Beacon Springs Farm Achieves 3rd Verification
By Nick Machinski, MAEAP Technician
Wildflowers from earlier this year at Beacon Springs Farm
Tom and Marti Burbeck’s Beacon Springs Farm was recently verified in the MAEAP program. If you feel like you heard that before, that is because it was only in August that Tom and Marti were featured for becoming verified in their Farmstead and Cropping systems. This time around, Beacon Springs Farm became verified in the Forest, Wetland and Habitat system.
The Habitat system for MAEAP involves taking care of non-crop land and fostering wildlife. The main component of the system involves getting a Land Management Plan completed. Land Management Plans document the current site conditions, layout the landowner’s goals and discuss how the land will be managed to achieve those goals. These plans contain other items such as maps, inventories of plants/wildlife, planting suggestions, contractor list and much more.
Beacons Springs Farm has 28ac of habitat. A small wetland is on site fed by underground seepage and a seasonal creek. Large trees are in the former fence rows, while the older farm fields are in succession. Wildflowers can be seen from the spring and well into the fall. It was a beautiful day for the verification despite, many of the leaves having already fallen from the trees.
After decades of continuous tillage with little environmental practices, prior to Tom and Marti buying the property, it is anticipated that the old farm fields are devoid of many nutrients and carbon. To add more organic matter to the soil and rebuild the soil structure, Beacon Springs Farm intends to introduce livestock to the property in the next few years. Livestock will add nutrients and organic matter through their manure while a well-managed pasture will increase the porosity of the soil over time.
With the introduction of livestock expect to see Beacon Springs Farm in this newsletter down the road with yet another verification.
The Habitat system for MAEAP involves taking care of non-crop land and fostering wildlife. The main component of the system involves getting a Land Management Plan completed. Land Management Plans document the current site conditions, layout the landowner’s goals and discuss how the land will be managed to achieve those goals. These plans contain other items such as maps, inventories of plants/wildlife, planting suggestions, contractor list and much more.
Beacons Springs Farm has 28ac of habitat. A small wetland is on site fed by underground seepage and a seasonal creek. Large trees are in the former fence rows, while the older farm fields are in succession. Wildflowers can be seen from the spring and well into the fall. It was a beautiful day for the verification despite, many of the leaves having already fallen from the trees.
After decades of continuous tillage with little environmental practices, prior to Tom and Marti buying the property, it is anticipated that the old farm fields are devoid of many nutrients and carbon. To add more organic matter to the soil and rebuild the soil structure, Beacon Springs Farm intends to introduce livestock to the property in the next few years. Livestock will add nutrients and organic matter through their manure while a well-managed pasture will increase the porosity of the soil over time.
With the introduction of livestock expect to see Beacon Springs Farm in this newsletter down the road with yet another verification.
