Project Lead: Erica Frenay, Connor Youngerman
Give Trees a Chance
Agroforestry describes a wide range of practices that integrate trees, forests, and agricultural production. These systems can be adapted to almost any site and condition, and can help farmers produce new revenue while buffering their operations from the challenges of climate extremes.
In response to increasing interest in agroforestry over the years, Cornell has created an extension program work team and a number of tools and resources to help farmers turn forested and marginal lands into productive contributors to farm revenue, produce multiple crops from the same piece of land in a symbiotic way, all while increasing biodiversity and improving soil health.
History of Agroforestry at Cornell
Cornell University faculty, Extension, and other staff have been leading agroforestry research and education efforts for 100 years!
Agroforestry Resources by Practice
Join our email list to hear about new resources as they’re added.
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Silvopasture
Silvopasture is the thoughtful integration of trees, forage, and livestock in a managed system that provides shade…
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Urban Food Forests (coming soon!)
Coming Soon!
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Alley Cropping (Coming Soon!)
More details coming soon! Nut Production Resources: Key Contacts: Connor Youngerman czy2@cornell.edu
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Windbreaks
Windbreaks are plantings of trees and/or shrubs that reduce wind speed in an agricultural area. First used…
Events
November 2026
Saturday, November 14 · 1 – 3 pm EST
Acorn Processing Workshop
Cornell Botanic Gardens Nevin Welcome Center 124 Comstock Knoll Drive, Ithaca, NY 14850
Join us to re-connect with acorns and learn how to process them into a nutritious local food source! Acorns have been utilized as a food resource by many different people and cultures for millennia. However, many modern cultures have ‘forgotten’…
$25
October 2027
October 29 – 31, 2027 · All day
Northeast Agroforestry Conference
The Desmond Hotel, Albany, NY 660 Albany Shaker Road, Albany, NY
Whether you are curious about the ecological and financial advantages of incorporating trees into farm production systems or you already have deep expertise in agroforestry, this conference will have something for you. Hear from incredible speakers, meet others with shared…
News and Updates
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Stinging Nettles: Not Just for Breakfast Anymore
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Every farm needs a patch of delicious, nutritious, pain-reliving and mood-enhancing nettles. One of my favorite plants is either highly versatile, or very confused. On the one hand, professional herbivores like rabbits and deer refuse to even touch it, but many people, myself included, will gladly eat it every day it is available. While contacting…
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Chainsaw Safety, Part III: Unsafe Practices
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Chainsaw Safety, Part One Chainsaw Safety, Part Two This is the third installment in a series on chainsaw safety and operation, as part of our CCE Chenango grant project done in collaboration with the New York Farm Viability Institute, “Increased Farm Profitability and Diversity through Value-Added Forest Products Initiative”. We have been encouraging farmers and woodland owners to develop…
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Call the Dogs Off the Lions
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Be nice to dandelions, “the official remedy for everything.” April showers bring May flowers, but not all posies are a welcome sight. Although it is quite possible they arrived on the Mayflower, dandelions do not get the esteem they deserve as plucky immigrants that put down firm roots in a new land, vitamin-packed culinary delights,…
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Low-Cost Fence Designs to Limit Deer Impacts in Woodlands and Sugarbushes
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The white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) can significantly influence the diversity, longevity and sustainability of rural woodlands, forests and maple syrup sugarbushes. As selective browsers, deer will eat some plants more readily than they eat other plants. Many of the tree species deer prefer to consume are valued by owners as sources of timber, maple syrup, …
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Black Locust: A Tree with Many Uses
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In early October this past year, a devoted group of foresters, farmers, extension educations, students, and others gathered at the USDA Plant Materials Center in Big Flats, NY to discuss a common, yet underappreciated tree that has great potential for farms across the Northeast: Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia). This tree, which has often been given…
Collaborators
The Cornell Agroforestry Program Work Team (PWT) is co-chaired by:
- Graham Savio, gs695@cornell.edu, Cornell Cooperative Extension Tompkins County
- Connor Youngerman, czy2@cornell.edu, Cornell Small Farms Program
- Tracey Testo, tet35@cornell.edu, Agroforestry Resource Center, Cornell Cooperative Extension Columbia-Greene
Subscribe for Updates and Opportunities
This list-serve provides information and resources to connect small and mid-sized farmers to larger markets such as food hubs, grocery stores, restaurants, online marketplaces and cooperatives. Farmers, educators and prospective buyers are all welcome:
