By: Rene' McCracken, NTCC Director of Agriculture
Normally a headline about getting a new "weed eater" would not be worth mentioning, however the new "weed eaters" at Northeast Texas Community College are not the mechanical kind.†Since coming to NTCC as the director of agriculture in 2012, I had a vision of utilizing more sustainable techniques to manage the natural resources on the farm.†Thanks to a recent donation of some Boer goats, we were able to put into practice one of the techniques that we have been teaching in our new sustainable agriculture certificate and degree program courses.
One of the pond dams on the college farm is difficult for us to maintain due to its proximity to a fence and a tendency to flood.††Now, simply by utilizing some portable fencing, the goats are doing the weeding for us without the held of mechanical equipment.††They leave fertilizer in their wake and are utilizing the weeds as their payment.† This saves†fuel that would have been used, equipment, labor and even provides something nice to look at!
As soon as the goats are done, we will move in the pastured chickens to let them "spread the fertilizer" and control smaller weeds and insects.††These are just examples of the types of techniques that will be taught at the upcoming†Living From the Ground Up†sustainable agriculture seminar on Friday, Nov. 1 at our NTCC Age Complex.††The event?s keynote speaker and sustainable guru, Daniel Salatin from Polyface Farms, will share his family's personal experiences and methods of success in sustainable farming.††Other topics and activities include: farmer?s market and equipment vendors, a goat soap-making demonstration, transforming your farm into a business, and introduction to various farm-friendly organizations and agencies that all are aimed in helping you to become more sustainable.
Don?t miss this opportunity to gain first-hand knowledge of how to incorporate these management practices on your farm or ranch.† If you would like more information contact Rene? at 903-434-8267 or†rmccracken@ntcc.edu.† If you would like to register for the event, contact Lisa York at NTCC Continuing Education by calling 903-434-8134 or email at†lyork@ntcc.edu.
