The Agroforestry Podcast

Dec 08 2022 16 ep. 32 mins 237

The Agroforestry Podcast artwork

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.

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Maple Sugaring in the Lower Midwest

Dec 08 2022 33 mins

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 suga

The Chestnut Improvement Network

Mar 08 2022 40 mins

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 Chestnut Improvement Network is a participatory breeding program led by Dr. Ron Revord, tree crop geneticist at the University of Missouri Center

Silvopasture with Hogs: What?! How and Why

Oct 18 2021 39 mins

Trees and pigs may seem an unlikely combination, but in fact, hog silvopasture has been practiced for thousands of years, and is only recently making a comeback in the US. In this episode, two practitioners share their insights about raising hogs under trees. During the last in-person Perennial Farm Gathering, hosted by the Savanna Institute, we talked with Dayna Burtness of Nettle

Shiitake Happens: Integrating Fungi into Whole Farm Systems

May 04 2021 32 mins

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.

Land Access: An Enduring Presence for Perennial Farms

Jan 28 2021 40 mins

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 o

Financing & Economics: Choosing Long-term Rewards

Apr 16 2020 29 mins

We close the first season of the Agroforestry Podcast with an episode intended to steer your budding tree crop ideas into grounded reality. Larry Godsey, Associate Professor of Agribusiness at Missouri Valley College and former agroforestry economist with the Center for Agroforestry, shares his insightful perspective about economics in the context of long-term harvests and ecosyste

Agroforestry in Urban Landscapes

Jan 27 2020 26 mins

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

Pawpaw: Cultivating the Elusive Fruit

Dec 01 2019 29 mins

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.

Made in the Shade: Silvopasture with Cattle

Oct 21 2019 35 mins

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

Forest Honey from Horizontal Hives

Aug 13 2019 43 mins

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 keepin