Broadacre Holistic Agroforestry Implementation on a New England Farm: A Case Study and Manual

The USDA defines agroforestry as the intentional integration of trees and shrubs into crop and animal farming systems to create environmental, economic, and social benefits. Compared with conventional agriculture and ranching, agroforestry practices can confer numerous benefits to farms as well as ecosystems, including improved soil and water quality, better biodiversity, more robust carbon sequestration, healthier livestock, higher overall farm productivity, diversified income streams, and an improved quality of life for farmers and communities (Garrett et al., 2022; Quandt et al., 2023). USDA (2013) considers agroforestry an important risk-management tool for farmers and has stated that it will not only enhance rural economies but also improve resilience to climate change on the nation’s agricultural lands. 

Our project most directly addresses SARE’s aspects of sustainable agriculture that relate to improved farm productivity and outcome; conservation of soil and improvement of water quality; and better quality of life for farmers and their communities.

Farmers considering agroforestry need practical information bearing on the economics and logistics of implementing it on their own farms. Faced with specific climate and soil conditions, limits on their resources and risk tolerances, it is helpful for them to learn from nearby farmers in similar situations. Our collaborator, University of Vermont Extension Research Associate Juan Alvez, reports frequent and increasing inquiries from area farmers about this. One of the largest agroforestry efforts in the US, the Nature Conservancy’s Expanding Agroforestry Project, recently had applications from farmers for the first round greatly exceed expectations. Conversations with other regional service providers and researchers confirm a large and steady increase in agroforestry from farmers. Major barriers to adoption remain, a principal one being access to examples and practical information, a gap our manual will address.

Unfortunately, accessible and regionally relevant agroforestry case studies are scarce, especially in the Northeast. Many studies are aimed at academic audiences, pertain to a small planting, treat farm systems in other regions of the country or world, and/or describe certain aspects like land tenure or planning without addressing implementation. Though some farms and organizations do offer in-person agroforestry learning opportunities like field days or seminars, working farmers may be unable to access them, especially during the growing season. The relative dearth of agroforestry examples to study and follow has resulted in a knowledge gap that has slowed uptake.

Bread and Butter Farm is planning a complex multi-decade agroforestry project that we believe deserves to be studied and highlighted. Broadly speaking, the project will include (1) alley cropping to hay, flowers, vegetables and U-pick stone fruit trees, and (2) silvopasture comprising triple rows of trees spaced 7 meters apart forming production alleys. In the latter practice, outside rows are fodder (a) mulberry and (b) willow, poplar, and other species. Seven-meter production alleys allow for annual polyculture cropping of finish-quality forage. Middle rows will include a 12-species herbaceous layer, fruit trees, pollard and polewood trees, and a long-term emergent layer that includes masting species like hickory and honeylocust. Grazing alleys between the triple rows will be up to 160 feet wide of highly diverse pasture and hay land. Grazing animals will be moved daily. Haying will occur yearly in addition to grazing. Some 17 miles of walking trails outside perimeter fences will allow the community to visit and explore a working agroforestry farm. 

For a number of reasons, Bread and Butter Farm’s example is worth sharing widely. The farm’s philosophy centers on reverence for organisms and natural resources; broad-based collaboration; and a multigenerational outlook. Such principles align its mission with those of Northeast SARE, with its emphasis on values like holistic connection, justice, accessibility, sustainability, and quality of life. Amid widespread difficulty securing long-term access to farmland, Bread and Butter’s unusual ownership arrangement is designed to allow multigenerational tenure and should be of interest to beginner and lower-resource agroforestry farmers. Scaled to hundreds of acres, its multi-story silvopasture and alley-cropped plantings will demonstrate ways to plan and marry agroforestry practices in a practical way when many other case studies treat simpler systems of a few acres or less. The farm is located in the Northeast, where farmers face specific climatic and resource challenges that may not be addressed by studies of farms in Appalachia, the Midwest, or other regions. It is a large working farm with deep economic and social ties to the community, making a report of its activities more relevant to other working farmers than studies of hobby or academic farms. 

Bread and Butter Farm engages in extensive public education and interaction, offering various ways for visitors to view farm and pasture operations up close. This commitment to public transparency will make it a valuable demonstration site for farmers who can visit. For those who cannot, or who want to study the farm’s agroforestry practices in depth, our proposed project should help extend that value. While it will not in itself close the knowledge gap in Northeast agroforestry, we hope it will help farmers gain knowledge they can apply to establish or enhance alley cropping and/or silvopasture on their own farms, or even create additional demonstration projects. All of these should help to spur agroforestry uptake in the Northeast.