Berea College Field Crops and Livestock Support

Website: www.berea.edu/anr/collegefarms.asp

This grower has a photo album.

Berea College Field Crops and Livestock Support team is currently managed by students Jake Scott and William Nicely under the direction of Dr. Mike Panciera,Clarence M. Clark Chair of Mountain Agriculture; Associate Professor of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

The Berea College Farm is approximately 600 acres, of which 400 are used for crops and pasture. The balance is in buildings, roads, and forest. The Crops Team grows 200 acres of crops (corn, soybeans, wheat, rye, alfalfa, and grass). The team manages the agronomic aspects of production on 200 acres of pasture, including soil fertility, overseeding with legumes, occasional hay harvest, and reseeding grasses. Pastures are primarily fescue-clover mixtures, but we also have some native grass (Eastern gamagrass).

Soil conservation is a major emphasis of the management. We use minimum and no-till production practices to limit erosion and we use crop rotations to improve soil structure and tilth. Annual tests are done to assess soil fertility on pastures and cropland. We grow hybrid corn, but we avoid GMO varieties.

The Crops Team is responsible for vehicle, tractor, and equipment maintenance for the whole farm. We also produce the majority of feed needed for the hogs (corn and some wheat), cattle (hay and silage), and sheep & goats (hay). We do sell a small amount of the crops we produce: soybeans, hay, and straw.