Research Reports

The following reports represent the second phase of a project led by Pasture Project and Delta Institute, titled “Accelerating Regenerative Livestock Production and Value-Chains in Illinois.” The goal of the project was to establish the foundation upon which project partners can develop interventions for producers and buyers engaged in livestock production and the associated value-chain.

The objective of this project was to determine input categories that grazing dairies use to reduce overall costs and improve net profit. The project also looked at the potential for using the USDA-RMA Pasture, Rangeland, Forage Pilot Insurance Program to help mitigate some of the risk associated with feeding the dairy herd.

This project studied three years of cover crop and livestock integration on 8 cooperating farms in Minnesota and Iowa.

The Pasture Project, Practical Farmers of Iowa, Sustainable Farming Association and Land Stewardship Project partnered on a four year NRCS-USDA Conservation Innovation Grant to demonstrate the economic and soil health benefits of livestock grazing on cover crops

Read the full results of the recent grazing cover crops trial conducted by the Pasture Project, Land Stewardship Project, Practical Farmers of Iowa and the Sustainable Farming Association.

This paper explores the current state of cattle grazing for beef and, to a lesser extent, dairy production in Illinois resulting in grass-fed and grass-finished products that serve markets in and beyond the state.