Enhancing the Rustic Alternative: A Permaculture Vision
Table of Contents 1. Overview & Goals 2. Context & Existing Conditions 3. Soils 4. Natural Vegetation & Ecoregion 5. Existing Access and Circulation 6. Farmland Zones of Use 7. Design Concept 8. Technigue Spotlight: Hugelkultur 9. Technique Spotlight: Sheet Mulching 10. Technique Spotlight: Coppice 11-13. Techinque Spotlight: integrating Animals 14. Rainwater Harvesting and Wastewater Treatment Plans 15. Ponds, Keyline Design and Methane Digestors 16.. Social Resources 17. Value Added Events 18.. Farm Based Micro-Enterprises 19-20. Phase 1 Implementation (1-3 years) 21. Summary Racebrook and the adjacent stone wall provide clues to historical land-use patterns
Overview and Goals Race Brook Lodge is a 30-room Bed & Breakfast, restaurant and retreat center spread over 7 buildings on 5 acres at the foot of the Taconic Range in Sheffield MA. The principle structures at RBL are two hundred-year-old “post and beam” barns and one old stagecoach station which now houses the restaurant and bar. While the lodge caters to a discerning clientele and competes with some of the finest hotels in the Berkshires, it promotes itself as a “rustic alternative” and the rooms do not have some modern luxuries (or distractions) such as telephones and televisions. From the lodge, a hiking trail runs directly along the Race brook, past Race falls, up to the top of Mt. Race where it connects with the Appalachian trail, making Race Brook Lodge an ideal destination for outdoor enthusiasts. Many other nearby sites offer great hiking, biking and historic sight-seeing locations. This, along with all the great cultural and artistic attractions in the Berkshires add to the draw for weekend tourists coming from New York, Boston and other places.
Goals of this document 1. Clarify and illustrate Racebrooks goals and solutions 2. Site Racebrooks agricultural elements and explain specific techniques 3. Communicate these updates in a readable planset 4. Identify “low hanging fruit” and outline a path for future design implementation
Race Brook Lodge is also an ideal place for weddings, small conferences, corporate gettaways, educational workshops and health or wellness retreats. The 2000 Square-foot “Barnspace” is a 200-year old barn that was disassembled from its original location in upstate New York It was put back together on the Race Brook property with some new flourishes by architect David Rothstein, to make it a truly unique and exquisitely functional event space, while still maintaining its rustic rural heritage.
Goals for the site Race Brook Lodge is ambitiously investing in strategies and techniques for creating a more sustainable and environmentally responsible operation. Planned projects include a new green septic system, possibly using “living machine” technology, a greenhouse and a small farm to grow food for the restaurant, and a system to heat the buildings and run the vehicles using the leftover vegetable oil from the restaurant. They also see the possibility of increasing their reputation as a unique destination resort by incorporating the most progressive “green” and permaculture solutions in an integrated way that enhances guests’ experiences. In this way the lodge functions as a place of education for some of these practices. 1. Racebrook operates in harmony with the surrounding ecosystem 2.Racebrook owners, staff, visitors and guests interact deeply and connect with their natural surroundings a. Offer healing retreats, workshops and courses b. Agriculture practices are integrated and a featured part of the landscape 3. Racebrook is a model of regenerative practices and leads by example to catalyze positive social and ecological healing. a. Solutions are easily recognizable and scalable to our guests
Hand drawn map of the property courtesy of Race Brook Lodge
Context and Existing Conditions Landform
Climate and Ecoregion for Sheffield
The Race brook lodge is bordered to the west by Mount Washington State Forest which contains Mount Everett and Mount Race. At 2,602 ft, Mount Everett- is the highest peak in the south Taconic Mountains of Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York. The mountain is known for its expansive views of the southern Taconics and Berkshires; for its fragile ecosystem of old growth pitch pine and scrub oak; for the Appalachian Trail’s steep north-south traverse of its shoulders and summit grounds; and for its rare plant and animal communities. The mountain is named after a 19th Century governor of Massachusetts, Edward Everett. The name was proposed in 1841 by Edward Hitchcock, geologist to the state, in his “Final Report on the Geology of Massachusetts.” Hitchcock wrote that at the time of his proposal, the mountain was known as Bald Mountain or Ball Mountain, and to this day its peak is indicated on some topographic maps as “Bald Mountain.” Some old maps at the Sheffield Historical Society also label the mountain as “The Dome”. Mount Race, 2365 ft, is a prominent peak in the south Taconic Mountains of Massachusetts. The mountain is known for its waterfalls, steep, eastern ridgeline cliff face and expansive views of the Housatonic River valley and Berkshires to the east and of fellow Taconics to the south, west and north and Catskills and Hudson River valley to the west, for the traverse of the said cliffline and the summit grounds by the Appalachian Trail and for its old growth pitch pine and scrub oak summit ecosystem.
Water One of the most striking features of the property is the Race Brook itself. The brook cascades down the Taconic ridge’s spectacular waterfalls and bisects the Race Brook Lodge buildings from the farmland portion of the property. The brook’s gurgling can be heard throughout the property as it runs southeast into the shanab brook, one of the most healthy and diverse brooks in the region. As it passes through the landscape the water feeds springs and wells, wildlife and farmland. There is potential for water catchment for irrigation both from the brook itself and from catching water of the build structures on the property. Although some legal restraints prevent the spring water from being used as drinking water in the establishment. This water can be caught and stored for farm irrigation, outdoor shower and kitchen use.
Source: http://www.plantmaps.com/
Sunset Climate ZONE 38. New England Interior and Lowland Maine Growing season: May to early Oct. Summers feature reliable rainfall and lack oppressive humidity of lower-elevation, more southerly areas. Winter lows dip to -10 degrees to -20 degrees F, with periodic colder temperatures due to influxes of arctic air. http://www.sunset.com/garden/climate-zones
Soils The Web Soil Survey indicates that 29.3% of the site is Copake fine sandy loam. This is the area currently considered for the majority of the agricultural land use. The Copake series are classified as well drained soils formed in loamy mantled stratified drift and glacial outwash. The soils are moderately deep to stratified sand and gravel and are very deep to bedrock. They are nearly level to very steep soils on outwash plains, terraces, kames, eskers, and moraines. Permeability is moderate or moderately rapid in the surface layer and subsoil, and rapid or very rapid in the substratum. The mean annual temperature is about 47 degrees F., and the mean annual precipitation is about 46 inches. USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are in cultivated crops, hay, or pasture. Common crops are silage corn and grass-legume hay. Some areas are wooded or in community development. Common trees are red, white, and black oak, white pine, beech, black birch, sugar maple, and white ash. Gravel commonly is excavated from areas of these soils.
Soils map from USGS web soil survey
Natural Vegetation of Ecoregion Racebrook Lodge exists within the Western New England Marble Valley Ecoregion and is primarily composed of transition hardwood and northern hardwood forests. This ecoregions’ diverse plant communities contain species with high values to the ecosystem and the people who live within it. Currently the hiking trails meander through this upper forest. The following is a list of the terrain and the common plant communities within them. Much of the existing vegetation is highly valuable for fuel wood, foraging, habitat, sugaring, building and other uses. A forest management plan can help regeneration and long term planning. Rich mesic forests: sugar maple, white ash, basswood, butternut hickory, hop horn beam, alternate leaved dogwood, maidenhair fern, blue cohosh, and wild leeks. Rocky outcrops: ivory sedge, purple clematis, longleaf bluet, ebony spleenwort, roundleaf shadbush, and a few trees of white ash, hophornbeam, or eastern red cedar. Well-drained slopes or low ridges: sugar maple, chinkapin oak, white ash, shagbark hickory, hop horn beam, and hackberry. Talus woodland: sugar maple, talus dogwood, downy arrowwood, and purple-flowering raspberries. On ledges and abandoned pasture land: eastern red cedar, hop horn beam, and hickories.
Lower forest with barberry understory
In lowlands, calcareous red maple-tamarack swamps with red maple, tamarack, black ash, and hemlock. Calcareous fens with inland sedge, yellow sedge, delicate sedge, grass-of-Parnassus, bog goldenrod, and scattered eastern white pine, tamarack, and shrubby cinquefoil. On floodplains, silver maple, cottonwood, American elm, sycamore, and ostrich fern; other wetland areas with red maple, black ash, yellow birch, northern white cedar, willows, and skunk cabbage.
Opportunist Species The forest area on the lower slopes and valley floor, where the farming operations are intended to occur, has a young (40-60yrs or less) overstory of maple, ash, black locust, elm, black cherry, with the oldest of these trees being pine and long forgotten apples. The understory is heavily dominated by opportunists species, primarily Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii) with honeysuckle (Lonicera spp.), multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora), and burning bush (Euonymus alatus).
Recommendation These species are considered exotic-invasive for their ability to grow vigorously and crowd out a diversity of natural flora and fauna. Conventional wisdom see these plants as having very little value, both to biological and agricultural systems. Despite their negative attributes, these plants are nonetheless a resource to be utilized while transitioning to a more productive and healthy system. Instead a mindset of eradication, we can view these plants as a resource which depleting is an acceptable outcome. Two ways these plants may provide value are as fodder for livestock and for their medicinal properties. Suggested ways of dealing with the opportunist species is controlled burn and/or using livestock (goats and pigs) to manage their growth. See the design concept for more detailed instructions.
Upper forest Hemlock, with some Oak, Birch, some Pine with Mountain laurel understory
Existing Access & Circulation
Access & Circulation Map
Guest Experience: Lodge, Tavern, and Barn
To Race Falls
Guests arriving at Race Brook Lodge pull off S. Undermountain Road into a dirt and gravel parking lot. Few wayfinding markers exist, and it is up to the guests’ common sense to choose a reasonable place to park. From the parking lot entry to the Stagecoach Tavern is self-evident. However, finding one’s way to the registration at the Lodge is less apparent. Vehicles can be driven all the way around the Lodge, with additional parking available by the greenhouse and the Poor House. From behind the Lodge a driveway extends to the Barnspace with its own parking lot. There is nothing inherently wrong with these access and circulation patterns, but a first-time guest may become bewildered at the lack of direction.
Rac Bro e ok To 894 S. Undermountain Road
Conversely, the lack of well-defined paths and imposed order is part of the appeal for a rustic country setting that Race Brook Lodge offers. As David Rothstein put it, “Some of our guests are astonished by a lack of sidewalks and the absence of curbs. Welcome to the country. Here we are free from those constraints, and as subtle as that might be it sets the tone for the rustic, unplugged experience our clientele are looking for.”
Parking
Barnspace
Farm, Forest, and Trails Back Field
Paralleling Race Brook to the south, and bisecting the Lodge compound from farm parcel, is a right-of-way hosting a driveway to access 894 S. Undermountain Road. To access the fields and forest parcel from the Lodge compound, a small bridge is used to cross Race Brook. A guest wishing to hike to Race Falls would leave the Lodge, cross the bridge, head northwest along the driveway about 450 feet to the trail head, and hike to Race Falls and beyond.
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Action Steps A few simple signs may help new guests navigate the Lodge compound and parking situation, without creating an overly ordered ambiance. Once the basic layout of the major features on the site have been grasped, guests are free to explore on their own. Signs could reference historical equivalents, such as a horse trough instead of a parking block or a sign directing parking for horse-drawn carriages. N 50’ 100’
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Fenced-In Garden
The farm parcel consists of two small fields and a forested hillock between them. Both the front and back fields are primarily accesses by the shared driveway. A secondary pathway exists along the south edge of the property, connecting the two fields.
Access and circulation routes play critical roles in any working landscape. Regardless of the direction Race Brook Lodge decides to pursue with its farm activities, the establishing of appropriate access routes will be critical to effective farm management. Routes should be determined by equipment needed, frequency of use, flow of water, existing landform and ecological considerations.
Pool
Farmland Zones of Use Farming Zones Map
On the south side of Race Brook, just south of the bridge, is a fenced in garden plot. The Fenced-In-Garden area has been identified as low-hanging-fruit. This fertile plot of land measures about 20’ x 50’ and is easily accessible being located right across the bridge. This area is highly visible, and will be a great way to immediately engage guests with the agriculture on site. Deer and wildlife do not pose a threat to this garden because of the existing fence. A polytube irrigation system that draws from the brook is already installed, although it may need repairs. Although it cannot produce the volume of food that Race Brook is hoping to grow, this plot can serve as a kitchen herb garden, a demonstration or experimentation garden, or it can serve as a protected nursery for delicate plants.
Barnspace
Back Field
Silvopasture & Forestry Zone
The front and back fields show promise both for field crops and as pasture. The best use for these areas is dependent upon Race Brook’s goals. What types of food production are most highly valued? Does Race Brook want to provide all of its own greens or instead focus on raising its own meat?
If livestock is to be a part of the farm enterprises of Race Brook, the forested area between the two fields is a prime candidate for conversion to a silvopasture system where the canopy is thinned to approximately 50% density and the understory is grazed, creating a savannah type ecosystem. In addition to use for grazing, this area can provide forest products such as firewood and cultivated mushrooms.
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Lodge Front Field
Overlooking the back field is an area that has been identified as a potential camping zone. This area could ultimately include an outdoor kitchen, and earthen oven, sitting and eating areas, composting toilets, tent platforms, yurts, campfire rings, and outdoor showers. The camping area could serve as low-cost housing for visitors who are attending workshops. The area could also attract hikers who are hiking along the Appalachian Trail and looking for a few amenities.
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Based upon the existing conditions and vision expressed by [Casey], five zones have been identified. The delineation of each zone is somewhat loose, and those boundaries may form gradients and shift over time. Some elements or techniques may only apply within one zone, while others apply across multiple zones.
Design Concept
Deer proof fencing Storage/ Production Crops
Shower
Cistern off of outdoor kitchen Grazing & Mushrooms Microlivestock Compost Kitchen Garden
Production Compost
Coppice Wood Lot
Camping Platforms Outdoor Kitchen
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Orchard and Forest Garden
Technique Spotlight: Hugelkultur Hugelkultur is a German word roughly translating to “hill culture.” It is a technique for utilizing your existing woody debris as a resource to create a raised garden bed and build soil. As the wood rots, it releases fertility to the plants growing in the bed. Additionally, the decomposition process creates heat, which further boosts plant growth. The rotting wood will shrink and shift, thus creating air pockets which eliminates the need for tilling. The rotting wood also act as a sponge, retaining moisture and reducing watering requirements. Stockpile this material waste woody debris--logs, brush, mulch, and leaves (avoid any pressure treated wood or other sources of toxins). Place the largest diameter wood (and the thorniest stuff) at the bottom of the pile. Build up with successively smaller wood, brush, twigs, etc. All wood, fresh or well rotted, is acceptable.
Sod UpsideDown 5
Compost
6 Topsoil & Compost
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The total size of this bed will ultimately depend upon the amount of material you have--but they should be +4’ in width, and come up to +3’ tall at the crown. Within a few years, this mound will reduce in size. You also may consider planning the hugelkultur to be a sculptural garden, perhaps sloping the mound to accentuate the existing landform. After all the coarse woody materials have been added, water well, then add leaf litter, grass clippings, kitchen vegetable scraps, and other such plant materials to the pile. Add any sod upside down. Try and fill in the major gaps. Water well again. You may also be able to source material from the municipal composting yard. Next is a 2-3”+ layer of compost over the entire hugelkultur bed. An organic, high nitrogen compost is preferred.
7 Plant 3 Fine Organic Material: leaves
1 Course Woody Material: logs
2 Medium Woody Material: branches
Finally, add a 2-3” layer of topsoil over the hugelkultur bed. The bed should be mulched with straw or planted immediately with a cover crop such as dutch white clover. The best crop choices for the first season include nitrogen fixing legumes such as peas and beans, low growing ground covers such as dutch white clover, prostrate birdsfoot trefoil, and strawberries, and root vegetables such as potatoes, onions, and carrots. You might also consider a low-grow wildflower mix or a beneficial insect wildflower mix. Because of varying amounts of sun reaching each face of the hugelkultur, you will have several microclimates. Plants should be chosen for each area that reflect those hyperlocal conditions. For instance, the lower portion of the south face will be warm and moist, while the top will be warm and a bit dryer, and the lower north face will be cooler and moist.
There is no shortage of woody debris on site. This can be turned into soil.
Technique Spotlight: Sheet Mulch Sheet mulching is a technique that suppresses weeds and builds fertile soil. This is a process for preparing garden beds for use at a later time. This is a technique that can be used in the zone 1 fenced in garden bed and works in small areas. After knocking down tall unwanted vegetation, begin by broad forking soil to aerate or break up compaction. Next spread a layer of compost across the desired area 1-3� deep. The richer the compost the better. This will initiate a high level of beneficial microbial activity. Add any needed soil amendments to balance pH to this layer. The next layer is the weed barrier. This is where sheet mulching gets its name. You can use cardboard, newspaper (6 sheets thick), burlap bags, or other non-toxic slowly biodegradable materials. This material is laid out with edges overlapping so that there are no gaps. Err of the side of prevention, and be meticulous about this point. Water this layer before proceeding. If you are mulching around an existing plant you want to save, stay at least a few inches away from the root collar. Atop the weed barrier goes a layer of well conditioned compost, topsoil (loam), or a compost-topsoil mix about 3� deep. The final layer to the sheet mulch formula is a top dressing of mulch, such as straw. You could instead (or in addition) seed a low growing ground cover such as dutch white clover, strawberries, prostrate birdsfoot trefoil, or a low-grow wildflower mix to hold the soil in place and prevent undesirable weeds from taking hold. When it comes time to plant into the sheet mulched beds, you will prepare planting sites by clearing a patch of its covering mulch or vegetation and digging through the weed barrier.
4 Mulch 3 Compost 2 Weed Barrier 1 Compost
Technique Spotlight: Coppice Coppice is a technique of forestry whereby trees are cut on regular cycles, stimulating the trees ability to regrow its above-ground part from the existing root mass. Because the tree has an established root system, and has energy stored there, it can regrow much quicker than a tree from seed. Coppiced trees are capable of producing much more biomass for fuel, building materials, and carbon sequestration than standard forestry practices. Additional value can be added by transforming these raw products simply, such as producing charcoal or material for basketry. A sustainable coppicing system can produce between ½-1 cord of wood per acre per year. Coppice Stool
When coppicing, cut the trees on a cycle of 5 to 30 years, depending upon the tree species and the desired product. Cut stands, known as cants, of ½-⅔ contiguous acre or greater to ensure that enough light hits the forest floor and allows for regrowth. Cants should be dense so that the competitive pressure for light causes growth that is straight and tall. This also maximizes the use of the space. The stool is the stump from which the tree resprouts. Each cycle cut low on the stool, but cut into new wood, thereby enabling the tree to grow more epicormal buds--those dormant buds that wait beneath the bark and sprout in the event that the photosynthesizing parts above it are damaged. When cutting a tree for coppice, be sure to leave a clean cut that is at a slight slant, so water runs off and infection opportunities are limited. As a general rule, most species are best cut in the dormant season (winter), although there are numerous exceptions. If utilizing a tree for fodder, it is best cut in late summer when the leaves are still attached to be dried and stored for winter feed. A coppice regime might be incorporated with an animal forage scheme as the reduced canopy will release understory growth, but animals should not be allowed to browse the coppiced trees that are recovering as heavy grazing after such a shock may sap their remaining energy and kill the trees. The recovering cant should be protected from browse of both livestock and wildlife such as deer. A variation of coppicing where trees are cut above the browse level of animals is called pollarding. Pollarding can provide the fodder of coppice in a silvopastoral system, allowing the animals to freely graze around the trees. When designing a coppice system, be sure to plan access routes for easy management and for moving the various forest products.
Coppice Growth Dormant Epicormal Buds
Technique Spotlight: Integrating Animals Animals offer a variety of useful yields, and complement the working farm. In addition to their direct usefulness to humans, animals are key components of the ecosystem. If we are to successfully model our agricultural (and cultural) practices on principles of ecosystem dynamics, we must understand animal behavior, their needs and yields, and thus utilize their natural habits forming a mutually beneficial relationship. The most suitable location for livestock and animal husbandry is the zone located on the south side of Race Brook, between South Undermountain Road and the west edge of the current property boundary and includes two cleared areas separated by forest. This area is buffered from the guest activities of the Lodge and Stagecoach Tavern by the brook. This zone also offers a variety of habitat types and coincides with other agricultural zones.
Clearing of Invasive Species and Forest Management The stretch of forest between the two cleared fields has an understory that is dominated by invasive species, namely japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii), multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora), and japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica). These aggressive non-native plants out-compete native flora, creating an ecosystem of low diversity, low value as wildlife habitat, and of low value to Race Brook Lodge for agricultural or recreational activities. Barberry is also associated with higher populations of blacklegged ticks (the carrier for Lyme’s disease) – reducing the barberry may help curb the populations of ticks and Lyme’s disease. Establishing a forest management plan that clears the invasive species could prepare the space for other complementary uses. One promising approach to clearing the existing invasive species and managing the forest utilizes animals to consume the plants and a regular herbivory regime to manage the ecosystem. Instead of expending resources to create the desired conditions, we can build a healthy and profitable ecosystem through management of animals’ innate traits. By viewing these species as a fodder resource, a livestock husbandry enterprise can profit from heavy grazing while setting the stage for an improved understory ecosystem that will produce ecological and economically sustainable results in the long-term.
Silvopasture One alternative to the current ecosystem is a savannah-style silvopasture. Silvopasture is the practice of growing pasture together with trees. Many pasture plants (grasses, legumes, forbs) actually respond better to dappled light conditions. Additionally, the trees can be managed for valuable products including animal feed such as fruits, nuts, or vegetable fodder. In some European silvopasture systems, the pasture is grazed during the growing season and the trees are managed for “leafy hay” that provides feed throughout the winter. This mixed-use approach takes advantage of vertical space and provides more productivity from the area. [Sidebar: NRCS Technical & Financial Assistance The local National Resource Conservation Service office base in Amherst MA has some working knowledge in silvopasture as well as invasive species removal. There may be some availability for technical and financial assistance for combining these two efforts. Contact: USDA NRCS Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative Coordinator Tom Akin at the NRCS Amherst office.]
Rotational Grazing Rotational Grazing (or mob grazing) is the practice of moving herbivores across a landscape, keeping them in confined to small areas at a time to maintain a dense grouping. This pattern resembles the pattern of wild herbivores, who group together to avoid predation. The herd competition causes the animals to be less selective in what they eat, so instead of eating only the tasty stuff and leaving the less desirable vegetation to reproduce, Rotational Grazing creates an even disturbance. As the animals move through the area they lightly till the ground and fertilize the soil with dung and urine. After the disturbance, a critical period of rest and recovery fosters vegetative regrowth. If the grazing rotations are well managed, the disturbances caused by the animals will enhance pasture health.
There are many variables to consider when creating a rotational grazing plan, including the type and number of animals, the number of acres available, the type of vegetation growing, the quality and vigor of that vegetation, rainfall, temperature, and solar gain.
Goats Goats are browsers known for their tough stomachs and willingness to (try to) eat just about anything. Goats will eat any vegetation within their reach, including bending small trees down to make them accessible. Bring a small tribe of goats through first to clear unwanted vegetation such as shrubs; they will gladly feast upon the invasive plants. Pigs Pigs are great rooters. Bring them through after the first pass of goats. They will eat everything the goats have left behind, including roots and stumps, preventing those plants from resprouting. For tough stumps or root masses, bury corn kernels beneath the undesired object and the pigs will dig it up for you. Keep your pigs separate from other animals – pigs will eat anything and everything they can catch, including goats, chickens, etc. After your pigs have moved through and sufficiently cleared the entire area, its time for a roast. Poultry can follow the pigs to “clean up” the area, eating grubs and insects and seeds. Goats can be rotated through again to curtail understory regrowth. Sheep Sheep are grazing animals. Once the goats and pigs have removed the dense shrub layer and thinned the understory (with some help from selective forestry), and pasture begins to become established in the silvicultural system, sheep can be brought in. At this point, a flock of sheep and a few goats may be sustained within this system by establishing a rotational grazing plan.
A rough calculation, utilizing assumptions of an average pasture, medium growth rates, and average weather, estimates that 10 large ewes could graze on 2.5 acres of land divided into 13 paddocks by rotating them every 3 days to a new 0.2 acre paddock. During the spring, pasture growth will outpace animal consumption--this fodder should be stored for feed in late fall and winter. A silvopasture system might require additional area to compensate for the effects of tree, but they do provide additional fodder in the form of “leafy hay” that can be “chopped and dropped” to the animals or cut and stored for later in the season. AU= Animal Units 1 175lb ewe = 0.2AU, 10 ewes = 2AU a medium producing orchardgrass & white clover pasture will feed a 2AU flock for 5 months of the year on 2.5 acres or less a grazing period of 3 days on average pasture, max 35 days rest (10 days min) 0.2A paddocks, 13 paddocks 2.5A total fodder stored during spring For Rotational Grazing resources, training, and guidance, look to Holistic Management International.
Establishing pasture may require initially seeding desired varieties of grasses, forbs, and herbs once the right ecosystem-niche has been created, although local species will establish themselves if given time. Proper animal grazing is essential in the establishment and management phases, but will vary depending upon the condition of the pasture. Sheep and goat’s milk are both nutritious and high value, and can be used to make great fresh cheeses. Animal Partnership (doesn’t need graphic) One option to consider is partnering with a local animal caretaker to utilize your land, essentially renting your land for grazing, thereby lowering your investment and learning curve while providing feed and space for the animals. Another variation would be to work in partnership with a budding farmer who manages the animals.
Chickens Chickens are dependable egg layers that provide occasional meat. Keep chickens closer to Lodge. Rooster might visit occasionally to help restock the flock. The iconic farm animal, they forage for insects and help by eating pests and scratching soil. May be raised free range. Ducks Ducks may be raised free range as egg layers with the occasional bonus of meat. Integrating ducks into the mushroom growing yard can help reduce pest pressure from slugs. Guinea Fowl – Keep Guinea Fowl farther away from lodge due to their shrill calls. Guniea fowl are renowned as sharp eyed insectivores that can help manage tick populations. They may be a good choice for near the back pasture and provide eggs & meat. Turkey – meat birds. Iconic. Free range Kermit Blackwood of VT breeding quieter birds Slaughtering Birds? On-site? Abattoir 40 min away chicken forage – (dwarf) sorghum, (dwarf) millet, Siberian pea shrub dry & store – sprout before feeding Combining Techniques Goats -> Pigs -> Goats -> Sheep -> Poultry -> Sheep ->..... Rabbits & microlivestock (R. Kaplan’s Book, Kellogg’s Toolbox) easy, reproductive, interesting meat, low input Fish & Aquaponics Systems Aquaponics is a combination of aquaculture and hydroponics--utilizing the “wastes” from the animal aquaculture system as the nutrient for the plant producing hydroponics system. High quality food, including dense protein, can be grown with this method on a very small footprint. mushroom yards, (semi)wild foraging, firewood harvests, coppice agroforestry Fenced in Garden On the south side of Race Brook, just south of the bridge, is a fenced in garden plot. This area makes sense to utilize. The existing fencing is enough to keep out browsing deer. Also, there are existing polytube waterlines that head upstream (presumably to the springhouse) with spigots in the garden area. This area would need very little work to begin production. Possible options for this garden could include: kitchen garden, nursery, experimental/test garden, learning garden We recommend that this area be utilized immediately. Although it is not large, it is a great opportunity with low risk and little effort needed to succeed. ~20’x50’ Proximity Water Fenced Garden soil
Rainwater Harvesting: Buildings and Wastewater Treatment Plans We recommend installing stainless steel or food grade plastic cisterns to catch and store water for garden irrigation and as potential for household water needs. Thousands of gallons a year are lost and could be caught to minimize buildings impact on infiltration. The photos below highlight different types of systems. Further analysis would have to be done for exact details for the system. We also recommend installing low flow toilets and water saving devices on all sinks and showers to lower total gallons directed to the septic system. Constructed wetlands and/or methane digesters are also options to deal with wastewater.
Rainwater catchment system: Integrated with buildings
1,000 + gallon tanks for storage
Components for an indoor drinking water filtration system
Hydraulic Ram pumps can be used in connection with the onsite spring to pump water up to higher elevation fpr storage.
Sample Farm Irrigation Plan Catching and storing water high in the landscape will allow for gravity fed irrigation. Pumping can be done through a ram pump or solar electric pumps. We recommend drip irrigation for all field crops. The diagram to the left is a sample of what can be done at the Racebrook farm fields. Water catchment can come from springs and be pumped up to a higher elevation to be gravity feed for field irrigation and for use in an outdoor shower and kitchen. Drip tape minimizes water loss due to evaporation and evapotranspiration. Mulching with straw will also minimize need for irrigation. We have used drip irrigation and recommend drip works as a potential source for materials. Ram pumps would be an ideal way to utilize the force of the water to pump water up to higher elevations to maximize gravity feeding potential. The pump could be placed in the Racebrook itself and will work with minimal flows.
Ponds, Keyline and Methane Digesters for Wastewater Treatment
Hand dug or excavated ponds provide beauty, habitat and irrigation for mushroom lugs and other crops
Ponds can be used as a way to store water high in the landscape for irrigation and recreation. Keyline design could be explored for irrigation.
Sample diagram for methane digester producing gas for cooking
Social Resources and Opportunities The New Economics Institute (formally the E.F. Shumaker Institute) is located just a few miles away in Great Berrington. According to their website they are: A US organization that uniquely combines vision, theory, action, and communication to effect a transition to a new economy—an economy that gives priority to supporting human well-being and Earth’s natural systems. Our multidisciplinary approach employs research, applied theory, public campaigns, and educational events to describe an alternative socioeconomic system that is capable of addressing the enormous challenges of our times. Our premise is that a fair and sustainable economy is possible and that ways must be found to realize it
Low Hanging Fruit
Sample BerkShare
Participate in BerkShares program. Benefits of participation in this program include: strengthening of the local economy, more visability and potential reach of new audiences: BerkShares are a local currency for the Berkshire region of Massachusetts. Dubbed a “great economic experiment” by the New York Times, BerkShares are a tool for community empowerment, enabling merchants and consumers to plant the seeds for an alternative economic future for their communities. Launched in the fall of 2006, BerkShares had a robust initiation, with over one million BerkShares circulated in the first nine months and over 2.7 million to date. Currently, more than four hundred businesses have signed up to accept the currency. Five different banks have partnered with BerkShares, with a total of thirteen branch offices now serving as exchange stations. For BerkShares, this is only the beginning. Future plans could involve BerkShares checking accounts, electronic transfer of funds, ATM machines, and even a loan program to facilitate the creation of new, local businesses manufacturing more of the goods that are used locally.
Action Step Allow a portion of the cost of either or a combination of room, meals, or workshops to be paid by Berkshare sign up is simple follow http://www.berkshares.org/signup.htm Continue to build relationships with this organization future collaborations could include events hosted at Racebrook, tours of the farm and joint fundraising efforts.
Value Added Events Farm to Table Meals Racebrook is situated two and a half hours from New York City and 3 hours from Boston and an hour away from the Connecticut River Valley, all havens for local and slow food enthusiasts. Racebrooks location, soil quality and the fact that it has a restaurant, the Stagecoach Tavern, make it an ideal location for Farm to Table Meals.
Low Hanging Fruit The Stagecoach Tavern already features farm fresh vegetables. By growing key crops, livestock and creating a all local seasonal meal special the Stagecoach Tavern can cut costs and become a leader in the local food movement. The Racebrook Lodge also can create Farm to Table meal events. Where customers can take a tour of the farm and dine with picked to order vegetables and cuts of meat. The menu to the right is an existing menu from the Stagecoach Tavern. The items highlighted indicate that these can be sourced from on site. Depending on the actual costs of produce the restaurant may choose to focus on meetings its own needs on certain products. For example they could decide to grow and store their own garlic, onions, potato and sweet potato and cooking greens. If part of the field is licensed to vegetable and livestock farmers part of their rent could be supplemented by supplying the restaurant with those items. Please see our design concept for a detailed look and where and how these products could be sourced from on site.
Next Step Work with chef from the Stagecoach Tavern to identify products that can be sourced on site.
farm sourced items
Farm Based Micro-Enterprises Local vegetable, and animal farmers. The area is rich with people with knowledge and skills in farming and animal husbandry. Racebrook has the land and the direct marketing opportunity (restaurant and catering) to provide a space and market for these goods. We recommend that RBL proprietors work with an existing farmer/s instead of taking on farming as a main task. By matching up RBL assets of land, housing and an on site restaurant with farmers need for access to land and markets for their goods less work is created for both parties. The following are potential micro-businesses that could be supported by and support RBL. Microlivestock operation (goats, ducks, chicken, quail, pig), specialty vegetable operation and mushroom cultivation.
Low Hanging Fruit Identify local livestock and vegetable farmers who are in need of more land to grow or graze their animals. Once identified pursue legal contract to lease fields and forest to farmers.
Action Step Pursue local connections and join the New England Small Farms Institute’s Landlink program additional farmers and support in leasing out land. New England Landlink (NELL) NELL is a program to help farmers and landholders locate and transfer farms in New England. Finding and transferring farms are among the biggest challenges that New England farmers face. Since 1994, NELL has helped hundreds of entering and relocating farmers find farms. Through NELL, farm owners and managers have found farmers for their valued farm properties. Farm transfer means passing a farm, farmland and/or farm business from one party to another. Transfer options include sale, lease, work-in and other tenure relationships. landlink@smallfarm.org
Phase 1: Implementation in Photos (years 1-3)
Work with chef to identify, start and grow speciality produce for Stagecoach Tavern
Rehab existing garden bed, using sheet mulch and grow out “kitchen garden� crops
Use woody debris for shiitake mushroom log cultivation and hugelkultur beds pile any other logs on contour to break down and build soil.
Do detailed design for orchard--microlivestock systems
Phase 1: Implementation in Photos (years 1-3)
Continue to host and experiment with value added events (farm to table, yoga and healing, permaculture) evaluate and create niche
Use animals and or controlled burn to clear barberry and build soil for new plantings
Build deer proof fence to protect crops/develop clear access and circulation patterns
Design/Build Infrastructure: Outdoor Kitchen, Shower, Tent Platforms, Cistern and water systems
Summary
Racebrook lodge is a hub of regeneration bringing together innovative ideas and people to connect in a healing landscape
The Racebrook Lodge, Barnspace and Stagecoach Tavern is uniquely positioned to be a demonstration site for social, ecological and economic regeneration. Its water assets as well as buildings and grounds and strong foundation. Being and existing historical and cultural hub give it many assets to move forward on. In addition to the plans outlined in the report above we recommend additional goals articulation from stakeholders and planning and design work to refine the details. Further design and installation work can be done through additional on-site courses and by hiring consultants. All of the pieces and the vision exist with a strong plan and clear priorities will allow the vision to blossom and be enjoyed for generations to come.
Racebrook Lodge and family and friends prosper for generations to come