Grazing Program
The District is in partnership with the Chemung County SWCD and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) on the Schuyler/Chemung Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative (GLCI). The purpose of the program is to ensure that technical, educational, and related assistance is provided to those who own private grazing lands.
NRCS provides funding for the initiative and the Schuyler County SWCD oversees and implements it, primarily through the services of a Grazing Specialist who helps landowners to improve grazing land management.
Improved grasslands: help protect soil from erosive wind and water, conserve water, use more energy efficient ways to produce food and fiber, provide habitat for wildlife, sustain forage and grazing plants, use plants to sequester greenhouse gases and increase soil organic matter and are a possible source of biomass energy and raw materials for industrial products.
The two counties have been focusing efforts on informing producers about the benefits of Prescribed Grazing Management (PGM) and providing the technical and financial assistance to get such systems installed. PGM is the controlled harvest of vegetation with grazing or browsing animals managed with the intent to achieve planned objectives. These objectives include animal production and health as well as maintaining a healthy and productive plant community, benefiting both livestock and the environment.
Grant funds from various sources, including the Finger Lakes RC & D Council, have been used to help cost share improved watering systems, livestock crossings, fencing, and pasture improvement for new intensive grazing systems. Riparian and wildlife habitat buffers are included in many of the new grazing systems to further improve and enhance the natural resource benefits. From 2000 to 2005, 30 new grazing systems have been installed in Schuyler County and 20 have been installed in Chemung County using various cost share funding sources.
Grazing Land Conservation Initiative
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