Transitioning To Perennial Crops: A Viable Economic Model A Public Talk with Mark Shepard Monday, October 2, 7:00-9:00 pm @ The Space @ Greenstar, 700 W. Buffalo St., Ithaca, NY (enter on Court St. at Fulton)
Over a period of two decades, Mark Shepard transitioned his 106 acre farm in southwest Wisconsin from annual crops to a permanent, perennial agriculture, featuring chestnuts, hazelnuts, and fruit trees, along with a variety of other fruits and vegetables, and an assortment of livestock. Learn how he shaped the land to control water flow so not a single drop would leave his farm, what criteria he used to select woody crops adapted to his site, and some strategies he developed for cashflowing until his woody crops came into production. You will come away with ideas for establishing your own perennial agriculture system that you can implement gradually to build diversity and resilience over time. LEARN HOW TO . . . - Select crops adapted to your site and region - Shape your land to direct water where you want it - Incorporate rotational grazing of livestock - Build crop diversity gradually About Mark Shepard: After years of observation and experimentation with perennial woody-crop systems on land in Alaska, Maine, and Wisconsin, Mark Shepard now crisscrosses the country and travels the globe helping others design perennial agriculture systems. As a grower for Organic Valley cooperative since the beginning, he is a big advocate of locally owned cooperative enterprises. His first book, Restoration Agriculture, offers an introduction to his approach, while his second book, now in preparation, presents the water management system he developed to match the more complex American topography. Weekly in-depth training featuring his work at sites around the world is available through the Ecolonomic Action Team. -
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