Native Meadow Twilight Meeting at the Hudson Valley Farm Hub
One area of research at the Farm Hub is the establishment and monitoring of on-farm habitats. The goal of this work is to study these on-farm habitats in order to better understand their roles on agricultural land for both wildlife conservation and providing habitat for beneficials that might provide services to crops. In the spring of 2017, in partnership with the Hawthorne Valley Farmscape Ecology Program and the Xerces Society, we established the native meadow trial on former cornfields. These fields had been taken out of tillage because of their exposure to infrequent but severe flooding. The overall objective is to understand what seed mixes and management systems can produce good habitat for beneficials and other wildlife.
Now in its fourth year, we have a lot to share with you about what we have learned. We will share our experience with planning —with help from The Xerces Society—choice of species, and the fieldwork undertaken to establish and manage the plots without the help of herbicides over four seasons. We will describe how the plant composition in the meadows continues to evolve and share our insights into the use of different meadows by pollinators, pest predators, and other wildlife on the farm.
Speakers:
Claudia Knab-Vispo, Botanist, Hawthorne Valley Farmscape Ecology Program
Conrad Vispo, Wildlife Ecologist, Hawthorne Valley Farmscape Ecology Program
Anne Bloomfield, Applied Farmscape Ecology Program Manager, Hudson Valley Farm Hub
Due to COVID-19 , we ask you to please:
- Self-screen your health and don’t come if you or somebody in your household experiences COVID-19 symptoms, if you know that you or anybody in your household has been exposed to somebody with COVID-19, or if you or anybody in your household has recently traveled to a location where there are travel restrictions
- Bring a mask to wear and be prepared to practice physical distancing
- Do not bring children to this event
- Leave your dogs at home
- Please arrive on-time. The hay wagons are the only transportation and we will leave promptly
As a precaution, we will keep a log of the visitors in case contact tracing becomes necessary. A porta potty and wash station will be available. This event will take place in the field, so please dress appropriately and plan to arrive on time. Transportation will be provided from the parking lot to the native meadow plots using sanitized hay wagons with a reduced capacity.
This event is free. Registration is required and space is limited to 20 participants.
About The Hudson Valley Farm Hub
The Hudson Valley Farm Hub is a non-profit center for resilient agriculture located on 1,500 acres of prime farmland in Hurley, NY. We provide professional farmer training, host and support agricultural research, demonstrate new farm technologies, and serve as an educational resource for advances in food and farming.