$24.6 million RCPP investment from USDA-NRCS brings together leaders in agroforestry and sustainable agriculture to drive water quality improvements and biodiversity on working lands in 5 states on the Mississippi River Basin.

Cattle and sheep will browse the green leaves and twigs of small trees and shrubs. These plants can serve as value forage when the grass isn’t growing, and over the long run can be an important part of a farm’s bottom line.

Propagate recently contracted a third party to collect biodiversity data across 20 sample sites on 2 farms in Mason county, Kentucky. The sites were selected based on production crops and system age: chestnut-hay agroforestry systems at different maturity levels were benchmarked against a conventional soy baseline. These measurements will help us understand the impact of agroforestry practices on local ecology.

Animals, like people, have a zone of thermal comfort, beyond which it is difficult to thrive. In a warming world, summer highs will continue pushing the boundaries of this window of tolerance, threatening animal welfare, productivity and farm income. To mitigate these losses, producers are looking to trees: the protective shade they cast, the fodder they provide, and the economic and ecological benefits they offer the landscape. Learn what trees work well to provide shade quickly, and what the benefits to your farm can look like.

Inc. revealed today that Propagate ranks No. 723 on the 2024 Inc. 5000, its annual list of the fastest-growing private companies in America. The prestigious ranking provides a data-driven look at the most successful companies within the economy’s most dynamic segment—its independent, entrepreneurial businesses. Microsoft, Meta, Chobani, Under Armour, Timberland, Oracle, Patagonia, and many other household-name brands gained their first national exposure as honorees on the Inc. 5000. 

Grass-fed beef and dairy are hot right now, both in the media, and outside in the July sun. Cattle operations need perimeter fence, and fencing is expensive. Growing your own black locust trees is a great investment, yielding rot-resistant fenceposts, shade for livestock, and other benefits such as wind protection. Learn more about the cost benefit for this use case of black locust, and how to get started growing your own ‘wood bank’ to support farm operations.

Every year, the consequences of plant pathogens are profound: up to 40% yield losses for important staple crops like rice, corn and soy; $220 billion lost across the global economy; and a human toll that is difficult to quantify (He, 2020). Invasive species like Cryphnoectria parasitica, or Chestnut Blight, have altered ecosystems at massive scales across countries and continents. Though every species has its own risk profile, certain crops appear better adapted to threats than others. In this article we’ll examine the pathogenic risks associated with Chinese Chestnut, dive into specific diseases that impact chestnuts, discuss methods of prevention to ensure success, and highlight lessons learned from our work across over 1,850 acres of chestnuts.

In our last post, we discussed the market opportunity for chestnuts, an emerging perennial staple crop for the Eastern United States. The post below provides an introduction to the unit economics of chestnuts, including factors and risks impacting yield, pricing, and farm-level profitability.

Minimizing risk is part and parcel to planning agroforestry systems. In this article, we share lessons learned from our experience helping 30+ farms adopt agroforestry, and unravel the “how” and “why” of agroforestry system design, implementation and management.

As 2020’s midwest derecho swept across the Corn Belt, farmers and landowners alike witnessed the profound toll extreme weather can take on agriculture. With 12 million acres affected, and 1.7 billion dollars in damages within the agrifood sector alone, this startling event was a wake-up call for many, harkening back to Dust Bowl era weather that led to famine, acute poverty, and mass rural exodus.

Fortunately, shelterbelts, windbreaks, and agroforestry can mitigate the damage of extreme weather on farms.

Once a staple food and timber source throughout the Eastern US, the American chestnut was the dominant hardwood tree from Georgia to Maine before C. parasitica (chestnut blight) decimated an estimated 4 billion trees in the first half of the 20th century.

Today, the United States is well-positioned to expand production of chestnuts to support growing demand from both US and global consumers. In this post, we’ll outline the investment case for chestnut agroforestry systems and review the historical and current market dynamics that inform why chestnuts represent a worthwhile opportunity for farmers and farmland asset managers alike.

If we reforest subprime agricultural land in the hills, how do the valleys benefit? Forests slow floodwaters, but don’t produce much food. Storm runoff from cropland swells the creeks and washes out roads, but food security and rural jobs are important. An array of tree species in North America can overcome this tradeoff, yielding flood control, agricultural products, and on-farm economic benefit.

Cattle and forests are often at odds, but they don’t always have to be. We can have our beef and eat it too. Silvopasture is defined as the intentional integration of trees, forage, and livestock: it consists of either planting trees in pasture or cropland, or thinning forest to establish grass growth.

Trees can be the single most impactful tool at a farm’s disposal. When planted and managed well, trees can reduce operational risks associated with water pollution, reduce input costs, and provide alternative streams of income. In this article, we’ll explores the hidden costs of inaction, the multi-faceted benefits trees bring to farms and waterways, and how to realize these benefits without bearing the costs alone.

Investment managers are funneling capital into U.S. farmland at an increasing rate. Since 2008, the number of properties owned by such firms has increased 231% according to NCREIF's quarterly farmland index. Why? Farmland is resilient to inflation, offers stable returns through land leases and has limited downside risk.

With the increased attention comes fresh ideas to develop the asset class. Propagate works with asset managers to understand, plan and manage investments in permanent tree crops. These practices enhance the value of farmland and provide a number of other ecosystem benefits.

Agroforestry Partners (AP) is a financial provider that responds to the specific operational needs of agroforestry by offering lease-based equity investments to farms. Propagate is proud to partner with them on scaling chestnut agroforestry in the United States.

AP’s inaugural report for 2023 describes their approach to regenerative agriculture and agroforestry, together with top-line expectations on social, ecological, and economic returns. Discover the broad impact of their fund along with their collaboration in the market, their policies and commitments, and work related to monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV).

Propagate and Silvanus Forestry are excited to announce a new strategic partnership to scale black locust agroforestry and plantation forestry in the United States. Utilizing black locust in agroforestry practices will provide landowners with an option for profitable long-term carbon sequestration – through quality timber production that minimizes waste wood.

This past November, Propagate secured an exclusive license to the Turbo Obelisk variety group, a line of elite Robinia pseudoacacia genetics that will serve as a catalyst for black locust agroforestry.

Black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) is a fast-growing rot-resistant hardwood, and today it presents an exciting opportunity for farmland owners and operators. it’s a superior alternative to pressure-treated wood, and It’s a non-commodity with ample opportunities for added-value, making for attractive economics in the timber market.

The ecological case for locust is also very good. The tree fixes nitrogen, can improve soil health, and reduces NPK runoff. Its large white flowers support native pollinators and honeybees (locust honey is phenomenal). Black locust heartwood is also extremely dense, and given its exceptional growth rate, the tree sequesters a great deal of durable carbon.

I’m on my way back from Hungary, having made the time to write this on the plane. Hungary is known for black locust, Robinia pseudoacacia, and I’d like to share a bit of what I’ve learned while working with this species over the past 10 years. I’ll run though how Hungary grows black locust currently, what improved Hungarian black locust genetics look like, and keys to success for growing black locust in the United States.

Propagate and Rodale Institute are pleased to announce a new strategic partnership to promote agroforestry. The goal of the partnership is to increase the adoption of agroforestry and tree crop systems in North America.

As part of the agreement, new agroforestry educational hubs will be established at the Institute’s research sites in eastern Pennsylvania. The demonstration farms serve multiple purposes: to raise awareness, provide education on regenerative agriculture practices, and provide opportunities to advance research.