The Agroforestry Podcast

Whether you’re new to agroforestry or you’re a seasoned professional expanding your knowledge base, the Center for Agroforestry's podcast series is a source for learning and inspiration. We'll explore topics ranging from forest farming medicinal plants and mushrooms, to soil and water conservation with hedgerows and buffers, and everything in between. Subscribe to this podcast on your preferred podcast app, and stay tuned as we share the multitude of ways farmers and landowners, researchers and educators are working to reintegrate diverse woody perennial plants into multifunctional landscapes.

Maple Sugaring in the Lower Midwest 12/08/2022

Maple Sugaring in the Lower Midwest Missouri tree syrup makers are connected to the forest in an intimate way, attending to late winter temperature fluctuations, noticing their trees’ health, and delighting in a sap flow that will result (with much time and care) in a sweet reward. Maples are not a preferred species in these forests, but where abundant, tapping them can yield a sustainable source of nutritious sugars. The Center for Agroforestry’s new project “” highlights the important role these trees play in forest farming and ecological health. is faculty manager at the where we visit during the annual open house tapping event. Beth Morgan and her family at in Eolia, Missouri show us around their sugarbush and the ins-and-outs of their “sapinator” where they make a unique syrup for their CSA customers. /episode/index/show/agroforestry/id/25269498

The Chestnut Improvement Network 03/08/2022

The Chestnut Improvement Network After decades of trial and error, cultivar test orchards, and local breeding efforts, chestnuts are about to take a big leap towards becoming more regionally adapted and rooted in productive agroforestry systems across their range. The is a participatory breeding program led by , tree crop geneticist at the University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry, with key producer partners, including , chestnut grower and tree geneticist at the . Native Land Map: /episode/index/show/agroforestry/id/22382243

Silvopasture with Hogs: What?! How and Why 10/18/2021

Silvopasture with Hogs: What?! How and Why Trees and pigs may seem an unlikely combination, but in fact, hog silvopasture has been practiced for thousands of years. In this episode, two practitioners share their insights about raising hogs under trees. During the Perennial Farm Gathering, hosted by the Savanna Institute, we talked with Dayna Burtness of Nettle Valley Farm, and recorded a presentation from Eliza Greenman of HogTree. Dr. Ashley Conway, as guest host, gives us context in the world of silvopasture history, management, and risks. /episode/index/show/agroforestry/id/20851472

Shiitake Happens: Integrating Fungi into Whole Farm Systems 05/05/2021

Shiitake Happens: Integrating Fungi into Whole Farm Systems In this episode, we inoculate a deeper understanding of how fungi can play an important role on farms with trees, both as a valuable crop and as a source of ecological revitalization. Steve Gabriel from the Cornell Small Farms Program and Wellspring Forest Farm, and Nicola MacPherson from Ozark Forest Mushrooms share their insights and experience working with shiitake mushrooms. /episode/index/show/agroforestry/id/18982109

Land Access: An Enduring Presence for Perennial Farms 01/29/2021

Land Access: An Enduring Presence for Perennial Farms Secure and affordable long-term land access can be a major barrier for beginning farmers planning agroforestry endeavors. In this episode, we’ll hear from a few people who support solutions to this challenge: Keefe Keeley, co-executive director of the Savanna Institute; Joe Klingelhutz, farm specialist with the Sustainable Iowa Land Trust; and Emily Wright, farmer and president of the board of directors for the Greenbelt Land Trust of Mid-Missouri. /episode/index/show/agroforestry/id/17734169

Financing & Economics: Choosing Long-term Rewards 04/17/2020

Financing & Economics: Choosing Long-term Rewards We close season one of the Agroforestry Podcast with an episode intended to steer your budding tree crop ideas into grounded reality. Larry Godsey, Professor of Agribusiness at Missouri Valley College, and Paul Dietmann, Senior Lending Officer of Mission Finances at Compeer Financial, share insights about economics in the context of long-term harvests. /episode/index/show/agroforestry/id/14024843

Agroforestry in Urban Landscapes 01/27/2020

Agroforestry in Urban Landscapes Urban agroforestry is more than the marriage of city farms and community forestry; there are many ways multi-story perennial food systems can take shape in these spaces. In this episode, we hear from Sarah Lovell, Director of the University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry; Cathy Bukowski, PhD Candidate at Virginia Tech and author of a book on community food forests; and Matt Lebon, owner and operator of Custom Foodscaping in St.Louis. /episode/index/show/agroforestry/id/12909587

Pawpaw: Cultivating the Elusive Fruit 12/02/2019

Pawpaw: Cultivating the Elusive Fruit Pawpaw has big potential as a specialty crop with conservation value. In this episode, learn about the plant’s biology, propagation, and promising cultivars from Patrick Byers, University of Missouri Extension; and about technical and financial support for agroforestry plantings like pawpaw from Lauren Cartwright, Missouri’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. /episode/index/show/agroforestry/id/12241196

Made in the Shade: Silvopasture with Cattle 10/21/2019

Made in the Shade: Silvopasture with Cattle Silvopasture, the integration of trees with animals and forage, is a promising approach that can yield many benefits. In this episode, we’ll hear from Ashley Conway, the Center for Agroforestry’s silvopasture research faculty, Dusty Walter, MU’s Wurdack Research Center superintendent, and Greg Judy, a practitioner who’s found success with silvopasture at Green Pastures Farm. /episode/index/show/agroforestry/id/11722058

Forest Honey from Horizontal Hives 08/13/2019

Forest Honey from Horizontal Hives This episode features Dr. Leo Sharashkin’s seminar from the Agroforestry Academy, the Center for Agroforestry's annual intensive training program. Leo collects wild swarms of honeybees and keeps them in “horizontal”, or Layens, hives to harvest forest honey that is free of agrichemicals and other contaminants. This special episode offers a deep dive into the world of keeping small bee livestock as part of a forest farming operation. /episode/index/show/agroforestry/id/10877461

Tree-based Polycultures 06/21/2019

Tree-based Polycultures This episode features Dr. Michael Gold, Interim Director of the Center for Agroforestry, and Red Fern Farm’s Kathy Dice and Tom Wahl. Often planted and maintained for their conservation value, trees on farms can also be an integral part of a farm’s crop production. With diversity comes resilience and complexity: hear both academic research and on-the-ground farmer perspectives about the why, what, how, and when of perennial tree crops. /episode/index/show/agroforestry/id/10238693

Native Plants for Perennial Farms 05/17/2019

Native Plants for Perennial Farms Native plants are gaining attention in agriculture, landscaping, and wild places. Many of these perennial plants can also be ideal in agroforestry systems for their varied and valuable products. During the the Center for Agroforestry’s intensive training Academy, Nadia Navarrete-Tindall, native plant expert and consultant, and Terry Durham, champion grower and organizer for American elderberry, shared their knowledge about and passion for native plants. /episode/index/show/agroforestry/id/9823154

Growing American Ginseng 04/18/2019

Growing American Ginseng We’ve been sharing voices from the forest farming community this spring, and while there are MANY non-timber forest products that can be responsibly harvested for food, fiber, medicine, and art, American Ginseng, or Panax quinquefolius stands out; it is highly sought-after, for its economic and cultural value. In this episode, voices from the field share about the complexities of growing ginseng for conservation and for profit. /episode/index/show/agroforestry/id/9439967

Forest Farming 101 03/13/2019

Forest Farming 101 In this episode, forest farming experts Jeanine Davis and Eric Burkhart share the fundamentals of forest farming, from site selection to medicinal plant cultivation. You can explore more from the Appalachian Beginning Forest Farmer Coalition, the Virginia Tech Root Report, and the forest farming eXtension resources. /episode/index/show/agroforestry/id/8984777

Insights from Agroforestry Change-Makers 01/29/2019

Insights from Agroforestry Change-Makers What IS agroforestry, and why does it matter? Agroforestry professionals share their perspectives about how agroforestry can help us come together for ecological, social, and economic resilience. On this episode, we hear from: Dr. Mike Gold of the Center for Agroforestry; Keefe Keeley at the Savanna Institute; Dr. Sarah Taylor Lovell who leads the Multifunctional Landscape project; Dr. John Munsell at Virginia Tech, and Kate MacFarland at the National Agroforestry Center. /episode/index/show/agroforestry/id/8419037

Introducing The Agroforesty Podcast 01/01/2019

Introducing The Agroforesty Podcast The Agroforestry Podcast is a place to dig deep into the world of trees on farms and farming in forests. Check out a sample of some of the people and ideas that inspire us at the Center for Agroforestry, and subscribe to this podcast on any app! /episode/index/show/agroforestry/id/25603503

The Agroforestry Podcast

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