Deep Roots and Healthy Herds: Silvopasture for Ecosystem Health and Sustainable Livestock Production in the US Mid-South

Commodities

Practices

This project will advance the adoption of silvopasture as an integrated solution to address challenges in soil health, water quantity and quality, and livestock welfare and productivity, and provide a mechanism for producers to mitigate risk and market variations in the US Mid-South. Silvopasture - the integration of trees and grazing on the same land - is widely recognized to provide multiple benefits, although lack of technical assistance, complex management, and uncertainty about economic returns prevent wide-scale silvopasture adoption by small and medium farmers. The carryover impacts of silvopasture systems on pregnant cows and their calves remain unexplored compared to conventional pastures. Insights from this research could help mitigate losses caused by heat stress, which exceed $3.9 billion annually in the U.S. Pregnant cows under heat stress in the last 3 months of gestation wean calves 10% lighter than non-stressed heifers, reducing cow-calf productivity and rancher profitability. Trees create milder conditions that can improve animal welfare and calf development, while enhancing surface soil moisture, organic matter, and nutrient cycling, although this has not been evaluated. At the same time, deep-root trees can impact forage growth, and groundwater quantity and quality. Yet, these linkages are poorly understood and are critical to remove barriers to adoption and advance whole-system approaches in the Southeastern US. This project will bridge critical research gaps and revolutionize the profitability of pasture and beef systems by assessing silvopasture impacts on soil health, forage production, groundwater quantity and quality, beef cattle productivity, heat stress and calf development, and whole system's productivity through a cost-benefit analyses relative to pasture only systems, as well as a survey of consumer perception of silvopasture products. Four on-farm demonstrations [1 in Arkansas (AR), 3 in Missouri (MO)], 1 MO field day, and 1 "Pasture Walk" field day (led by the National Center for Appropriate Technology - NCAT) will discuss silvopasture as a sustainable solution and economically viable approach for soil and water conservation, improved animal welfare, and cow-calf operations productivity relative to conventional pastures. Educational materials (1 technical bulletin and 1 video) will be disseminated via NCAT's e-newsletter (21,000 subscribers), NCAT "Armed to Farm" Veteran network (7,500 subscribers), and NCAT/ATTRA Youtube channel (12,000 subscribers). Conference presentations, 2 peer-reviewed publications, University of Arkansas field classes, and key partnerships with the U.S. National Agroforestry Center and Noble Research Institute will facilitate knowledge transfer and reach broader audiences, ensuring the widest and long-lasting impact from this project beyond the 3-year duration. Expected outcomes from increased silvopasture adoption in the SSARE region include: 10-15% greater SOC storage and soil health, 10% increase in calf weaning weight due to reduced late-gestation heat stress, greater water quality and 50% more soil water, and overall greater producer resistance to risk owing to diversified markets. With this project, SSARE will continue leading sustainable livestock management in the U.S. Mid-South, paving the way for more competitive beef production, removing barriers for silvopasture adoption and promoting greater income diversification, food security and stronger communities.

1) Assess silvopasture impacts on animal heat stress, body temperature, calf development, and weight gain from the last 3 months of gestation until weaning, to quantify animal welfare gains compared to a pasture-only system (2027-2029);

2) Quantify spatio-temporal changes in soil physiochemical properties, forage yields and quality, resource use efficiency (water and nutrients), groundwater levels, stream discharge, and water quality in silvopasture vs. pasture-only systems following poultry litter applications and spring-summer grazing (2027);

3) Conduct on-farm collaborative research on ecosystem services from silvopastures (2028) and socio-economic analysis of silvopasture products and services (2029);

4) Demonstrate silvopasture as a sustainable solution and economically viable approach for soil and water conservation and improved animal welfare through 4 on-farm demonstrations (1 AR and 3 MO), 1 field day in AR (NCAT "Pasture Walks" with Grassroots Grazing Group), and 1 field day in MO led by co-PI Cecilia Rocha;

5) Deliver educational materials and share knowledge on silvopasture impacts on soil-water-plant-animal health through 1 Agroforestry Note with the National Agroforestry Center, and 1 technical bulletin and 1 video (NCAT/ATTRA Youtube channel) to facilitate silvopasture management, understand barriers to adoption, and increase silvopasture ecosystem services and profitability for farmers in the U.S. Southeast.