Managing Livestock on Small Acreages

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 areas 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.

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?

Education is the Key

• Learn more about managing manure, livestock yards and pastures and consider steps that you can take at home. Share this information with family, friends and peers.
• Educate others about your animals, why you raise them and why they are important.
• Take the time to introduce your animals to your neighbors. Help them to understand why they are valuable to you and the steps you are taking to protect our drinking water, families and animals.

Want to learn more?

Use our fact sheet and self-assessment worksheet series to learn more about proper manure and livestock management. Identify potential risks and plan solutions on your own farm.