At this Field Day you will learn ways to increase diversity on your farm or pasture using planned succession for long-term health of soil, water, crops, animals, wildlife, and you!
What is “planned succession”? Succession is the natural change in an ecosystem over time, usually from a simple beginning with just a few species of plants and animals, to an increasingly complex and diverse community. We can “plan” this natural succession by strategically introducing seeds and plant material, which increases diversity while also contributing to your farming goals. For example, planting native, perennial grasses, forbs, shrubs and trees can create opportunities for grazing and/or baling for livestock, as well as providing year-round shelter, soil cover, nectar and host plants for pollinators, birds, and other wildlife.
The Common Edge Habitat Fields demonstrate how to convert former monoculture farmland to a productive, diverse ecosystem using planned succession techniques. Our host Peter Callen, with Habitat Farms Collective, LLC, is under contract with the City of ABQ to restore these fields to a viable, year-round wildlife habitat. You’ll see first-hand how an abandoned field full of Bindweed and Siberian Elms has been transitioned to a thriving native grassland with meadows and hedgerows supporting many animals, both wild and domestic.
We’ll also talk about ethical seed collecting and harvest native seeds onsite–you’ll be able to take some seeds home!
The Open Space Visitor Center is a learning and demonstration center offering weekly volunteer days (Tuesdays from 9 am to noon) and conducting free public workshops once a month. Learn some practical, hands-on ways to build soil, conserve water, and increase biodiversity, and enjoy the beauty and wonder of the wildlife that thrives here in this little oasis in the city.
This Field Day is sponsored by NM Healthy Soil Working Group.