The 2026 Marketing Conservation Cohort brought OCNRCD together with four Orleans County farms to tell the stories behind the conservation practices happening on their land. At Sweet Rowen Farmstead, conservation is part of the daily rhythm of the dairy, from moving cattle through carefully managed paddocks to protecting waterways and returning nutrients to the soil. The farm also finds ways to conserve resources beyond the pasture, including recycling hundreds of thousands of gallons of gray water each year. Through the cohort, OCNRCD helped bring these practices into view and share the thinking behind them.

Sweet Rowen Farmstead

By Paul Lisai

Following the land, one paddock at a time

At Sweet Rowen Farmstead, conservation is woven into the daily rhythm of the dairy.

Rotational Grazing

Every 12 hours, the farm's 60 cows move onto fresh ground.

Across 45 paddocks, each area gets close to 40 days to rest and rebuild before the herd returns.

Managing Nutrients

The farm's manure pit is covered, and manure is returned to the fields according to regular soil testing.

That keeps nutrients moving through the farm's natural cycle while avoiding applications beyond what the soil can use.

Protecting Waterways

Every stream on the farm has a riparian buffer: a strip of grass and plants left uncut along the bank to help filter runoff before it reaches the water.

The barnyard is cemented and laneways are graveled to reduce mud and runoff created by cattle traffic.

These practices help slow, spread, and sink water into the ground before it moves downstream.

Reusing water

Sweet Rowen recycles approximately 400,000 gallons of gray water onto its fields each year through an irrigation pond and automated pump system. The system uses approximately 30 gallons of fuel annually.

Here, conservation is part of the daily work of producing food.

Visit Sweet Rowen Farmstead ↗