Lamport Farms

Frank Lamport, Jr. and his son, John, farm in the Town of Hobart on two sites encompassing over 800 acres of prime agricultural land. This partnership was passed down by Frank Lamport, Sr. with the goal that the family continue milking cows, a profession they value for the freedom of being selfemployed and working in a family business. To meet the Lamport’s water quality protection goals, two main projects were planned and implemented by the Watershed Agricultural Program this year.

Watershed Agricultural Program farm planners from Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) focused on this farm’s heifer facility, where about 135 head of youngstock occupy a barnyard and surrounding pasture. First, a concrete barnyard transformed a previously muddy area into a well-drained heavy use area for these cattle. With the West Branch Delaware River running close to the barn and animal activity occurring on this site throughout the winter, exclusion of the yearlings from the stream was the next order of business.

Through a partnership between WAC and USDA’s Farm Service Agency, four riparian acres were put in the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP). The team developed a watering system with three hydrants located in less hydrologically sensitive pasture areas to accommodate this change. To complete the stream buffer project, the Lamports chose the trees and shrubs planted in the area to provide shade and a filter to the stream in the future.

Next, the Lamports wanted to design a stream crossing for animals and manure-spreading equipment during the cold winter months. The team ruled out two traditional stream crossing methods: concrete cattle slats that are built to ford the stream were avoided, as frozen water on concrete can make the crossing slick for cows; a round pipe culvert was a bit small for this stream’s peak flow. In the end, they built a concrete box culvert which has the advantages of solving the water quality risks while maintaining the natural characteristics of the stream. Since keeping equipment and animals away from the natural stream bottom is paramount to a healthy fishery, the solutions on this farm add up to better water quality and improved conditions for the cattle and farmers.