program summary

​

Moving toward more management intensive grazing practices, such as rotational grazing and cover crop termination through grazing can be difficult.  Many farmers may be hesitant to invest in a practice they've never tried before.  Moreover, with the huge variety of temporary fence equipment available, it can be hard to know what will work best for a specific operation. 

​

North Jersey RC&D is giving farms the opportunity to learn about, try-out, and test a wide variety of different fencing equipment, at little to no cost.  Equipment can serve a wide variety of uses: 

• Creating a temporary fence around a crop field to enable grazing of cover crops in the spring

• Dividing a continuously grazed paddock into multiple smaller paddocks for better regrowth

• Creating a sacrifice area to confine livestock in order to protect the remaining pasture during wet conditions

• Protect a recent vegetation planting

• Create a riparian buffer to restrict animal access to water bodies

​

Farmer participating in the program will have access to a wide variety of equipment.  On a first-come-first-serve basis, farmers can select the equipment they need to support their grazing goals.  Farmers can use the equipment for one year, before returning it. For farmers in our focus area participation in the program is FREE!  For farmers outside the focus area, we are changing a  $50 annual fee to cover normal wear and tear on the equipment. 

​

​

How it works

Because interest in the equipment is high, we prioritize temporary fencing equipment for farms in our focus areas, those interested in grazing cover crops, and farms with larger operations.  Please complete this short form to indicate your interest in the program (no commitment necessary). Or if you would prefer, you can call our office at (908) 574-5368 to talk with someone about the program. 

We will look through the applications and will select farmers to receive equipment during the first round.