Many of Missouri’s early farmers and ranchers planted tree breaks to shield soil, cattle and homesteads from the wind, harvested black walnuts and wood to supplement their income and planted rows of corn in available land between trees. One hundred years ago this was known as making the most of what you had, and being as productive as possible. Today, it’s known as Agroforestry – the science and practice of intensive land use management combining trees and plantings with crops and livestock.
Agroforestry is now a major science-driven force in managing land use for commercial diversity and environmental sustainability worldwide. At the local level, it provides specific niches for the family farmer or rancher to achieve additional income by diversifying crops, increasing sustainability of the land, improving soil and water quality and more.
There are five key practices in the science of agroforestry.
Alley Cropping
Planting rows of trees at wide spacings with a companion crop grown between the rows. Wheat, corn, soybeans or hay can be planted between black walnut or pecan trees. Value-added crops that can provide extra income, such as sunflowers or medicinal herbs, can also be used.
Forest Farming
Use of the protective forest canopy created by trees height modified to produce the correct shade level. Ginseng, shiitake mushrooms and decorative ferns can be sold for medicinal, culinary and ornamental uses, adding an income that supplements that of the wood products being harvested. It’s also an ideal habitat for wildlife.
Riparian Forest Buffers
Trees, grasses and shrubs planted along streams or rivers that become living filters designed to catch soil, excess nutrients and chemical pesticides before they enter the waterway. This creates a natural way to improve the quality of water, help prevent erosion and provide food and habitat for wildlife.
Silvopasture
Integrates trees, forage and livestock and manages them as one system. In a typical silvopasture practice, perennial grasses or grass-legume mixes are planted between rows of trees for livestock pasture. The trees provide a long-term investment for nut crops or a timber harvest, offer shade in the summer and a windbreak in the winter. In turn, the forage base provides feed for beef cattle which ultimately provides livestock sales for short-term income.
Windbreaks
Trees planted in single or multiple rows along the edges of a field to reduce the effect of wind and weather on crops and livestock. Windbreaks also provide an excellent habitat for quail, turkey, songbirds and other wildlife.
“Missouri farmers and ranchers can benefit from any of the programs,” said Frances Main, a Resource Forester with the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC). However, she has had the most success in southwest Missouri with windbreaks, forest farming and some buffering.
Frances explained, “The windbreaks are common in McDonald and Barry Counties, where we’ve planted trees to divert the wind and odor from poultry farms, and also as cover for calving areas. Windbreaks around the farm residence can help lower utility bills, too. We’ve helped forest farmers to use treed land to grow shitake and morel mushrooms, black cohash, ginseng and blueberries as extra profit crops. And, we’ve planted trees as buffer strips along rivers to control soil erosion and stabilize banks.”
Funding for agroforestry projects comes from either the MDC or USDA cost-share programs. Their partnerships and outreach programs have fueled success stories statewide. According to Frances, the department helps fund anywhere from 70 to 80 projects in southern Missouri each year, 30 of those related to agroforestry, and regularly depletes its funding pool. “The landowner can be responsible for anywhere from 25 percent to 50 percent of the project, though we try to keep it closer to 25 percent. We also have access to separate funding for specially designated conservation opportunity areas, such as quail and aquatic habitats that we are trying to protect.”
The process starts when a landowner requests free advice from their county MDC or U.S. Department of Agriculture service center office. Frances described the process of applying for cost-share funding.
“I, or another forest professional, get a call from a private landowner who has asked for help – maybe he has some woods on his property that he doesn’t know what to do with. I make an initial visit to figure out the need, walk the property, collect data and research, and then I write a management plan for the landowner. We figure what the project will cost, and I help the owner apply for the money and find resources.”
There are a multiple opportunities for farmers to try new, innovative techniques on their farm and get paid for it through cost-sharing. Go to ozarksfn.com for more information.
