URBANA, Ill. and MADISON, Wis. — As Midwestern farmers continue to look to conservation and crop diversification to protect their land and keep their farms profitable, one regional business is celebrating its five-year anniversary by expanding and deepening its efforts to establish perennial crops and diversified farms across the region.
Midwest Agroforestry Solutions was established in 2014. Back then, it was known as Midwest Agriculture and Restoration Services. It was the brainchild of Kevin Wolz who, at the time, was an engineering and biology student at the University of Illinois. “‘Agroforestry’ is a term for an array of agricultural practices that combine trees with crops or livestock,” says Wolz. “We believe that agroforestry systems are critical to sustainable agriculture in the Midwest, and we have been working with researchers and practitioners to develop the best systems for our region.”
Over the last 5 years, the small business has grown by leaps and bounds. They have planted over 125,000 trees, shrubs, and other perennial plants on over 200 acres and 20 sites around the Midwest. In 2015, they signed a 99-year lease with a small livestock farmer in Sidney, Illinois. That 10 acres became Vulcan Farm, the company’s first in-house agroforestry farm, which now serves as a nursery/incubator for the rest of their operations. In 2017, they established Saturn Farm in Ogden, Illinois, a 25-acre commercial farm focused on chestnuts, hazelnuts, and currants.
This winter, they are going through a complete company overhaul and rebranding. Now known as Midwest Agroforestry Solutions (MAS), Wolz and his team plan to broaden the company’s scope, while maintaining their core mission: transform Midwest agriculture with profitable tree crops and resilient agroforestry systems. The company offers design and planning consultation, tree-planting, and maintenance services. They are especially well positioned to work with farmers who have recently signed Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) contracts.
This jump-start has included the hiring of Jeff Hake as marketing director and Kaitie Adams as farm manager, who bring years of experience from their prior work in farming, marketing, and education. Hake, in addition to marketing the crops coming off their farms, is tasked with finding new farmers and landowners who are hoping to install perennials on their property. “We are finding that there are a lot of farmers and landowners out there who feel compelled to put down perennial roots on their land, whether it’s for conservation or beautification or just growing something new and interesting that will last years or decades,” says Hake. “But, getting started on a novel, diverse crop plan is intimidating for most anyone. We want to find those folks who
have the drive to transform their landscape and need our expertise to get it done right.”
Kaitie Adams will be taking over management of Vulcan Farm and Saturn Farm. The farms function as a combination of demonstration plots, variety trials, nursery stocks, and actual crop production. MAS’s highly diversified plantings, constituting hundreds of varieties, add up to a substantial management task for Adams. To this, she brings deep knowledge of perennial crops plus her many years of experience as farm manager at EarthDance Organic Farm School, where she oversaw all of the farm’s operations and also helped facilitate a robust schedule of workshops, classes, and tours for both children and adults at their urban farm in Ferguson, Missouri. “I am excited to plant roots in Central Illinois and help grow this phenomenal
operation” says Adams, “I strongly believe this type of agriculture has the power to not only regenerate our soils & landscapes, but to bring a new, profitable industry to this region. And I can’t wait to the taste the first currants of the season!”
In 2019, the farms’ perennial crops will begin to reach maturity, and the MAS team is preparing for the corresponding increase in yields. MAS already sells its black currant puree and frozen whole black currants to breweries, wineries, dairies, and other wholesale buyers across the country. This year, they should see the availability of many other crops, including red currants, herbs, asparagus, decorative willow, and even hazelnuts. MAS will employ mechanized harvesting equipment for the company’s fruit and nut crops, which will then be aggregated with the harvest from MAS’s partner farms across the Midwest and processed regionally. They will then sell these to a growing list of customers eager to work with unique crops produced in the Midwest in regenerative agricultural systems.
The company is constantly seeking new partnerships, whether it’s to plant trees, sell fruit, or increase its research and demonstration efforts. MAS is particularly eager to collaborate with: Illinois and Wisconsin landowners who would consider a long-term lease for agroforestry on their land; investors who are looking towards opportunities in agroforestry, tree crops, and
regenerative agriculture; and tree crop and livestock farmers interested in integrating perennial plantings and crops into their farm landscape. “Agriculture in the Midwest needs a transformation. Perennial crops and tree crops will be critical to making agriculture more ecologically and economically resilient. We can’t do this alone – please join us!” Midwest Agroforestry Solutions can be found online at http://www.midwestagroforestry.com/, on Facebook and Instagram @MidwestAgroforestry. The company can be reached directly by writing to info@MidwestAgrforestry.com or by calling (708) 476-9929.
— Midwest Agroforestry Solutions
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