oug and Janet Young, founders of Spruce Haven Farm, a dairy farm in Union Springs, feel that farmers in the Finger Lakes region are doing their part to protect water quality. Doug, along with his partner sons, Dustin and Luke, and business partner, Jason Koch, manage the dairy operation of 2,000 cows and harvest 3,800 acres of farmland in Cayuga County.
The team at Spruce Haven Farm has partnered with some of the leading agronomic researchers at Cornell University to continue advancing farm nutrient efficiency and long-term agricultural sustainability.
The research team is currently working on several developments to understand the best application methods for adding nutrients to fields that reduce nutrient runoff.
Spruce Haven Farm has been using a methane digester for the past eight years that has helped them to develop several renewable resources. Cornell researchers are beginning to develop a biochar product that could be applied to crop land. Biochar is a carbon-filled byprodut that can be applied to farmland to ensure proper nutrients are present for crop growth while holding the carbon for a hundred years.
