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Agroforestry in Minnesota: A Guide to Resources & Demonstration Sites

FOREWORD

About the Guide . . . Who is it for?
This guide provides a detailed look at the use of agroforestry practices around the state. It is intended as a guide for landowners and natural resource and agricultural professionals interested in learning more about agroforestry (i.e., mixing trees and shrubs into agricultural systems for the simultaneous production of multiple crops and/or products from the same piece of land).

What is it?
This guide focuses on agroforestry practices that are suitable for the economic and environmental conditions of Minnesota. That is, the guide only describes agroforestry practices that:

  • are feasible and practical under farming conditions common in Minnesota,

  • can be profitable for the landowner under current economic conditions in Minnesota, and

  • can provide environmental and social benefits.

We hope that with the use of this guide, you will:

  1. begin to recognize the agroforestry practices already implemented in your community,

  2. be able to recognize agroforestry opportunities for your own property and,

  3. be able to locate the information you need to get started on your own agroforestry projects.

The guide does not provide step-by-step technical directions for the establishment and management of agroforestry practices, but it does list people and organizations that you can contact for this type of information. The guide is not a comprehensive listing of agroforestry sites and resources in Minnesota, but instead is a sampling of some of the better examples of the many agroforesty practices used in Minnesota.

We have included a variety of agroforestry plantings located throughout the state. While some areas may not be well represented by demonstration sites listed in this guide, this does not necessarily mean that no agroforestry practices are being used there: it merely means that we may have lacked resources to locate them, and therefore have not included them in this guide. In other cases, some agroforestry practices are only appropriate means that we may have lacked resources to locate and include them in this directory. In other cases, some agroforestry practices are only appropriate in certain regions of the state. See the Overview of Demonstration Sites map for general areas where we found these practices. Call the people and organizations listed in this Directory to see what is or could be appropriate for your area.

How does this directory work?
The Directory is organized so you can focus on the agroforestry practices that interest you the most. There are three sections:

  1. Introduction: contains basic information and background about agroforestry practices appropriate for use in Minnesota.

  2. Information Resource Section:

    • Demonstration Sites: (listed by agroforestry practice) A sampling of agroforestry plantings, usually on private land, that you may wish to visit.

    • Individuals with Agroforestry Knowledge to Share: Individuals who are experienced with agroforestry practices, who can provide valuable agroforestry information, and point you in the right direction—typically natural resource professionals or landowners who have implemented agroforestry practices on their own lands or lands they manage.

    • Organizations: Organizations that are specifically geared toward agroforestry, are valuable as resources for conservation practices in general, and can help you connect with others who share similar interests.

    • Nurseries: Nurseries that supply planting stock commonly used in Minnesota agroforestry systems.

  3. Appendices

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Let's take an armchair tour of your family. Let your mind wander over your fields, woods, borders, creeks, ditches, and rough spots around the farm. Are any of these areas underutilized? Could they earn extra money, and improve the environment, especially in light of the many changes occurring in agriculture? Many farms and rural lands in Minnesota have the potential to do so.

Let's take a closer look at your own land...Are there corners in brush or weeds, areas not reached by pivot irrigation, or places too small to cultivate? How about the area along your stream, that frequently flooded bottomland where you rarely produce a crop? What about the marginal upland field where the harvest barely covers your costs? Or that other inconvenient, out-of-the way parcel?

Is what you are producing on your land the most profitable use? If not, an agroforestry planting may be the right choice for you.

New approaches to using your land may produce more income and other benefits for you. With foresight and intentional management, agroforestry practices such as windbreaks and riparian buffers and even plantings of hybrid popular can provide profitable additional products such as nuts, berries, Christmas trees, pulp wood, saw logs, or veneer wood. But to realize these benefits, you must plan ahead. Species and management plans vary greatly depending on your objectives and the "crops" you want to cultivate. This Guide will help you explore these options.

ContentsNext Section: Preface

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Produced by Communication and Educational Technology Services, University of Minnesota Extension.

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