Whether you have a wealth of family experience to draw from or are new to raising animals, there are always new things to learn and new practices to adopt. Especially, when it comes to land management.

New development continues all around us – rural areas within Rhode Island are some of the most rapidly growing areas in New England. Many of these developing lands rely on private wells for drinking water supplies.

In addition to meeting the basic needs of our animals – shelter, food, and water – adopting environmentally sound management practices for things such as handling manure also take time and money. And most importantly, the amount of land available for raising our animals and managing associated issues is limited. All of these factors can be very challenging.

Education is key

Raising healthy, productive animals goes hand-in-hand with protecting our families and the environment - it is all interconnected.

Do you know how to...

- protect your drinking water well?

- store and handle manure?

- recycle manure on the land, and what to do if that is not an option?

- manage livestock yards to reduce mud and runoff?

- manage pastures to reduce feed costs, and how a pasture differs from a livestock yard?

- control animal access to streams and ponds, and why this is important?

Want to learn more?

View our fact sheets about these topics. Learn how to identify risks and plan solutions on your own farm.

View demonstration sites to see some examples of steps you can take.

View additional resources from around the region and country.   

View more information about this education program.