On this tour, we will demonstrate and discuss the carbon sequestration and storage potential through intensive land management strategies, including management intensive grazing and biochar production. Paul May of May Farm will demonstrate biochar pyrolysis using a high-efficiency kiln. Misty Acres farm manager Samantha Griffin will discuss livestock management and adjacent conservation management of natural areas on the property.
More about the tour location and presenters:
Misty Acres farm was donated to the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy as a bequest from the estate of Naomi Borwell. It was Mrs. Borwell’s ardent wish that the property be protected for all time and that it be enjoyed as a nature preserve and educational farm. Farm management practices at Misty Acres highlight the opportunities for agricultural activities to serve as an essential and beneficial form of land stewardship, which can restore and diversify ecosystems - especially management-intensive grazing of cattle. Sam Griffin farms at Misty Acres with the goal of naturally augmenting the biological productivity of the ecosystem through careful land management. The GTRLC goal for the property is to yield a positive impact on the environment and trial synergistic solutions to Climate change through agriculture practices.
Paul May is one of NW Michigan’s most attentive regenerators of the soil. He’s a fiercely dedicated “grass farmer” with the assistance of a herd of cattle whom he manages in a holistic planned grazing process on the land he farms in Benzie County. Paul is a soil steward committed to sharing promising practices for regenerative land management with neighbors and fellow farmers. He educates about home and farm-scale biochar production and participates in the great lakes biochar network.
Concept Definitions:
Management-intensive Grazing (MIG) refers to several grazing systems wherein animals are allowed to graze only a small portion of the pasture (an individual paddock) while other paddocks are rested and allowed to recover. (https://sustainagga.caes.uga.edu/systems/management-intensive-grazing.html)
“Biochar is fine-grained charcoal made by pyrolysis, the process of heating biomass (wood, manure, crop residues, solid waste, etc.) with limited to no oxygen in a specially designed furnace capturing all emissions, gases, and oils for reuse as energy. Biochar has been used in agriculture for more than 2,500 years and is becoming increasingly popular in modern agriculture and horticulture as a safe, sustainable soil amendment.” (https://biochar-us.org/biochar-introduction)
Holistic Planned Grazing is a planning process for dealing with the great complexity livestock managers face daily in integrating livestock production with crop, wildlife, and forest production. (https://savory.global/holistic-planned-grazing/)
Directions:
The address to Misty Acres farm is 11593 N. Countyline Rd Benzonia, MI 49616 ( google map directions). The farm entrance is about a mile west of a "Misty Acres" trail parking lot, on the south side of the road. When you arrive, please pull into a green set of gates and then take the first drive to the right and park under the visitor parking sign.
Accessibility:
This tour is held on natural landscape without accessibility improvements. Be prepared to move across rough and uneven terrain, and wear sturdy closed-toe shoes. Please contact Program Coordinator, Daniel to discuss conditions and accommodations specific to this tour (call 231-622-5252or email daniel@crosshatch.org). Young adults are welcome. Children are welcome too, if a responsible adult is supervising them at all times.