Farminar planned at Constant Springs Farm in Orrville

Constant Springs Farm in Orrville will host a Farminar event from 6:30-8 p.m. June 9 through the Ohio Organic Farmer Researcher Network.

The event is open to farmers, educators, researchers, students and community members. A light meal will be provided. Registration is available at go.osu.edu/oofrn26 or by calling 330-263-3634. Registration closes June 8.

Farmer Matt Falb will discuss his research collaborations on soil health and pasture management including a current study on establishing a silvopasture system on his farm.

Silvopasture involves the integration of trees, forage and livestock. The trees can provide shade and additional forage for cattle, and the system also can provide additional farm income depending on the tree species used.

Falb is one of three farmers participating in a study to track silvopasture systems over time. Funded by a grant from Organic Valley and a Warner Grant for Sustainable Agriculture from Ohio State University, researchers will collect and analyze data on forage and soil health. Several project collaborators will attend the June 9 field day to participate in the discussion.

“I’m delighted that we’re not only doing research with Matt, but that he’s opening up his farm for this field day,” said project co-leader Emma Matcham, OSU state specialist in forage agronomy. “Farmers enjoy hearing from other farmers. This is how folks make big decisions.”

Matcham said the project is timely because the U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service has changed its silvopasture policies in the last two years, making it easier for landowners who participate in other NRCS programs to add silvopasture areas to their farms.

Matcham’s primary goal for the project is to track when and how increasing shade impacts forage production and how that will impact stocking rate decisions for farmers.

Falb also has questions about the trade-offs between shade benefits and a possible decrease in forage quality. He also is interested in improving soil health. He has participated in other soil health projects with OSU, which also will be part of the June 9 discussion.

“I’m interested to see how the introduction of trees affects soil health,” Falb said. “In forest soils the fungal communities are much higher compared to cropland, so I’m hoping my fungal/bacterial balance will shift and improve my soil biology.”

In addition to Constant Springs Farm, the project involves two Ohio dairy farms, researchers from Ohio State and Central State universities, and leadership from Rural Action, a nonprofit headquartered in Southwest Ohio that has led several projects and services on silvopasture. Like Matcham, others on the research team consider the on-farm aspect of the project essential.

“We don’t really know a lot about silvopasture establishment,” Matcham said. “The questions farmers ask as we are gathering data, the problems they encounter, how this field compares with the others on their farm, help fuel our research and inform future research.”

Falb said the slow growth of trees makes silvopasture difficult to study and points to the need for more research.

“It’s exciting to see Ohio State and others dabbling in this area,” Falb said. “This study might encourage others to dip their toes in the water.”

The June 9 field day will include a walking tour of the silvopasture site and a discussion of past research on the farm’s soil biological health. The event also will include opportunities for attendees to share their questions and experiences.

The Farminar series is sponsored in part by a grant from the USDA Organic Agriculture Research and Education Initiative. It also is supported by the Ohio Organic Farmer Researcher Network, a collaborative effort facilitated by Central State University, the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association, and Ohio State University.