More 

Income

50 pts.

Wildlife 

Habitat

30 pts.

Animal

Health

40 pts.

Quality 

Forage

30 pts.

Value

Added

20 pts.

4

3

6

Quail Questions

Loblolly or Longleaf

Nuts to

Silvopastures

in Kentucky

Inside

Agroforestry Volume 20 Issue 2 Inside

I

nitiative, research and education 

set Nimrod Stephens on a course of 

becoming a goat producer on his Quiet 

Oak Farm in Phenix City, AL, utilizing 

silvopastures and open-pastures to meet the 

growing demand for goat meat in U.S.

Making a decision to leave his lawncare business after research showed that 

goat meat production was lagging behind 

demand, Stephens went to work on a piece 

of unused family land with only nine goats.

Uma Karki, Ph.D.

State Extension Livestock Specialist

Tuskegee University 

Tuskegee, AL

see Goats in the Woods, Page 10

Scoring big 

with Silvopasture
More and more people are asking about 

agroforestry: “What is Forest Farming?” 

“Why should I consider creating a 

Silvopasture?” “What sort of crops can I 

grow in an Alley Cropping system?”

The USDA National Agroforestry Center 

has created six new PowerPoint presentations 

to answer some of the most common 

questions and provide a basic understanding 

of agroforestry in the U.S. There is an 

overview presentation of agroforestry and 

a presentation covering each of the five 

agroforestry practices. All six PowerPoint 

presentations are available to download and 

use at your next workshop/event. Please feel 

free to customize the slides as needed for your 

local area and audience. We hope you find 

these presentations helpful and interesting. 

Go to: 

www.unl.edu/nac/presentations.htm 

 

 ]

NAC Director’s Corner

A commentary on the status of agroforestry by Andy Mason, NAC Director

2 Inside Agroforestry ] Volume 20, Issue 2

Silvopasture: What, Who, Where, Why, When and How?

I

’ve decided to devote the Director’s Corner to my take 

on the silvopasture questions of “what, who, why, when, 

where and how.” 

What is silvopasture? 

“Silvopasture is a form of agroforestry defined by the 

intentional integration of a system of symbiotic, planned 

interactions that produces wood, forage and livestock 

products while simultaneously creating sustainable 

environmental benefits and ecosystem services.” (Sharrow, 

S., et al; in North American Agroforestry: An Integrated 

Science and Practice, Garrett, H., editor; 2nd edition, 2009). 

Who is applying silvopasture and Where?

NRCS reporting shows significant increases in demand for 

silvopasture technical and financial assistance. Nationwide, 

in 2009, only 770 planned acres were reported. In 2010, the 

planned acres jumped to more than 8,500, and in 2011, it 

reached almost 5,200 acres. Over the last 3 years, 26 states 

and Puerto Rico reported silvopasture applications, with 

the highest number of applications in Alabama, the highest 

number of acres in Oregon, and a significant number of 

applications of acres in Minnesota, Louisiana and Montana. 

We will soon have more comprehensive information 

about who is practicing silvopasture in the U.S. Thanks 

to the cooperative work of NAC and the USDA National 

Agricultural Statistics Service, and a formal request from 

NRCS Chief Dave White, the first ever agroforestry question 

will be included in USDA’s 2012 Census of Agriculture 

questionnaire: “At any time during 2012, did this operation 

practice alley cropping or silvopasture?”

Why would a landowner choose silvopasture?

Landowners are often looking for ways to both increase 

and diversify income from their farm/woodland. A typical 

silvopasturist is most likely the producer who already 

grazes livestock, has some woodland 

and is an “innovator” or “early adopter.” 

This question is further answered in 

this issue’s stories about producers in 

Alabama, Kentucky, Texas and New York. 

When is the right time to choose silvopasture?

Only the producer knows if and when silvopasture is right 

for them. We know that information is the main driver in 

the adoption process and it must be timely, accurate, easy to 

obtain, equally accessible and inexpensive (see Agroforestry 

Note-43, “+H: The Human Considerations in the Adoption 

of Agroforestry” at www.unl.edu/nac/agroforestrynotes/

an43g13.pdf)

If someone asked you tomorrow, “What do you think 

about silvopasture?” Are you prepared to provide helpful 

assistance in planning and applying a silvopasture system? 

How can you learn more about silvopasture?

NAC has the following free silvopasture resources:

• Overview brochure: Working Trees Silvopasture 

(www.unl.edu/nac/workingtrees/wts.pdf)

• Guidebook: Silvopasture — Establishment & management 

principles for pine forests in the Southeastern United States 

(www.unl.edu/nac/morepublications/silvopasturehandbook.

pdf)

• Online training: www.silvopasture.org/

• Additional publications: www.unl.edu/nac/silvopasture.htm

I encourage you to share with me your stories and perspectives about silvopasture. What science and tools are 

needed to advance silvopasture? Please email me at: 

amason@fs.fed.us

Sincerely, 

Andy Mason

What’s new at NAC?
 Volume 20, Issue 2 ] Inside Agroforestry 3

I

n the beautiful rolling hills of Bourbon County, KY, home to beef 

cattle, horses, wildlife and fruit and nut producing hardwoods, 

sits Doug and Sara Hines’ 160-acre family farm, where agroforestry 

practices are helping the family produce a sustainable economy. 

When Sara and Doug purchased the land in 1991, their agricultural experience consisted of raising beef cattle, growing tobacco and 

other row crops, a direction they pursued in the following years. 

However, these enterprises were not able to sustain the “family 

farm” that Sara and Doug had always envisioned. Searching for answers to their dilemma, they began to see the advantages of adding 

trees, particularly black walnut and hickories, to their pastures, thus 

creating silvopastures. The Hines recognized the value of integrating the overstory management with understory production — the 

agricultural and environmental benefits of silvopastures. 

One of their first steps on their “silvopasture journey” was integrating native black walnut into their farming system, but an outbreak of 

Thousand Cankers Disease in nearby states spurred them to diversify 

the walnuts with other species. 

“Shagbark and shellbark hickory grow well in my area,” Doug 

Hines said. “And some of the best cultivars are very promising. I’ve 

worked closely with other members of the Kentucky Nut Growers 

Association to identify and propagate local hickories. I am also adding 

some of the late vegetating cultivars of Persian walnuts and heartnuts.” 

Why plant trees in the pastures?

In many regions of the world, trees are utilized to improve habitat 

for dairy cattle, goats, sheep and other livestock. They are used to 

block chilling winds and snow from lounging, feeding and birthing areas. Trees also can provide evaporative cooling and can reduce 

direct, solar radiation that dehydrates animals, plants and even soil 

organisms. 

In her master’s thesis, Alicia Buergler writes, “Moderating forage 

microclimate with appropriately spaced trees is an effective way 

to improve forage production in temperate pastures.” And Paul, 

Turner and Larson writing in the 2000 Beef Cattle Report, “Beef 

cattle research in Kentucky demonstrated a reduction in deep body 

temperature as much as 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit, with improvements 

in daily gain rates that ranged as high as 1.25 pounds per day as a 

result of shade during summer heat stress periods.” 

Doug Hines explained how putting trees in the farm’s pastures has 

affected their farm, “There was an opportunity to add trees without 

adversely affecting our pasture production.

“Black walnut in particular has an open canopy, which allows a 

good bit of sunlight to reach the ground. It also is late to leaf out. In 

many years, the first cutting of cool-season grass hay is being mowed 

as the native black walnut trees begin to leaf out.”

A farm with diverse marketable products is more likely to be 

profitable and sustainable over time. Markets for livestock products 

typically trend up and down, sometimes making cash flow, 

Doug Hines and his son, Logan, prune a grafted walnut tree in a reserve silvopasture of tall fescue. Photo by Sara Hines

Nuts to Silvopastures in Kentucky

Sid Brantly

NRCS State Grazing Specialist

Lexington, KY

see Nuts in Kentucky, Page 8
People involved in silvopasture management readily recognize and 

actively integrate the associated goals and objectives of forage, 

livestock and tree management. Even though one of the most common and highly ranked values of landowners is wildlife, there has 

not been any research or effort to include keystone wildlife species 

such as turkey, quail and the red cockaded woodpecker in silvopastures. This information is greatly needed if silvopasture management is to evolve into a widely accepted way of managing multiple 

resources for profit.

In 2004, the USDA National Agroforestry Center (NAC) worked 

with the National Wild Turkey Federation to develop Agroforestry 

Note #28 (www.unl.edu/nac/agroforestrynotes/an28s06.pdf) on 

some basic ways to enhance a silvopasture that would be beneficial for turkeys in the southeast U.S. Some anecdotal information 

suggested that quail also might benefit from silvopasture management. But just exactly how to manage a silvopasture specifically for 

quail wasn’t understood. Enter Tall Timbers Research Station near 

Tallahassee, FL.

Tall Timbers Research Station is the premier quail and habitat 

manager in the Nation. Their habitat management goals currently 

do not include grazing or improved pasture systems, although they 

are interested in building partnerships that could help improve the 

economic potential of farm, ranches and woodlands by shifting 

from the traditional paradigms to sustainable systems thus increasing diversity.

Tall Timbers’ South Carolina Game Bird Research Director Jerold 

Sholar and South Carolina NRCS Grassland and Forestry Specialist 

David Findley also had noticed that quail and other wildlife species 

were sometimes found in silvopastures. But they wondered about 

how silvopastures could be managed to be even better habitat for 

quail. In conversations with NAC, it was decided to engage in a 

joint effort to monitor quail and mammalian nest predator populations in response to the addition of a silvopasture system on a farm 

located in Allendale County, SC. Sholar and Findley, along with 

Tall Timbers’ Game Bird Research Director Bill Palmer developed 

a silvopasture system with improved pasture grasses (Bahia), warm 

season grasses, native forbs, legumes and loblolly pine trees. Predator 

and quail populations were monitored on a control pasture and the 

silvopasture simultaneously using techniques that are standard on all 

of Tall Timbers study sites. A base-line population was established 

and used to determine if the silvopasture components had a positive 

impact on the quail population.

Conventional silvopasture systems consisting of pine strips and 

sod-forming exotic pastures provide low quality habitat for bobwhites. Although severe drought conditions and high predator context limited the quality of habitat response to this system, it is the 

opinion of the study team that the system developed for this project 

has potential for improving quail populations providing landowners 

with an additional potential income source (wildlife) with timber 

and cattle. Adding high quality, early successional habitat to a silvopasture system could provide landowners with additional opportunities for wildlife-based recreation that may also yield more income 

(lease opportunities). Studies on intensive, center-pivot irrigated 

farm land have shown significant increases in bobwhite populations 

by converting 5-25 percent of the row crop acres to early successional habitat, giving credence to the possibilities of this system. Sholar 

proposed taking an existing timber stand with 600 trees or higher 

per acre and thinning to 40 or 60 square foot of basal area, which 

would be the ideal scenario for timber grazing. This spacing allows 

for adequate sunlight for native plant recruitment. The concept 

described above is particularly well suited to the southeastern U.S.

“Sustainable systems require less input but create an opportunity 

for a higher rate of return per acre,” Sholar said. “Therefore, we feel 

the concept that we devised for improving silvopasture will build 

a bridge to change that promotes diversity in habitat and should 

reward those that adopt this approach.”

This project has laid the ground work for further investigation 

on the potential of this new silvopasture/timber grazing concept to 

positively influence quail populations and other early successional 

wildlife species. ]

Quantifying 

Quail Questions

Richard Straight

USFS Lead Agroforester

Lincoln, NE

Bait is used to attract predators to plots of fine sand, such as this, where 

foot prints can be identified and counted to determine predator populations. Photo by Rich Straight 

David Findley shows a silvopasture demonstration site in 2011. 

Photo by Rich Straight

4 Inside Agroforestry ] Volume 20, Issue 2
At the time of this writing, it’s January 2012, and winter is upon 

Texas ranches. Shorter days give ranchers longer evening hours 

to reflect on last year’s successes and challenges — and time to consider new management strategies for the upcoming year.

During this time of reflection, silvopasture is one resource management system landowners might have considered for optimizing cattle 

performance and ranch economics.

"For my operation, it was an opportunity to diversify both my 

open land and forestland management without losing productivity in 

either setting," Ross Brown said. Brown, a Harrison County rancher 

and district conservationist for the USDA Natural Resources 

Conservation Service (NRCS) in Marshall, TX, added that his 

operation on his family ranch, located near the northeast Texas 

town of Waskom, has always focused on forage, forest and wildlife 

management. 

“Silvopasture gives us the ability to do this on the same acreage. 

The bottom line for us is increased economic performance per acre," 

he said.

Silvopasture benefits

Brown said if a landowner's objectives are primarily livestock and 

forage production, then a system that incorporates pines can work 

best. Hardwood trees, including pecan, hickory or walnuts, also can 

be managed for a silvopasture mix with livestock and forage.

"Pine trees offer less competition for moisture and provide a 

protective canopy year-round for livestock. A silvopasture system 

can be designed around both pine and hardwood trees, depending 

on soil types and the landowner's objectives,” Brown said. “One 

issue with hardwoods is they have a much larger lateral root system, 

which creates more competition for moisture where the forages are 

concerned. This can be overcome with wider spacing of the trees 

and hardwood-specific site selection."

Brown said silvopasture benefits can include improved livestock 

performance, water quality and wildlife habitat, recreational opportunities, along with long-term profits from sales of wood products, 

such as sawtimber.

"I think it is a win-win situation, both environmentally and 

economically," Brown said."Since my involvement with silvopasture 

on our family ranch, I am confident that high quality forage with 

sustainable yields for livestock grazing is attainable in this setting.

“Livestock clearly prefer to graze in these areas in almost any 

weather condition, and with the presence of the forest component, 

the opportunities to manage for wildlife now exist where before that 

was not a consideration."

Relief during weather extremes

The unrelenting days of record-breaking heat that blanketed Texas 

in 2011 were a challenge for people and animals. Driving through 

the state on any given summer day, cattle could be seen huddled 

under any available shade.

At Brown's ranch last summer, his cattle grazed the silvopasture 

area throughout the day during the extreme heat.

"The forage under the trees was green and actively growing during 

the record-breaking heat, while the forage in the open field was in 

a more dormant state with little green, actively growing vegetation. 

Grasses seem to be slower-maturing under the canopy of trees and 

because of this can be more palatable and higher in nutrient value," 

he said.

Cattle also can benefit from a silvopasture setting during extreme 

cold or wet periods.

"I think that we definitely improve livestock performance in a 

silvopasture setting. The protection offered by the trees in both 

hot times of the year and cold reduces the energy requirement of a 

cow and that can translate into increased profit for the cattleman," 

Brown said.

During spring and summer, these areas also can provide an area 

for an extended forage-growing season and provide the rancher with 

an opportunity to incorporate cool season forages for supplemental 

grazing during the winter. Tree canopies still allow enough sunlight 

to reach the grasses for optimal growth.

"If the primary consideration is forage production for livestock 

and hay, then I’d recommend warm season, perennial grasses under 

the trees," Brown said. "However, if the primary consideration is 

wood products, and wildlife is secondary, then native grasses might 

be more beneficial in the mix. Management will always depend on 

land management objectives."

Maximizing land use

According to the Texas Forest Service, Texas has more than 63 

million acres of forestland and an estimated 468,000 private forest 

landowners — for whom Silvopasture can be a viable option.

Maximize returns with Silvopastures

see Texas Silvopasture, Page 9

Beverly Moseley, 

NRCS Public Affairs Specialist

Bryan, TX

 Volume 20, Issue 2 ] Inside Agroforestry 5

Ross Brown stands among pines on one of his ranch’s silvopastures. 

USDA-NRCS photo
When shopping for my first car my dad said, “You had better 

pick out one you like because you are going to have it for a 

while!” The same can be said for the timber species chosen when 

designing a silvopasture. Since most landowners expect to grow 

timber for 30 years or more, the species selected might be the most 

important thing considered during the early planning stages. There 

are several questions that should be asked when making this choice: 

What are the long-term and short-term management objectives? 

What is the soil type? What species grow best in the region? What 

are the timber markets in the area? 

In the southeastern United States, southern pines such as loblolly 

(Pinus taeda) and slash (Pinus elliottii) have proven to be well-suited 

for use in silvopasture systems. These pines work well in single, double or even triple rows of trees with forage corridors between them. 

However, few studies have examined the suitability of another 

southern pine — longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) as part of a modern 

silvopasture system. 

Until the 1920s when fencing laws were enacted, free-ranging 

cattle regularly grazed natural longleaf pine forests. As longleaf pine 

forests were eventually harvested and fire was suppressed on the 

landscape, longleaf was often replaced by its faster growing cousins, 

loblolly and slash. Eventually, only about 3 million of the original 90 

million acres supported longleaf pine — a loss of over 96 percent of 

the original longleaf forest acreage. 

Today, longleaf pine is enjoying a resurgence in popularity, with 

restoration efforts increasing across its range. A significant portion 

of this effort is concentrated in low-density plantings (less than 600 

trees per acre) of longleaf pine in old agricultural fields that are often 

promoted with cost-share programs to improve wildlife habitat. 

While there is some historical evidence that natural longleaf pine 

stands may be ideally suited for use in silvopasture systems, little 

is known about how planted longleaf silvopastures will respond to 

grazing. 

To find out, the USDA National Agroforestry Center collaborated, 

in 2008, with the Alabama Forestry Commission, Alabama 

Cooperative Extension, Auburn University School of Forestry and 

Wildlife Sciences and the U.S. Forest Service to develop a demonstration site to compare longleaf and loblolly silvopasture systems. 

Using a former tree seedling nursery site near Atmore, AL, fiveacre blocks were planted in double rows (six-foot by eight-foot spacing), leaving a 40-foot “alley” between double rows. These plantings 

continue to be monitored for survival and growth to examine the 

influence on silvopasture establishment activities. Of primary interest 

is how early seedling growth will affect the timing of cattle introduction. Since cattle figure prominently in the cash flow of silvopasture 

systems, understanding how tree growth can limit this timing is 

particularly important.

Seedlings were examined for first- and second-year survival. 

Seedling survival was variable for both loblolly and longleaf paddocks, ranging between 30 and 80 percent. Survival in the longleaf 

paddocks averaged 68 percent at the end of the first growing season 

and 78 percent for the loblolly. Some longleaf paddocks with very 

low survival were replanted at the end of the first growing season to 

fill in gaps where mortality was highest. At the end of the second 

growing season survival was an average of about 54 percent regardless of tree species. 

One factor impacting survival on all sites was equipment operator 

error. When alleyways were mowed, large groups of trees were unintentionally removed. Longleaf pine seedlings in the “grass stage” are 

especially difficult to spot among tall grasses, so it became clear that 

equipment operators must be made aware of seedling locations. 

It is recommended that livestock be introduced into a silvopasture 

system only after the terminal bud of the tree seedlings are above the 

reach of livestock — typically about six to eight feet. By age four, 

loblolly pines in this study had reached this threshold with an average height of nine and a half feet. In contrast, longleaf pine of the 

same age averaged only about six inches. This was expected because 

early development of longleaf pine is characterized by a grass-stage 

period, when little or no increase in height occurs. The length of 

time between germination and the start of seedling height growth 

is usually 4-5 years and is followed by a period of rapid growth in 

height. Emergence from the grass stage can be unpredictable and 

may depend on seedling quality for planted stands, competition 

from other seedlings or vegetation, insect and disease incidence and 

climate. Silvicultural practices that reduce competition and improve 

soil conditions can reduce duration of the grass stage. The incidence 

of brown-spot needle blight caused by the fungus Mycosphaerellaceae 

dearnessii M.E. Barr, which varies by geographic location, also can 

increase the number of years a seedling remains in the grass stage. 

Based on this study, loblolly pine silvopastures will be suitable 

for cattle grazing at a much earlier age than longleaf silvopastures 

planted at the same time. This difference can impact financial returns 

to the landowner if early livestock introduction is an important management objective. Replanting the longleaf paddocks increased upfront costs, which, in some cases, could have been eliminated with 

additional training of equipment operators. As this study continues, 

we will gain a better understanding of long-term costs and benefits 

see Loblolly or Longleaf, Page 9

6 Inside Agroforestry ] Volume 20, Issue 2

Becky Barlow

Cooperative Extension Forestry Specialist

Auburn University School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences

Auburn, AL

Best Silvopasture: 

Loblolly or Longleaf?

Longleaf pine silvopasture such as this one located in south Georgia have 

the potential to produce around 100 bales of pine straw per acre per year 

when the trees are between the ages of 10 and 15 years old. 

Photo by Becky Barlow
When I think of visiting Seneca Lake in upstate New York on 

a beautiful, warm fall day, my mind fancies sipping a nice, 

semi-dry Riesling, strolling through the waterfalls of the Watkins 

Glen State Park and sneaking a peek at the famous race track where, 

in my boyhood dreams, I always took the checkered flag.

I can now add another attraction to that list — the November 

2011 Northeast Silvopasture Conference. From the wide variety of 

license plates, I surmised that the more than 100 agroforestry enthusiasts attending this inaugural event have found a new destination as 

well. This brainchild of adding value to farms and woodlot has been 

on the minds of the Cornell University Cooperative Extension’s 

(CCE) organizing trio of Brett Chedzoy, Jim Ochterski and Nancy 

Glazier for some time. 

Ochterski, the Ontario County’s Cornell Cooperative 

Extension Agriculture and Natural Resources Issues leader, summed 

up the mission that brought together farmers, foresters, students, 

conservation professionals, educators and community development 

advocates by saying, “We are seeking to catalyze the development 

of silvopasture in the Northeast by looking at the science, considerations in planning, research and practical implementation on the 

land. When it comes to putting livestock in the woods, we’re learning to go from destructive to productive.

“To harvest any financial or environmental reward, we emphasize 

the value of a comprehensive forest and farm plan rooted in a longterm thought process.”

John Hopkins from Forks Farm in Bloomsburg, PA, and Dr. 

Tatiana Stanton from Cornell’s “Goats in the Woods” study showed 

the group how animals have enhanced their woodlands and scrub 

pastures. By using a variety of timed disturbances, pigs and goats 

were put in the understory to control invasive plants like multiflora rose and buckthorn. These eco-brush trimmers, kept in check 

with electric fencing, opened up the canopy understory for further 

enhancements like planting different grass and tree species. 

Creating this savannah-like landscape adds value by more than 

just clearing undesirable undergrowth, according to John “the Silvoculturist” Hopkins, who claims the woodlot pork tastes better than 

factory-farmed. That taste, he said, has local customers wanting 

more Forks Farm pork. And, thanks to that, he figured the hogs 

were adding $4,000 an acre after expenses — while helping reclaim 

under-utilized land. 

The team of Dusty Walter, Gene Garrett and Larry Godsey from 

the University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry gave a presentation on the development, design, implementation and impact of 

tree-forage-livestock systems. 

When attendees questioned the panel about how to apply these 

practices on their own land, the response of “it depends” resonated 

many times. They talked extensively about the benefits of natural 

shade, tree species, spacing and thinning. They also addressed the 

economics of establishing a system and the financial rewards to the 

landowner. 

As an after-dinner treat, Agri-Dynamics founder, Jerry Brunetti, 

gave his interpretation of silvopasture as the “pantry and pharmacy 

for man and beast.” Based on his research, farm work and books like 

“Wild Health” by Cindy Engel, and the 1928 classic, “Tree Crops” 

by J. Russell Smith, he said he has concluded that hedgerows with 

their diverse plant species and tree crops integrated into pastures 

have high quality, cost-effective medicinal qualities for all.

In the segment, “A Vision to Expand Silvopasturing in the 

Northeast,” New York’s NRCS Grazing Specialist Dave Roberts and 

Eastern Region National NRCS Forester Tom Ward teamed up with 

Small Farms Educator Nancy Glazier from the Northwest New York 

CCE and Dr. Peter Smallidge, Cornell’s NYS Extension forester, 

to explain the possibilities. They discussed what every grazier needs 

to know about forestry and what every woodland manager needs 

to know about grazing. In addition, they explored suitable land 

evaluations, available resources and technical assistance for burgeoning silvopasturists. They reiterated that silvopasture is not grazing 

livestock in unmanaged woodlots or pastures. 

The group then traveled to Brett and Maria Jose Chedzoy’s Angus 

Glen Farms, LLC, bordering the Watkins Glen State Park to see, 

Passionate about Silvopasture

 Volume 20, Issue 2 ] Inside Agroforestry 7

Goats graze on multifora rosa in the understory of a silvopasture in 

upstate New York. Photo by Brett Chedzoy

Troy Bishopp

Bishopp Family Farm

Deansboro, NY

see Passionate Page 11

“When it comes to putting livestock in the 

woods, we’re learning to go from destructive 

to productive.” 

— Jim Ochterski, Ontario County’s 

Cornell Cooperative Extension Agriculture 

and Natural Resources Issues leader
8 Inside Agroforestry ] Volume 20, Issue 2

liquidity and profit-margin problems for a 

small, family farm. The addition of nut and 

fruit enterprises often helps mediate this 

risk by giving the silvopastoralist increased 

marketing options.

Grazing in the orchards?

Silvopastures create a more diverse range 

of “resource acquisition zones.” Much of the 

nutrient resources for tall fescue, orchard 

grass, red clover, bluegrass and white clover 

pastures are primarily garnered from the 

upper 18 inches of soil, while the rooting 

zone for black walnut trees can be three to 

five feet. 

In a “pastured” setting, the land is typically maintained in such a way that nutrient 

competition for the trees is minimized. Livestock graze or browse the plants that could 

become competitive with the fruit and nut 

trees, and maintenance (such as clipping 

or mowing) is carried out to remove any 

potential competition the livestock miss. 

Fruit trees in grazed silvopastures benefit 

from the lack of fruit deteriorating on the 

ground, a bit of a throw back to another 

era when livestock on small, family farms 

vacuumed up any undesirable fruit that had 

potential to harbor overwintering insects 

and diseases. Also, the greater distances 

between trees in a silvopasture can provide a 

possible “disease/insect defense zone.”

Sustaining a family farm

Sharing what his family has learned using 

nut trees in its silvopastures, Doug Hines 

said his original vision was rows and rows of 

grafted black walnut trees in the fields. 

“I started by planting a five-acre field with 

rows of small, grafted black walnut trees and 

began strip grazing with portable electrified 

fencing,” he said. “A single, unfortunate 

incident was enough to learn that cattle can 

devour many young trees in a very short 

time. Now I plant larger trees and fence 

each one with salvaged posts and wire from 

fence removal projects.” 

Transplanting can be labor-intensive, 

Hines said. 

“Black walnuts, pecans and hickories 

are deeply tap-rooted, so a quality, long, 

steel-handled spade is absolutely necessary 

in hand-digging and transplanting these 

trees,” he said. “I now have two grown sons 

and they are a great help when it is time to 

transplant trees. Also, larger trees require 

supplemental water during the summer for 

the first year or two after planting.”

Any plans to silvopasture must, by the 

very nature of trees, be a long-term project. 

Many nut trees are slow to bear. Hickories 

often require 15 to 20 years to bear well and 

for this reason, this type of multi-cropping 

is probably easier to justify if there is interest 

in the family farm being passed to the next 

generation. 

Because of the long pre-production

period, large up-front investments are 

not very practical. However, used fencing 

materials and providing one’s own labor 

for fencing, grafting and weed control can 

minimize expenses.

Tree spacing depends on interim or longterm goals, livestock shade needs, forage 

production issues, water requirements for 

trees, harvest requirements (machine or 

hand picking fruit or nuts), as well as 

potential disease and insect problems. 

Pruning and thinning of nut trees also is an 

important management aspect of silvopastures that cannot be overlooked. 

For commercial fruit or nut tree crops, 

it is important to acquire quality, adapted 

trees that will accomplish the farm’s business 

goals. Since there is only limited information available to potential silvopastoralists 

in this area, it can be of great benefit to seek 

out local, state or neighboring state associations. There is plenty of information, Doug 

Hines said, to help established growers 

maintain their trees, as well as for those 

wishing to add nut-producing trees to their 

land.

Getting started

“For growers north of the traditional 

pecan belt, the Northern Nut Growers 

Association is a great source of information, 

and this group maintains an informative 

website,” he said. “University extension 

programs also are excellent sources of information. The University of Kentucky and 

Kentucky State University have both been 

supportive of nut growers in Kentucky, and 

will assist this year in hosting the Northern 

Nut Growers annual meeting in Kentucky 

(July 22-25 in Lexington, KY).”

There are a number of good mail order 

sources for nut trees in the U.S. Both potted and bare root trees are available. For 

extensive plantings, it is desirable to learn to 

graft. Nut tree rootstock is easy to grow, and 

the producer has control over the rootstock 

selection. The equipment needs are minimal, 

and include a knife with a sharp blade, pruners and a hand saw. There are a number of 

sources for purchasing dormant scion wood, 

and many growers associations have plant 

material exchanges at their meetings. ]

Nuts in Kentucky

Continued from page 3

Keenan, Logan, Sara and Doug Hines (left to right) pose for a picture overlooking their Bourbon 

County, KY, farm. Photo by Sid Brantly. 

Fencing of salvaged posts and wire protects 

grafted hickory trees from livestock and wildlife 

on the Hines farm. Photo by Sara Hines
of longleaf and loblolly silvopastures. 

Although this study shows that the 

introduction of livestock may be delayed 

in longleaf pine silvopasture systems when 

compared to loblolly, future potential benefits of longleaf pine should not be ignored.

First, there is long-term potential to 

restore imperiled longleaf pine forests. 

Second, most agroforestry systems have 

the potential to provide improved wildlife 

habitat and those species often associated 

with longleaf pine such as gopher tortoise 

(Gopherus polyphemus) and Northern 

bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus) can 

benefit from these systems. Finally, longleaf 

pine silvopastures can produce additional 

revenue opportunities such as high quality 

pine straw. Landowners always should 

consider their objectives when planning a 

new agroforestry activity and plant the tree 

species — whatever it may be — that best 

meets those goals. 

Because, hopefully, future generations will 

have silvopastures to enjoy for much longer 

than I had my first car. 

But that is another story ... . ]

Mary Webb-Marek, an NRCS forester 

in Bryan, said that a silvopasture has the 

potential to reduce economic risks because 

it produces multiple products. 

“In east Texas, we have the market for 

timber products. Cattle markets also are 

here in east Texas," Webb-Marek said. 

"So it can be a good idea to diversify your 

operation's management system with a mix 

of cattle, trees and forage."

Pines in a silvopasture do have to be 

managed. This includes thinning or removing trees, pruning branches and cleaning up 

litter, such as pine needles.

"When this is done, you allow for your 

forage growth and you can get sunlight to 

the forage base," Webb-Marek said.

Silvopastures in the southeastern U.S. 

use four pine species — loblolly, longleaf, 

shortleaf and slash.

"Loblolly pines tend to be more suitable 

for a silvopasture because they are hardier 

when it comes to frost or freeze demands, 

especially in the state’s northern counties," 

Webb-Marek said.

Loblolly are the preferred pine in a silvopasture, she said, because their root system 

is less extensive, laterally, than other pine 

varieties. Loblolly pines don't tend to outcompete forages for resources such as water, 

sunlight and soil nutrients.

Tree-to-tree and row-to-row spacings 

should be evaluated to optimize returns per 

acre of both forage and marketable timber. 

The spacing is related to the diameter of the 

trees and influences the rate of tree growth 

and forage production.

"For example, when you have an average tree diameter of 10 inches on one acre, 

you would expect to see an estimated 90 to 

145 trees, about a 17- to 22-foot spacing 

between each row and between each tree 

within a row," Webb-Marek said, "This 

translates into a volume of more than 1,530 

board feet per acre of commercial sawtimber, 

which today has a value of $300 per acre."

Landowners also should remember that 

pines, such as loblolly, can take 25 to 30 

years to mature for sawtimber use.

"This is the long-term portion of your 

management system," Webb-Marek said.

In today's economies of high inputs and 

tight profit margins, a silvopasture could 

provide the diversity landowners need to 

maximize returns per acre.

"My father, Glen Brown, who is 81 years 

old, has spent most of his life managing 

those acres for pasture that I have converted 

to silvopasture. He recently said that the 

only problem he sees with our involvement 

in silvopasture is we don't have enough 

of it," Ross Brown said. "I would encourage landowners and managers who have 

an interest in maximizing returns per acre 

and addressing multiple-resource concerns, 

including forage, timber and wildlife, to 

consider silvopasture in their operations." ]

Adapted from Mosley’s article first published 

in the January 2012 edition of The Cattleman as, “Silvopastures provide diversity and 

can maximize returns.”

 Volume 20, Issue 2 ] Inside Agroforestry 9

Loblolly vs. Longleaf?

Continued from page 6

Texas Silvopasture

Continued from page 5 NRCS offering 

two programs 

to get 

Silvopasturing

Silvopasture is one of those 

up and coming practices 

in the National Resources 

Conservation Service (NRCS) 

Field Office Technical Guide 

(FOTG) arsenal. 

Silvopastures can be 

established using one of two 

NRCS practices, either the 

Silvopasture Establishment 

practice 391 under the 

Environmental Quality 

Incentives Program (EQIP) 

or the Silvopasture Wildlife 

Habitat (ANM20), an Animal 

Enhancement Activity under 

the Conservation Stewardship 

Program. These two practices 

are available nationwide and 

are used to plan and establish 

the tree component of a 

silvopasture. 

In either case, the number 

of silvopasture acres being 

planned has been increasing 

since 2009. In the southeast 

and south central U.S. it is the 

Silvopasture Establishment 

practice (391) that has been 

predominantly used, while in 

the western U.S. landowners 

have most commonly utilized 

the Silvopasture Wildlife 

Habitat (ANM20) practice. 

If you are interested in 

establishing a silvopasture 

contact your local NRCS

office and find out if either of 

these practices is available in 

your state. ]
After some additional researching, he 

got support from the Natural Resources 

Conservation Service (NRCS) through the 

Environmental Quality Intensive Program 

(EQIP) to develop fences and a watering 

system. Stephens also received necessary 

loans from the Farm Service Agency 

(FSA) for establishing other structures and 

performing needed activities to begin goat 

production. During the initial stages of goat 

farming, he got much needed education 

at the Tuskegee University Master Goat 

Producer’s Certification Training Program. 

Here he learned about all aspects of goat 

farming, including health care, feeding and 

nutrition, breeding, record keeping, predator 

management, economics and marketing. 

Unfortunately, like most beginning 

farmers, Stephens didn’t have good quality 

pastures and not much changed there in 

the first two years. The many oak trees on 

the farm produced acorns that were readily 

eaten by deer. He thought the goats’ diet 

could also be supplemented with these 

acorns. He kept adding goats through births 

and purchases until he had 65 animals in 

2010. However, his profit margin was being 

hurt by the extra expenses for commercial 

feeds and hay. It was at this point that Drs. 

Uma Karki and Nar Gurung from Tuskegee 

University came to visit his farm. That, 

Stephens said, was the turning point in the 

management of his farm. 

One key to the turn around was the 

knowledge Stephens gained on pasture 

development and sustainable management 

at the “Year-Round Pasture Production 

and Grazing/Browsing Management” 

training organized by Tuskegee University 

Cooperative Extension Program (TUCEP).

Pasture development

His pasture improvement gained 

momentum when Dr. Karki selected 

his farm for an on-farm research project 

funded by Southern Sustainable Agriculture 

Research and Education (SSARE). 

Under this project, annual rye grass 

(Lolium multiforumds) and five different 

legumes — crimson clover (Trifolium 

incarnatum), arrowleaf clover (Trifolium 

vesiculosum), berseem clover (Trifolium 

alexandrinum), hairy vetch (Vicia villosa), 

and winter peas (Pisum sativum) were 

planted and a rotational grazing system was 

implemented. 

These management changes provide him 

with a good amount of winter grazing, 

minimizing the need to purchase feed such 

as hay, commercial feeds and agricultural 

by-products. 

“I have been saving tremendously on 

feeding costs since winter forages are up,” 

Stephens said. “The health status of the goat 

herd is improving since they have started 

grazing green foliage.” 

He went through an effective hands-on 

training and experiential learning opportunity by being involved in this research. 

Now he is convinced that year-round, 

productive pasture is the basis for successful 

goat farming. He is expanding his pastures 

by including areas under the powerlines 

and establishing a silvopasture system in the 

wooded areas. 

Silvopasture development

Stephens became acquainted with the 

silvopasture system when he attended 

the Master Goat Producer’s Certification 

Training Program in 2009. But he was 

not serious about it until he attended a 

‘Silvopasture Practice’ training organized 

by TUCEP in July 2011. Here he learned 

how a wooded land can be converted to a 

silvopasture system, expanding the grazing 

opportunity for limited resource livestock 

producers. 

After the training, he began removing 

unwanted trees from a small portion 

of his wooded land (about three acres) 

adjacent to his open-pasture area. Under 

Dr. Karki’s guidance, Stephens had the soil 

tested, applied the recommended lime and 

fertilizers, and planted a mixture of MaxQ 

tall fescue, crimson clover and chickory. He 

got the seeds from TUCEP under the “YearRound Pasture Production and Grazing/

Browsing Management” demonstration 

project. 

Current situation

Stephens says he is happy with the outcome — green forages under the trees. He is 

planning to convert the remaining wooded 

area of a little more than 17 acres into 

silvopasture system when he can manage 

the necessary funding. “It will be necessary 

to achieve my goal of building the herd to 

a point for selling 180 goats every year,” he 

said. “Only then will I be able to pay back 

the loan and support my living.”

Presently, Stephens has nearly 10 acres 

of productive, winter pasture including the 

silvopasture. He predicts this pasture will 

be more than sufficient to feed his current 

herd of 23 breeding nannies, three breeding 

bucks, and 13 kids throughout the cool 

season. 

10 Inside Agroforestry ] Volume 20, Issue 2

see Goats in the woods, Page 11

Above: Goats graze in Nimrod Stephens’ pasture on the Quiet Oak Farm near Phenix City, AL. 

Below: Stephens looks up from doing his farm’s books at the kitchen table. Photos by Uma Karki, 

Tuskegee University Cooperative Extension Program.

Goats in the woods

Continued from page 1
first-hand, the Chedzoys’ 20 years of silvopasture on the ground and 

overhead. During the visit, Brett shared a wealth of practical knowledge on integrating cattle and goats into the woodlots or woods into 

pastures on their 250 acres of owned and leased land.

These grazing entrepreneurs use their locust groves to supply all 

the fence posts for the farm, have adopted fall and winter grazing 

strategies throughout the farm and are managing the timber as part 

of a holistic approach to long-term sustainability.

Accolades flowed for the two-day event. South Central Grazing 

Specialist Susan Truax from the Pennsylvania NRCS said she was 

pleased to learn about more tools and environmental/financial 

considerations to help landowners manage and improve their forests 

and forages. Mari Omland of Green Mountain Girls Farm in 

Vermont echoed her saying, “I now see the importance of shade and 

the symbiotic relationship of trees and pastures. I like the conversations around sustainable, organic, silvopasture practices. It was 

definitely worth the six-hour drive.” 

If the exceptional attendance and passion for Northeastern 

silvopasture systems were any indication, it would seem next year’s 

conference may go from “silvo” to gold.

The conference was made possible by the USDA National 

Agroforestry Center, Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. 

Forest Service, Pennsylvania State University Cooperative Extension, 

Cornell University Cooperative Extension, Finger Lakes Sustainable Farming Center, The Cornell Small Farms Program, NYS 

Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative and the Upper Susquehanna 

Coalition. For more information, contact Brett Chedzoy, Schuyler 

County CCE at (607) 535-7161 or go to:

www.forestconnect.info ]

This article was adapted from Bishopp’s article, which first 

appeared in “Country Folks,” a weekly farm newspaper published by 

Lee Publications in Palentine Bridge, NY.

Kid mortality has decreased compared to previous years as a result 

of better management and feeding strategies. As he looks back, 

Stephens said he feels strongly that limited resource goat producers 

need a package of education, inputs and continuous technical 

support from different local institutions.

He added that he is proud of what he has achieved in this short 

journey of goat farming and is very thankful to NRCS, FSA, 

Tuskegee University Cooperative Extension and Outreach Program, 

and Alabama Cooperative Extension System - Russell County 

Extension Office. ]

 Volume 20, Issue 2 ] Inside Agroforestry 11

Newly developed goat silvopasture stands on the Quiet Oak Farm.

Photo by Uma Karki

Passionate

Continued from page 7

Goats in the woods

Continued from page 10

Nimrod Stephens’ message 

for other producers

• Get as much information as possible on goat farming 

 by attending training programs, visiting model goat 

 farms and talking to experienced producers and reading 

 educational materials before starting goat farming. 

 Then decide if one would like to get into this business.

• Contact all local agencies — NRCS, FSA and 

 university extension services and apply for all the 

 possible support.

• Work closely with experts in this area.

• Develop pasture, establish shelter, install fence and a 

 water facility and have guardian animals available 

 before purchasing goats.

• If there is not much open area, but plenty of wooded 

 area, then develop a silvopasture system to minimize 

 feeding costs.

Attendees to the 2011 Northeast Silvopasture Conference pose for a picture during a field tour of the Angus Glen Farms. Photo by Troy Bishopp
Mission

The USDA National Agroforestry Center (NAC) 

is a partnership of the Forest Service (Research & 

Development and State & Private Forestry) and the 

Natural Resources Conservation Service. NAC’s staff 

are located at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE. 

NAC’s purpose is to accelerate the development and 

application of agroforestry technologies to attain more 

economically, environmentally, and socially sustainable 

land use systems by working with a national 

network of partners and cooperators to conduct 

research, develop technologies and tools, establish 

demonstrations, and provide useful information to 

natural resource professionals.

Policy

Opinions expressed in “Inside Agroforestry” are those of the author and do not 

necessarily represent the policy of the USDA Forest Service and the USDA Natural 

Resources Conservation Service. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits 

discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national 

origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental 

status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or 

because all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance. 

(Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require 

alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, 

audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and 

TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil 

Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call toll 

free 866-632-9992 (voice). TDD users can contact USDA through local relay or the 

Federal relay at 800-877-8339 (TDD) or 866-377-8642 (relay voice). USDA is an equal 

opportunity provider and employer.

“Inside Agroforestry” is published by the USDA 

 National Agroforestry Center. 

Phone: 402-437-5178; Fax: 402-437-5712.

•		 Andy Mason, NAC Director (202-205-1694)

•		Michele Schoeneberger, FS Research Lead

 (ext. 4021)

•		Richard Straight, FS Lead Agroforester (ext 4024)

•		NRCS Lead Agroforester, vacant

www.unl.edu/nac

Inside Agroforestry PRSRT STD

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Volume 20, Issue 2

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If you’ve had a change of address or personnel, we’d like to know. Please fill out a change of address form on our website: 

www.unl.edu/nac/changeofaddress.htm

or send those changes to: Nancy Hammond, USDA National Agroforestry Center, 1945 N. 38th St., Lincoln, NE 68583 

May 1-3, 2012

SmallWood 2012:

Forest Restoration 

for a New Economy

Flagstaff, AZ

More information at: 

www.forestprod.org/smallwood/

May 20-23, 2012

ANREP 8th Natural Resource 

Extension Professionals 

Conference 

Hendersonville, NC

More information at: 

www.anrep.org/conferences/2012

July 22-25, 2012

The Northern Nut Growers 

Association’s 103rd Annual meeting 

Lexington, KY. 

More information at:

www.nutgrowing.org/

July 24-26, 2012 

Great Plains Windbreaks 

Renovation and Innovation 

Conference at the International 

Peace Garden, on the border 

of the U.S. and Canada

More information at:

www.unl.edu/nac/renovation.htm

Upcoming Events For more upcoming events, visit our website calendar: www.unl.edu/nac/calendar.htm