PALISADE, Minn. — At this workshop, you will be able to learn the basics of silvopasture establishment and operations, and learn how you can make use of silvopasture as part of your rotational grazing plan, how it can be used to improve and enhance production of your wooded pasture or your marginal crop/pasture land while achieving environmental integrity!
About the Workshop:
The workshop will begin Monday afternoon (4 PM), September 16th, with presentations of two silvopasture case studies where we will apply the principles and concepts of silvopasture. Part of the afternoon will also involve networking and a panel discussion composed of practitioners and natural resource professionals to share their experience on silvopasture.
The workshop will continue on Tuesday morning, September 17th, with indoor presentations on silvopasture design, establishment, and management. Tuesday afternoon will feature a tour of two silvopasture case study sites where we will apply those principles.
Chengwatana Farm, operated by Lynn Mizner, is a small, diversified operation based on pasture and forestland. Livestock is rotated around a series of paddocks to enhance the fertility of the soil as well as enhance the health of livestock. Vegetable and fruit production enhance the system and are grown using permaculture, alley cropping between perennial woody borders, and some annual planting for market garden production. Operating on 113 acres of mostly low ground, Willow Sedge Farm’s Jane Jewett raises pigs, chickens, vegetables and cover crops rotated among pens near the house. The remainder of the farm, except for a couple of wooded areas and one very swampy area, is fenced for rotational grazing of beef cattle.
Key Topics:
- Silvopasture Establishment, Design, and Management
- Key considerations of converting existing wooded pastures to silvopasture
- Key considerations of converting marginal pasture to silvopasture
- Silvopastoral examples
- Case Study Exercises
Workshop Location:
Long Lake Conservation Center
28952 438th Ln, Palisade, MN 56469
Registration Cost: $45, which will cover dinner, breakfast, lunch, and use of the facility. Participants can stay (optional) at the workshop venue at an additional cost. See registration for details. Register at https://www.regonline.com/
For more information about the workshop contact: Diomy Zamora (612-626-9272; zamor015@umn.edu) or Allison Rian (allisonjrian@gmail.com; 218-831-8890).
Sponsors: UMN-Extension, Happy Dancing Turtle, Sustainable Farming Association, USDA-NRCS, Aitkin SWCD.
— University of Minnesota Extension
For more news from Minnesota, click here.