Do you advise land managers, and have an interest in learning more about forest farming, silvopasture, or alley cropping? The increasing interest in agroforestry among land managers has produced a growing need for technical assistance. Join us to learn more about these practices to provide agroforestry technical assistance to your clients.

This program offers a series of in-person trainings combined with online courses, all designed to be a la carte, so you can attend whichever sessions you choose. For in-person trainings, register soon to secure your spot(s) and please register for each one separately. When registering, please select the ticket type that most closely matches your organizational affiliation. Find out more about each offering below.

Forest Farming Fundamentals

Forest Farming is the practice of cultivating medicinal, edible, decorative, and handicraft crops under a forest canopy, which provides shade levels and habitats that favor growth and enhance production. Join us and learn about the principles, design considerations, benefits, and potential challenges associated with forest farming. This course has been approved for the following: 4 NRCS Planner Certification Contact Hours, 4 DCR Certified Conservation Planner Contact Hours and 5 SAF Continuing Forestry Education Credits.

July 20, 2023 • 9:00 am – 3:30 pm
VT Kentland Farm • 5250 Whitethorne Rd, Blacksburg, VA
FREE • Rain or Shine • Lunch Included

TRAINERS

JOHN MUNSELL
John Munsell (PhD 2007, State University of New York) is Professor of Forest Management in Virginia Tech’s Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation. John is interested in the environmental, social, and economic benefits of sustainable forestry and agroforestry systems.

He is Past-President of the Association for Temperate Agroforestry (2015-2017), former Associate Editor of Agroforestry Systems, and co-author of The Community Food Forest Handbook published by Chelsea Green. John is author or co-author of more than 60 refereed journal articles and 50 technical publications, and is lead author of the urban and community agroforestry systems chapter and co-author of the forest farming chapter in North American Agroforestry: An Integrated Science and Practice, 3rd ed. He chaired the 15th North American Agroforestry Conference in Blacksburg in 2017 and represented North America during the concluding plenary session at the 4th World Congress on Agroforestry in Montpellier, France in 2018. In 2019, John received the Outreach and Education Award from the Association for Temperate Agroforestry for extraordinary accomplishments in the field of agroforestry engagement.

STESHA WARREN
Currently an agroforester with Appalachian Sustainable Development, Stesha was raised with a horticultural and agricultural background. She has studied plants, primitive living, foraging and herbalism for over 25 years. Stesha has lived, gardened and farmed in many regions in the U.S., in addition to spending a year in Indonesia independently studying agriculture and sociology.

She received her B.S. in Agricultural Education from NCA&T in 2010 and is currently pursuing her M.S. in Natural Resources with an emphasis on Agroforestry with University of Missouri. Stesha has spent over a decade teaching foraging skills, primitive living techniques, forest farming, wild mushroom identification, and more for local colleges and universities, contract organizations, and independently. Stesha also co-owns and operates Eliana’s Garden, LLC, an educational farm that utilizes agroforestry practices wherever possible to enrich community and sustainable, profitable production.

ROBIN SUGGS
Before joining Appalachian Sustainable Development’s Agroforestry Program, Robin was the sole proprietor of MoonBranch Botanicals, a grower and producer of native medicinal plant materials along with other non-timber forest products in the small community of Yellow Creek in far western North Carolina.

His company supplied the natural products and medicines industry with high quality native raw bulk botanicals produced in their natural habitats.

In 1996 he founded and served as executive director of the Yellow Creek Botanical Institute, a 501(c)3 corporation based in Graham County North Carolina. He was responsible for the development of the Graham County Economic Diversification Program. The development and implementation of this and other programs in which he was involved sought the creation of a vertically-integrated natural products industry in western North Carolina. Under his guidance, Yellow Creek Botanical Institute developed inter-institutional partnerships with more than two dozen state, federal, and private organizations. Robin is currently the procurement manager for ASD’s Herb Hub.

Silvopasture Fundamentals

Silvopasture is the intentional integration of forages, trees, and livestock, and can help increase the productivity and health in farm and forest systems. Join us and learn about the principles, design considerations, benefits, and potential challenges associated with silvopasture. This course has been approved for the following: 4 NRCS Planner Certification Contact Hours and 4 DCR Certified Conservation Planner Contact Hours.

August 15, 2023 • 9:00 am – 3:30 pm
Southern Piedmont AREC • 2375 Darvills Rd, Blackstone, VA
FREE • Rain or Shine • Lunch Included

TRAINERS

STEVE GABRIEL
Steve Gabriel is an ecologist, farmer, educator, and consultant grateful to be living and stewarding lands as Wellspring Forest Farm in the Finger Lakes Region of New York State. Throughout his career, Steve has taught and consulted with thousands of farmers and land stewards on a wide range of agricultural practices including water management, agroforestry, silvopasture, and mushroom cultivation.

Steve brings a deep understanding of the intersection of social, ecological, and technical factors in farming that lead to successful people and projects. At Wellspring Forest Farm, Steve and his family steward about 40 acres of land in a lifelong practice of restoring healthy water, soil, and forests. The farm produces mushrooms, pastured lamb, maple syrup, and nursery trees, while offering a demonstration site for regenerative farming practices. Steve co-authored Farming the Woods with Ken Mudge in 2014, and is author of Silvopasture, released in 2018. He has also published several guidebooks and other materials in his previous work for 12 years with the Cornell Small Farms Program, as extension specialist focusing on mushroom and agroforestry systems. He has served as guest faculty at Cornell University, Sterling College, Paul Smiths College, and the Omega Center for Sustainable Living. Steve has been described as a passionate and engaging speaker, having appeared at over 30 conferences in the USA and abroad

EMILIE TWEARDY
Emilie has a background of farming, teaching, and adventuring. She grew up in Northern Minnesota and moved with her family to Virginia in 2015. In the interim, she lived and worked all over the country, including stints as a Massage Therapist in Northern California, Whitewater Rafting Guide in Colorado, and Food Fermenter in Rochester, NY.

She’s a creative at heart who loves to problem solve and brainstorm, especially through the lens of Permaculture Design which is fundamental to her life as both a teacher and practitioner. She’s excited to provide training and guidance in Agroforestry, to help demystify practices and techniques, revitalize our communities’ connections to each other and the Earth, and empower individuals to see the exciting possibilities in their woodlands.

JOHN FIKE
John Fike is a professor in Virginia Tech’s School of Plant and Environmental Sciences and is Virginia’s state forage extension specialist. John grew up on a small, successful family dairy in Franklin County, VA. After completing a BS in Science Education (Wake Forest University) and a period of global travel (including work on grazing dairies in New Zealand),

John pursued an MS in Forage Agronomy (Virginia Tech) and a PHD in Dairy Science (U Florida). Since he joined the faculty at Virginia Tech in 2000, John has engaged in diverse research efforts, including biomass-for-bioenergy crops and industrial hemp. His primary efforts, however, are with forages and forage-livestock systems and he has long-standing research and extension efforts with silvopastures.

KATIE PAYNE
Dr. Kathryn Payne is originally from the small rural community of Century, WV. She built a keen interest in beef cattle production and agronomy through active involvement in 4-H and FFA. After receiving a B.S. in Soil Science from West Virginia University in 2012, she went on to complete a M.S. and Ph.D. studying forage agronomy at the University of Georgia and University of Kentucky, respectively.

JASON FISHER
Jason Fisher serves the Central District Region of Virginia Cooperative Extension, bringing leadership in promoting sustainable forest and natural resources management research and techniques to landowners, loggers, professional foresters, and educators.

He has worked for VA Cooperative Extension for 27 years, and currently serves as District Extension Agent/Forestry and Natural Resources. He received his undergraduate in Forestry and Wildlife Management, and Master’s Degree in Career and Technical Education, both from Virginia Tech. Major projects presently include a statewide initiative partnering with Virginia Department of Forestry for land succession planning entitled Generation NEXT, awareness and implementation of logging safety practices, Landowner Weekend Retreats, and continuing education opportunities for professional foresters. He is married to Cindy Fisher with two daughters, Libby and Malory. He enjoys taxidermy, fishing, hunting, canoeing/kayaking.

J.B. DANIEL
J.B. Daniel is the Grassland Agronomist and Grazing Specialist for USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service in Virginia. J.B. grew up in a rural farm community in Southside Virginia and later went to Virginia Tech to study agriculture. He earned a BS and completed his MS in Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences in 1997, then worked for Virginia Cooperative Extension for many years where his interests led him to the management of forage and livestock systems.

Since 2008, his statewide responsibilities as the Grassland Agronomist and Grazing Specialist in VA have focused on the conservation management of grasslands for the full productive use for livestock, hay and/or wildlife based on the goals of the farmer or landowner. JB was instrumental in VA NRCS adopting silvopasture as a conservation practice in 2011 and overseeing the planning and implementation of the silvopasture demonstration in Blackstone at the Southern Piedmont Agricultural Research and Extension Center as part of a USDA-NRCS Conservation Innovation Grant. His efforts continue to support the planning of silvopasture on Virginia farms and educating landowners and agricultural professionals on successful sites.

Alley Cropping Fundamentals

Alley cropping is a lesser known agroforestry practice with potential for diversifying land use, expanding income potential, and building soil health. Alley cropping is the planting of rows of trees and/or shrubs to create alleys within which agricultural or horticultural crops are produced. Join us and learn about the principles, design considerations, benefits, and potential challenges associated with alley cropping. This course has been approved for the following: 4 NRCS Planner Certification Contact Hours and 4 DCR Certified Conservation Planner Contact Hours.

September 21, 2023 • 9:00 am – 3:30 pm
VT Catawba Sustainability Center • 4965 Catawba Creek Rd, Catawba, VA
FREE • Rain or Shine • Lunch Included

TRAINERS

ADAM TAYLOR
Adam Taylor is the manager of the Catawba Sustainability Center (CSC), Virginia Tech’s 377 acre farm located in the Catawba Valley. The CSC is a unique partnership between Virginia Tech and Roanoke County that strives to advance environmental stewardship, community engagement, and economic growth by providing a living, learning environment for the teaching and demonstration of sustainable practices in land management, agriculture, and economics.

Adam works with Virginia Tech faculty members and graduate students to implement and maintain research projects and demonstration plots on the ground at CSC. The most recognized work of the CSC has focused around agroforestry sites that include multi-functional riparian buffers, silvopasture, nutrient management, alley cropping, and non-timber forest products, and the agricultural practices that compliment them such as grass finishing beef and crop production.

Adam is a native of Tazewell County Virginia, and earned his B.A. in Environmental Studies at Emory & Henry College, and a Masters of Agriculture at Oklahoma State University. He has worked as a farm intern for author Barbara Kingsolver and husband Steven Hopp on their 100+ acre farm in Meadowview, VA producing vegetables for restaurants, and tending to sheep, turkeys, and chickens . He also served two years in the Peace Corps as a Forestry Extension Agent in Mkushi, Zambia installing demonstration plots and leading workshops on conservation agriculture in an effort to increase food security and prevent deforestation. He worked with local community members and introduced sustainable agricultural practices for row crop production, incorporated agroforestry tree species into their production methods, established tree plantations, and led bio-intensive gardening workshops. Before joining the ranks of Virginia Tech, Adam worked as a project coordinator in West Virginia for both the WV Farmers Market Association and the WV Food & Farm Coalition. There he designed and delivered agricultural workshops geared toward production for direct to consumer markets, as well as advocated for state policy change to support the state’s local food economy. Adam is also the co-owner/operator of Singing Spring Farm with his wife Eliza and son Luke. Located in the Sinking Creek Valley of Craig County Virginia, they manage a diversified homestead operation involving dairy goats, wool sheep, pastured poultry, annual vegetable production, and many different perineal fruit and medicinal tree and shrub species. They offer a “full diet” CSCA to customers comprised of dairy, meat, eggs, fruits, and vegetables.

MEGAN GIROUX
Meghan is an experienced agroforestry practitioner and technical service provider with two decades of experience growing perennial crops in agricultural and nursery settings. Meghan has a Master’s of Science degree in agroforestry. She was a 2021 Climate Adaptation Fellow.

Meghan is the Founder & Executive Director of Interlace Commons, an education and research agroforestry organization serving the northeastern United States. Through her company, Interlace Agroforestry Farm LLC, and funding support from the USDA and the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, Meghan is developing a sixty-acre demonstration site that exemplifies ancient and modern forms of agroforestry, including the five USDA-defined agroforestry practices. Additionally, Meghan is the co-author of two forthcoming manuals on silvoarble agroforestry and applied silvicultural practices of silvopasture: the systems and productions of tree fodder and tree hay.

Online Courses

The Agroforestry Trainings for Natural Resource Professionals online courses are self-paced and include videos, audio presentations, and supplemental resources so you can dig deeper into each subject. Course topics include:

Introduction to Agroforestry for Natural Resource Professionals
Fundamentals of Alley Cropping
Fundamentals of Forest Farming
Fundamentals of Silvopasture
Fundamentals of Social Competency: Growing Agroforestry
Understanding NRCS Support for Agroforestry

Learn More and Register

partners and collaborators

This training program is an interregional collaboration between Appalachian Sustainable Development and

These Virginia workshops are hosted by Appalachian Sustainable Development and the Virginia Tech Center for Food Systems and Community Transformation in collaboration with:

Virginia Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS)
Virginia Department of Forestry (DOF)
Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE)
Virginia Beginning Farmer and Rancher Coalition

On This Page

Search the site

On This Page

Agroforestry Trainings for Natural Resource Professionals

Forest Farming Fundamentals

Silvopasture Fundamentals

Alley Cropping Fundamentals

Online Courses

partners and collaborators

Get the latest in your inbox