MINNEAPOLIS — As part of its work promoting additional strategies to achieve soil health adoption and foster livestock production in Minnesota, the Sustainable Farming Association is hosting a webinar series focused on silvopasture and agroforestry that will kick off with three separate online workshops in April.
Silvopasture is the intentional practice of managing timber, forage and livestock on the same acres to create income opportunities on often under-utilized land. These free workshops will discuss topics such as the history of silvopasture, its use in the Midwest and how Minnesota producers are implementing these techniques.
All these workshops are free and open to all but registration is required. If you wish to attend multiple webinars, please complete each event’s distinct registration. Workshop details:
April 14, 10:30 a.m.-noon – Silvopasture: A Global and Historical Perspective with Ashley Conway, Ph.D., Assistant Research Professor; University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry. Take a tour of silvopasture around the planet. This agricultural practice has been in use for centuries from the tropics to temperate climates. Learn about research on the utility of silvopastoral systems for agricultural production and their implication for contributing to an economically and environmentally resilient agriculture.
April 16, 10:30 a.m.-noon – Silvopasture in the Midwest with Gary Wyatt, U. of M. Extension; and Keefe Keeley, Co-Executive Director, Savanna Institute. This webinar captures the history and use of silvopasture as a practice throughout the Midwest. You’ll find a refresher on silvopasture as a practice and its concepts, highlights of research from silvopastoral systems in the region, and a tour of farms and farm systems that utilize the practice.
April 21, 10:30 a.m.-noon – Silvopasture in Minnesota with Jake Langeslag, Goat Dispatch; Jane Jewett, WillowSedge Farm; Travis Bruce, Plum Creek Ranch; and Vickie Kettlewell, Sunup Ranch. This webinar is focused on producer experiences using silvopasture in their operations. From beef to goats and from Northern to Southern Minnesota you will tour a diversity of operations, climates, and landscapes. This webinar is an on-the-ground tour of working farms.
Register for these workshops and learn more at sfa-mn.org/soil. These workshops will be held using the Zoom web conference tool; meeting login information will be sent to registrants prior to each workshop.
For more information about SFA’s Silvopasture and Agroforestry programming, contact project lead Tyler Carlson at tyler@sfa-mn.org. SFA’s Silvopasture work is funded by a grant from the NCR-SARE’s Professional Development Program.
— Sustainable Farming Association
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