If farming is anything, it is the art of tending many irons in the proverbial fire of summer...some days we are better at not getting burned than others, but we know everything happens in its own time. One major project whose time came in 2021 is the farm's 5 acre woodlot on the southern edge of the property. For several years we hardly ever visited it because the impenetrable thicket of invasive buckthorn made it nearly impossible to see what was there, much less casually walk through. We knew it would take a major push to beat the buckthorn back, but our dream of a healthy woodland motivated us to initiate the process in January of this year.
We decided at the outset that we were going to take the decidedly unconventional approach of using ZERO chemicals to kill the buckthorn because we know there is a delicate ecosystem below the surface of the soil that is negatively impacted by herbicides. The result: hundreds of hours beneath the canopy cutting, grinding, chipping and burning the brush! Many hands, machines, and even hooves came together to force the buckthorn into submission! The farm's cattle herd plays a key part in this story as they will not only be able to benefit from the shade of the trees now that the brush is gone, but they also eat buckthorn leaves! We know the buckthorn is long from dead, but the cows are happy to help keep it at bay, especially as the many grasses we seeded fill the space with a delicious pairing for their grazing delight.
As with many projects at the farm, this too is still a work in progress, but in one short season the space has transformed. Not only is it pleasant to stroll through now, but it is emerging as a fantastic silvopasture: the intentional combination of trees, grass and grazing. This is a powerful strategy to sequester CO2 from the atmosphere, improve the health of the soil, and provide critical comfort for the cattle herd. There is a delicate balance to foster, but we hope with love, care, and the occasional cow this forest will be welcoming for generations to come.
Your Farmer,
Mat
