News Archives - Page 5 of 10 - Greenacres Foundation

02 Feb 2023

News Peter Wheeler 0 comment

Silo Removal at Michaela Farm

Silo Removal at Michaela Farm

The blue silos behind the Michaela Farm barn building are being removed and recycled for the safety of employees and visitors. These silos were not part of the original construction of the barn, and they have reached the end of their functional life span because of their age and condition. Greenacres respects and appreciates the historic nature of the barn and is working to preserve this important piece of the farm for future generations.

“We carefully inspected these structures and determined the best course of action would be to remove them as they were showing signs of their age. They served their intended purpose for several decades, but as Greenacres transitions the property towards its focus on education, we want to ensure that the environment is as safe as possible for everyone. We are working with an Indiana contractor specializing in the safe and clean removal of these structures. We expect the project to be completed before the end of February 2023.”

Alex Saurber, Director of Buildings & Grounds

There are several ways old silos can be dismantled. Greenacres wanted to ensure that the historic barn building was not at risk throughout the process. The contractor who will remove the silos specializes in a method removing them from the bottom up. Although more time-consuming, there is no risk of unintended damage to surrounding structures. The recyclable materials will be sorted and sent to the appropriate facilities for reuse.

The deconstruction method we will use is very similar to a popular silo construction method in which a contractor builds a section and uses jacks to lift it to make room for the next section underneath. Each layer is added below the previous section. Deconstruction reverses this process by lifting the silo off the ground and removing the lowest section. One the ring is completely removed they lower the jacks and remove the next section and continue this process until the silo is completely dismantled. Very few contractors use this method to remove silos, instead preferring a quicker method of dropping them like a tree. Due to the potential danger to the surrounding historical buildings, we didn’t feel this option was viable. We spent a number of weeks finding a contractor who specialized in our preferred method and they will begin deconstruction on February 27th.

22 Dec 2022

News, Research Leonore Salvado 0 comment

Ecology and Environment Research Grants

Greenacres researchers setting up plots to measure invasive species.

Research Grants Available

Supporting Ecology and the Environment

A Cincinnati based non-profit, Greenacres Foundation, is awarding up to $200,000 in grants for research focused on ecology and the environment. The foundation was established in 1988 with the intent of preserving the land for the education and enjoyment of future generations.

Greenacres Foundation seeks proposals for research that addresses one or more of the following outcomes:

Improved practices in woodland restoration and/or preservation
Improved invasive species mitigation and management
Improved forest ecosystem health
Improved practices in prairie establishment and prairie ecosystem health

Qualified organizations have through January 13th, 2023 to submit their letters of intent for this year’s grant cycle.

Applicants must have an interest in sharing knowledge about what they learn with land owners and land managers. Translational research projects that include both researchers and practitioners will be prioritized. Projects are expected to be completed within 48 months of funding date.

For more information please visit, https://green-acres.org/research/ecology-and-environment-research-grants/ or email research@green-acres.org

24 Oct 2022

Featured, News Leonore Salvado 0 comment

Around Greenacres – Fall 2022

Around Greenacres - Fall 2022

Raising Better Turkeys

Our livestock team is always looking for ways to improve the quality of life for the animals we raise at Greenacres. Whether it’s shade structures for our cattle or improved chicken tractors for our broilers, no detail large or small is overlooked in the process. Although turkeys are only on our farm for a short period of time, we treat them with the same care and respect that we give to all of our animals. Every year after Thanksgiving, our team sits down and reviews what we can do to improve our ability to raise turkeys. “Our turkeys have always had access to clean water, fresh pastures, and the safety of our poultry tractors, but we were overlooking their natural instinct to want to roost,” says our Livestock Manager, Leevi Stump. Two years ago, we looked at our options and decided we could come up with a solution to this challenge using resources we had on the farm. The livestock team partnered with some of the master welders on our estate crew and designed a custom roosting system. This was the second year using these roosts and they have significantly improved the quality of life for our turkeys.

During their first weeks at Greenacres, our turkeys have access to pasture, but are confined to the poultry tractors for their safety. Our livestock team moves the tractors daily to ensure the turkeys always have access to fresh pasture. Once the turkeys are large enough, the poultry tractors doors are opened and the turkeys are given access to fresh open pasture along with the roosting facilities. “These roosting structures have gone a long way in making our turkeys more comfortable” says Stump, “it’s helping protect them from ground predators and lets them exercise that natural instinct to be in trees.” These structures have improved our final turkey harvest weights and we are optimistic that they will continue to have a positive impact.

turkeys on green pasture with three turkeys on wooden and sheet-metal roosting structure

“Our turkeys have always had access to clean water, fresh pastures, and the safety of our poultry tractors, but we were overlooking their natural instinct to want to roost. These new roosting structures are going a long way to making our turkeys more comfortable. It’s helping protect them from ground predators and lets them exercise that natural instinct to be in trees.”

-Leevi Stump, Livestock Manager

Education Center Coming Soon to Michaela Farm

A new education facility is coming soon to Greenacres Michaela Farms in Oldenburg, Indiana. The building is scheduled for completion in 2023. Our Director of Buildings and Grounds, Alex Saurber, tells us, “this new facility will be a replica of our Lewis Township education building with a few upgrades including a 70,000 gallon cistern and a gray-water system. Just like our Lewis Township classroom, this new building will be equipped with an abundance of green features including geothermal heating and cooling as well as automated solar tubes. We look forward to breaking ground soon!“.

Until then, any school or homeschool group is welcome to register their interest in field trip programs. Parents, teachers, and school administrators are encouraged to reach out to bring your students here for a field trip .All programming is customized to your specific needs. To learn more, contact Katie Brown at kbrown@green-acres.org or call (513) 898-3262.

Rendering of an white, green, and stone education building

“This new facility will be a replica of our Lewis Township education building with a few upgrades including a 70,000 gallon cistern and a gray-water system. Just like our Lewis Township classroom, this new building will be equipped with an abundance of green features including geothermal heating and cooling as well as automated solar tubes. We look forward to breaking ground soon!“

-Alex Saurber, Buildings and Grounds Director

Native Grasslands

Preserving the integrity of farmland is a key part of Greenacres’ mission. One way this is achieved is by strategically using livestock to manage our pastures. For example, the cattle are put into smaller sections in the pastures and moved frequently. This allows for a more even distribution of the manure and reduces over grazing. To ensure our practices are in line with our mission, the Research Team routinely monitors the pastures for key ecological indicators (i.e. plant and soil health, bare ground, insects and other invertebrates, and water infiltration). Monitoring takes place annually using a scorecard and a quick walkthrough, and every five years a more intensive protocol is used to measure long term changes. Combined, these parameters provide insight into pasture health. The information is then presented to the livestock team to guide future management of the land and animals.

“Monitoring our pastures is a crucial part of land management. The data collected show how past management has affected pasture health, but also allows the livestock team to adapt their strategies to continuously generate healthy soils and ecosystems,” says Senior Research Assistant and Pasture Monitoring Coordinator Chad Gibson

three research employees in pasture, collecting samples

“Monitoring our pastures is a crucial part of land management. The data collected show how past management has affected pasture health, but also allows the livestock team to adapt their strategies to continuously generate healthy soils and ecosystems.”

-Chad Gibson, Senior Research Assistant and Pasture Monitoring Coordinator

Celebration Concert

In September, our events team hosted the annual Celebration Concert. The Celebration Concert started as a way to celebrate Mrs. Louise Nippert’s birthday, and is the one time a year that the Cincinnati Ballet, Orchestra, May Festival, and Opera all perform together. Over the years, the event has grown and this magical performance night is a beautiful way to remember Mrs. Nippert and her legacy. The two mornings preceding the event, school groups, including students from the Saint Rita School for the Deaf, were invited to Greenacres to experience the performing arts first hand. “Looking around the room, there were so many smiling faces, beaming with joy! It’s so nice to know that Mrs. Nippert’s love of children and the performing arts lives on, especially through experiences like these.”

grand tent with music concert inside during twilight hour

“Looking around the room, there were so many smiling faces, beaming with joy! It’s so nice to know that Mrs. Nippert’s love of children and the performing arts lives on, especially through experiences like these.”

-Meredith Leslie, Executive Director

A Taste of Summer

For the last three seasons, our Garden team has planted a plot of paste tomatoes in our Ley Field, which provide an amazing visual asset for our agriculture education programs and summer camp participants. When the tomatoes are finished growing they become the primary ingredient for marinara sauce. The marinara sauce has a very simple ingredient list, and preserves fresh, peak-season tomato flavor. The practices we follow in the Ley Field ensure healthy soil, healthy plants and top-quality tomatoes – click here to learn more about our Ley Field.

Shortly after harvest, we clean and freeze the tomatoes at their peak of ripeness, storing them frozen at -15º until we have gathered the full harvest for the season. We also clean and freeze our own garlic and onions, allowing us to utilize root vegetables that may not be perfect for Farm Store sales, but will make a delicious sauce.

Once all our ingredients are gathered, we transport them to KHI Food Brands in Burlington, KY. KHI is a “value-added food producer” who started their small business in order to help local farmers capture their harvests into shelf-stable retail products. They use our recipe to cook the sauce in their 500 gallon kettle, then hot-fill the jars on their automated packing line. Our in-house designed labels are the finishing touch. We’re proud to be able to offer you this delicious reminder of summer, all year long!

Fall Equine Lessons

Our equine department has completed another busy Fall Session. Our students have enjoyed utilizing the new cross country jumps and new show jump course throughout the session. We enroll riders between the ages of 8-18. Our lessons are English only with a focus in Eventing. We still have an active waitlist, so if you are interested in enrolling your children in the lesson program we invite you to join our waitlist.

Four young riders on horseback looking out onto jump field

School Horse Spotlight

Moose and Dozer — Pictured here are Moose (left) and Dozer (right), two of our lesson horses.

Moose is a 13-year-old bay Quarter Horse who is very playful and loves to play with his Jolly Ball in his stall. He primarily teaches the walk/trot students, but will sometimes teach the intro to canter students. His favorite part of the day is being groomed by all of the students. His friend Dozer is a 19-year-old gray Percheron Cross. He is our gentle giant as he is the biggest in the barn standing at 16.3 hands. He is learning to enjoy jumping, but primarily teaches the lower level walk/trot- walk/trot/canter classes. Dozer loves being fed treats from the equine staff and students. His favorite treats are apples and carrots.

03 Oct 2022

News, Research Leonore Salvado 0 comment

Metabolomics Research Project

Researchers exploring the impact of regenerative farming systems on food quality and human health

As new data has come out suggesting that plant-based meat substitutes are worse for gut-health, our research team has been busy conducting ground-breaking nutritional research with Utah State University in the hopes of better understanding the connections between farming practices, diet, and human health. The team is specifically focusing on an area of nutrition known as food metabolomics, which is the study of metabolites.

Metabolites are endogenous compounds such as amino acids, lipids, sugars, organic acids, etc., found within an organism. These compounds can transfer from soil to plants and also to the animals that eat these plants. Until now, there has been limited research into what then transfers to the human consumers of these various products. With this research we are hoping to gain new insight into the quantities of metabolites that are able to transfer during each phase, and the effect different farming practices have on this amount. It will provide evidence as to how agro-ecological farming practices directly affect human health.

Our researchers are collaborating with Utah State’s Dr. Stephan Van Vliet who has done previous research on metabolites. His early work has indicated that agro-ecological farming practices do increase health-promoting phytochemicals in meat. Now, we want to know if these phytochemicals transfer to humans through meat, produce, and dairy and if they help promote overall health.

researchers collecting soil samples in gardens

“Regenerative farming has potential benefits for soil health and biodiversity above and below ground. Despite promising environmental benefits, it is currently not known if producing food regeneratively also has a benefit for consumers. We hope to find how regenerative vs. conventional farming systems impact the nutrient density of food and biomarkers of human health. This work uses a novel metabolomics analysis to look at 500 compounds in foods and their potential transfer to human metabolism; an approach best described as being from farm to table to us.”

Dr. Stephan Van Vliet, Utah State University

During this two-year study, a registered dietitian has come up with a 7-week meal plan for the participants. These participants are moderately healthy adults between the ages of 30-60. For nearly two months, participants are fed foods produced using regenerative farming methods, including meat, eggs, and produce grown at Greenacres that the team ships out weekly. The participants are then fed the same 7-week meal plan, but with ingredients that come from conventional farming practices. During both phases of the diet, markers of inflammation, oxidative stress, gut microbial diversity, and circulating metabolomes are monitored and compared.

“Despite potential major ecological benefits, we lack critical knowledge regarding the benefits of food consumed from regenerative farming systems to human health. To address this question, Greenacres Foundation is partnering with Dr. Stephan Van Vliet and Utah State University to investigate the impact that agricultural production practices have on crop and animal nutrients and ultimately the health of humans.”

Jennifer Mansfield, Greenacres Research Specialist

We are also providing the Utah State team with soil, forage, and fecal samples to better understand how the nutrients transfer from soil to forage to animal to human.

For questions about this research please send inquiries to mail@green-acres.org

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