From an agroecological perspective, the region is delineated by characteristics of the climate, soil, and topography which severely limit or preclude the cost effective production of crops requiring intensive annual tillage operations, lengthy growing seasons, or more productive soil types. However, these same characteristics are extremely favorable for the production and utilization of grasses and legumes. Historically, one of the primary reasons the dairy and livestock industries developed and prospered in the Northeast and upper Midwestern states was because farmers recognized, early on, the economic advantages of using low cost but high quality pasture and hay in their feeding programs. In more recent years, however, despite the cost effective advantage of utilizing these naturally adapted crops, farmers turned away from their use in favor of crops that appeared to be capable of producing higher yields, greater quality, or were better suited to confinement feeding programs. Unfortunately, the economics involved with producing these crops on many of the region's farms has all too often been overlooked. This is particularly evident at the individual farm level. Simply because we can cause plants to grow in sub-optimal environments does not ensure that the economic and environmental costs of doing so can or will be justified by the yields obtained. In fact, for many crops, they are not.

In today's economy it is not enough to merely farm. Farmers need to farm more intelligently, more economically, and more in harmony with the environment. Farmers who attempt to grow crops on soils, lands, or areas not particularly well-adapted, or who try to operate production systems that do not represent the most economical management strategy are, by their own hand, forcing themselves to operate at a self-inflicted economic disadvantage.

From the standpoint of cost-effective crop and livestock production and the even broader notion of agricultural sustainability, fighting nature has always been an expensive proposition. However, in more recent years, because of increases in machinery, labor, and energy costs, it has become too expensive. Many potentially profitable dairy and livestock operations are now in severe economic depression or have already been forced out of business. Certainly, this does not represent intelligent farming, nor is it conducive to long term agricultural sustainability.

Fortunately, there are alternatives. Sustainable agriculture requires the application of an integrated resource management approach in which the optimum combination of livestock, crops, and production practices are identified for each farm. In some situations, because of site, soil, and economic conditions, a system combining dairy cattle/corn/ and alfalfa grown in rotation/and confinement feeding will be best. In other situations, a combination of dairy cattle, beef, or sheep/pasture and hay/and seasonalized production to maximize the use of pasture will be the most appropriate alternative. In still other situations, some unique combination of management practices and resource allocation will be required to attain the best fit.

This guide is targeted for use on the many dairy and livestock farms in New York State where site, soil, or economic conditions indicate that a more intensive use of pasture can, with proper planning and management, provide opportunities to significantly improve farm profitability and concurrently reduce environmental degradation.