Redbyrd Orchard has been producing on-farm commercial cider since 2010. The farm has 4 acres of productive cider orchards, plus 1.5 acres that were recently planted. The productive orchards are laid out in two high-density blocks (5’-6’ between trees, 15’ row spacing), with perimeter fencing. In Spring, between 20-30 Katahdin sheep graze the first flush of grass. They are followed by a flock of 20 geese, who remain for the summer. After harvest, the sheep return to clean up unwanted drops and eat grass down before winter, reducing habitat for voles and other pests.
redbyrdorchard...
ABOUT THE SERIES
With support from the USDA National Agroforestry Center (NAC), a collaboration of Regenerative Design Group, Wellspring Forest Farm, and Inhabit Films announce the release of a free video series documenting Silvopasture systems in the Northeastern USA.
Silvopasture (grazing livestock with trees) systems are complex, dynamic and site specific. The practice is both rooted in indigenous land stewardship and its benefits are well documented by scientific literature. Adoption by farmers and land stewards of silvopasture is relatively low, but growing in interest.
This project began with an inventory of self-identified silvopasture practitioners in the Northeast US region which resulted in 145 responses across 9 states (ME, VT, NH, MA, CT, NY, RI, NJ, PA) of people who reported stewarding 26,782 acres, with 5,267 of those acres in Silvopasture. From these respondents a range of examples were selected for videos and case studies to offer a snapshot of the practice along with ideas and inspiration for others to follow.
Videos will be released biweekly through the Farming with Trees collective, a decentralized network encouraging collaborative projects in Agroforestry that are grounded in the wisdom and knowledge of people, communities and ecosystems. Find out more at www.FarmingwithTrees.org.