Restoring Life To The Landscape

“I’ve spent most of my life destroying soil structure, now I’ve had to do a 180 and learn how to protect it”

Lush green rolling pastures, cool, clean streams, an abundance of birds and buzzing insects, cows and calves meandering about— this is what you would find at Overhome Farm in Goochland County, Virginia today. But it hasn’t always been that way. Ronnie Nuckols and his wife Cheryl have lived on this land for 48 years, but he has not been in charge of the cow/calf operation for that long and actually spent his career in construction and grading. “I’ve spent most of my life destroying soil structure, now I’ve had to do a 180 and learn how to protect it.” Though the farm looks pristine now, it took some work to get it back to its natural beauty.

A History of Degradation

Overhome Farm has been in Ronnie’s family since 1876. Prior to that, the previous owners raised tobacco, but as the soil fertility played out and the fields failed to produce a profitable crop, they had simply moved on to more fertile land. Ronnie’s family allowed the land time to rest for the next 75 years—trees took over the fields and nature was able to heal the land. In 1950, Ronnie’s maternal grandfather sold the timber from the farm, clearing the land and establishing grass pastures. In the 1960’s, Ronnie’s father started a small commercial cow/calf herd on the farm, which grew to 85 cows on 250 acres over the next 50 years. During this time, Ronnie and his brother provided help when needed, but they did not share in any of the management decisions. When Ronnie’s father passed away suddenly in December of 2008, Ronnie found himself responsible for taking over the management duties for his share of the farm and cattle.

It didn’t take Ronnie long to realize that he knew very little about raising cattle. His years of helping his dad enabled him to see the problems with the farm, but he had spent very little time seeking solutions. Ronnie’s father maintained a full-time job running a construction company, so his time managing the farm was limited. There was little interior fencing, and the cattle had caused extensive damage to the banks and shorelines of the ponds and creeks. There were grazing shortages due to cutting hay and a lack of plant diversity in pastures. The cropland’s fertility was reduced, and soil structure damaged by heavy cultivation and regular double cropping. Although it had worked for his father, Ronnie realized this way of managing would not meet his expectations for the farm.

The Foundation is Soil Health

The first year of managing everything by himself was stressful, but Ronnie was not willing to give up. He began researching, networking, and absorbing as much information as possible. He established two main goals: first he wanted the farm to “look good” and second, “I needed to manage the cattle, not let the cattle manage me”. After getting in contact with the local NRCS and Monacan SWCD, he quickly realized the answer to many of his issues was soil health. “The foundation for whatever you want to do is soil health.” He began with infrastructure improvements, namely high tensile wire around paddocks and a 35” buffer to keep cattle away from surface water. As more fences were built, Ronnie was able to start rotating the cattle through the pastures.

Jumping Right In

In 2015, Ronnie started to take a closer look at the productivity and diversity of his pastures. In an attempt to increase his knowledge of annual forages, Ronnie, along with the NRCS and SWCD, hosted a field day that year. The day showcased a variety of different cover crop mixes that could be utilized for grazing in a rotational system. As Ronnie continued his own on-farm research, he settled on a cover crop mix that he has found to work time and time again. A mix of radish, rye, triticale, spring oats, hairy vetch, and crimson clover is the primary concoction he uses now. Ronnie uses this blend to provide quick growing forage and also uses it as a transition mix from annual to perennial mixes. Some of those perennial pastures are devoted to warm season species like switchgrass, while others provide the forage for the spring and fall months with cool season species.

A New Horizon

Looking at the farm now, one could say Ronnie accomplished the goals he set out to achieve. Cattle quietly and easily meander to their new pastures as they are strategically rotated around the landscape. Lush green growth throughout the year testifies to the teeming ecosystem below the ground. Clear water trickles along, stealing none of the precious topsoil and nutrients, as the stream banks are sturdy and healthy. An ecosystem of birds, bugs, and even grandkids can be found soaking up the abundance, and Ronnie is always willing to share his knowledge and experience with anyone looking for guidance. Although this land has had a history of poor management practices, Ronnie has brought life back to the landscape and is encouraged that the next generation will be excited to continue that legacy.