Novice-to-Producer Agroforestry Education: Linking demonstration farms to online learning, apprenticeships, & communities of practice

This event followed a laid-back style and had an open-house structure that allowed people to stop by the farm, connect with Savanna Institute staff, network with attendees, and tour the Hudson Agroforestry Demonstration Farm.

The tour was self-guided; each participant was provided a packet with background, information, maps, and information on each of the plantings. This big hit as people could walk around at their leisure and then find a Savanna Institute staff member to ask more targeted questions. It also allowed people to come and go as their schedule allowed. These self-guided tour packets were designed to be a pilot to see what more permeate additions to signage we would want to implement in the next year.

The loose structure also allowed for more in-depth networking between attendees. The majority of people in the audience were farmers or landowners who were interested in agroforestry or had already started establishing practices. This mix allowed the opportunity for more experienced producers to connect with people considering adoption and talk through their successes and challenges. The conservation and ag professionals in attendance also jumped into these conversations at times providing more insight and resources.

This structure was so successful, we plan on hosting at least one a year in 2024 and beyond. 

This Twilight Tailgate hosted in partnership with The Land Connection, explored the benefits of incorporating trees into conventional grain systems to support water quality, carbon sequestration, soil health, and wildlife habitat. The event featured an introduction to alley cropping and windbreaks, a walking tour of the 4H Memorial Camp alley cropping system that covered design, planning, maintenance, and long-term succession, and plenty of time for attendees to ask questions and connect with Agroforestry Technical Service Providers.

This was an evening event, which worked great as the weather had been very hot and dry and people did not have to stand in the middle of an open field at the hottest parts of the day. 

Similar to the Happy Hour event at Hudson Agroforestry Demonstration Farm, the networking among farmers, landholders, and ag professionals was deep and robust. We ended up ending the event an hour and a half later than originally planned because people were chatting, making plans to visit each other's farmers, and trading successes and challenges. Close to half of the attendees have never attended a Savanna Institute event before, but have heard a staff member speak, watched a video, or heard about it through word of mouth. 

The Agroforestry Social for Non-Operating Landowners, hosted at Fields Restored, focused on peer-to-peer learning about how non-operating landowners can incorporate agroforestry into their operations.  Fields Restored landholders Scott and Sandy Williams, along with their farm partners the Roger Family, walked landholders through their motivations for planting tree-based agricultural systems on their farms, how they worked with their farmers to design and incorporate the trees into their production system, and their partnership with the Savanna Institute to host an Agroforestry Demonstration Farm. There was then a walking tour of the farm where the Williams family, the Rogers family, and the Savanna Institute talked through maintenance and succession options. 

Landholders attended from 3 states and traveled to network and learn from like-minded farmland owners. After this event, 3 enrolled in Savanna Institute's Technical Service Program and 2 others worked with agroforestry professionals in their state. 

This event was focused on a walking tour of the Fields Restored Demonstration Farm exploring the benefits of incorporating trees into working farmlands to support water quality, carbon sequestration, soil health, and wildlife habitat. There was plenty of time for attendees to ask questions and connect with Agroforestry Technical Service Providers. This tour featured cattle silvopasture, a multi-functional riparian buffer, specialty crop alley cropping, and a functional windbreak.

This event was sparsely attended but did provide a great opportunity to train Savanna Institute Technical Service Providers, who work directly with farmers and landholders. 

This event brought together Agroforestry Technical Service Providers, Conservation Professionals, and support organizations from across the Midwest for a 3-day training on providing planning, design, and implementation help for farmers and landowners adopting agroforestry. A key component of this training was demonstration, tours, and workshops around the ideation, planning, establishment, partnership-building, and educational approach of the IL and WI Agroforestry Demonstration Farms. 

Many in attendance were familiar with the farms and program due to them being featured in webinars, online courses, videos, podcasts, conference presentations, and other media. However, being directly on the farm provided the opportunity to see how well the systems were working, what obstacles were being discovered and overcome, and learn more in-depth about the practical realities of the farms. 

This event also served as the in-person component for the online Agroforestry Training for Natural Resource Professionals course. 

Savanna Institute Technical Service Program clients were invited for a walking tour of Silverwood Demonstration Farm to see in action what they had learned about their education and consultation with TSPs. The tour highlighted the organic grain and chestnut alley cropping,  multi-functional windbreak, and tasting orchard demonstrations at the site. The tour was then followed by networking with Savanna Institute staff and fellow agroforestry enthusiasts, as well as a chestnut roast. 

This event provided a great opportunity for farmers and landholders in the process of adopting agroforestry to explore what a more mature system would look like on the ground and if it matched their understanding of what agroforestry looked like and could do. This meet-up led to deeper, and sometimes changed, goals among the clients in attendance. 

In 2024 we are planning at least two of these events for clients and advisors. 

This event, co-hosted by Savanna Institute and sister company Canopy Farm Management, brought together Canopy Farm Management clients, Savanna Institute Technical Service Program clients, farmers and landholders interested in the adoption of agroforestry, as well as, local University researchers on the Hudson Agroforestry Demonstration Farm. The event featured an in-depth introduction to agroforestry, its benefits, and funding opportunities, a walking tour of the farm, and a targeted discussion about key crops for Central Illinois. 

This event led to 2  farm families contracting to work with Canopy Farm Management and 1 attendee to apply to the Technical Service Program at Savanna Institute. 

Throughout the 2023 growing season, Savanna Institute welcomed over 50 people to farm through small group tours focused on donor cultivation, research, education, outreach, and crop commercialization. These tours were targeted and were led by multiple Savanna Institute staff members. These types of small tours were extremely effective in building stronger partnerships, exploring opportunities for collaboration, and introducing visitors to the reality and scale of the Savanna Institute Agroforestry Demonstration Farms. 

Robust maintenance utilized best practices, innovative equipment, and a production-oriented approach continued in partnership with Canopy Farm Management for the 2024 growing season. All management decisions are made by the Savanna Institute, with collaboration and input from the field staff at Savanna Institute. Highlights for the 2024 season include continued trialing of 3 different cover crop mixes for agroforestry establishment and completion of the nut and berry crops at Hudson Agroforestry Demonstration Farm, the second planting, cultivation, harvest, and spraying of corn growing under tree canopy at 4H Memorial Camp Farm, and the stronger partnership between Savanna Institute, Canopy Farm Management, and the Rogers Family at Fields Restored. 

472 people visited the four Agroforestry Demonstration Farms in 2024. This is an increase from 2023, yet we have more to go to hit our target goal of 500 visitors a year. 

In the summer and fall of 2023, Savanna Institute partnered with The Nature Conservancy and US Nature4Climate to create a video, blog, and factsheet entitled Advancing Agroforestry in the Midwest: Hudson Demonstration Farm. This series highlighted the opportunities, barriers, and field-level work of agroforestry in the Midwest through the story of establishing the Hudson Agroforestry Adoption Farm. 

Since its release, this suite of resources has been utilized by partners across the Midwest and the US to bring attention to the role that demonstrations can play in expanding climate-smart agriculture and agroforestry. 

In 2023 Savanna Institute completed and launched the website LearnAgroforestry.com; this initiative cumulatively trained 297 natural resource professionals through a train-the-trainer model since its launch. It is now being used as the foundation for a national agroforestry training program piloted by the National Association of Conservation Districts, a new partnership to provide intensive training for county conservationists in Wisconsin through Wisconsin Land + Water, and is being leveraged as a model for the federal Natural Resources Conservation Service for a national program to ensure at least one agroforestry trainer is available in every state. In 2024, we trained  172 natural resource professionals through a train-the-trainer model 

The Savanna Institute Agroforestry Demonstrations Farmers were incorporated into the curriculums for the Alley Cropping, Silvopasture, Riparian Buffers, and Understanding NRCS Support modules. Demonstration Farm Educator Kaitie Adams also provided an in-depth presentation for online course enrollees on the alley cropping at Hudson and 4H Memorial Camp Agroforestry Demonstration Farms. 

This Twilight Tailgate hosted in partnership with The Young Farmer's Coalition, explored the benefits of incorporating trees into fruit and vegetable systems to support conservation and productivity goals. The event featured an introduction to alley cropping and windbreaks, a walking tour of the Hudson Farm alley cropping system that covered design, planning, maintenance, and long-term succession, and plenty of time for attendees to ask questions and connect with staff and each other. 

Similar to previous happy hour events and tailgates, the networking among farmers, landholders, and ag professionals was deep and robust. This was the first of a series of these events for the season that were meant to bring people together for networking, knowledge-building, and fellowship. People stayed long after the event ended and there was lots of conversation on particular crops and how young farmers can overcome barriers to agroforestry. 

This Twilight Tailgate hosted in partnership with The Land Connection, explored the benefits of incorporating trees into grain systems to support conservation and productivity goals. The event featured an introduction to alley cropping and windbreaks, a walking tour of the Hudson Farm alley cropping system that covered design, planning, maintenance, and long-term succession, and plenty of time for attendees to ask questions and connect with staff and each other. 

Similar to previous happy hour events and tailgates, the networking among farmers, landholders, and ag professionals was deep and robust although the crowd was much smaller.  This was the second of a series of these events for the season that were meant to bring people together for networking, knowledge-building, and fellowship. We attributed the low turnout to the extreme heat we had been experiencing, although the weather was nice by the time the evening rolled around. 

This Twilight Tailgate hosted in partnership with Illinois Farmers Union and Citizen's Climate Lobby explored the benefits of incorporating trees into farming systems as a powerful climate mitigation and adaptation strategy. The event featured an introduction to alley cropping and windbreaks, a walking tour of the Hudson Farm alley cropping system that covered design, planning, maintenance, and long-term succession, and plenty of time for attendees to ask questions and connect with staff and each other. 

Similar to previous happy hour events and tailgates, the networking among farmers, landholders, and ag professionals was deep and robust. This was the third of a series of these events for the season that were meant to bring people together for networking, knowledge-building, and fellowship. This event had a large number of the public in attendance which outnumbered farmers, landowners, and ag professionals. However, those people became vital voices in telling the stories about how agriculture has a large role to play in the climate crisis. 

This full-day event focused on windbreak history, benefits, planning, design, and implementation and was designed for farmers, landholders, land managers, and advisors who are interested in planting windbreaks to protect and enhance their farmlands. Presenters covered how windbreaks, shelterbelts, and hedgerows can improve soil health, build wildlife habitats, produce edible crops, beautify the landscape, and protect communities from dust storms. The event also included a farmer panel to share direct experience with planting, managing, and renovating windbreaks, a presentation by FSA and NRCS on cost-share options and technical supports, a hands-on design activity, and a walking tour of the 11 different windbreak designs at Hudson Farm. 

This workshop was our first attempt at a technical deep dive and was a huge success, with the majority of participants reporting that their knowledge of windbreaks, their benefits, and available resources for the practice increased. 

Farmers across Illinois utilize precision planters, self-driving tractors, drones, and remote sensing to plant corn and soybeans, but what if we used that technology to plant trees? was the main focus of this field day. The event featured how Canopy Farm Management is modernizing agroforestry with high-tech farm equipment and how they do that work in cooperation and partnership with the Savanna Institute agroforestry demonstration farms. This field day featured, a live demonstration of GPS-guided tree planting, a live demonstration of Italian vineyard-style in-row weed management, an imported Polish berry harvester implement, innovative herbicide sprayers, and a comprehensive tour of the Hudson agroforestry demonstration farm. 

Participants spent the afternoon walking through a range of agroforestry practices, learning about cost-share programs, and discussing management strategies with the experts. Evaluations highlighted the importance of being able to see niche equipment in person to learn how they work and see how they could increase efficiency in operations, as well as, speak one-on-one with people experienced in operating them. Registrations included participants from multiple states, which indicates this would be a popular event in the future. 

Across the Midwest, farmers are planting native fruit and nut species to restore and revitalize the land. In 2015, Scott and Sandy Williams incorporated native trees on their family farm to protect the soil, clean the water, and provide a sustainable food source–thus began Fields Restored.

This workshop and farm tour showcased silvopasture, windbreaks, alley cropping, and riparian buffers, with special attention to where juneberries and other novel berry crops could be incorporated. 

And participants learned more about one of the most productive species on the farm: juneberry (Amelanchier spp.)!

Educators from Savanna Institute and Farmers Rising's CRAFT (Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training) taught participants how to grow and sell juneberries and led a tasting of several juneberry varieties. 

This was a very popular event among farmers in Northern Illinois and showed the demand for knowledge about diversified fruit production. 

Knowing what you grow is an obvious first step in farming. Many growers cannot identify common native trees and prairie plants without their leaves or flowers. This workshop focused on how to identify the native plants at the 4-H Memorial Demonstration Farm with special guest, Kayla Myers from The Wild Midwest, a native plant nursery and landscape design company based in Urbana, IL. Using sight, smell, and touch participants walked through the prairie and tree installations to identify several native prairie plants and common tree species. 

This workshop was the result of demand from previous workshop and field day participants to host skills workshops outside of the growing season. We considered this event a "pilot" and plan on incorporating more skill-based workshops into the 2025 season. 

New this year, Savanna Institute partnered with Allerton Park and Retreat Center, to increase the visibility of the 4H Memorial Camp demonstration farm, which is located adjacent to the park. We hosted a monthly tour on Wednesdays through the summer that focused on introducing the basics of agroforestry. 

We had a low turnout for these events but would like to explore how we might optimize public tours as a more accessible option for farmers and conservation professionals in 2025 and incorporate signage to deepen visitors' educational experience. 

Savanna Institute staff were invited to share more information on Savanna Institute Agroforestry Demonstration Farms, their educational programs, and outreach at the following events: 

Everything Local Conference, Springfield, IL 
Southern Illinois Farming Alliance Mini-Conference, Carbondale, IL 
Organic Grain Conference, Urbana, IL 
North American Agroforestry Conference, Turrialba, Costa Rica 
Chicago Food Justice Summit, Chicago, IL 
Perennial Farm Gathering, Madison, WI 

Savanna Institute staff were invited to share more information on Savanna Institute Agroforestry Demonstration Farms, their educational programs, and outreach at the following training events for agricultural professionals: 

Agroforestry for Conservation Resource Professionals Training, online hosted by the Savanna Institute in Madison, WI 
University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry Agroforestry Academy, online hosted by the University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry in Columbia, MO 
EarthDance Organic Farm School Farm Perennial Workshop, Online, hosted by EarthDance Organic Farm School in Ferguson, MO 
Chicago Food Justice Summit, Chicago, IL