1999 Annual Report for FNC99-289
Crop-bearing Windbreak/Shelterbelt Project
Summary
Agroforestry systems benefit farmland through the reduction of soil erosion, chemical fertilizers and pesticides, fossil fuel consumption, use of expensive equipment, greenhouse gas emission from carbon dioxide fixation, and long-term storage. Agroforestry projects also increase water infiltration, income source diversity, and solar energy use efficiency.
Objective: To attract more agricultural producers to agroforestry by teaching design and plant selection elements.
The producer promoted crop-bearing windbreaks, shelterbelts, riparian buffer strips, and other agroforestry projects to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Natural Resources Conservation Services, Pheasants Forever, and the Langwood Institute of Forest Economics, using workshops and field days. Interested people were educated about design, cost-sharing, nursery resources, planting labor resources, and plant species selection.
Results: The producer assisted in the planning, planting, and cost-sharing of 16 different agroforestry projects in three counties. In all, the producer helped establish 2,401 chestnuts, heartnuts, black walnuts, hazels, pecans, persimmons, pawpaws, and bittersweet vines. The workshops and field days attracted 25 people with a solid interest in agroforestry.