Main Content
My current research is focused on organic lawn care and sustainable food systems. I am harvesting and fermenting the organic lawn clippings in vacuum bags to make silage. My first objective is to demonstrate that organic lawn clippings can be made into grass silage and that this material can be stored for winter livestock feed. Thus, harvest of clippings from organic lawns can feed ruminants and produce food in the form of meat and milk for people. My second objective is to achieve a better nutrient management balance from organic fertilizers which otherwise tend to oversupply phosphorus. Nutrient management planning may use the typical analysis of grass plants (N 3%, P 0.4%, K 2% on a dry weight basis) to calculate mineral uptake and nutrient removal by clipping harvest.
