Author Bio
Dr. Moriah Bilenky is an Assistant Professor In the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture. She earned an A.S. in Agriculture Production Systems from Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture and a B.S. and Ph.D. in Horticultural with an emphasis on Sustainable Vegetable Production from Iowa State University. Before starting her Ph.D., she assisted in the management of a 14-acre, diversified vegetable farm and started her own small vegetable operation. Her research focuses on building resilient, low-input food systems through crop–animal integration, cover cropping, reduced tillage and draft-powered farming. She has lead USDA, SARE, and Organic Center-funded projects on organic grain rotations, animal traction for vegetable production, and crop livestock integration. Dedicated to experiential learning, Dr. Bilenky teaches Purdue’s “Small Farm Experience” courses and engages students in hands-on small farm production.
Presentation: Lessons learned from a two year integrated crop livestock systems study: This presentation will discuss a general overview of ICLS and its applications and benefits then recap results from a two-year study investigating integrating animals into organic vegetable production. Our study, funded by the Organic Center aim to understand the possibilities of ICLS for food crop production and measure the impacts on soil health, vegetable production, and food safety.
Presentation: Addressing Knowledge Gaps in Animal Traction: Despite not well studied within the sustainable agriculture research community, there is evidence that animal traction could be a regenerative power option for small farms. Animals cause minimal compaction, appreciate, and can regenerate. Fuel can be grown on farm, some animals are multi-purpose, and there is social benefit for those that interact with them. However, opportunities for aspiring teamsters to gain knowledge are limited. Extension materials and programming from public Universities are also not widely available. To help remedy these gaps an NCSARE partnership project was developed with three aspiring teamsters. This presentation will cover the planned project goals, what has been accomplished so far, what we have learned, and what is planned for the future.
