As 2025 deadline for Chesapeake Bay cleanup looms, Virginia zeroes in on agriculture

On Holt Farm, the grass may literally be greener on the other side of the fence.

Woody Ward wasn’t expecting that. The farmer, who raises roughly 80 head of cattle as well as hay on his Albemarle County property, initially thought putting up fences around the three creeks that cut through his pastures would just control erosion and keep his herd healthier.

But as time passed and Ward began planting trees as buffers along the creek banks, he noticed that the new grass springing up beyond the fences was unusually lush — and it was beginning to creep inside his pastures to where his cattle browsed.

“It’s almost like I have this stock of grass that I’m not going to touch that will grow up and go to seed,” he said. Other benefits have emerged too: the streamside fencing laid the foundation for Ward to begin rotational grazing, which he said has improved the quality of his pasturage. Water quality in his creeks has improved dramatically; recently, he’s even seen four-inch-long freshwater clams. And the herd has faced fewer threats from bacteria-laden creek waters or falls on slippery slopes.

Read more: https://www.virginiamercury.com/2021/06/08/as-2025-deadline-for-chesapeake-bay-cleanup-looms-virginia-zeroes-in-on-agriculture/