Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)

The Farm at Sinking Creek has worked with the NRCS over the past 15 years to implement a series of specific conservation plans for over 400 acres to protect and manage our rich natural resources including water, land, trees and riparian buffers. The consistent implementation of these conservation practices has improved water and air quality, prevented erosion, restored our scattered wetlands, enhanced our pastures, and greatly expanded the diversity of wildlife.  

Riparian Buffers

Riparian buffers are small areas or strips of land strategically placed to mitigate the movement of sediment, nutrients, and pesticides.  Buffer strips can also enhance wildlife habitat and protect biodiversity.  Usually implemented on hillsides next to streams, buffer strips can slow water runoff, enhance infiltration, stabilize streams, and make good use of areas that should not be cropped or grazed. These riparian buffers protect water quality by reducing the amounts of sediment, nutrients, and pollutants that run off into the creek, which flows into the New River and ultimately into the Mississippi River.

Currently, we have four buffer areas with restricted cattle crossings to aid in the protection of Sinking Creek that runs through our farm.  We aim to implement more buffer areas where needed on other parts of the farm.

Because of Tracy Frist’s commitment to protect the land through riparian buffers, Mountain Castles Soil and Water Conservation District honored her with the “Clean Water Farm Award” in 2017.  

Silvopasture

In the fall of 2018, we teamed up with NRCS and Conservation Land Management & Site Solutions to actively integrate pasture into existing woodland. This created a 14-acre actively managed silvopasture. Silvopasture (Latin, silva forest) is the agroforestry practice of integrating trees, forage, and the grazing of domesticated animals in a mutually beneficial way. Trees were strategically thinned allowing light to come through the forest and allow native prairie grasses to replace the jumbled undergrowth.  It is known that properly-managed silvopasture can increase overall productivity and long-term income due to simultaneous production of trees, crops, forage, and livestock.  Moreover, it provides the environmental benefit of carbon sequestration. For educational purposes, we have left an adjacent 14 acres of woodland unmanaged as a control for study.