As interest in agroforestry grows in Northern New York, funding sources decrease

By Mike Lynch

On a cool May morning, a few dozen Katahdin sheep rumbled through open gates into pasture lined by rows of pawpaw and hybrid chestnut trees as farmer Alex Caskey watched from the fencing’s edge.

Located on a small country road across from the Split Rock Wild Forest in Westport, Barred Owl Brook Farm practices silvopasture, a farming technique that integrates trees with grazing livestock.

At Wild Work Farm in Keene, vegetables can be seen planted between rows of fruit trees, a method known as alley cropping that is also a safe bet against potential flooding.

“The fruit trees are both a crop that’s more resilient to flooding than annual crops and will protect our soil,” said Wild Work Farm owner Lissa Goldstein, whose 3-acre farm located near the East Branch of the Ausable River was hit hard by flooding in 2019.

Read the full article in the Adirondack Explorer.