Webinar Recordings from Monthly Silvopasture Program Work Team Meetings
The Silvopasture Program Work Team (PWT) is a loose network of educators, researchers, and technical service providers with a shared interest in silvopasture. We began meeting monthly in May 2024, primarily hosting guest presenters at each meeting to expose members to different aspects of silvopasture, focusing primarily on planted silvopastures.
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Why Silvopasture?
At this inaugural meeting of the Silvopasture PWT, Erica Frenay shares why she was interested in implementing silvopasture on her farm, and how she got enough training and confidence to move forward. Connor Youngerman, co-chair of the Agroforestry PWT, shares results of farmer interest from a survey done by that PWT in 2021, and attendees…
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Getting Started with Trees in Pastures
By Erica Frenay of Cornell Small Farms Program and Shelterbelt Farm, and Lynn Bliven of CCE Allegany County and Wild Geese Farm. Both farmer educators share details of silvopasture system design, tree sourcing, planting method, and how they protect trees from livestock. Watch recording
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Foundational Design Principles for Additive Silvopasture
By Eli Roberts of Sunfleck Consulting. Eli is a thoughtful designer with significant experience in the design of integrated tree-livestock systems. Here he offers his distilled thoughts on good design principles. Watch recording
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Details of a Fodder System at All One, One All Farm
By Eli Roberts of Sunfleck Consulting. Eli joined us to dive into the details of a silvopasture system he designed, planted, and maintained for several years at All One, One All Farm in NY. Watch recording
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Organic Dairy Silvopasture Planting
By Kathie Arnold of Twin Oaks dairy in Truxton, NY. Kathie is a long-time organic dairy farmer who took time away from her farm duties to share how and why she is investing in planted silvopastures on her farm. Watch recording
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Getting Silvopasture Off the Ground at Wellspring Forest Farm
By Steve Gabriel. In this video Steve describes how and why he has integrated silvopasture into his farm, including his design principles and lessons learned. Watch recording
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Nobody Wants Trees in Their Pastures, Do They?
By John Fike, Virginia Tech. John walks us through his experience with silvopasture, historical context, research results including shade benefits, and rates of adoption and producer perspectives. Watch recording
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Investigating in-season sheep grazing for cool climate vineyards
By Justine Vanden Heuvel, Professor in Cornell Horticulture. While she does not often use the word “silvopasture” — tending to use “integrated crop-livestock systems” instead — she is doing important research on the integration of livestock in orchards of woody perennials such as vineyards. Watch recording
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Tree Harvest and Use Within Existing Silvopastoral Systems
By Shana Hanson of 3 Streams Farm in ME. Shana offers an example of a silvopasture system not commonly seen: she feeds her herd of goats on leaves cut from existing forest trees. She has collected and analyzed extensive data via 3 SARE Farmer Grants to understand feed value and palatability. NOTE: audio quality is…
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How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the White Mulberry, or White Mulberry as the King of Silvopasture
By Connor Youngerman, Agroforestry Specialist for the Cornell Small Farms Program. Connor makes a compelling case for the use of mulberries in silvopasture systems as fodder trees, laying out their ancient history of use around the world and the scientific literature documenting their many benefits. Watch recording
