All Blog Posts (62)

Managing Livestock Density and Impact in Silvopastures

Even before commercially thinning ~80 acres of the woods on our farm, I had come to appreciate the challenges of controlling the vegetative response to letting in more sunlight. 

In open pastures, the grazier can readily mow, spray or even till and re-seed to deal with noxious weeds and invasive brush. But livestock impact is often the only practical tool for managing vegetation in tree-covered silvopastures.  Consequently, silvopasturing relies on intensive rotation of higher…

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Added by Brett Chedzoy on January 26, 2018 at 9:30pm — 8 Comments

Bamboo Update

I just defoliated and weighed a piece of my bamboo patch. I got 33 lbs of fresh weight leaves and twigs (I took the parts I observed my cattle eating) off 100 sq ft. I'm not sure what % moisture it was, but if it is similar to the sample buried in the snow I sent last winter (44% DM) that makes for just over 3 tons/acre of forage DM in the leaves and twigs. I sent a sample to DairyOne for analysis today since the numbers swing by many pounds for every % difference. If there is merit I want…
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Added by Edmund Brown on October 12, 2017 at 6:30am — 4 Comments

Bamboo Update

I just defoliated and weighed a piece of my bamboo patch. I got 33 lbs of fresh weight leaves and twigs (I took the parts I observed my cattle eating) off 100 sq ft. I'm not sure what % moisture it was, but if it is similar to the sample buried in the snow I sent last winter (44% DM) that makes for just over 3 tons/acre of forage DM in the leaves and twigs. I sent a sample to DairyOne for analysis today since the numbers swing by many pounds for every % difference. If there is merit I want…
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Added by Edmund Brown on October 12, 2017 at 6:11am — No Comments

Silvopasture Book seeking Farmer Stories & Photos

Knowledge and information in agriculture is a mix of research, application, and experience that is never from a single individual, but rather a collective experience shared in the minds of many. We all benefit from sharing our experience.

A new book on the Agroforestry practice of Silvopasture, by Steve Gabriel, has the explicit goal of telling the story of what we know - and don’t know – about the concept of integrating livestock production with trees and forestry.

The book…

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Added by Steve Gabriel on April 5, 2017 at 7:42am — No Comments

New publication

Our latest publication on silvopasture has been published in the Journal of Forestry. Reach out to me directly if you can't get access and would like a copy. I'm not able to post the full article here due to copyright from the journal.

"Silvopasture—It's Not a Load of Manure: Differentiating between Silvopasture and Wooded Livestock Paddocks in the Northeastern United States"…

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Added by Joe Orefice on January 19, 2017 at 7:01pm — 1 Comment

Recent Publication

I would like to make everyone aware of my most recent publication. It presents forage production information from our silvopasture research in New York.…

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Added by Joe Orefice on December 2, 2016 at 1:16pm — No Comments

Bamboo Winter Grazing

Hi folks, I'm new to the forum here. Brett encouraged me to copy and paste a post I did for my blog to this forum. If you want to read it on my blog it can be found HERE. Photo at my blog. I would put the photo in the forum here but they're on my wife's computer...

FYI, the "Garth" I refer to in the post is my brother who co-owns the farm with me. I hope this of interest to others…

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Added by Edmund Brown on November 15, 2016 at 8:17pm — No Comments

New publication

Here's a link to the latest paper my colleagues and I have published on silvopasture.  

"Soil and understory plant dynamics during conversion of forest to silvopasture, open pasture, and woodlot" in Agroforestry Systems…

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Added by Joe Orefice on November 9, 2016 at 4:42pm — 7 Comments

World Congress Silvo-Pastoral Systems 2016

I'm recently back from the World Congress of Silvo-Pastoral Systems held in Evora, Portugal. It was an excellent and inspiring conference. Here are some of the main conclusions from the event organizers (http://www.silvopastoral2016.uevora.pt/):…

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Added by Joe Orefice on October 24, 2016 at 1:13pm — 1 Comment

Online Course in Woodlot Management from Cornell Small Farms

Want to get more from your woods? Take a six-week online Woodlot Management course with the Cornell Small Farms Program with extension forester Peter Smallidge and Extension Agroforestry Specialist Steve Gabriel.



Examine the methods to assess forest resources and discuss common woodland activities such as cutting firewood, harvesting logs for mushroom cultivation, and support for wildlife and long-term forest health.



The course runs September 27 to November 1, with weekly…

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Added by Steve Gabriel on August 17, 2016 at 3:11pm — No Comments

New Silvopasture Publication for Mid-Atlantic

Announcing #1 of 3 Silvopasture publications from Virginia Cooperative Extension.

http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/CSES/CSES-146/CSES-146.html

-Adam

Added by Adam Downing on July 5, 2016 at 3:42pm — No Comments

Photo Guide to Northeastern Silvopastures

I recently put together a photo guide to Northeastern US silvopasture. This guide is the result of research investigating silvopasture practices on farms in New York and New England. It is not meant to be a comprehensive guide to this complex practice but it should help inform folks about some options. Please feel free to share:…

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Added by Joe Orefice on June 13, 2016 at 10:21am — 1 Comment

Latest research paper in Northeast silvopasture

All,

Here is a link to my latest paper on Northeast silvopasture. It will be coming out in the journal Agroforestry Systems this year, but they made it available online last week. 

http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10457-016-9916-0

The document is published as open access so feel free to download and share.  

Added by Joe Orefice on March 8, 2016 at 12:42pm — No Comments

What We Can Learn From Silvopasturing in Other Corners of the World

This forum unintentionally drew an initial concentration of members from the northeastern US, though many folks have since joined from other parts of the country and globe (welcome!).  Silvopasturing practices certainly need to be customized to the local area and situation, but the principals remain largely the same no matter where working trees and livestock are raised together in a sustainable manner. 

In hopes of broadening discussions, participation and what we can learn from…

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Added by Brett Chedzoy on August 19, 2015 at 2:40pm — 3 Comments

Silvopasture Development Progress at Angus Glen Farms

I've had the best of intentions to be more active on this forum this summer to share my thoughts and experiences with a recent "low grade" timber harvest at our farm to promote silvopasture development.  The harvest wrapped-up a few weeks ago, and I just returned from quick trip to Argentina.  With that behind me, it's time to get some pictures and storied up about the project.  But first, as a bit of background, I've pasted below an article that I was asked to write for the current edition…

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Added by Brett Chedzoy on August 19, 2015 at 1:00pm — 11 Comments

Learning from our Forest Elders



New post discusses the importance of preserving the wisdom of forest stewardship for future generations.



"….One of the realizations I’ve come to having worked many hours in the woods, is that forestry and agroforestry are inherently humbling practices, because when we enter the world of trees and forests, we have to look beyond years and decades, and start thinking about centuries. Many of the consequences of the choices we make (good or bad) in our lifetime, won’t be seen…

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Added by Steve Gabriel on June 2, 2015 at 9:30pm — No Comments

Silvopasture study in Pennsylvania

The Pennsylvania Grazing Lands Colalition (PAGLC) is partnering with USDA, Dickinson College Farm, and Wyebrook Farm to investiage applications of silvopasture practices in Pennsylvania in order to provide the state's farmers with technical guidance. Check out this informational video to find out more about the project and silvopasture in…

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Added by Tracey Coulter on March 23, 2015 at 2:12pm — No Comments

Webinar Connection Details: Expanding Silvopasture Wednesday June 18, 2014

As a follow-up to the webinar announcement below, the following silvopasture webinars have been archived on the Cornell ForestConnect youtube channel:https://www.youtube.com/user/ForestConnect     …

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Added by Peter Smallidge on June 16, 2014 at 9:30pm — No Comments

Request for Silvopasture Practitioners

Orefice Silvopasture Abstract.pdf 

I am an Assistant Professor at Paul Smith’s College, in the Adirondacks of New York, and am conducting research in conjunction with the University of New Hampshire to assess the current status of silvopasture practices in New York and New England.…

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Added by Joe Orefice on May 29, 2014 at 11:45am — No Comments

Silvopasture Development: Trees into Pasture

Webinar connection details for Wednesday June 4, 2014

Register here to receive direct notice of webinars.

Silvopasture is an agroforestry practice that sustainably produces timber, livestock, and forage on the same land.  Current technologies, such as portable electric fence and management intensive rotational grazing enable managers options not available in previous decades.  A key…

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Added by Peter Smallidge on May 2, 2014 at 10:30am — 2 Comments

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Forum

willow fodder block

Started by Emily Macdonald Mar 20. 0 Replies

Can anyone share experiences with willow fodder for sheep?  What cultivars did you use? Good sources for obtaining cuttings? What density did you plant?  How did it work out? Did the sheep like…Continue

Forages, Grasses, Legumes

Started by Travis Hermance Mar 18. 0 Replies

I am clearing my woodlots for silvopasture in the Mid-Hudson River Valley in New York State. Can anyone recommend a good mixture of grasses and legumes that are more shade tolerate for my new…Continue

Pasture in forest practitioners tend to have higher uptake of climate-smart forestry practices?

Started by Robbie Coville Mar 15. 0 Replies

Months ago I had read that woodland graziers tend to have higher acceptance of forest management activities: logging, thinning, mechanical interventions, prescribed burning, chemical treatments,…Continue

Busy fall in the silvopasture world

Started by Brett Chedzoy. Last reply by Joshua Greene Jan 2. 1 Reply

Hopefully some of you have found the time to attend either the "SilvoPro" training this week in PA or maybe even the International Agroforestry Conference in Ireland.  Look forward to some updates…Continue

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