silvopasture

Silvopasture Day Course October 17, 2014

Event Details

Time: October 17, 2014 from 9:30am to 4pm
Location: Mace Chasm Farm Keeseville, NY
City/Town: Keeseville, NY
Website or Map: https://pub.cce.cornell.edu/e…
Phone: 518-962-8225
Event Type: field, workshop, day, course
Organized By: Peter Smallidge
Latest Activity: Aug 18, 2014

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Event Description

(print the flyer)

Pre-registration and pre-payment is required.

Pre-register in person, for details call 518-962-8225

Silvopasturing is an important new agroforestry system for the Northeast that allows for the sustainable production of timber, forages and livestock on the same land. Join us for this one day course to develop the skills and knowledge that will help you to evaluate, plan and implement silvopasture projects in the context of your own farm or land that you manage for others.

Sessions will cover basic principles, but also focus on practical applications of the knowledge so that you can be more confident and efficient as you make management decisions. Instructors are experienced forestry extension educators and technical specialists from Cornell University Cooperative Extension and Paul Smiths College.

The course will be taught rain or shine in silvopasture settings, so please dress for the weather. Graziers, foresters, agency personnel are especially encouraged to attend. CEU credits pending for Certified Foresters and Crop Advisors. An archived webinar at www.youtube.com/ForestConnect is available.

Comment Wall

Comment by William "Willie" Gibson on June 24, 2014 at 2:05pm: Hello Peter - can you give e bit more detail on what is going on at the farm site where the workshoip is being held. What we are going to see, what kinds of livestock are involved, what the forest is being managed to produce, how long the silvopasture system has been developing, what it was like before being managed this way, etc.? Thank you.

Comment by Peter Smallidge on June 26, 2014 at 1:19pm: Hi Willie - great questions. Iv'e attached the flyer with information to the original event notice.

Mace Chasm Farm is a "old" farm recently taken over by a young couple. They have a meat based business model that includes production, butchering, and tasty food. The farm is roughly 30 acres of woods/bruch and 40 to 50 in open pasture. They are familiar with the concepts of silvopasture, and are working to adjust their management (balancing time and resources) to use management intensive rotational grazing. There isn't much forage developed in the woods, but they have been using livestock to scarify the soils and then broadcast seed after rotating the animals out. By the way, lunch at the workshop will be provided by the farm as part of the registration fee and includes some very awesome food.

The workshop will cover two basic aspects. (1) site evaluation guide, a tool to help owners/managers assess different sites on a farm and determine which is the highest priority for action and (2) planning guide, a tool to help owners and managers work through the steps necessary to begin manipulation of the highest priority site. Here is a link to one of Brett's blogs with the handouts we'll use (provided at the workshop).

The owners are interested in planting some trees, so we will have some soils information and at least a discussion of the steps for afforestation of pastures.

The learning objectives are (1) familiarize people (graziers, foresters, agency staff) with the definition of silvopasture (2) increase knowledge for what is involved in assessing a site for silvopasture (3) help people understand what needs to happen to convert an area into silvopasture (mostly add pasture to forest) and (4) encourage conversation among graziers and foresters who will need to work as a team to implement silvopasture.

Here is a link to the farm's website http://www.macechasmfarm.com/ ;

I've attached the workshop flyer to the original notice of the event.

Here's a picture, on a very soggy day, of one of the forest stands we'll visit and another of the breeding sows.

An old field white pine with a couple scattered hardwoods. Not well drained soils, but decent form to the pine.

Breeder sows, after a 2" or more rain.