Agroforestry
What Is Agroforestry?
Agroforestry is the integration of woody plants into agricultural systems. The United States Department of Agriculture’s National Agroforestry Center recognizes five standard agroforestry practices:
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Windbreaks are trees planted at strategic places on the landscape to slow winds that can increase moisture loss and soil erosion. Windbreaks can vary significantly in their design and function, with density and mature height being the most important factors. Effects of windbreaks can be felt as far as 13 times the height of the trees, with a twenty foot tree affecting wind patterns for some 260’ down wind. As farm equipment has gotten bigger we have lost many of our windbreaks, increasing the potential for erosion and eliminating the natural habitat they provide.
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Riparian Buffers include trees and shrubs planted adjacent to water bodies. These buffers slow runoff and prevent sediment from entering waterways and have deep root systems that filter nutrients and chemicals in water moving through the soil profile. Being near water also makes buffers important for wildlife habitat and travel corridors.
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Alley Cropping is planting trees and shrubs in rows spaced far enough apart to grow crops or forage in the alley ways. Placed on contour these types of plantings can do an amazing job of restoring water cycles, improving habitat, and diversifying farming income.
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Forest Farming is growing crops like mushrooms and herbs, such as ginseng and blue cohosh, under a forest canopy. Also known as nontraditional woody crops, carving wood, burls, and decorative florals are also considered forest farming products. The potential crops are limited only by the imagination.
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Silvopasture is the integration of livestock, woody plants, and forage. Balancing the variables is labor intensive, but the benefits are huge. The savannah ecosystems that these production systems aim to replicate are the most diverse and productive landscapes on our planet.
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Benefits of Agroforestry
By following a few basic principles we can:
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Mimic/ restore natural ecosystems
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Diversify farm production and income
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Better resilience to drought and extreme rain events
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Protect water quality and landscape hydrology
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Reduce purchased inputs and improve farm profits
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Diversifies soil biology and increase soil organic matter (SOM)
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Improved pollinator, bird, and wildlife habitat
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Improves livestock welfare in extreme weather conditions
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Sequesters carbon
Hybrid Hazelnuts - A New Perennial Food Crop
Hazelnut growing at Island Lake Farm in Deerwood, MN. Photo from University of Minnesota Extension.
Hazelnuts are a healthy source of protein with good market potential. They are often eaten raw or roasted as a snack food, used in baking, or as an ingredient in ice cream or salads. Oil from hazelnuts has nutritional qualities similar to olive oil, and it has a high flash-point making it a valuable culinary addition to any kitchen. Globally, there is strong market demand for hazelnuts, valued as a spreadable nut butter and as a chocolate covered confectionery, with demand far exceeding supply.
American hazelnuts (Corylus americana Marshall) are native to the Midwest and are found in abundance in our forests and rural landscapes. These native plants have evolved to be resistant to the hazelnut disease, Eastern Filbert Blight (EFB), and have the cold-hardiness necessary to survive the harsh winters of Northern Minnesota. Since the early 1900s northern nut growers, breeders, and researchers have been actively crossing native hazelnuts with the larger-fruiting, thinner-shelled, European hazelnut (C. avellana), in an effort to combine the best traits of the two species.
For almost two decades, the Upper Midwest Hazelnut Development Initiative (UMHDI), a collaboration of the Universities of Wisconsin and Minnesota, has been working to develop the regional supply chain for hybrid hazelnuts. They have identified several cultivars that have the potential to be economically profitable, producing around 1000 pounds of shelled nuts per acre, and they are working with the private sector to develop scale-able propagation methods to meet the demand for planting stock. Viable mechanized harvesting and dehusking methods have been identified, and the American Hazelnut Company, a for profit grower cooperative, is buying in-shell hazelnuts or will process them for a fee.
Whether you are a potential consumer or producer (or both!), hybrid hazelnuts locally grown could have numerous positive impacts.
Let's Talk About Agroforestry
Contact us for an on-farm consultation. We know the best conservation plans are developed in the field. Our goal is to learn what works for you and what doesn’t, and discuss strategies to improve your system. We can also direct you to cost share funding options, marketing resources, and farmer to farmer networking opportunities.