Hurricane Florence is one of the worst storms to hit North Carolina, ever.  CEFS’ Field Research, Education, and Outreach Facility at Cherry Research Farm is located in Goldsboro, one of the hardest-hit areas of the state.  NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Research Station Manager Andy Meier and his crew have gone above and beyond — as they always do in extreme situations — to protect and care for livestock on the farm and minimize damage to crops and infrastructure.  They even rescued a stranded motorist whose life was in danger.  We are indebted to them for their service, hard work and bravery.  Below please find updates from Andy Meier.

9/17/18:

Good evening,

Rainfall: 22.68 inches

Current river level: 26.02 feet

Today got off to a raucous start around 2 am with a lively thunderstorm and a series of severe weather alerts including tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flooding alert screaming through the cell phone. In the end, nearly 5.25 inches of rain fell from 2 – 6 am. Many staff struggled getting to the station and we delayed start time until 10 am to let the flash flood water recede and roads open back up.

Staff went to the livestock units via boat today and it looks like that may be the norm for the next couple of days. We are thankful the crest is upon us soon and that it appears it will be around 3 ft less than in Matthew.

Today will feature some photos from the Small Farm Unit. Matt Ball was able to get in today, assess damage and take care of plants in the greenhouse. We cut the plastic from 5 of the 6 hi-tunnels to prevent permanent damage to the structures from the wind this past weekend. We did leave the plastic on the heated greenhouse in order to prevent damage to the heaters and other electronics in that house. It fared well. The photos below show water flooding the lower grounds of the Small Farm from the Little River and other pictures from around the unit.

Livestock were fine again today. Not much to report. We are very thankful this storm came before calving season at the dairy and beef. Pigs are doing just fine. I choose to use this photo since we’ve not taken many after the storm. This picture was taken the Friday morning of the storm. While it may seem random, it is always striking to me how resilient animals and smart animals are; if you look closely,, the vast majority of the cows are facing to the West. The wind was blowing driving rain out of the East when this was taken. More striking was how many of those cows were chewing their cuds and just hanging out, seemingly oblivious to the whole storm. Cows are so cool…….

Parting thought for the night: We witnessed 2 separate events today that clearly demonstrate how very dangerous moving flood water can be. This photo from afar is of a car at the entrance of the dairy. Wisely, they decided not to traverse the water in front of them. Sadly, Wayne County had to send First Responders though the water to go rescue them. What isn’t evident is how much water they had to drive through to get to the dairy in the first place. So risky for themselves and those that had to go get them. While it is difficult to see the car at the curve in the road, it is very easy to see how much water is in between me and the curve as well as how quickly it is moving. So senseless.

When we got the first pair of staff to the dairy, a motorist drove by a barrier, law enforcement and our boat to head through the water. The photo below shows how far that individual floated into our fields. Had it not been for the bravery of our two boat captains who went to rescue that motorist from the car, another statistic was a plausible outcome.

The car is just above the fire hydrant in the center of the picture, about 150 yards from the road it was on.

I’m proud of this entire team; they takes risks to save the life of an individual making poor choices and they take risks to care for animals that depend on us. They take risks to come to work when they could have chosen to stay at home and not try to come in. I just can’t say enough.

Finally, if you encounter water across the road; Turn around, Don’t drown. One person in Wayne County NC is extremely lucky the Cherry Farm Navy was there to take care of them. Thank you Jordan and Matt, for doing the right thing.

I think I’ll sleep well tonight………

By Dr. Alexander M. Stewart, Director of NCDA&CS Research Stations Division

October 12, 2016

You’ve probably seen the overall reports from Reid Evans and Richard Clark concerning the stations and field labs. We have power at all locations now and are dealing with downed trees and some structural damage across stations east of Raleigh. It varies from station to station. Losses and damages to plant sciences research plots exist, but are not as large as I feared. Sweet potatoes and peanuts are the larger concern along with yield and quality losses to cotton and soybeans.

The outlier in all of this is Cherry Research Farm. Water continues to be at record high levels and access to the livestock units (swine, dairy, and beef) is limited. We do have power and water pressure at those units which is a blessing. Currently, we are ferrying people in to milk and feed by boat. Milk is being dumped. Calving season has started (5 hit the ground today), with an expected 75-80 over the next two weeks. Water is now in the shop, service building, and possibly the office.

As long as power and water pressure hold out, the major concerns are access and feed. For access, we are able to use boats now. As the water slowly recedes, the concern is water becoming too shallow boats and too deep for tractors, complicated by the unknowns of where culverts are washed out, etc. Part of tomorrow’s plan is to scout the known culverts to determine their soundness as this is a critical piece of intelligence. It should be mentioned that the aquatics weed group at NCSU and Plant Industry have been very helpful with boats.

For feed, we were blessed by the presence of a helicopter from the Forest Service to airlift hay bales to the dairy. Plans are for that to take place again tomorrow. We cannot say enough about the skill and willingness of the Forest Service and their pilots. Feed will arrive from Lake Wheeler tomorrow. We don’t yet have a solution for delivering feed to the livestock units but know that will need to be done by Friday. Again, accessibility is the issue.

The stations in the western part of the state, primarily Piedmont, have been supporting the efforts at Cherry very well. Teams of 3-4 are planned to arrive through the weekend at minimum. They are sending livestock experience and will be providing lunch as well. Others have been very helpful, especially John Garner who will be making his third trip with supplies tomorrow. There are numerous others; we are blessed with an outstanding team on the research stations and field labs.

The goal is to continue to provide for the basic needs of the livestock and begin to recon the overall station for accessibility as well as identification of needs for the cleanup. Some of the plans for putting the place back together are already in motion.

Andy Meier and Johnnie Howard have been tirelessly managing the situation. The staff here at Cherry is resilient and dedicated and the assistance from other stations is evident. They have all be exceptional with support from other divisions at NCDA and departments at NC State.

Update: October 15, 2016

Today was a good day at the Cherry Research Farm. Water levels finally dropped to the point that boat access to the livestock units was no longer possible. We were concerned for many days that when this day came washed out culverts would also make vehicle traffic not possible. However, we thankfully discovered that the major culvert on Stevens Mill Road was intact and able to handle traffic. So, we can now drive to the dairy albeit through some remaining water spilling in from the Neuse.

While there is a major culvert washed out near the beef unit on Stevens Mill Road, we have tractor access between all three livestock units using the dairy as the entry point. This was a major, positive discovery.

Beef, swine, and dairy cows are all fed and calving continues. A smaller staff was on hand with assistance once again from the Piedmont Research Staton. Our “command center” has now been moved from the old dairy to the shop/service building area. For the first time since this started, no one will be spending the night at the old dairy or anywhere else on Cherry for that matter.

Sunday will be an animal husbandry day only. Monday will be an assessment of the infrastructure. While there is power at the shop and service building, we will give the system a thorough check before throwing the switch to turn it on. Almost all larger equipment was staged in drier areas before the storm, but there will be a lot of small engines and gear boxes, as well as some larger equipment to service before anyone turns a key. Water damage exists to some buildings and equipment, but an initial assessment appears it is not as widespread as feared. The rest of the week will depend on what is found on Monday.

Thanks again for the dedication of the Cherry staff, the other research stations, NC Forest Service, and all the others who came to assist. Many we will be back in the coming weeks.

–Dr. Alexander M. Stewart, Director of NCDA&CS Research Stations Division

This blog post is from The National Association of Conservation Districts and can be found in its original form here.

Dr. Alan Franzluebbers didn’t go looking for silvopasture; the practice was waiting for him. The research ecologist relocated four years ago to a position with North Carolina State University’s Department of Soil Science. Having researched pasture systems for more than a decade in Georgia, Franzluebbers inherited a silvopasture study already underway at the Center for Environmental Farming Systems in Goldsboro.

Silvopasture is one of five recognized agroforestry practices. It combines trees with forage and livestock production. The trees are managed for high-value sawlogs and, at the same time, provide shade and shelter for livestock and forage, reducing stress and sometimes increasing forage production.

The 17-acre demonstration site in Goldsboro incorporates longleaf pine, loblolly pine, and cherrybark oak across a mixture of soil types. Trees are planted in three-row sets, with 6-foot by 6-foot diamond spacing. Trees were planted on the site in 2007, but livestock grazing was incorporated just this year.

Silvospasture relies on many familiar strategies. “Rotational grazing is one key to success, even more so than traditional pasture operations. The danger is animals exposing trees by rubbing and denuding the area below the trees,” he said.

Franzluebbers presented his study’s initial findings to the NACD Forestry Resource Policy Group (RPG) in Cherokee, North Carolina, in early August. According to a 2014 NACD forestry survey, 21 percent of responding districts in the Southeast Region – more than double in any other region – indicated they were assisting landowners with silvopasture. According to Franzluebbers, that’s likely because in many areas of the Southeast, including the coastal plains, land is too wet or too dry for optimal agricultural operations and landowners are more open to exploring ways to maximize land use.

There is opportunity for conservation districts to expand landowner engagement in silvopasture – not only in the Southeast, but in other regions – based on shifting land use and landowner interests.

“Silvopasture management is not for everyone,” says Rich Straight, technology transfer leader for the National Agroforestry Center. “It does require practical knowledge about a variety of management activities on pine trees, rotational grazing, livestock condition, and forage quality.” However, for beginning farmers and those trying to make a living on smaller land holdings, silvopastures can generate more income than more common management strategies.

For example, “Pine plantations can provide a good return on investment,” he continued. “The downside is one of cash flow because income is realized only every 10 to 15 years. On the other hand, commodity crops like corn and soybeans have a small profit margin, which requires quite a few acres to generate enough income to support a family. By combining an annual source of forage or livestock income with the longer term timber income, producers can generate more income per acre.”

The Center for Environmental Farming Systems now hosts tours for local landowners. “Many of those who attend walk away impressed (and) some… consider starting their own silvopasture operation on a small scale,” says Franzluebbers.

Still, same as Straight, Franzluebbers admits it’s a select audience. “It’s not for everyone,” he says, “but it is an opportunity for producers interested in conservation. Silvopasture, like other agroforestry practices, allows an opportunity to work the land and meet conservation goals. It helps us achieve an enriched landscape.”

For more information on this operation, email Dr. Alan Franzluebbers at alan.franzluebbers@ars.usda.gov.