Silvopasture: Site and Management Considerations North Country Land - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

United States Department of Agriculture

Silvopasture: Site and Management Considerations

North Country Land Trust Webinar May 18, 2020

United States Department of Agriculture

• Definitions and characteristics
• What silvopasture is not
• Benefits
• Silvopasture steps
• Site and manager requirements
• Conclusions & resources

Outline

Beef cattle in an apple silvopasture on North Branch Farm in New York. Photo by Joe Orefice, Yale University

United States Department of Agriculture

Silvopasture is an agroforestry practice that intentionally and sustainably produces trees (or shrubs), forage, and livestock in a single integrated system. NRCS Conservation Practice Standard 381: Establishment and/or management of desired trees and forages

• n the same land unit.

Definitions

Silvopasture research at black locust/black walnut silvopasture system at Virginia Tech’s Kentland Research Farm. Photo by John Munsell, Virginia Tech

United States Department of Agriculture

• Pasture to Silvopas

pastu ture re: trees are deliberately introduced or enhanced to a forage production system

• For
• rest to
• Silvopas

pastu ture re: forage crops are deliberately introduced or enhanced in a timber or tree crop production system

Definitions: Two Paths to Silvopasture

Photo by Brett Chedzoy, Cornell Extension Photo by Dusty Walter, University of Missouri

United States Department of Agriculture

Two definitive characteristics of silvopastures are:

• 1. Management of the livestock type, timing, and impact

maintains forage and tree health and maintain rooting zones that stabilize soil in silvopastures.

• 2. Trees are actively cultivated in silvopasture systems and stem

density is controlled to encourage forage and tree vigor. Long rest periods: in the northeast, often livestock are only in a silvopasture for a few days (1-7) over the course of a growing season.

Characteristics of Silvopasture

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• Single trees in pastures
• Turning livestock into the woods
• “Feedlots with trees”

Why not? Problems with root compaction, girdling, soil degradation, parasite problems

What Silvopasture is Not

Photo by Dusty Walter, University of Missouri Three photos by Joe Orefice, Yale University

United States Department of Agriculture

Silvopasture is not forest grazing, which often has the goal of supporting or restoring the native ecosystem.

What Silvopasture is Not

https://www.fs.usda.gov/nac/assets/documents/agroforestrynotes/an46si09.pdf

United States Department of Agriculture

• Incentive to manage woodlands, especially on farms
• Vegetation management: reducing invasive threats
• Aesthetics: important to landowners
• Management for forage can benefit trees
• Can support high quality forage and diversify animal diets
• Improve forage availability during the summer slump

Silvopasture Benefits

Photo by Adam Downing, Virginia Cooperative Extension

United States Department of Agriculture

Apr Aug Oct Jun

Forage Yield

Feb Dec

Silv lvopasture re Tradit ditio ional al Past sture

• Forages start growth earlier in spring, continue later in fall
• Forage yields higher in heat of summer

Resea earch & & grap aphic ic b by Dus usty Wal alter er, U , Univ niversit ity o

• f Mis

issour uri

United States Department of Agriculture

Reduced heat and cold stress results in:

• Improved animal condition
• Improved milk production
• Improved breeding efficiency
• Improved feed intake
• Improved weight gain
• Improved nutrient distribution

Silvopasture Benefits

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Reduced heat stress: Shade is probably beneficial any time Temperature-Humidity Index (THI) is above 72, especially if livestock are grazing endophyte infected fescue

Silvopasture Benefits

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• Multiple use, multiple

revenue

• Short term and long term

income sources

• Ease of harvesting timber

when the time comes

• Risk management: unlike

crops and livestock, the livestock and wood economic boom/bust cycles don’t coincide

Silvopasture Economic Benefits

Additional income can come from posts and poles. Photo by Brett Chedzoy, Cornell Extension

United States Department of Agriculture

• Without proper management, risk of

short-term and long-term environmental failure is high

• Not easy
• Not right for many sites
• Requires highly skilled managers
• Silvopasture systems change over

time

• Forest regeneration (some solutions:

long term livestock exclusion, linear fencing of rows of trees)

• May have considerations for tax and

land use programs

Silvopasture Challenges

Dickinson College Farm Silvopasture

• Demonstration. Photo by Dan Dostie, NRCS

Pennsylvania

United States Department of Agriculture

Pasture to silvopasture

• 1. Gather a team of people with the right expertise
• 2. Assess the site
• 3. Select trees appropriate to site conditions
• 4. Make sure these trees also meet manager goals: produce a

light shade, produce desired products (nuts, timber, syrup), high value, deeply rooted

• 5. Determine planting configuration: shade management,

mowing, fencing, product growth and harvest

• 6. Weed control: mechanical, herbicide, mulch
• 7. Protect trees from grazing

Silvopasture Steps

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Forest to silvopasture

• 1. Gather a team of people with the right expertise
• 2. Assess the site
• 3. Select the highest quality trees to remain as crop trees (thin

for quality)

• 4. Modify stand density to allow adequate sunlight to reach the

ground (thin for light)

• 5. Meet the germination requirements for target forage species

and seed as needed

• 6. Manage the system to avoid negatively pressuring desirable

plants and forage (weed control, protecting trees, etc.)

Silvopasture Steps

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Site Requirements

Photo by Joe Orefice, Yale University Photo by Dusty Walter, University of Missouri https://cpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/blogs.cornell.edu/dist/d/5957/files/2015/03/Silvopasture-Site-Assessment-2017-2eceouq.pdf

United States Department of Agriculture

• Si

Site qu quality: site capable of growing agricultural crops and/or quality timber.

• Acce

ccess: Relatively easy to reach the location with materials, equipment and livestock.

• Er

Erosi sion conce cern rns: Site can tolerate managed grazing during heavy rainfalls with negligible long‐term impacts.

• Ha

Hazards: No significant risks such as deep gullies, flood‐prone streams, etc.

• Terrain/”

n/”fence-abli blity”: Site can be enclosed with secure fence with minimal clearing and excavation.

• Wa

Water: Potable water is readily available on location for livestock.

• Size/shape

ape/locat cation

• n: Area is adjacent to existing grazing operation,

large enough to justify the investment in developing it, and the shape allows for efficient fencing.

Site Requirements

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• Already comfortable practicing

rotational grazing

• Has the time/labor available to

move animals often

• Comfortable working with a system

that changes over time

• Willing to work without a recipe
• Has a team: foresters need grazing

knowledge and vice versa

• Likes working with & learning from
• thers

Manager Requirements

Jacob Marty, a sixth generation farmer, in Illinois transitioned 250 acres of conventional grain production to rotational grazing. In 2016, a pilot silvopasture planting of 1,000 redbuds, apple, pear, chestnut, and other fruit and nut trees was created on 8 acres. Photo courtesy Jacob Marty.

United States Department of Agriculture

• Introduce trees to a pasture
• Introduce or enhance forage in a timber or tree crop system
• Most people using silvopasture have some silvopasture pastures

and some without trees: it’s not all or nothing

• Different kinds of livestock: cattle, goats, sheep, poultry, etc.

Thanks to Joe Orefice for giving permission to share photos and examples from Photo Guide to Northeast United States Silvopasture: https://cpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/blogs.cornell.edu/dist/d/5957/files/2015/03/Photo-Guide-to-NE-US-Silvopasture-2m9ggax.pdf

Silvopasture Examples

Photo by Joe Orefice, Yale University Photo by Charlotte Clifford-Rathert, Lincoln University

United States Department of Agriculture

Silvopasture Examples

Variable density oak and maple silvopasture converted from a forest, irregular tree spacing with residual trees. Hardwood Plantation Silvopasture: Black locust silvopasture with some black walnut, established from an open field about 20 years ago. It was commercially thinned twice for black locust fence posts and rotationally grazed with beef cattle, and occasionally meat goats, for the past ten years. Photos by Joe Orefice, Yale University

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Silvopasture Examples

Field edge silvopasture: The overstory is comprised of eastern white pine and the understory is a mixture of cool season grasses and sedges. When livestock are introduced, in this case dairy goats and beef cattle, paddocks are created to include both open field and silvopasture. Photo by Joe Orefice, Yale University. Use livestock to utilize fruit or nuts: This system uses hazelnuts to provide shade and cover for poultry, as well as nuts for the poultry to eat. Photo by Reginaldo Haslett- Marroquin, Main Street Project..

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Silvopasture Examples

Tree fodder: Increasingly, research is being done on the health, nutrition, and other benefits of tree fodders, including appropriate species for the northeast and management requirements. Photo credit: Shana Hansen, 3 Streams Farm, Belfast, ME Orchards: This apple orchard silvopasture has been periodically grazed by sheep. The orchardgrass in the foreground is one component of a cool season grass and legume forage layer. The USDA

• rganic standard prohibits livestock grazing within 90 days prior to

harvesting fruit and the Food Safety and Modernization Act has restrictions related to livestock manure on farms of a certain scale. This makes silvopasture in orchards more complex and timing very important. Photo credit: Joe Orefice, Yale University

United States Department of Agriculture

• Opportunity for some but not all: sites and people
• As in all agriculture and conservation work, site

characteristics, design, and management matters

• Start small
• We are still learning about how to best fit silvopasture to

northeastern ag systems and forests – please learn with us!

Conclusions

United States Department of Agriculture

• USDA National Agroforestry Center silvopasture webpage:

https://www.fs.usda.gov/nac/practices/silvopasture.php

• Cornell Small Farms Silvopasture:

https://smallfarms.cornell.edu/projects/agroforestry/#silvopa sture

• Cornell Cooperative Extension Silvopasture:

http://blogs.cornell.edu/ccednrpublications/agroforestry- silvopasture/

• Silvopasture ning group: silvopasture.ning.org
• Silvopasture webinars:

https://www.fs.usda.gov/nac/resources/webinar- library/index.php

Resources

United States Department of Agriculture

Kate MacFarland USDA National Agroforestry Center https://www.fs.usda.gov/nac/ katherine.macfarland@usda.gov