Peter Dula and Ilse Ackerman live just north of Harrisonburg in a historic farmhouse on land that was settled by Ilse’s fifth great-grandparents, local Mennonites Magdalena and Abraham Breneman. When the degraded surrounding pasture brought mud run-off into their back yard and covered the pond with algae and duckweed by late spring, they drew on Ilse’s background in environmental science to find a solution.
Working with NRCS, Peter and Ilse divided their pasture into four paddocks for rotational grazing, significantly reducing weed pressure. To protect the water running through their property, they installed fencing to keep cattle away from the stream, pond, and wetlands, and planted about 600 trees along the creek to help filter runoff and prevent soil erosion.
Today, their back yard no longer floods with mud, the wetlands and ponds are healthier, and the first trees, like serviceberries, are beginning to fruit. These conservation projects have also become a teaching tool. Peter and Ilse now host farm tours to share their experiences with others in the community.
More improvements are underway at Edom Springs, including silvopasture tree planting and a new gravel path to stabilize a heavily used, eroding area of the farm.
Conservation Practices
Peter says he was surprised at how easy it was to work with NRCS and encourages others to explore these programs too. “There’s always so much going on out there,” he said.
Lee Good, a former board member at the Alliance, rents these pastures from Peter and Ilse to graze his cattle and appreciates how the paddock system has made rotational grazing manageable. While working the land, Lee also sees the benefits of Peter and Ilse’s improvements.
Despite the dry summers of the past two years, the pastures have consistently maintained better ground cover than in previous years—a sign of the drought resilience supported by rotational grazing. There has also been a noticeable increase in bird activity, with more songbirds like meadowlarks, savannah sparrows, blue grosbeaks, and now dickcissels frequenting the property.
Right: Harrisonburg NRCS District Conservationist Cory Guilliams demonstrates a temporary fencing option for the next paddock rotation on Peter and Ilse’s farm.
Featured image: Rotational grazing in action—cattle move through sunflowers and cover crops, boosting soil health and pasture recovery.
Interested in learning more about conservation practices for your property? Visit this page to learn about common practices and find your regional contact for technical assistance and funding!