In our research over the past 15 years, a number of other opportunities have emerged but have been beyond our capacities to respond. Many parcels of land in our region are relatively unproductive and often under ineffective or no management at all. In the demonstrations administered jointly by Grayson LandCare and the Virginia Tech College of Agriculture & Life Sciences on multiple sites, soils became more productive and profits increase per acre when forage was appropriately managed. Under the direction of Danny Boyer, the BRPI continues these demonstrations with increasing understanding of continual improvements in land productivity with improved soils and healthier animals.
Over the past several years, the BRPI has been approached concerning assuming the management of lands when owners are not available or incapable of carrying out the necessary activities. Depending on the desires of current landowners or designate, land can be placed under contract for the time required to begin producing crops for existing market demands. The landowner or a designate can be trained in ongoing management and production or the BRPI will continue providing management services (meeting nationally and internationally recognized certification standards). The marketing service (local branding) will continue irrespective of management changes and recover investment and operations costs.
Required is the development of a management team including on-farm management plus evaluation of the natural resource base, creation of whole farm plans including business plans, and continual monitoring of the responses of animals and crops and financial accounting of results. Initially, the first managers will be trained on the BRPI on-going farm demonstrations. Until the team matures, consultants will be hired to evaluate the farms pending management contracts and creating management plans. As increasing acreage comes under management, a permanent evaluation and planning team will be formed.
As farms become environmentally viable and financially profitable, the recruiting and training of apprentice farmers in best practices of whole farm planning and sustainable agriculture become practical.
The BRPI is prepared to provide proposals for funding to create the initial team.
