Training
In addition to working collaboratively with farms and institutions to plan for and implement agroforestry practices, we offer training for service providers operating in the agriculture, conservation, and forestry sectors and the wider community.
Upcoming Trainings
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Farmer Field Days
Dates: (Summer and Fall 2024)
Massachusetts
Oak Hollow Livestock, Shelburne, MA - Silvopasture
Osemequin Farm, Seekonk, MA - Forest Farming
They Keep Bees, Montague, MA 01351 - Alley Cropping
UMass Amherst Student Farm, Amherst, MA - Alley Cropping
New Hampshire
Robie Farm Piermont, NH - Silvopasture
Mount Cabot Maple, Lancaster, NH - Forest Farming
Vermont
Black Watch Farm, Springfield, VT
Cedar Mountain Farm, Hartland, VT
Flying Dog Farm, Tunbridge, VT
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Alley Cropping Fundamentals (level 200)
Date:
September 6th, 2024 (Time TBD)
Location: Cloud Water Farm, 284 Vermont Rte 100, Warren, VT 05674
Description:
Are you a service provider in the agriculture, conservation, or forestry sectors and want to learn how to design and implement alley cropping? Now’s your chance: Alley cropping is the intentional integration of trees with crops within which agricultural or horticultural crops are produced in alleys between rows of trees. The benefits of this agroforestry practice can include farm income diversification, increased crop production efficiencies, and protecting and enhancing ecosystem function.
Educators:
Meghan Giroux & Eric Toensmeier
Cost:
Free
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Fundamentals of Forest Farming
Date:
September 11th 9:30 AM – 3:30 PM
Location:
Cornell Cooperative Extension Agroforestry Resource Center, 6055 Route 23 Acra, NY 12405
Description:
If you’re a land manager or consult forest land owners and ready to learn more about the agroforestry practice of forest farming, this training is for you. Forest farming is the intentional integration of horticultural, medicinal, or fungi under a forest canopy. Land managers' increasing interest in agroforestry has produced a growing need for technical assistance. Join us and learn about the principles, design considerations, benefits, and challenges of farming in the forest. Contact: Tracey Testo, Agroforestry Program Manager – tet35@cornell.edu
Educators:
Tracey Testo, Justin Wexler and Anna Plattner
Cost:
Free
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Forest Farming Intensive (200 Level)
Date: October 10th & 11th, 2024
Location:
Black Watch Farm
Combining horticultural, medicinal, or fungi in the understory of forests is an ancient practice quickly growing in interest here in the northeastern United States. This two-day intensive will teach you to assess your landscape, design, and implement forest farming systems. You’ll learn about different forest medicinals, fungi, and horticultural crops that are appropriate for forest farming. Additional information will be shared about the policies preventing or encouraging the broad adoption of these practices.
Educators:
Meghan Giroux, Tracey Tresto, and Stesha Warren
Train the Trainer (TnT)
This program utilizes a peer-to-peer knowledge-sharing framework. We teach technical service providers about the usefulness of agroforestry interventions. With specific learning outcomes in mind, our classes examine the policies that prevent or encourage adoption, the socioeconomic and biophysical influences of agroforestry, production cycles, impacts on livelihoods, landscape sustainability, risks, and trade-offs. Training includes both conceptual and experiential opportunities for learning.
Field School (Under Development)
As an extension of our Field Consultancy, our six-week Field School utilizes both conceptual and experiential learning to explore the rich history of agroforestry and the policies preventing or encouraging broad adoption. Students will learn to plan and implement agroforestry-specific systems and associated practices. Our for-profit, Interlace Agroforestry Farm in Whallonsburg, New York, is the host to our field school.