Iowa Farmer Invents 'Cluster Cluck 5000' To Bring Livestock Back To Crop Fields

dbCooper

"His experiment has three goals: improve soil for better crops, direct-market meat to customers, and revitalize rural communities."

Lofty goals that seem worthwhile to me.  As noted in the article, this is no overnight solution and many smaller ag operators are forced by economics to focus on this years bottom line. 

Those interested can read more here:

http://netnebraska.org/article/news/1240852/iowa-farmer-invents-cluster-cluck-5000-bring-livestock-back-crop-fields

Photo Egg

Very interesting. I hope it pans out and is viable for others to try.

Gulfcoastguy

Take away the solar panels and technology and this is the way farming was for thousands of years. Crops were rotated and every year one third of crop lands were laid fallow. That means that no crops were planted on them and livestock was allowed to graze on and defecate on the land. Tractors pulled special harrows to help break up and scatter the cow pies in more recent days. I also remember picking the corn and then opening the gate so the cows could come in and eat leaves, stalks, and discarded bug eaten ears. It worked fine until agribusiness started planting the same crop, usually corn, in the same location every year and depending on pesticides, herbicides, and chemical fertilizers to make a crop.