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Ellett Valley Beef Company: A Soil for Water Case Study

ID

SPES-640NP

Authors as Published

Presented by Eric S. Bendfeldt, Senior Extension Specialist, Community Viability and Food Systems, School of Plant and Environmental Sciences; Kim L. Niewolny, Professor and Extension Specialist, Department of Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education; Katie Trozzo, Food Systems Network and Outreach Specialist, Department of Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education; and Ernie Didot, Media Specialist, Clear Impact Productions

This publication is available in a video file format only.

Gil Yearwood of Ellett Valley Beef Company reflects on his time raising beef since 1975. Ellett Valley Beef Company is in Montgomery County in southwest Virginia and specializes in South Poll cattle because they are excellent for grass-based grazing systems and have relatively small frames, easy dispositions, and are tender. Gil admits he has tried every variation of rotational grazing, and that rotational grazing is significantly better than continuous grazing. Gil took an interest in cattle and grazing as a teenager. He has been a mentor for many young and second career cattle farmers. Gil demonstrates that regenerative agriculture and grazing is a journey and an adaptive lifelong process. Gil openly shares his overarching goals, challenges, the lessons he has learned, and what gives him hope with soil health, water quality, and regenerative grazing adoption as he interacts with other farmers and visitors to his farm.


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Publication Date

November 6, 2024