Info: Tyler Carlson, Silvopasture & Agroforestry Project Lead, tyler@sfa-mn.org or 844.922.5573 Ext. 702
Restoring Oak Savanna, Protecting Water and Increasing Income Through Regenerative Agriculture Practices in Minnesota Woods and Forests
Case Studies
SFA Soil Health Lead Jared Luhman recently published a compendium of five case studies featuring farmers who practice silvopasture and agroforestry. They include:
- Vickie Kettlewell and Greg Booth, Sunup Ranch, Brainerd
- Tyler Carlson and Katie Droske, Early Boots Farm, Sauk Centre
- Tom Barthel and Gail Wilkinson, Snake River Farm, Becker
- Tom Hunter, Wabasha
- Tony Wells and Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin, Regeneration Farms, Northfield
To read the case studies and learn more, click here.
Upcoming Workshops & Field Days
Silvopasture, Savanna, and Prescribed Goat Grazing Field Day with Bryan Simon
Tuesday, Aug. 9 | 9:30 AM-1:30 PM | Lakeside Prairie Farm, Barrett | REGISTER
Check out Bryan Simon’s grazing operation which includes goat grazing for invasive species removal and savanna restoration. We’ll also learn about Bryan’s prescribed goat grazing work off the farm. Free to attend! Lunch is provided. Registration required, no walkups.
Address: Lakeside Prairie Farm. 20503 180th Ave. Barrett, MN 56311
Silvopasture and Oak Savanna Restoration Field Day with Tom Hunter
Tuesday, Aug. 23 | 9 AM-1 PM | Tangled Bank Farm, Wabasha | REGISTER
Come out for a follow up field day at Tangled Bank Farm to see Tom’s expanded efforts at Oak Savanna Restoration. We’ll take a look at the one acre site from 2 years ago as well as the on-going restoration work being conducted this year. Silvopasture and adaptive grazing will be part of the discussion. Free to attend! Lunch is provided. Registration required, no walkups.
Address: Tangled Bank Farm 23257 685th Street Wabasha, MN 55981
Silvopasture, Savanna, Adaptive Grazing and Windbreak Field Day with Ben and Mikayla Tabert
Tuesday, Sept. 6 | 9 AM-1 PM | Trinity Creek Ranch, Red Lake Falls | REGISTER
Come out for a farmer-led field tour of their grazing operation including aspen silvopasture, oak savanna silvopasture, and newly planted windbreaks. Free to attend! Lunch provided. Registration required, no walkups.
Address: Trinity Creek Ranch 15885 200th Street SE, Red Lake Falls, MN 56750
This field day series is supported and funded by a grant from the Legislative Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR).
Silvopasture at Sherburne
The Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge in Zimmerman, MN spans 30,700 acres on the Anoka Sandplain, and is largely oak savanna. The refuge is home to a wealth of wildlife diversity, including the sandhill crane, Blanding’s turtles, and wild turkeys. And, since 2013, sometimes cattle.
For nearly three years, University of Minnesota researcher Austin Yantes, seasoned graziers Kent Solberg and Doug Voss, and an assortment of other partners have been studying the impact of targeted grazing on vegetation management and restoration of oak savanna at the Refuge.
We hosted a Silvopasture, Oak Savanna, and Adaptive Grazing Field Day on June 2, 2022 at the Refuge with a cohort of UMN researchers and Refuge staff to share the results of this research. Below, you can watch a video of the herd moving to a new paddock. Check out more photos and a recap of the day here.
Some early research findings were also discussed on a recent episode of SFA’s podcast series, Dirt Rich. Researcher Austin Yantes and grazier Doug Voss shared some of their initial observations on Episode 48: “Grazing Cattle to Restore Oak Savanna in the Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge.” The episode offers an introduction and insight to the research, and is available on all major podcasting platforms.
This field day was funded by the Legislative Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources. The event is part of a joint effort between the University of Minnesota Extension, SFA, Great River Greening, and the Center for Integrated Natural Resource Agricultural Management.
Featured Webinars
Adaptive Grazing & Silvopasture Webinar | April 21, 2021
Silvopastures are complex agroecosystems with the potential to provide an array of sustainable products and services. From healthy pasture-based foods and forest products to clean water and carbon sequestration, highly skilled grazing management is critical to the success and optimization of these systems. This webinar presents an overview of Adaptive Grazing Management and a look into its application to Silvopasture.
Presenters: Kent Solberg of SFA, Dr. Sue Wika and Dr. Tom Prieve of Paradox Farm.
This webinar is made possible by a grant from NCR-SARE’s Professional Development Program.
Economics of Silvopasture | February 8, 2021
Take a deeper dive into the costs of silvopasture establishment and the economics of silvopasture production systems. The presenters share findings from research conducted throughout the United States.
Presenters: Dr. Ashley Conway PhD, PAS (Assistant Research Professor, University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry), Dr. Joseph Orefice PhD (Lecturer and Director of Forest & Agricultural Operations at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies), and Tyler Carlson (SFA).
You can find all of our past webinars in our Silvopasture Webinar Archive or on our YouTube Channel.
Resources Now Available:
- Fact Sheet: Silvopasture in Minnesota
- Fact Sheet: The How-Tos of Silvopasture
- Fact Sheet: Converting Wooded Area Into a Silvopasture Site & Resource Assessment
- “Dirt Rich” podcast series, available wherever you get your podcasts:
- Episode 9: “Silvopasture in Minnesota” with SFA’s Tyler Carlson and Jared Luhman.
- Episode 10: “Implementing Silvopasture” with SFA’s Tyler Carlson and Jared Luhman.
- Episode 23: “Origins of Oak Savanna” with Stephen Thomforde and Tyler Carlson.
- Episode 24: “Restoring Oak Savanna” with Stephen Thomforde and Tyler Carlson.
- Episode 25: “Home on the Tree-Range” with Tony Wells and Jared Luhman.
- Episode 48: “Grazing Cattle to Restore Oak Savanna in the Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge” with Austin Yantes, Doug Voss, and Jared Luhman.
- An interview with Tyler Carlson, SFA Silvopasture & Agroforestry Project Lead, from the Silvopasture Learning Network
- Several recorded Silvopasture webinars
- Map of the Vegetation of Minnesota at the Time of the Public Land Survey
The SILVOPASTURE RESOURCE MANUAL is a compendium of web-based resources, professionals, universities, government agencies, non-profit organizations and other sources of silvopasture information, training and networking.
Web Based Version
PDF/Printable Version
The BEGINNING GRAZIER HANDBOOK can be very useful to those getting started in grazing, or experienced graziers looking for additional resources.
Web Based Version
PDF/Print Version
These and many other resources that include information relevant to silvopasture and agroforestry are available on our comprehensive Soil Health Portal.
Project Details
SFA’s decades-long Soil Health Program has been directed towards conventional, organic, beginning farmers, fruit and vegetable growers and crop and livestock producers to teach both the principles and practices of soil regeneration:
- Keep the soil covered
- Minimize soil disturbances
- Promote diverse species, perennials and crop rotations
- Deepen and protect root systems
- Integrate livestock to the landscape.
Our unique niche’ in the Minnesota soil health movement is integrating livestock to the landscape, identifying strategies and opportunities for livestock producers, crop farmers and non-operating landowners to improve and invest in their farms, regenerate soil and protect water quality while ensuring a livable net farm income. We do this through farmer-to-farmer networking.
Silvopasture and agroforestry are additional strategies to achieve soil health adoption and foster livestock production in Minnesota. Silvopasture is the intentional practice of managing timber, forage and livestock on the same acres to create income opportunities on often under-utilized land. Using managed grazing techniques, sound timber management and 21st-Century fencing technology, silvopasture offers great opportunity to help restore the over 660,000 acres of Minnesota woods and forest that are not achieving their full potential for the landowner and society (UMN Extension).
SFA is working in partnership with the University of Minnesota Extension, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Minnesota DNR and others on a three-year program (July 1, 2019-June 30, 2022) to build a Silvopasture Learning Network, to research effective silvopasture practices and innovations, and educate farmers, agricultural and natural resource professionals and conservationists throughout the state on silvopasture and oak savanna restoration principles and practices. This is funded by LCCMR. SFA also received a grant from Compeer Financial to create and assemble workshop and field day materials and webinar content, drawing from UMN Extension resources, the Savanna Institute and model information from other states. We are creating a “farm team” of SFA members with experience in silvopasture, and they will serve as the nucleus of the training, and as advisors. Team members include: Jim Chamberlin, Tyler Carlson, Joe Gans, and Tom Barthel. And, from Oct. 1, 2019-Sept. 30, 2022, SFA will coordinate a Professional Development Program funded by North Central SARE to educate agriculture and conservation professionals on silvopasture and oak savanna restoration. Technical assistance is provided by the Savanna Institute and UMN Extension.
Event Archive