The farm planted seven strips of apple, hazelnut and alder trees in the middle of a large bison pasture. This may seem odd at first but we intend to use the orchard rows as dividers, with cross fences, to create smaller paddocks. When the trees are maturewe may even have the bison graze in the orchard rows. We are interested to see how we can integrate our systems.; the trees, the pastures and livestock rather than separating them. Having integrated systems is mutually beneficial. The trees provide shade while bison eat the grass on the orchard floor, the pigs clean up the left over fruit and nuts and fertilize the orchard simultaneously. Mixed plantings in orchards can improve the overall health of the orchard. Like most things in organic farming, diversity creates resilience. Having different types of trees in the orchard helps reduce pest transmission, fungal and bacterial infections in the trees and allows us to see which trees grow the best. In addition to mixed orchards, we plant hedge rows for pollinator species and native plants around the farm. Native hedge rows are low maintenance, conserve water and create healthy places for people and wildlife. We can get more profit out of a plot while promoting biodiversity diversity and increasing the health of the soil.
While the orchard strips are not exactly a silvopasture (Silva, Latin for “forest”), we aim to integrate more trees into our grazing operation. We have some silvopasture in the woods, and it turns out livestock can forage on a lot more than just grass. It is not necessary to cut down the forests to make your farm “workable”, you just have to get creative with your fencing and work with it.
