VOLUME 25 ISSUE 1 Agroforestry

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pg.2 New Ways 

for Old 

Terrain pg.8 Agroforesty 

for New 

Farmers

Part II
2 Inside Agroforestry ] Volume 25, Issue 1

NAC Director's Corner

A commentary on the status of agroforestry by Susan Stein, NAC Director

As we searched for stories on the topic of 

"Why Agroforestry?" for Inside 

Agroforestry, we heard so many insightful 

experiences and perspectives that we 

decided to create two issues. This is our 

second issue on this important topic. We are fascinated and 

excited by the range of reasons voiced by landowners, 

researchers, educators, and practitioners for their involvement 

in agroforestry.

Each contributor to the two “Why Agroforestry?” issues 

has described economic, environmental, and/or social 

reasons for integrating trees with agriculture. Each has also 

provided helpful insights into potential risks, tradeoffs, and 

opportunities associated with adding agroforestry practices 

into agriculture, forestry or livestock management. 

Like our first issue, this one provides a variety of perspectives 

and experiences on a range of agroforestry practices including 

forest farming, alley cropping, silvopasture, and riparian 

forest buffers. While for some landowners agroforestry 

was an important step in protecting or diversifying 

production on existing farm operations, others have 

integrated trees with agriculture from the very beginning.

We are thankful for each of these stories, shared by 

producers, researchers, and others, and hope that you will 

share them further, with colleagues, neighbors, and clients. 

Rosmann Family Farms: 

Combining Windbreaks, Organic Practices, and Pollinators

Richard Straight, USDA National Agroforestry Center

“I guess I’ve always been a tree lover. I remember having 

trees as a 4H project. I even thought about forestry when I 

went to college,” says Ron Rosmann of Harlan, Iowa. The 

Rosmann Family Farm has been certified organic since 1994. 

Their beef operation was certified organic in 1998 and their 

pork production has been certified organic since 2004.

The family has been planting and managing windbreaks since 

1983. “We planted about 100 pine and spruce trees on the top side 

of a bench terrace in 1983. Then in 1993 we started planting trees 

on a longer terrace. I suppose now we have about 12 to 15 acres 

of tree and shrub buffers on the 700 acre farm” says Rosmann.

Most of the Rosmann windbreaks serve one of three purposes. 

The top of the bench terraces provide protection for livestock 

grazing in pastures on the lower side of the terraces. “Our new 

calves really like those areas protected by the windbreaks. When 

we add those pollinator friendly shrubs on the back side of the 

terraces we are going to install permanent fences in the pastures 

where we calve out. Those calves really like to sneak up into the 

pines and spruces. And it is really tough to get them back out.”

Another purpose for their windbreaks is to buffer neighboring nonorganic farmland. “In 2007 we started planting 35 foot wide tree 

buffers near our neighbors. We planted quite a variety of species 

including black cherry, white spruce, and concolor fir. The deer 

were too hard on red oak and the hawthorn didn’t seem to have the 

survival rate I wanted,” says Ron. 

Continued on Page 11

Rosmann uses windbreaks to provide protection for 

livestock. Photo by Ron Rossmann.

Windbreaks also serve as a buffer between 

Rosmann's organic farmland and neighboring 

non-organic farmland. Photo by Ron Rosmann.
Inside Agroforestry ] Volume 25, Issue 1 3

New Ways for Old Terrain 

Diomy Zamora, University of Minnesota Extension

There’s an old saying that it is hard to see the forest for 

the trees, but some Minnesota farmers look to the trees 

to help increase agricultural productivity and address 

environmental issues, including water quality. They aren’t simply 

managing the trees; they are intentionally combining trees with 

forage and livestock systems. 

Lifelong farmer Dan Caughey and his family raise beef cattle 

and dairy cows on more than 1600 acres (1000 owned and 600 

rented) near Fort Ripley, Minnesota. They have been working with 

USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) for years 

to improve conservation and productivity on their farm. However, 

“there are a number of challenges to achieving productivity on 

our farm,” says Dan. To learn how to overcome these challenges, 

Dan attends community and University of Minnesota (UMN 

Extension) educational programs to learn about increasing 

production in a sustainable manner, while protecting 

the environment. 

Recently, researchers and extension educators from the UMN 

Extension were looking for farmers to partner in establishing 

on-farm silvopasture demonstration trials. Because Minnesota has 

more than 439,000 acres of unproductive and unmanaged wooded 

pasture, according to the 2012 USDA Census of Agriculture, 

UMN Extension has secured funding to address the issue through 

outreach activities. Managing these grazed woodlands with best 

management practices will provide environmental and economic 

opportunities. Silvopasture is a best management practice that 

combines forestry and grazing principles. The result is the 

production of timber, forage, and livestock on the same acreage 

at the same time. It not only improves the appearance of the 

landowner’s property, it helps the livestock and environment too.

Dan agreed to establish a silvopasture demonstration trial on his 

farm. Because it was a new concept for him, he was curious as to 

what this practice had to offer. “On our farm, we have more than 

100 acres of wooded pasture and we have fences around them. The 

beef cows run through the forest. During the summer, the beef 

cows graze what they can from it. I see that the forested pastures 

are not productive from an agricultural standpoint. So I am 

interested in how to make those acres more productive,” said Dan. 

To assess the impacts of silvopasture economically and 

environmentally, researchers and extension educators of UMN set 

up a demonstration to compare the performance of forages and 

livestock grazing in open pasture and in unmanaged 

wooded pasture. 

Management interventions to develop the silvopasture included 

timber stand improvement (TSI) by cutting down some trees to 

encourage forage growth. In the fall, the area was seeded with 

cool season (e.g., red clover, timothy) and native grasses and 

forbs (e.g., Virginia wild rye, fringe broom). Cool season grasses 

dominate Dan Caughey’s pasture. Fertilizer was also applied 

in the silvopasture area to correct soil fertility deficiency. 

Dan is actively involved in every aspect of the project. As he walks 

through the paddocks, he observes a big difference in forage 

productivity and the cows’ health in the silvopasture system. “The 

most impressive part is that we have five acres of heavily wooded 

pasture right next to the five-acre silvopasture demonstration. The 

amount of forage in the silvopasture is much higher than that in 

the heavily wooded pasture,” said Dan. “Grasses in the silvopasture 

were lush, the cows were happy and were in their comfortable 

habitat and did not disturb the soil, unlike the heavily wooded 

pasture where the cows just ground up the soil with their hoofs 

allowing potential environmental setback,” Dan continued. 

If shade is added to pastures, it can keep plants cooler and in 

prime growing condition later in the summer. Reducing heat 

Continued on Page 11

Cattle graze beneath trees in a silvopasture system 

near Fort Ripley, Minnesota. Photo by Diomy Zamora.
4 Inside Agroforestry ] Volume 25, Issue 1

Confluence Farms: 

Habitat and Farmland Benefit from Partnerships in the Long Tom Watershed

Kate MacFarland, USDA National Agroforestry Center

Katie MacKendrick, Long Tom Watershed Council

Stream and riparian restoration, a 

riparian forest buffer, a conservation 

easement, and farming overlap to 

provide beneficial outcomes for Trey and 

Tammie Hagen. At Confluence Farms, 

west of Junction City, Oregon, Trey and 

Tammie farm blueberries and sell them 

locally to schools and businesses. They also 

produce figs, manage meadows for hay, and 

grow Douglas fir trees. Over 2.3 miles of 

Ferguson Creek and South Fork Ferguson 

Creek pass through their farm. The 

headwaters of these streams are important 

spawning and rearing grounds for cutthroat 

trout and other native fish. Trey grew up in 

this watershed, about a mile and a half from 

his current residence. As a kid, Trey and 

his friends spent countless hours fishing, 

camping, and mucking about along its 

banks. “In retrospect, Trey says, “I think 

Ferguson Creek could qualify as my best 

friend growing up.”

However, as Trey got older, land uses in the 

area reduced the health of the creek and its 

banks. The stream became disconnected 

from its floodplain, down cut in its 

channel, and left high, steep banks prone to 

erosion. Their former playground had been 

degraded. Years later, when Trey’s family 

bought the Knebel Homestead and the 

pieces of Ferguson Creek running through 

it, Trey said “I vowed to do my part to 

return the stream to its former habitat. 

This has been my ongoing motivation for 

involvement with numerous agencies.”

Trey and Tammie became involved with 

the non-profit Long Tom Watershed 

Council (LTWC), in addition to other 

conservation organizations. The mission 

of LTWC is “to improve water quality and 

watershed condition in the Long Tom River 

basin and surrounding drainages through 

education and collaboration among all 

interests, using the collective wisdom 

and voluntary action of our community 

members.” The property’s large size and 

contiguity with other LTWC projects made 

the Hagen property a high priority for 

creating an extended corridor of improved 

fish and wildlife habitat. 

The LTWC partnered with the Hagens 

to improve habitat in the creek and on its 

banks. With conifer logs removed from a 

nearby wildlife refuge to release oak trees 

from competition and improve oak habitat, 

the LTWC created 22 log jams in South 

Fork and mainstem Ferguson Creek, part 

of a broader effort to increase the frequency 

of large wood in four contiguous stream 

miles. Log jams create pools by slowing 

down and varying stream flow, allowing 

the buildup of gravel, which creates 

important habitat for fish and the aquatic 

insects they eat. Over time, it also helps 

reconnect the stream with its floodplain. 

To improve the creek banks, the LTWC 

replaced herbaceous pasture grasses and 

nonnative blackberry with a riparian 

forested buffer that included a diverse mix 

of native trees and shrubs across 20 acres. 

Planting occurred between 2012 and 2014 

and actions to ensure the plants establish 

well will continue into 2018. Trey said that 

before the process of restoration, about 

three-quarters of the creek had become 

inaccessible due to mountains of invasive 

blackberry bushes. One benefit of this 

restoration work has been the rediscovery 

of swimming holes and beautiful stretches 

of water. Trey mentioned that after the 

restoration work, “it was like owning a new 

piece of property of natural wonders.”

In addition to the corridor improvements, 

the LTWC worked with the Hagens to 

improve a rocked crossing on South Fork 

Ferguson Creek. Before the work, the 

crossing blocked upstream fish passage 

during low flows when water would flow 

through the rock but not over it. LTWC 

used funds from an Oregon Watershed 

Enhancement Board small grant to rebuild 

the crossing at the proper elevation so that 

water would continue to flow over the 

crossing, even during low stream flows. 

The stream crossing is also more farmequipment friendly with a sloped and 

graded gravel bed.

Trey thinks there is a symbiotic relationship 

between Ferguson Creek and their farm; 

“the better we take care of it, the better it 

will take care of us.” Trey also mentioned 

that unlike other berry and fruit farmers in 

the region, they have not had trouble with 

pests or diseases in their blueberry and fig 

crops. While they say that they cannot be 

certain that they have avoided these issues 

because of the restored riparian corridor, 

they think they benefit from the abundance 

of beneficial insects residing within the 

riparian corridor. The diverse native 

shrubs and trees provide shelter and food 

for pollinators throughout the year. Trey 

mentioned, “We made the decision quite 

some time ago to never use insecticides, but 

it's nice to have never faced the issue!”

Trey and Tammie also sold a conservation 

easement to McKenzie River Trust, the 

local land trust. While they don’t know if 

conservation easements are right for every 

family, for Trey and Tammie, “seven years 

after signing papers on a 62-acre easement 

running along the western half of our

Continued On Page 11

Log jams like the one 

pictured at left create 

pools by slowing 

down and varying 

stream flow which can 

create important 

habitat for fish and 

aquatic insects. Photo 

by Katie MacKendrick.
Inside Agroforestry ] Volume 25, Issue 1 5

Lessons from Growing Ginseng 

Kate MacFarland, USDA National Agroforestry Center

Denny Colwell’s family has been growing ginseng under forest canopy in Pennsylvania for over 70 years. As he says, “growing 

ginseng is not something you can jump into on a whim and expect 

to produce large scale results.” Rather, it takes patience and time.

Colwell got involved in growing ginseng because it’s something 

his family has always done. His grandfather started growing 

ginseng as an extension of his trapping and logging work. He’d 

always selectively harvested his timber and added ginseng as 

another income source. Colwell grew up helping his grandfather 

to plant and manage ginseng. He stresses that it takes time 

to learn and gain experience. Colwell continued to build the 

business while working for someone else but has transitioned 

to growing ginseng full time. In the next ten or fifteen 

years, he expects that his son will take over the business.

While Colwell has considered producing ginseng in a field under 

shade cloth, he has decided against this because the quality is lower 

than that grown in the woods. He points out that, “Like with most 

other things, you have two choices. You can grow something as 

cheap as possible and make money on volume, or you can produce 

a top grade product and get a good price.” Colwell prefers to do the 

latter. He believes his is as close to wild as possible. Producing this 

quality is a challenge: rather than selling it at 3 or 4 years old, his 

ginseng is a minimum of 10, but more often 15 or 20 years old.

One of the biggest challenges to forest farming ginseng is the long 

timeframe required to produce a profit. Sustaining a viable business 

also requires a lot of land and with the proper microenvironment. 

Other hurdles include damage from deer and turkey as well as the 

threat of theft. Forest farming ginseng can also be labor intensive 

— most of Colwell’s work is by hand, including clearing trees 

that fall and raking leaves in new areas where seeds are planted.

In addition to growing and selling ginseng, Colwell works with 

others who are interested in this practice. Most people are not 

interested in large scale production, in part because of the land 

requirements. Most want to grow just a little to keep the species 

out on the land and for their own use. For those who are interested 

in getting involved at a larger scale, Colwell impresses upon them 

that it’s not a business that is built overnight. Instead, ginseng 

can provide a secondary income later in life that might allow 

someone to retire early or supplement their retirement income. 

Recently, Colwell has gotten involved with the Forest Grown 

Verification Program. This program, administered by Pennsylvania 

Certified Organic, verifies that his ginseng is produced and 

harvested in a sustainable and legal manner. It was developed to 

address issues with unsustainable harvesting of ginseng and other 

non-timber forest products. This program both assures buyers that 

the ginseng was not stolen and also assures buyers, consumers, and 

producers of the quality and identity of the products. There are a 

number of companies within the US who want to produce forest 

grown verified products from ginseng, so it is possible that Colwell’s 

business will become even more fruitful in the coming years. e

Like with most other things, you 

have two choices. You can grow 

something as cheap as possible 

and make money on volume, or 

you can produce a top grade 

product and get a good price.

– Denny Colwell

Denny Colwell's ginseng grows beneath a forest 

canopy in Pennsylvania. Photo by Eric Burkhart.
6 Inside Agroforestry ] Volume 25, Issue 1

Conservation and Biological Diversity in 

Organic Production

Miles McEvoy, USDA National Organic Program

Lindsay Haines, Natural Resources Conservation Service

The National Organic Program (NOP) is housed within 

USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS). Its 

role is to protect the integrity of certified organic 

products by developing clear standards, overseeing 

the certification of organic farms and businesses, and ensuring 

compliance with the USDA organic regulations. One reason 

some operations use agroforestry practices is to help meet organic 

regulations. 

Organic is a labeling term that means the food or other agricultural product has been produced through approved methods 

that integrate cultural, biological, and mechanical practices. 

These practices foster cycling of resources, promote ecological 

balance, and conserve biodiversity. Certified organic crop and 

livestock producers manage their farms according to the USDA 

organic regulations. This means using materials that are approved 

for use in organic production, and maintaining or improving 

the natural resources of their operation, including soil and water 

quality.

What does this really mean?

Organic systems seek to mirror nature by maintaining biodiversity 

on the farm and using methods that support conservation of 

natural resources. For instance, organic producers often plant 

native vegetation throughout a certified organic farm. The 

vegetation provides food, cover, and corridors for beneficial 

organisms such as pollinators like bees and bats, slows wind and 

water down for erosion control, provides groundwater recharge, 

and filters pollution.

Organic farmers and producers may also use practices that attract 

or introduce beneficial insects by planting and maintaining 

diverse plant species.  They can protect habitats for birds and 

mammals, and protect water ways by controlling livestock access 

to sensitive areas along rivers, creeks, streams, and wetland areas. 

Organic farmers and producers can also provide conditions that 

boost diversity in soil organisms by adding organic matter or 

growing deep rooting cover crops as a part of the crop rotation.  

Additionally, organic farmers and producers can manage the 

frequency, intensity, and timing of grazing and forage harvests to 

protect soil and water quality.

In addition to benefitting the environment and improving 

soil health, organic operations are often able to decrease their 

dependence on fertility inputs purchased from off the farm, reduce 

pest management costs, maintain reliable sources of clean water, 

increase drought resiliency and achieve better pollination by using 

these types of production practices.

The NOP recently released new Guidance on Natural Resources 

and Biodiversity Conservation. It provides information on the 

types of production practices that could be used to support 

natural resources conservation and biodiversity, as required by

7 CFR. § 205.200. For certified operations that also participate in 

USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) activities 

(e.g., conservation planning, Conservation Stewardship Program 

(CSP), or the Environmental Quality Incentives Program 

(EQIP), etc.), it details which practices may be supported through 

NRCS as part of its conservation programs and specifies that 

the operation may refer to a current conservation plan and/

or contract developed in conjunction with NRCS or other 

conservation agency or non-governmental organization as part 

of their OSP, to meet the requirements of 7 CFR. § 205.200.

For more examples of production practices that organic producers 

can and do use to support conservation and biodiversity and 

meet the organic standards, you can visit the NOP website to 

download the Guidance on Natural Resources and Biodiversity 

Conservation. The USDA Natural Resources Conservation 

Service also provides numerous resources on conservation in 

organic systems, including technical and financial assistance 

and their recently published Organic Farming Handbook. e

This article was adapted from a USDA blog post by Miles 

McEvoy, Deputy Administrator of the National Organic 

Program and Lindsay Haines, Organic Program Specialist, 

NRCS, on February 29, 2016 at 11:00 AM “Conservation 

and Biological Diversity in Organic Production”: 

http://blogs.usda.gov/2016/02/29/conservation-andbiological-diversity-in-organic-production/
Inside Agroforestry ] Volume 25, Issue 1 7

A few examples of activities that may maintain or improve natural resources and 

biodiversity that are most relevant to agroforestry and are mentioned in the guidance 

include the following:

Examples Relevant to All Types of 

Organic Certification

Soil Composition

• Adding organic matter through the diversity of crops and

inputs, to the soil to increase the diversity of soil organisms and 

to improve nutrient cycling, competitive exclusion of plant 

pathogens, long-term storage of soil carbon, and adaption to 

extreme climatic conditions.

• Conserving and restoring forests, shrublands, woodlands, 

grasslands, riparian areas and wetland areas, which sequester 

carbon in soils and aid in cycling soil nutrients.

Soil Stability and Water Quality

• Creating, conserving, and restoring vegetative covers (forests, 

shrublands, woodlands, grasslands, riparian areas, and wetland 

areas) that control erosion and filter nutrient, pesticide, and 

pathogen pollutants. Minimizing disturbances, maximizing 

diversity, living roots and cover.

• Using no-till or permanent cover, conservation tillage, 

terracing, contour farming, micro-irrigation, windbreaks, 

cover crops, grass waterways and soil health practices.

Water Quantity

• Choosing crops and other plants that are appropriate for the 

climate and landscape with water conservation in mind.

• Conserving or restoring forests, shrublands, woodlands, 

grasslands, riparian habitat, and wetland areas that absorb 

and hold water for long periods as part of a healthy water 

cycling process.

Native Species and Natural Areas of 

the Operation

• Conserving and restoring wildlife and native plant 

communities specific to the site (forests, shrublands, 

woodlands, grasslands, riparian habitat, and wetland areas).

• Conserving wildlife corridors and large blocks of habitat that 

reduce fragmentation.

Wildlife Benefits 

• Maintaining or improving diverse mixtures of plants to provide 

food, habitat, or shelter for pollinators, insects, spiders and 

other beneficial organisms such as arthropods, bats, 

and raptors.

Examples Specific to Wild 

Harvest Operations

Soil Stability and Water Quality

• Using practices for wild harvest that maintain or improve 

soil stability. 

• Using practices for wild harvest that maintain or improve 

water quality. 

Native Species and Natural Areas of 

the Operation

• Maintaining the sustainability of harvested native plants and 

animals and associated species when determining the quantity 

and timing of the wild harvest.

Riparian forest buffers like the one pictured 

above support soil stability and water quality. 

NAC Photo.

Through species selection and design 

windbreaks can provide benefits for wildlife. 

NAC Photo.
8 Inside Agroforestry ] Volume 25, Issue 1

Agroforestry for New Farmers: 

Unexpected Benefits

Kate MacFarland, USDA National Agroforestry Center

Casey Dahl uses alley cropping, an 

agroforestry practice that produces 

an agricultural crop simultaneously 

with a long-term tree crop, to grow chestnuts 

in Palmyra, Wisconsin. However, he doesn’t 

own the land on which he grows them. Dahl 

rents land for his chestnuts from Kirsten Jurcek 

of Brattset Family Farm. Her farm is a long 

running grass-fed beef operation that recently 

became the first in Wisconsin to be certified 

Animal Welfare Approved. In between Dahl’s 

rows of chestnuts, Jurcek continues to produce 

hay, just as she did before Dahl’s chestnuts 

were planted. 

For Dahl, agroforestry was initially appealing 

for its ecological benefits. Agroforestry increases 

the amount of diversity in the landscape, 

which leads to more diversity of animal and 

insect life. Over time, Dahl has realized there 

are additional benefits, including economics. 

While producers are often interested in alley 

cropping because it balances long term revenue 

from trees with short term income from crops, 

for Dahl alley cropping is a way to lower the 

rent. Dahl has a long-term lease on a portion 

of the ten acres of land while he is establishing 

his orchard. This allows him to get started 

and only rent a small portion of land. 

Dahl and Jurcek both caution that leasing 

ground for agroforestry practices isn’t for 

everyone. Most important is a good relationship 

and lots of discussion about expectations and 

practical issues. Dahl said that he had known 

Jurcek and her family for a long time; they 

live in the same community where he grew up 

and he had worked at her farm before. Over 

the years they stayed in touch and Jurcek 

shared that she was interested in agroforestry, 

but didn’t really have the time or resources to 

implement it. Dahl and Jurcek talked about 

how they could achieve both of their objectives 

through agroforestry. “It was a long process 

of discussing everything, talking to insurance 

agents, and hiring an attorney to write up the 

lease agreement,” Dahl said, adding that it took 

about two years between the initial discussions 

and planting the trees. They both believe that 

taking the time was important to protect one 

another’s operations. Dahl and Jurcek have a 

lease agreement for 15 years, by which time 

the chestnut trees will be very productive. 

Jurcek’s interest in agroforestry also stemmed 

from its environmental benefits. She first 

learned about agroforestry at the Midwest 

Organic and Sustainable Education Service 

(MOSES) conference about fifteen years ago. 

“I was totally taken with the idea,” she said, 

“I loved the idea of bringing biodiversity to 

the farm.” However, Jurcek recognized that 

she didn’t have the skillset, time, or human 

resources needed to plant and maintain trees 

on the farm. With the lease arrangement, 

Dahl is able to reap financial benefits and the 

entire farm reaps environmental benefits. 

In addition to providing plant diversity (and 

the ecological benefits that come from that), 

including Dahl’s operation on her land allows 

Jurcek’s kids to learn from Dahl. “Casey is a 

good educator and he’s teaching them an ag 

skill that I don’t have,” Jurcek said. She also 

appreciates being able to help a new farmer 

achieve his goals: “I’ve been fortunate and a lot 

of people have helped me. I thought it would be 

nice to give back to another beginning farmer.”

Over the long term, Jurcek will continue 

cutting hay until shade from the trees lowers 

hay production. At that point Dahl may pay 

more rent or Jurcek will convert her operation 

to silvopasture, allowing her cattle to graze 

under the chestnut trees. However, there 

are a lot of questions to be answered. How 

will the land maintain forage production? 

Will the chestnut trees be large enough to 

stand up to the cattle at that point? How will 

they work through key timing issues such 

as when to harvest the chestnuts? Dahl and 

Jurcek’s strong relationship will be an essential 

ingredient to working through these issues. 

While the two talk regularly, their lease also 

specifies they must meet each spring and 

fall to discuss how things are working. 

Dahl cautions that for many farmers new 

to agroforestry, the long term aspects of 

agroforestry can be a challenge. It’s hard 

to envision not just what an operation will 

look like in the long term, but also what 

the management needs are along the way. 

Each step requires different skills and 

equipment. For example, the equipment 

needed for planting chestnuts is different 

from what’s needed for harvesting and 

 Chestnuts are included in this 

alley cropping system. 

Photo by Casey Dahl.
Inside Agroforestry ] Volume 25, Issue 1 9

maintaining the trees. For Dahl, his leasing arrangement 

helps him overcome some of these barriers. Alley cropping can 

require a fair amount of capital for equipment investments; 

with this arrangement, Jurcek has the equipment for cutting 

hay, so he only needs what is required for managing the trees. 

The lease arrangement also helps overcome another barrier 

for new farmers: access to land. While for some it’s hard to 

justify putting in perennials when you don’t own the land, 

Dahl’s philosophy is that he needed to start sometime. “This 

may not be the most ideal situation in terms of land access, but 

it’s a situation that works for a certain amount of time and I 

have a good relationship with the person who owns the farm,” 

Dahl points out. In some ways, Dahl sees it as an incubation 

opportunity – he can get started now, and perhaps one day other 

opportunities will arise that will lead to him owning his own land.

The lease also forced Dahl and Jurcek to work through questions 

that Dahl suggests are important to everyone who is implementing 

agroforestry. Whether or not you own your land or rent it, 

thinking about goals, challenges, and solutions is worthwhile, 

Dahl says. In a family operation, sometimes people assume 

that everyone in the family agrees that agroforestry is the right 

way to move forward. But asking “is everyone on board?” is 

important whether you are renting land from someone else or 

you are establishing agroforestry practices on your own land. e 

For more information on agroforestry leases, see Inspirations for Creating a 

Long-Term Agricultural Lease for Agroforestry: A Workbook by Farm Commons at:

https://farmcommons.org/resources/inspirations-creating-long-termagricultural-lease-agroforestry-workbook 

IN BRIEF...

A periodic summary of agroforestry-related journal articles

John S. Weedon, Connecticut Farmland Trust

Researchers chose 20 farms in New York State and New England 

for interviews and inventories on silvopasture practices and 

perspectives, the first baseline study for the region. The majority 

of the farmers in the study had practiced silvopasture 10 years or 

less; the median years of silvopasture management was four years. 

Most were beef operators who managed the trees for sawtimber, 

firewood, and nuts/fruit. Only six were actively regenerating trees. 

When asked the best way to deliver information, some wanted 

case studies, others farm tours. Farmers were split on print vs. 

online. Despite the different experiences and attitudes of the 

farmers, four key issues emerged from the study: the need to 

distinguish between silvopasture and wooded paddock grazing, 

complexity of integrating livestock and tree management, the 

unique challenges of pigs in silvopasture, and the demand and 

opportunities for silvopasture outreach. 

Take Home Message: Silvopasture is a nascent practice in 

the Northeast, and farmers need the same kind of learning 

infrastructure - best management practices, case studies, and 

demonstration sites - that underpins established farming methods. 

Orefice J, Carrol J, Conroy D, Ketner L. 2016 Silvopasture practices 

and perspectives in the Northeastern United States. Agroforest Syst.

doi:10.1007/s10457-016-9916

Northeast Silvopasture Practicioners Need Information

Renters are increasingly farming more acres compared with people 

who own all the land that they farm. Kitchen table wisdom has it 

that renters are only interested in maximizing short-term monetary 

returns, often at the expense of environmental concerns. A survey of 

agricultural operators in the Clear Creek watershed in Iowa reveals 

renters often blend both economic and environmental factors when 

deciding what and how to plant. Compared to full owners, the Clear 

Creek renters plant significantly more continuous corn, but they 

were more likely to practice conservation tillage (no-till, ridge-till, 

and mulch till). Possible explanations for adopting conservation 

tillage include mitigating the impact of continuous corn, reducing 

fuel consumption, decreasing labor hours, and complying with 

government regulations to receive direct payments and crop disaster 

insurance on highly erodible land.

Take home Message: Because renters are nuanced in their decisionmaking and able to see beyond one season, agroforesters should include 

this group of farmers when promoting conservation practices like 

windbreaks and buffers. 

Varble S, Seechi S, Druschke CG. 2016. An Examination of 

growing trends in land tenure and conservation practice adoption: 

results from a farmer survey in Iowa. 

Environ Manage. 57:318-330.

Renters: An Untapped Market for Conservation
10 Inside Agroforestry ] Volume 25, Issue 1

Back to the Future: 

Producer Implements 

Silvopastures to Create a 

New Two-Story Agriculture

John Fike, Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences, Virginia Tech

For a new generation of producers, returning to the farm 

often comes with desires both to connect to past heritage 

and to do something different. In Buck Holsinger’s case, 

the motivation for getting involved with agroforestry 

evolved from a desire to improve stream and pasture management to 

benefit future generations. 

Holsinger runs a 70-acre farm in the Shenandoah Valley that 

has been in the family for seven generations. He direct markets 

beef and plans to expand to other pasture-raised livestock. Since 

the 1980s the farm had been one large open field in endophyteinfected fescue pasture. The fields were continuously stocked 

and cattle had free access. Over time, a long stretch of water 

on one side of the property became degraded. To improve the 

situation, Holsinger sought and received assistance through 

the NRCS’s Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program 

(CREP) to fence out the cattle, plant trees along the stream, 

and begin rotational grazing on the remaining acreage. 

Although implementing the CREP project began the process 

of stream rehabilitation, it left his animals without shade or 

shelter. Not one to watch his cattle stand and pant in summer 

or carry a layer of snow after winter storms, Holsinger began 

searching for answers and found J. Russell Smith’s book, "Tree 

Crops: A Permanent Agriculture." The book describes how trees 

might be used in agricultural systems for improving production 

and conserving soil. Holsinger’s reaction was “I can do this.”

Holsinger consulted with specialists at Virginia Tech and 

NRCS about tree species, planting configurations, and field 

layout. He secured Environmental Quality Incentives Program 

(EQIP) funding to help with the planting costs. After many 

conversations and trips to the field, he drew up the initial 

designs. Hybrid pitch-loblolly pine trees would be used as 

windbreaks on the western edge of his property. These would 

also serve as “trainer” trees for his hardwoods (black locusts 

(Robinia pseudoacaia), black walnuts, thornless honeylocusts 

(Gleditsia triacanthos), and yellow poplars) to encourage more 

rapid, upright growth. An avid hunter, Holsinger also planted 

Dunstan chestnuts and persimmon trees for hard and soft mast. 

Although Holsinger’s farm is not certified organic, he strives to 

minimize the use of chemical inputs. Thus, when considering 

vegetation control for the planting he decided to use scalping 

rather than killing the sod with herbicide. Scalping worked well 

for site preparation and was followed by planting, by a commercial 

outfit, in spring 2014. Unfortunately, the exposed soil presented 

opportunities for weed encroachment, and the laid-over sod made 

the ground uneven and difficult to mow. Keeping the weeds 

down would have been manageable if he only had his day job as 

a computer engineer, but Holsinger is also a part-time pilot for 

the National Guard and an extended deployment kept him off 

the farm last summer, allowing thistles to flourish. Despite this 

challenge, black locusts have thrived on the site and once Holsinger 

tackled the weeds the pines responded well. The wild black locusts 

on Holsinger's farm are a preferred summer food for his cattle. 

He is now thinking of ways to include this tree as a fodder crop.

Installing the silvopasture also has had unanticipated benefits 

for management. Holsinger uses semi-permanent fencing with 

polywire to protect the trees. This has facilitated his rotational 

grazing management by creating mini-paddocks, which has 

reduced his time in the field. Even his young children can 

handle the animal movements now. He also sees anecdotal 

evidence of a better microclimate for his forages. Holsinger 

feels confident about what he has learned with his first 19 acre 

planting and he is putting in an additional 20 acres this year, 

which will include some soft mast fruit trees to provide additional 

sources of food for his diversifying livestock operation. He’ll 

use what he’s learned to tweak the layout and management of 

the new silvopasture, including using herbicide for site prep. 

He sees little risk, thinking it’s much cheaper to plant trees 

that can appreciate in value and improve the aesthetics of the 

operation than to build a barn that will do the opposite. 

In the process of learning, Holsinger has become an advocate of 

rotational grazing and silvopasture. He has been a willing speaker 

to agriculture students at Virginia Tech and his farm will be used 

for field days and service provider trainings. The silvopasture also 

provides entry to conversation with customers, neighbors, other 

farmers. The customers get it, he says, and are happy to see a more 

integrated, “two-story” agriculture that offers improved animal 

welfare, habitat, and numerous conservation services. Holsinger 

notes that many who farmed a generation or two back remember 

having some trees in pastures – and not having large round bales 

to feed; he enjoys seeing how this “new” way of managing trees 

and livestock is connected to solutions known in our past. e

 Thistles in scalped tree rows. Photo by John Fike.
Inside Agroforestry ] Volume 25, Issue 1 11

Continued From Page 2 — Rosmann Family Farms

“We will add pollinator shrubs like viburnums and other native 

shrubs over the next few years.” On the day of the interview for 

this article, February 26th, 2016 Ron said, “As a matter of fact, 

today FSA, Farm Services Agency, is announcing a new initiative 

under the Conservation Reserve Program to help organic farmers 

plant buffers just like this.... We like the diversity of plants because 

of the wildlife and beneficial insects that we get with the field 

buffers. But until now those field buffers just didn’t make us much 

money. They were just a requirement for our organic certification.”

The Rosmann farm headquarters and livestock feed yard are 

also protected by windbreaks. They have two big windbreak 

projects planned for the next three years using the Conservation 

Stewardship Program, CSP. The first is to renovate the old 

farmstead windbreak. The second is to plant edible nut and fruit 

crops on some of the bench terraces as well as the neighborbuffer strips. “By adding diversity to these windbreaks we support 

wildlife, pollinators for our crops and we might be able to 

harvest some new crops for our on-farm store,” says Ron. 

Another area, about a quarter of a mile long, will be planted 

with at least three species of pollinator shrubs: nannyberry, 

arrowwood and serviceberry. Ron is thinking about adding 

additional species like plum, pear, blueberries, red currants and 

buttonbush. This new shrub planting will provide pollinator 

food and habitat and complement an older planting of rare and 

declining prairie plants. That prairie planting was placed on the 

top side of the terrace. That 30 foot strip isn’t farmed. “We do 

ridge tilling with a Buffalo Tiller. It provides some of the best 

weed control in our organic operation. I don’t like ridges on my 

turn rows. So, I planted permanent vegetation there, like this 

prairie. This makes it a lot smoother to turn around and I need a 

30 foot wide buffer adjacent to my neighbors anyway,” 

says Rosmann. 

“An alley cropping system would be cool,” Ron says, “but I can 

only do so much. We have four windbreaks that add up to a mile 

or more in length, that need gaps filled. I’ve also got quite a few 

trees that need to be trimmed up.” 

Ron recognizes that windbreaks of trees and shrubs take time 

and labor but are worth the effort. “Those windbreaks, prairies 

and shrubs provide a diversity that enriches our lives. You get to 

see the biological system at work.” ]

Continued From Page 3 — New Ways For Old Terrain

stress also creates higher feed value, while the added shade 

helps reduce heat stress for livestock. Even in northern climates 

like Minnesota and Vermont heat stress is a common issue 

that producers deal with. “Silvopasture is a win-win situation 

because you can add value from the forage, from cutting 

trees, and from reducing soil compaction,” said Dan.

Demonstrating the theory and concept of silvopasture has 

heightened Dan’s interest. With the more than 100 acres of heavily 

wooded pasture that his family owns, there are many opportunities 

to increase silvopasture on his farm. So far he has seen that 

converting some wooded acres to silvopasture has improved their 

cow-calf operation. When the silvopasture system allows Dan 

to generate or wean more beef calves, there is economic benefit 

from the system and more saleable products from the farm. 

Dan Caughey recently bought 72 additional wooded acres. He 

intends to harvest some of the timber from this land in winter 

2017 for income and follow that by seeding in some grasses. 

He then plans to convert this wooded pasture into silvopasture 

that will become part of his rotational grazing plan. 

“There are a lot of pastures in our area where cows are introduced 

and picked up after four months. I really believe in allowing the 

grass to grow back. Then I turn the cows back in to graze 

again, and then pull them out to let the grass grow back again to 

ensure viability of the plant species and help the soil to recover.” 

Dan is not only interested to learn more about improved 

pasture management, he is also interested in maintaining 

and taking care of the land to pass it on to his kids. e

Continued From Page 4 — Confluence Farms 

riparian corridor, it has heightened, not dampened, our 

enjoyment.” In fact, they say “our experience has been so positive 

that we are currently in deliberation to expand the easement over 

the majority of our property within the next two years.” The 

expanded easement would include and protect their working 

farm acres.

Trey and Tammie’s efforts demonstrate that riparian buffers, corridor 

restoration, and habitat improvements are very compatible with 

farming. Partnerships between farmers and nonprofits can help 

produce many environmental benefits consistent with and beneficial 

to farming operations. ]

Before and after pictures of the riparian forest 

buffer installation at Confluence Farms. Photos by 

Katie MacKendrick.

Before After
12 Inside Agroforestry ] Volume 25, Issue 1

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Inside Agroforestry VOLUME 25, ISSUE 1