Progress report for FNC24-1404
Project Information
In 2013, I built on the family bluffland above the Zumbro River in southeastern Minnesota. Soon after, I met and married Andy O'Leary, and together we raised a few chickens and fed out a pair of pigs in our first few years. In 2016 we built our barn and bought 4 breeding stock Belted Galloway yearlings, and in 2019 we processed our first homegrown grassfed beef for friends and family. Our farm consists of 41 acres of steep valley pastures nestled among conventional row-crop farming. We now raise American Milking Devon cattle and crossbred pigs from birth to processing in a low-input pasture-based system and sell our meat online direct to customers. After the serious drought in 2023, we realized there are portions of our pastures that could greatly benefit from the soil stability, water retention, and shade brought by additional trees. We want to explore if these trees could also offer additional feed for our livestock via leaf fodder during drought conditions, and to even produce a fruit or nut crop for livestock or direct human consumption when weather allows.
As beginning farmers, Andy and I are curious and strategic, and driven by the values of regenerative systems that could lead to a secure future for our son and the other young people we hold dear. We've had pasture visits by the Sustainable Farming Association and our local NRCS officers. We have collaborated closely with Jared Holm, a professional Forester with the NRCS in SE MN, in developing this tree planting plan. After reviewing the finished plan he assured us that it follows NRCS guidelines for tree and shrub establishment. He was pleased with the multiple planned efforts to protect the newly planted shrubs from wildlife and grazing cattle. He was also excited about how the project will improve the area’s soil health, create pollinator habitat, and enhance the ecology of the farm.
We are members of the Sustainable Farmers Association of Minnesota, North American Fruit Explorers, and the Land Stewardship Project. I've attended the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Educational Services Conference (now Marbleseed), Savanna Institute's Perennial Farm Gathering, and numerous webinars with FACT with a focus on silvopasture, soil health, rotational grazing, sustainable livestock production, agroforestry practices and tree crops. Additionally, we've found some of the most important learning has come through close and humble observation of what works on our land in these uncertain times.
Pasture-based livestock producers must adapt their forage
strategies to overcome the increasing frequency, length and
severity of droughts caused by climate change. As of November 28,
2023,
36% of the contiguous US was experiencing moderate to exceptional
drought. Minnesota farmers traditionally count on pasture
from May 1st through mid-October. However,
according to
our state’s Crop Progress Report put out by NASS, in
both 2021 and 2023 less than 20% of pasture and rangeland across
the state was rated “Good” or better from August 1-October
25. In 2023, approximately 45% of pasture was already rated
poor or very poor by the start of August, representing a
60-85-day loss in pasture forage. By September 1st 2023,
nearly 60% of Minnesotan pastures were rated poor to very poor.
Current models predict continued
drying across the country throughout the century. We
need to identify, research, and implement long-term, sustainable
solutions focused on forages that require less water, maintain
the necessary nutrition for livestock, and that can be
scaled. In-pasture leaf fodder systems allow farmers to
source their own high-quality emergency forage while reaping the
benefits of a silvopasture system. This practice allows us
adapt to our current climate, not our past climate.
Context:
leaf fodder (20%+ crude protein with an excellent
mineral profile and high palatability),
cultivated for use for silk worms for millennia,
is now being used in many hot-weather climates in
coppicing fields for livestock fodder. Red
mulberry, which is native to southeastern
Minnesota and longer-lived, has the potential to
be a source of excellent leaf fodder in a drop
and feed-in-place biennial or triennial
pollarding system that also allows for taking a
berry crop for human or livestock consumption in
the non-pollarding years. Because resilient
ecologies rely on the synergies between diverse
species, and because, if tested, additional tree
crop species may also prove well-suited for
production of leaf fodder or high-quality fruit
and nut masts, or both, we will also include a
variety of cold-hardy fruit and nut species in
our planting. This kind of system allows us to
embrace the silvopasture concept of raising
trees, forage and livestock on the same land for
the improved health of all three, while also
stockpiling livestock feed via tree fodder for
years of drought when pasture production is
low.
The Trial:
methods and results of previous projects, we will
complete a multi-purpose, long-lived and
multi-specie tree planting in our 40-acre cattle
and hog pasture with the following operational
plans:
-
plant 600
trees, primarily red mulberry seedlings (70%)
but interspersed with groupings of other fruit
and nut trees (30%), including: apple, pear,
serviceberry, persimmon, northern pecan,
chestnut and shagbark hickory -
plant trees
8-10ft apart with T-posts and wire cages to
allow for natural growth but to protect from
livestock and wildlife (can be funded by EQIP
program through NRCS) -
plant trees in
lines to give additional browse-height
protection from cattle and deer via a poly-wire
protection lane at browse height that does not
allow for animal pass-through, but does allow
for grazing up to the tree line (SARE funding
needed for this added protection) -
mulch, weed
and water the tree lines occasionally for the
first two establishment years (SARE funding
needed for this additional establishment
support) - record survival rates and growth
rates for each species at the end of Year 1 and
end of Year 2 - lab-test leaf fodder samples for nutritional
feed value for each species at the end of Year 2 - pollard one-quarter of all red mulberry
seedlings in August of Year 2 to test tolerance
of mid-season leaf fodder harvest; -
one quarter to
one half of all red mulberries will be
pollarded each subsequent year, putting the
pollards on an staggered biennial or triennial
pollard cycle depending on the tree's tolerance
(we may experiment with annual pollarding as
well) -
remove weeding
and watering support for the trees in the third
year, in order to identify the most
drought-hardy trees able to compete and thrive
in a low-input environment -
eventually,
other trees with poor-quality fruit and nuts
will be pollarded for fodder if nutritive feed
values warrant harvest
Replicability:
this type of planting will be easy to
replicate by beginning and experienced
farmers alike, on large and small parcels and
with minimal equipment and
inputs.
Objectives:
establish and maintain in a low-input Upper-Midwest silvopasture
system.
and nut trees that could grow in an Upper-Midwest silvopasture
system, thereby serving the multiple purposes of providing fodder
for livestock, as well as fruit and nut harvests for human and
livestock consumption.
community organization as well as online and through social media
Research
In April and May of 2024 (Year 1) farmers/owners (with both part-time paid, and friends and family volunteers), planted 610 seedings in our pasture, in-line approximately 60-90feet from the exterior fenceline with 36" hardware cloth cages supported by a T-Post. This planting received partial funding through USDA NRCS EQIP program and was not paid for with this grant. We planted the following species from the named sources:
- Red Mulberry (~400 trees from: Missouri State Conservation [MO]; ForestAg Nursery [WI]; and Cold Stream Nursery [MI])
- Northern Pecan (~35 trees from: Iowa State Forest [IA]; Grimo Nursery [Ontario, CAD])
- Shagbark Hickory (~15 trees from: Iowa State Forest [IA])
- Hican (~5 trees from: Grimo Nursery [Ontario, CAD])
- Chestnut (~20 trees from: Perfect Circle Farm [VT]; seed started from HARC [MO])
- Hazelnut (~20 trees from: Grimo Nursery [Ontario, CAD]; seed started from Perfect Circle Farm [VT] & Experimental Farm Network [Badgersett genetics, MN])
- Apple (~40 trees Blue Hills Wildlife Nursery [MA]; North 40 Nursery [MI])
- Pear (~10 trees One Green World [OR])
- Serviceberry (Cold Stream Nursery [MI])
SARE funded the addition of a polywire brose protection lane at 48" above the trees as well as a 3-strand paddock division keeping livestock from crossing between trees. We hope to keep this protection lane up for 5-8 years depending on how quickly the trees can withstand livestock and wildlife pressure without the protection.
We received so much precipitation in 2024 (Year 1) that we did not need to water, except for one long wait-period after planting. We were not yet able to start mulching, but will do so in late winter 2025 (Year 2).
We planted and protected 610 trees of 9 different species and several varieties within each species. 90-95% of trees leafed-out and were still alive at the end of the Year 1 growing season.
Educational & Outreach Activities
Participation Summary:
Outreach for Year 1 (2024)
July 2024 - Published Climate Resilient Pastures Video 1 online in multiple platforms:
- On farm's website under new Silvopasture tab: 72 views of tab
- On YouTube directly: 154 views
- On Facebook:
- North Fork Farms Facebook page (299 followers)
- Silvopasture (6,400 members)
- Regenerative Agriculture Group (64,000 members)
- reGenerative Grazing Group (28,800 members)
- Mulberry Growers (42,100 members)
- Northern Nut Growers Association (4,200 members)
- Farm Direct Minnesota (82,100 members).
Year 1 2024 - Direct Consulting with Farmers when Contacted
- 1 Direct Consult via phone through SARE's grant listing, Sept 2024
October 2024 - Presented a Nutshell Talk at Savanna Institute's Perennial Farm Gathering (Madison, WI)
- Slides: Climate Resilient Pastures (North Fork Farms MN, Oct 2024) (2)
- ~74 Participants in the Room (50 Farmers, 25 Ag Professionals)
Learning Outcomes
Year 1 (2024) Lessons from Planting & Tree Protection:
- Predrilling planting holes works well under the following conditions:
- Auger is wide (18" worked, but 24" would have been better)
- Hole is not too deep ("12-18" max recommended)
- Plant before rain melts the fill away
- A reliable and consistent workcrew can be supported in the following way:
- Pre-make hardware cloth tree cages
- Drop post & cage near/in each hole ahead of time
- 2 people work together per tree
- Hand rake or shovel for each person
- Bucket of the same bareroot seedlings per pair
- Map the tree species out ahead of time, tag while planting
- Be upfront about hours & pay (have them pack a lunch to stay out on site, provide a water cooler out on site)
- Make it fun! (We paid volunteers friends and family with dinner after and farm products.)
- Alone, a well-practiced farmer can plant & cage only 6-8 trees/hour with a predrilled hole and premade cage with this method
- Adequate precipitation impacts workload:
- We had almost no watering needs because of high precipitation levels during planting year
- Alone, a well-practiced farmer could water 30-50 trees/hour with drip buckets and water tote (depending on terrain)
- High precipitation levels = less watering, but MORE weeding
- Browse protection DOES MATTER:
- Deer and rabbits would eat uncaged seedlings overnight
- Deer and cattle would eat the tops off desirable trees above the 36" wire cage without hot polywire present