Bloom Farm, Pennsylvania

Chestnut Orchards & Silvopasture
1,700 trees planted

Regenerating Land & Communities with Agroforestry

Trees are an investment that pays dividends in many forms for decades to come. Bloom farm plated productive trees as the foundation for their long-term vision to restore soils, food systems and the communities that depend on them.

A Vision for Communities Rooted in Experience

Sam Nana-Sinkam spent his childhood watching his father build community-focused food systems in Africa, coming to understand the systemic relationships between food, the people it supports, and their overall wellness.

He saw a misalignment in agriculture in the U.S. and wanted to demonstrate what he knew was possible when communities are engaged in regenerative systems focused on nutrition and overall wellness.

Sam founded Third Place to do that. Third Place is an investment firm focused on the intersection of agriculture, wellness and education. In 2023, they began their mission by acquiring 55 acres of land nestled in between the Oley Hills and the Oley Valley to create Bloom Farm.

Bloom Farm Map

Bloom Farm’s Context & Goals

Like many other farms in this region, a majority of Bloom Farm had been cleared and put into a corn and soy rotation. This plot stood out from the others though. It retained a few old growth trees, hinting at the region’s history as a thriving ecosystem. One supported by a foundation of productive trees. Sam’s goal was to restore the land and honor its former state by creating a closed loop system centered around agroforestry.

The system in mind for Bloom Farm would grow more than just food. They aimed to engage to the surrounding communities to highlight the impact of relationship with food and our nature on our wellbeing.

To make this vision a reality, Bloom Farm needed to grow nutritious produce, support grazing animals, and create additional streams of income which would support community engagement. Agroforestry became an obvious choice for its ability to meet all these needs.

Project Goals

♻️ Restoring Soil Health

📈 Increasing Farm Profitability

🐝 Supporting Biodiversity

🐖 Improving Animal Well-Being

🧑‍🌾 Community Education

Trees are the foundation to restoring Bloom Farm. This region was once known for productive trees therefore agroforestry is a perfect fit for our goals.

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— Sam Nana-Sinkam

Farm design & site survey

Soil and well analysis
Economic projections
Orchestrated labor, inputs, and capital improvements
Sourced all genetic stock
Site supervisor

Propagate’s Role in the Project

Site Analysis & Planning

The project began with a site analysis using Overyield in tandem with on-site measurements collected to evaluate the soils and suitability for multiple tree species. Three fields were selected for conversion to perennial nut orchards, and a fourth area was designated for a silvopasture to support the farm’s animals.

Through iterative discussions with the managers at Bloom Farm, we developed a design that felt like an homage to the natural and inseparable cultural history of the Oley region. Species selected included high-quality Chinese chestnut genetics, improved Rutgers hazelnut, and a mix of native hardwoods and shrubs to support pollinators. We focused on simplicity in the row layout to ensure efficiency for management and suitability for equipment used in other farming operations.

Chestnuts stood out as a great fit for the soil, and aligned well with the farm’s goals. These nutrient-dense tree crops can be marketed fresh or as a flour, serving as a milk or meat substitute. The trees would also work well to provide shade for the farm’s sheep as they grow into maturity.

The chestnut orchards were designed with 15’ x 15’ spacing to accelerate yield during the ramp up in its early life. Choosing that spacing will improve the economics of early harvests, but will require thinning a bit earlier than more widely spaced orchards. The farm also included a deer fence in the overall design to ensure long term crop protection which minimized the cost (and plastic inputs) of standard plastic tree protection tubes.

We are optimistic about chestnuts specifically because the farm and surrounding community had a history supported by them. They are well suited for the land, and honored the region’s history.

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— Sam Nana-Sinkam

Ground Preparation and Planting

Propagate orchestrated turnkey implementation for three chestnut orchards and a silvopasture demo site. In total, the project progressed from design to completion in 14 months.

Proper site preparation is critical to the long term success of any project. This was evident at Bloom Farm, where we spent over a year converting 25 acres of dry, depleted corn/soybean fields, into soil suitable for this perennial orchard. That included multiple rounds of cover cropping, nutrient management, fence building, pollinator attraction and, most of all, patience.

Unique to Propagate's field preparation method is the use of coupled implements run in line on GPS enabled tractor. This assembly, designed by Propagate's Farm Operations Manager Bob Walker, allows us to efficiently perform critical field preparation is a manner that reduces tractor passes, compaction and fuel usage.

Field Preparation

Subsoiling
Seeding
Fertilizing
Marking tree locations
(with GPS exports from Overyield)

This project included 1,700 trees in total. Planting was orchestrated by Propagate and supported by partners from Rodale Institute, Trees For Graziers and a network of community volunteers. More than 30 volunteers joined us for 3 days, showing the passion this community has for regenerative agriculture. This gave the Bloom Farm team flexibility to focus on supporting site infrastructure and erecting new buildings while trees went in the ground.

Quality and Survivability are Guaranteed
Propagate focuses on sourcing quality genetics, and a high-standard of site preparation and planting procedures to ensure survival. All Propagate projects start with an 80% survival guarantee, but the rate for projects planted to date is typically higher.

Planting Trees that will Thrive

Early Learnings

The summer and fall of 2024 were especially challenging for growers in this region. Severe drought conditions made it difficult for the newly planted chestnut seedlings to establish, and some were lost. The black locust that was planted, however, seemed to tolerate the conditions better. Sam also noted a few pawpaw trees which were being grown in other places on the farm had done well, and had been looking for places to plant more. Both black locust and pawpaw made interesting market use cases. Sam had noted other farms in the region asking about black locust for fence posts. The team at Bloom Farm also saw an opportunity to use pawpaw at their events and in local markets. As a result, we will be replacing the chestnuts that did not survive the spring planting with black locust and pawpaw in the spring of 2025.

We’re creating something for future generations that improves over time. A stark contrast to the extractive practices of previous generations.

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— Sam Nana-Sinkam

How to Get Started

Propagate makes it easy for farmland owners to design, plant, and manage tree crops in a variety of agroforestry applications. We help you increase the cash yield of your farmland, restore soil health, and improve an overall operational resiliency.

Interested in grow more profitable crops that fit your budget and goals? Learn more about each of our services below, or contact us to get started.