Photo Essay: A Day In The Life Of An Ecological Researcher
By Madeleine Hassett
Research Coordinator Madeleine Hassett out in the fields at Philo Ridge Farm.
In our previous blog post, Healthy Farms, Healthy Soil, we explored the research programs at Philo Ridge Farm. As the Research Coordinator, I work on the Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG) from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service to study the outcomes of transitioning Vermont farms from conventional farming practices to regenerative systems for grass-fed livestock. Working closely with a cohort of 15 farms located in diverse regions across Vermont, the study’s goal is to provide the first rigorous state-wide analysis of the environmental, economic, and social impacts of regenerative farming. Participating farms are adopting soil health management practices including management-intensive rotational grazing (MIRG), supplemental seeding, and pasture nutrient amendment.
“The ultimate aim of the CIG study is to provide a comprehensive, data-backed understanding of the effects of regenerative farming practices on Vermont’s farmland and environment.”
This photo essay dives into what a day in the life of the Ecological Research team working on CIG looks like when the field season is in full swing. Each farm is visited three times over the typical grazing season (May, July, September) and the same breadth of ecological data is collected at each of those visits. The photos below captures our story.
Researching Botanical Data
Curious cows observe the team as we head out to our first field of the day.
This map shows the regions where our research is conducted for the CIG study.
When it comes to fieldwork, my job as the Research Coordinator is not only to take part in the work itself, but also set the schedule and make sure the Ecological Research team knows where they need to be on a daily basis. Our 2024 Ecological Research team is made up of myself, independent contractors, University of Vermont (UVM) undergraduate students, and UVM graduate students. Some members of the team have been on the project since the start and some are new this year (like me!). It was a busy summer of getting to visit many beautiful farms around the state.
Our work on the CIG is comprised of 15 study farms and 65 fields where we are collecting data. In 2024 alone, we reviewed 2,067 different sampling points.
When the Ecological Research team arrives to each farm, the first thing we do is check-in with the resident farmer and ask a few questions. Is there anywhere to avoid? Are the fences on? Is it alright to go into fields with livestock in them, or should we avoid disturbing them at certain times of the day? On-farm research is important, but we have to remember that our study farms are businesses as well, and we aim to be respectful of that.
Once we are out in the pastures we refer to our protocol to decide how many botanical and soil sampling points will be taken in each field. This number is based on how big each of the individual fields are, and are randomly collected throughout the study area to prevent sampling bias. The table below shows how many sampling points we collect based on acreage.
Collecting Botanical Data
A 1 square meter quadrat.
Equipment in the field.
Data collection sheets and tools.
Using a 1 square meter quadrat we collect data about field botanical composition and field management. We ask questions about recent grazing and haying activity as well as changes in other management practices.
Members of the Ecological Research team will also estimate the percentages of each botanical species that we identify in the quadrat— so not only do we know what is growing there, but we have an estimation of how much of each species is present in each field.
Walking through a planting of winter rye.
Collecting data on a field about to be grazed that is also part wetland.
Collecting data on a field about to be grazed.
Identifying plants in a recently grazed field.
The Ecological Research team also collects forage samples in each field and sends them out for analysis three times for each field season. When we collect forage samples, we like to “think like a cow or sheep” and try to focus on what the livestock would prefer to eat. Forage quality plays an important role in animal nutrition as well as the final product farms are producing (like meat or dairy).
When cows are moved often and are given grazing options, they will preferentially eat certain types of forages over others. The photo below is a great example of a field that was recently grazed but has plenty of botanical cover left behind. All of this botanical data is helpful in better understanding our subjects and research.
A recently grazed field with plenty of forage left behind.
Digging into Soil Data
Each year, we take soil samples and have them analyzed at the UVM Extension Agricultural and Environmental Testing Lab. Soil samples help to track the chemical, physical, and biological changes in each field. The first year of the study (2022) we sent our samples to Cornell Soil Health Laboratory for a much more detailed analysis they do called a Comprehensive Assessment of Soil Health (CASH). We will do this for the last year of the study (2025) to compare data.
The Ecological Research team also measures soil compaction with a device called the soil penetrometer at depths of 6 and 18 inches. We are interested in measuring soil compaction over the course of the CIG study because it plays an important role in pasture productivity and soil health. This year, we began using a soil moisture meter to collect soil moisture and temperature data around the same depth of the penetrometer measurements, which will give us a deeper understanding of how those factors could be influencing soil compaction.
The soil penetrometer just before the probe is inserted into the soil.
Collecting a soil sample out in the field, with the penetrometer and soil moisture meter close by. Each time we lay down a quadrat to collect botanical data, we also collect soil samples and measurements with the penetrometer and soil moisture meter.
Once we are back from being out in the field, we ship out the forage samples for analysis. These need to be kept cold and shipped promptly. We also prep soil samples for the UVM soil lab, store data forms in a safe spot for data entry, and check equipment for battery levels, damage, etc. The Ecological Research team is also collecting data on soil microbiomes and using satellite imagery to predict forage quality and quantity and we hope to share more about that in future updates.
CIG is a long term study, and we are just getting started with the analysis of all of this field data. The ultimate aim of the CIG study is to provide a comprehensive, data-backed understanding of the effects of regenerative farming practices on Vermont’s farmland and environment, the effort and expense that go into transitioning to these methods, and the overall economic and social benefits to farms, farmers, and communities of adopting regenerative practices.
Stay tuned to learn more about what we find as we enter the final year of data collection and analysis.