Farmland Trust Headquarters 1150 Connecticut Ave, Suite 600, Washington D.C