Introducing the Wisconsin Agroforestry Demonstration Farm Network
I’m Eleanor and I have a small farm in Baraboo, Wisconsin. On our farm, we try to fit tree planting and care into our busy workflow that also includes an annual vegetable CSA and a small variety of livestock. Agroforestry has been an interest of mine ever since my partner and I started looking for land to start our farm seven ago, and it’s always been useful to see examples of other farms that have put agroforestry techniques into practice. There are a lot of folks in Wisconsin that are making trees work on their farms!
I recently started working at the Savanna Institute in a new role specifically created to build a community of growers in Wisconsin that are practicing agroforestry–both folks who have established trees and shrubs on their farms, and also those who are still in the planning and implementation phase of their agroforestry journey.
We’ve partnered with Wisconsin NRCS to create this network so farmers can learn from other farmers about what works and what is challenging. We’ll be hosting field days and community-building events at farms across the state starting next summer. There will also be opportunities for farms to host on-farm research and connect with experts in the industry.
This network hinges on you! We need farms that are practicing agroforestry to partner with us to host these events. Farmers will be paid for their time and expertise. I’ll be hosting an info session for farmers interested in this network on Wednesday, September 25 at 6:30 PM. This will also be a chance to hear from you about what you want to get out of a network like this one and what type of support you could use from us to get agroforestry practices in place on your farm.
If you’re attending our Perennial Farm Gathering (in-person in Madison) October 6-8, I’ll also have a session there to answer any questions about the network on Tuesday, October 8th. Get tickets and learn more here:
And if you’re all ready to formally express interest in joining the network, fill out our intro survey here:
I look forward to growing agroforestry with you.
Sincerely,
Eleanor Johnson
Demonstration and Partner Farm Coordinator
[email protected]
(608) 448-6432 ext. 242