Market of the Month: Silvopasture
- Alaina Ring
- 2 minutes ago
- 5 min read
By Alaina Ring and Katherine Favor — Guest Authors from New Leaf Climate
An example of a multi-species silvopasture system in Florida. Photo by Katherine Favor.
Agroforestry — the intentional integration and intensive management of trees, shrubs, and livestock on working lands for agricultural purposes — can be an opportunity for farmers to diversify their farming practices and access emerging markets. Silvopasture is an agroforestry practice where trees, forage, and grazing livestock are combined in an intensively managed system (i.e. not just turning livestock into the woods or grazing in a pasture with one or two trees). Trees and shrubs can be grown to produce crops, fodder, or timber.
Silvopasture can be established by:
Planting trees in fields or pastures (silvopasture by addition)
Removing trees and establishing forage and livestock in existing woodlands (silvopasture by subtraction)
Integrating animals into an existing orchard at certain times of the year (orchard grazing).
In this article, we mainly focus on how to establish silvopasture by addition and orchard grazing.
According to recent research published in Silvopasture in the United States: Results from the National Agroforestry Producer Survey (2026) by Smith et al., most producers grazed cattle (60%). However, silvopasture systems can support a range of livestock types, including horses, goats, sheep, and chickens, sometimes in the same silvopasture. This may look like following cattle grazing with chickens, or having a mixed pasture of horses and sheep. The majority of respondents reported using silvopasture products for personal or on-farm use, such as for firewood or fodder for livestock, rather than producing for sale.
The most common products sold were livestock, timber, forage, and firewood. Fifty-nine percent of the farmers surveyed in this national study reported selling their crops and products at animal stockyards, suggesting that livestock is the most popular product sold from silvopasture. The next-most-popular sales pathways are to other farmers (30%), to loggers purchasing standing trees (29%), and selling wood products to a mill or lumber supplier (22%).
Other pathways include food distributors or processors (15%), farmers’ markets (15%), farm stands (15%), and community supported agriculture (6%), showing the importance of direct-to-consumer sales. Interviews with farmers in the Mid-Atlantic with silvopasture systems (McRae, 2024) emphasized the importance of selling products through direct marketing to individuals or restaurants and CSA memberships. Farmers shared stories about complementing these sales with agrotourism (demonstration tours, u-pick, on-farm education programs) to bring in supplementary income.
The age of a silvopasture system can influence what markets are available to a producer. For example, older silvopasture systems may have mature trees that can be sold for timber, while younger systems that have been established by planting trees may rely more heavily on farm stores, farmers’ markets, or agritourism (u-pick) to sell products. As shown by the popularity of selling to stockyards, livestock sales can provide consistent sales throughout the life of a silvopasture system, providing income while trees establish and mature. Trees may take years to mature, so it may be necessary to prepare for a delayed return on investment.
In Puerto Rico, many growers have found success with integrating cattle into breadfruit plantations. The breadfruit trees provide shade and shelter to livestock, reducing heat stress, which allows them to gain weight more quickly. In New Mexico, cattle can be used strategically in Pinyon-juniper (P-J) systems to regenerate pastureland, to prevent uncontrolled P-J growth and maintain a balanced ecosystem. In Florida, some growers have found success with rotating smaller ruminants like sheep in fruit orchards during certain times of the year.
Benefits of silvopasture
Many of the benefits of silvopasture are difficult to quantify in dollars. A silvopasture system with healthy, balanced interactions between trees and shrubs, livestock, and forage can provide:
Habitat for wildlife and beneficial insects
Improved animal welfare and reduced heat stress
Erosion control and improved soil health
A pathway to expand pasture acreage and utilize marginal land
Removal of undesirable understory plants
Reduced mowing
Crops and products for personal use and sale (ex: firewood, timber, tree crops such as fruits or nuts, livestock products)
Trees provide shade for livestock, absorb excess nutrients, and can improve forage production during spring and fall, mid-summer, or drought. In turn, livestock fertilize soil, improve tree growth, and provide a short-term income stream. The most commonly reported challenges to establishing and maintaining silvopasture are related to labor, finances, and tree health management. While silvopasture can be incredibly beneficial to the health of both land and livestock, it adds complexity and additional labor to farm operations. In addition, high start-up costs and lack of financial assistance are common challenges reported by producers.
Planning, design, and maintenance of a silvopasture system
Each silvopasture system is designed to meet the specific needs of a farm. Consider which benefits are the most important to the farm and use those to guide the design of the silvopasture system. Potential planning steps to consider when designing a silvopasture system:
For more guidance on tree selection and layout, planting, protection and maintenance, see Creating Silvopastures: Some Considerations When Planting Trees in Pastures from Virginia Cooperative Extension and Establishing silvopasture by planting trees from University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension. For handy tables to estimate tree numbers and spacing, see Mississippi State University Extension’s publication: Silvopasture: Grazing Systems Can Add Value to Trees. For tree species selection in particular, here are some considerations:
Additional Considerations
Livestock need access to minerals in pasture and may need supplemental feed.
Tree maintenance will vary based on your goals, but seasonal pruning and pest and disease management will need to be integrated into the maintenance plan for silvopasture.
Livestock may still need access to treeless pasture areas at certain times of the year, as forage production under the shade of trees may decline during some times of the year. Additionally, if fruits and nuts are being harvested from trees, animals may need to be excluded for a period of time to comply with food safety regulations:
Food safety regulations and guidelines. Source: U.S. Food and Drug Administration Food Safety Modernization Act. Graphic by Katherine Favor.
Alaina Ring is an agroforestry consultant with New Leaf Climate. With a master's from the University of Maine's Agroecology Lab, where her research focused on the plant supply challenges limiting agroforestry, reforestation, and restoration, she brings hands-on experience in herbalism, forestry, and farming to her work and enjoys translating research into practical, land-based solutions for growers. She can be reached at alaina@newleafclimate.com.
Katherine Favor is an agroforestry consultant with New Leaf Climate, with over a decade of experience advancing agroforestry, climate-resilient land management, and conservation. She is the Founding Executive Director of the California Agroforestry Network, has led regional and national agroforestry initiatives through federal agencies, served as a Peace Corps Volunteer, earned a Master of Science in Agroforestry from the University of Missouri, is a published researcher, and manages a small farm in San Diego, California. She can be reached at katherine@newleafclimate.com.
References
Fike, John, Adam Downing, John Munsell, Gregory E. Frey, Kelly Mercier, Gabriel Pent, Chris Teutsch, J.B. Daniel, Jason Fisher, Miller Adams, and Todd Groh. "Creating Silvopastures: Some Considerations When Planting Trees in Pastures." Virginia Cooperative Extension, publication CSES-185P, 2017. https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/CSES/CSES-185P/CSES-185.html
Lemus, Rocky. "Silvopasture: Grazing Systems Can Add Value to Trees." Mississippi State University Extension, publication P2847, 2016. https://extension.msstate.edu/publications/silvopasture-grazing-systems-can-add-value-trees
Mayerfeld, Diane. "Establishing Silvopasture by Planting Trees." University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension, Crops and Soils, 2025. https://cropsandsoils.extension.wisc.edu/articles/establishing-silvopasture-by-planting-trees
Sebastian M. McRae; Agroforestry in temperate-climate commercial agriculture: Feedback from agroforestry practitioners in the Mid-Atlantic United States. Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene 12 January 2024; 12 (1): 00136. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/elementa.2022.00136
Smith, Matthew M., Kristin Floress, Mark Batcheler, Gary Bentrup, Katherine MacFarland, Todd Kellerman, and Lord Ameyaw. "Silvopasture in the United States: Results from the National Agroforestry Producer Survey." Agroforestry Systems, vol. 100, 2026, article 142. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-026-01514-7