Please join us (Claudia Knab-Vispo and Conrad Vispo, Hawthorne Valley Farmscape Ecology Program; Anne Bloomfield, Farmscape Ecology Coordinator, Hudson Valley Farm Hub; Erin Allen, SUNY-Albany and Hawthorne Valley Farmscape Ecology Program) for a Twilight Meeting at the Hudson Valley Farm Hub (1875 Hurley Mountain Road, Hurley NY 12443) for a demonstration of native meadows established without the use of herbicides on former corn fields.
USDA/NRCS in conjunction with the Xerces Society (a national invertebrate conservation organization) has been promoting and helping to fund the creation of on-farm habitat for beneficial insects. Few of those projects have yet to get started in the Hudson Valley. The Farmscape Ecology team at the Farm Hub in collaboration with the Xerces Society is conducting a research trial with two potential seed mixes for regional application.
In 2017, the Farm Hub established three trial plots with the goal to understand what native meadow seed mixes and management system used in erosion-prone areas can produce quality habitat for beneficial insects and grassland birds in our region.
We will share our experience thus far in terms of planning (with help from Xerces Society), choice of species, the field work undertaken to establish and manage the plots without the help of herbicides over two seasons. We will also explore evidence that the plots are providing habitat for pollinators, pest predators and other wildlife on the farm.
This meeting is for farmers, landscapers, land managers, homeowners and others interested in how open or underutilized space can be planted and managed to create beneficial habitat.
Pre-registration is strongly encouraged, though walks-ins are also permitted. To register, please call John Murphy (845) 331-1187 or email reception@hvfarmhub.org .
This event will take place in the field, so please dress appropriately. Transport will be provided from the parking area to the native meadow plots. Rain date is Monday, September 24th.
Click here to learn more about the Native Meadow Trial.