Alley Cropping with Forage Crops
Alley cropping presents an opportunity for farms producing forage crops at-scale to reinvigorate their existing operations. Farms can generate additional streams of profit from fruit, nut, timber, and livestock fodder while addressing challenges that threaten crop yield such as soil erosion, nutrient loss and extreme weather.
📖 Alley cropping is an agroforestry practice that involves integrating rows of trees or shrubs alongside agricultural crops in a systematic arrangement. Distinct alleyways are formed by planting crops or grazing animals between rows of trees, with both components designed to complement and enhance performance of the other.
Alley Cropping With Forage Crops Is Highly Beneficial
Alley cropping with forage crops is a win-win for farmers, providing income diversification and ecological benefits. It is an effective way to increase whole-farm yield in the long term because of the interrelated benefits that trees and crops provide.
♻️ Regenerate soil health: Trees contribute organic matter to the soil through fallen leaves, branches, and root exudates. This builds up organic carbon, which enhances soil structure, water retention, and nutrient-holding capacity. Tree roots also stabilize the soil, reducing erosion caused by water runoff and wind. The improved soil structure then promotes better root penetration and water infiltration — ultimately promoting growth for forage crops.
Trees also promote the growth of beneficial soil microorganisms. These microorganisms enhance nutrient cycling, disease suppression, and overall soil health. Certain tree species also have nitrogen-fixing abilities. They form symbiotic relationships with nitrogen-fixing bacteria in their root nodules, converting atmospheric nitrogen into a form that plants can use, enriching the soil and supplementing the need for additive fertilizers.
💰Diversify income: Trees introduce new sources of revenue. Fruits, nuts, and timber create additional income that can weather market fluctuations and diversify a farm’s options for retail and wholesale.
💪 Build climate resilience: Alley cropping creates a microclimate for crops, regulating temperature extremes. The rows of trees can act as windbreaks, preventing wind-induced stress, lodging, and soil erosion. Trees also provide shade to crops during periods of intense heat, reducing moisture loss through evaporation and transpiration. By retaining moisture in the soil, forage crops are better equipped to withstand drought conditions. Conversely, in times of heavy rainfall and floods, the rows of trees can help manage water runoff by increasing drainage.
🌿 Foster long-term sustainability: A legacy of responsible land management can be an honorable aspiration. Alley cropping offers a chance to leave behind a landscape enriched in both financial and ecological terms for future generations.
How to Choose the Right Trees for Your Operation
Selecting the right trees for alley cropping is crucial to ensure a successful integration with forage crops. Farmers should consider factors such as their growing zone, soil type, nutrient composition, labor preferences, and the desired products they want to market.
These tree species are suitable for alley cropping with forage crops like those mentioned above, within the Eastern United States growing zones 4 through 8:
Tall trees
Chinese Chestnut (Castanea mollissima)
Pecan (Carya illinoinensis)
Hybrid Poplar (Populus spp.)
Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia)
Black Walnut (Juglans nigra)
Oak (Quercus spp.)
Hickory (Carya spp.)
Short trees
Apple and Pear trees (Malus spp.) and (Pyrus spp.)
Cherry (Prunus spp.)
Biomass Willow, for livestock forage (Salix spp.)
Mulberry, leaves and stems for livestock forage (Morus spp.)
Shrubs
Elderberry (Sambucus spp.)
Hazelnut (Corylus spp.)
Blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum)
Tall trees and short trees work better with different types of herbaceous forage. When pairing tree species with forage crops, consider the biological characteristics of both the trees and the forage plants. Make sure to space trees appropriately so that the trees don't shade out the forage crops excessively. Additionally, think about the nutritional needs of your livestock and choose forage crops that will provide the desired nutrition in combination with the tree species you select.
This diagram from Alley Cropping: An Agroforestry Practice put together by the USDA helps visualize the differences between different tree and shrub species depending on what application you may want to explore.
Along with the characteristics depicted above, it’s important to consider the intensity of management practices that are required for various species of trees. Introducing trees inherently requires additional management, but how much can vary greatly.
For example, timber generally requires less labor for long periods, but is more intensive at times of planting and harvest. By comparison, fruit trees are drastically more labor intensive, while trees like the Chinese Chestnut offer a balance of lower labor requirements with steady production (and returns) once established.
Considerations must be made for equipment as well. When implementing alley cropping, spacing trees wider than your existing equipment ensures you can continue to mow and harvest using the same equipment. For larger operations (50 - 400 acres) that want to add chestnuts, a machine harvester could be beneficial vs hiring additional labor in larger quantities.
Our team is prepared to help you understand the labor requirements for your unique goals, and can recommend crop and tree species that align your labor, yield and marketing preferences.
Land Suitability for Alley Cropping
Alley cropping with forage crops can be well-suited for various types of farm land in the Midwest, Southeast, Northeast, and Appalachian Regions. Land suitability depends on the types of crops you intend to grow, the tree species you plan to incorporate, and the local climate. For example, pairing Chinese Chestnut and forage crops is typically well-suited for growing zones 4 through 8 and makes a great addition in well-drained acidic conditions.
Trees do well on prime farmland, but can also be well-suited to sloped or marginal land which can be challenging for traditional cultivation. Areas that might not be highly productive for traditional crops can still support tree growth, but if the goal is positive economic returns, prime land will be best suited. Understandably, many farmers might be hesitant to try new practices on prime land. They will trial agroforestry practices on marginal land and get marginal results. That conclusion is misleading however, as the business case can be much stronger on prime land.
Alley cropping may not be a good practice for your land if the following are true:
Limited space to deploy
Excessively wet and/or rocky terrain
Highly specialized crop production
Soil conditions
The success of incorporating trees into an alley cropping system generally comes with the same soil considerations one makes for their primary crops. Performance will depend on factors like drainage, nutrient content, soil texture, and other physical and chemical properties.
Determining if a type of soil is suitable for alley cropping depends on several factors, including the types of crops you intend to grow, the tree species you plan to incorporate, and the local climate and conditions. Some soil types are generally better suited for alley cropping due to their inherent characteristics:
While no soil type is inherently bad for alley cropping, there are certain characteristics that are less ideal for this alley cropping. Here are some considerations that might present a challenge:
Poorly drained soils
Saline or Sodic Soils
Shallow Soils
Soils with Extreme pH
Eroded Soils
Compacted Soils
Highly Leachable Soils
It's important to note that even if a particular soil has some of these characteristics, proper management practices can often mitigate the challenge.
Ultimately, the suitability of a soil type for alley cropping depends on the specific goals, the tree and crop species chosen, and the management practices applied. Conducting a thorough soil analysis and consulting with local agroforestry experts can help you determine whether a particular soil type can be effectively used in an alley cropping system.
The Business Case for Alley Cropping
Introducing any new practice, or changes to your existing forage crop operation requires careful planning. There are generally three options farms consider with regards to alley cropping:
To assist your current operations; meaning there is no direct sales outlet for any of the tree products you grow. In this situation trees are planted to improve your other crops by providing benefits (shade, windbreaks, biodiversity, fodder). Any increase in profit is delivered through increases in the profitability of current sale products.
To augment your current operations; there will be sales from a tree product, and even if that reduces the yields of the primary crop a bit, it is a net positive to overall profitability through new income streams derived from the trees.
To replace your current operations; introducing a complementary fodder crop and tree pairing in that improves your overall profit for the long-term future.
Forecasting models can be developed in partnership with experts to maximize the economic and environmental benefits. Here’s an example of one forecast for implementing Chestnuts with Corn, Soy and Hay alley cropping compared to the previous Corn-dominant rotation.
Making any land-use transition is no simple task. Farms need to clear three hurdles to successfully implement alley cropping, and start to reap the benefits described above.
Design: Crop selection, suitability analysis and agronomy require case-by case review from an experienced agroforestry professional to ensure a successful system can be implemented.
Implementation: Procurement of nursery stock, tree establishment and ongoing maintenance can present a challenge to those with technical expertise outside of these areas.
Financing: As shown in the graphic above, there is a significant financial hurdle in upfront capital expenditure which is difficult to absorb with a farm’s average profit margins.
💰 Did you know funding is available to cover up to 75% of your transition costs?
The U.S. Department of Agriculture awarded $60 million to The Nature Conservancy, Propagate, and other partners to fund a 5-year project to advance agroforestry. These practices provide healthy, long-term agricultural production while reducing dependence on external inputs.
Strategies like alley cropping, silvopasture, and windbreaks can complement existing yields, increasing a farm’s profitability while providing valuable ecosystem services.
Get a free, no-commitment assessment to understand how agroforestry practices could be implemented on your land today.
Considerations for existing crop yield
Will adding trees to your existing fodder crop operation reduce yield? Not in every case. This largely depends on the tree and crop species being paired, as well as row spacing and management practices. Generally speaking, there can be a negligible impact on forage crop production. This requires proper branch and root pruning, proper tree spacing, and informed species selection.
The benefits to soil health introduced by alley cropping can also contribute to increased fodder crop production within the existing areas planted, improving overall yield.
It’s also important to account for the yield of timber, fruit or nuts that is gained, and the diversified income security these options present.
🔍 Research results from alley cropping studies
Cool season forages maintain their yields surprisingly well in partial shade of taller trees, and may not lose any production during a deciduous tree’s dormant period. A case study in wheat-timber alley cropping showed, at 140 feet between tree rows, wheat yield was 96% of a field without trees. At 164 feet between tree rows, wheat yield was 103% of a field without trees.
Warm season forages, particularly C4 plants, will decrease in production in proportion to the amount of shade they receive. Surprisingly, alley-cropped corn yields were 97% and 101% of a field without trees, at 140 ft and 164 ft between tree rows. However, at 66 ft between tree rows, corn yields dropped to 80% of a field without trees, due entirely to tree shade.
As a result, producers may opt for short trees such as elderberry and hazelnuts, depending on which tree species they would like to manage as a business. Fodder shrubs such as willow and mulberry can be directly grazed in winter or late fall, and provide substantial value for livestock in the form of both dry matter and minerals.
We Make Alley Cropping Easy
Propagate provides everything a farm needs to implement alley cropping practices from farm design, site preparation, procurement, tree planting and establishment, and tree crop agronomy.
We help implement realistic, functional regenerative systems by connecting you to our genetic stock, equipment, and labor partners. To date, we have:
2,250 acres under management in the US
Advising 30,000+ acres, with 760,000 trees & shrubs
Expanded a 50 acre pilot to 1,800 acres in 1 year
🌳 Alley cropping with Chestnuts in Maysville, KY
Learn how an 1,800 acre corn, soy, and wheat operation has been successfully transitioned to chestnut & hay production. With 50,000 trees being planted in 2023, this farm will be one of the largest chestnut operations in the US.
