>>> LECTURERS FROM UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS STOCKBRIDGE
SCHOOL OF AGRICULTURE ARE TEACHING STUDENTS A WAY TO
COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE THROUGH A TECHNIQUE CALLED "SILVOPASTUR
I SAT DOWN WITH TWO LECTURERS IN THE SUSTAINABLE FOOD AND
FARMING PROGRAM TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PROCESS.
>> CARBON FARMING IS A WHOLE SUITE OF AGRICULTURAL
TECHNIQUES THAT PUTS CARBON BACK INTO THE SOIL.
AND WE DO THAT MAINLY THROUGH A FEW DIFFERENT METHODS, BUT
WHAT WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT TODAY IS USING TREE CROPS AND
INTEGRATING ANIMALS.
WHEN WE THINK ABOUT TRADITIONAL INDUSTRIAL
FARMING, IT'S A NET EMITTER OF CARBON AND PRODUCES ABOUT A
THIRD OF THE GREENHOUSE GASES WE HAVE TODAY.
IN TERMS OF CLIMATE CHANGE, WE ARE LOOKING AT BOTH HOW CAN WE
SWITCH TO A NET ZERO ENERGY, LOOKING AT RENEWABLE ENERGY
LIKE WIND AND SOLAR AND WE HAVE TO THINK ABOUT WHAT DO WE
DO WITH THE CARBON WE HAVE ALREADY EMITTED.
CURRENTLY WE ARE OVER 415 PARTS PER MILLION IN THE
ATMOSPHERE, AND WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO GET THAT
BACK DOWN TO 350.
CARBON FARMING IS AN EXCELLENT WAY WE CAN BOTH BE PRODUCING
FOOD, AS WELL AS DRAWING DOWN CARBON FROM THE ATMOSPHERE.
>> EXPLAIN WHAT SILVOPASTURE IS.
>> IT IS THE INTEGRATION OF TREES AND ANIMALS.
IT TAKES COMMITMENT FROM THE FARMER, BECAUSE THE ANIMALS
CAN DO A LOT MORE DAMAGE TO THE LAND THAN BENEFIT IF IT'S
NOT MANAGED PROPERLY.
SO THE FARMER HAS TO KNOW ABOUT PASTURE MANAGEMENT OR
GRASS ECOLOGY, THEY NEED TO KNOW ABOUT ANIMAL HUSBANDRY,
AND THEY NEED TO KNOW ABOUT TREE MANAGEMENT, WHEN THEY'RE
BRINGING ALL THESE PIECES TOGETHER.
IT IS A TIMELY MANNER -- TIMELY MANNER, SENSITIVE
SYSTEM.
YOU NEED TO MOVE YOUR ANIMALS BEFORE THEY DAMAGE THE TREES.
SO IT'S A PRACTICE THAT NOT EVERYONE IS READY TO BEGIN
DOING, BUT I THINK THAT IT'S SOMETHING THAT IS BECOMING
MORE POPULAR BECAUSE OF THE REGEN RATIVE QUALITIES IT
CARRIES.
>> WHEN YOU'RE WORKING WITH FARMERS, DESCRIBE SORT OF
THEIR DAY-TO-DAY, WHAT THEY WOULD HAVE TO DO.
THEY WOULD HAVE A FEW WEEKS WHERE ANIMALS ARE IN A CERTAIN
SPOT.
THEY WOULD HAVE TO MOVE THEM TO ANOTHER ACRE.
>> IT WOULD DEPEND ON WHAT GOAL THEY HAVE.
EACH ANIMAL HAS DIFFERENT BENEFITS OR HAVE DIFFERENT
PREFERENCES WITH EATING.
SOME PEOPLE WANT TO CLEAR OUT AN AREA WITH SHRUBS AND SO
THEY MIGHT TAKE ON GOATS.
SO THEY WANT TO JUST GET RID OF ALL OF THOSE SHRUBS, THEY
CAN PUT THEM IN, UNTIL IT'S DOWN TO A MANAGEMENT LEVEL.
SOME PEOPLE MIGHT WANT TO BRING PASTURE BACK TO THE
WOODS.
SO THEY MIGHT PUT IN PIGS BECAUSE THEY WANT THEM TO TURN
OVER THE LAND A LITTLE BIT.
BUT IF THE PIGS ARE LEFT THERE FOR TOO LONG, THEN THEY CAN
DAMAGE THE ROOT SYSTEMS, THEY CAN CREATE LIKE RUTS AND HOLES
AND STUFF.
IT REALLY DEPENDS UPON WHAT THEIR FOCUS IS.
AND SO ANOTHER GREAT PART OF SILVOPASTURE IS THAT YOU ARE
CREATING A SYSTEM WHERE YOU HAVE TREES AND ANIMALS, SO
YOU'RE GETTING A MORE DIVERSIFIED PRODUCTS OUT OF A
SMALLER PIECE OF LAND.
SO, FOR EXAMPLE, AS A AGRICULTURAL LEARNING CENTER
WHERE LISA AND I ARE COCOLLABORATING ON THE CARBON
EMISSION OR CARBON PROJECT, WE HAVE CHESTNUTS AND SHEEP
TOGETHER.
SO RIGHT NOW WE ARE JUST RECEIVING EVERY YEAR A PRODUCT
OF LAMB WHILE THE TREES ARE GROWING.
SO IN THE FUTURE, WE ARE GOING TO BE HARVESTING CHESTNUTS AS
WELL.
SO IT'S NICE BECAUSE WE ARE GETTING PRODUCT NOW, WHILE WE
ARE WAITING FOR THE NEXT PRODUCT TO COME.
IT REALLY IS DEPENDENT UPON WHAT THE FARMER IS WANTING TO
GROW.
WHAT COMFORT THEY HAVE WITH THE ANIMALS AND WHAT THEIR
GOAL IS WITH THEIR SYSTEM.
>> LET'S TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE CHESTNUT TREES, TALK
ABOUT THE VALUE OF THAT.
THIS IS SORT OF A COMBINATION EFFECT, YOU HAVE TO MANAGE THE
LIVESTOCK AND MOVE THEM AROUND AND ALSO YOU'RE PLANTING AS
WELL.
TALK ABOUT THE VALUE OF THE CHESTNUT TREES.
>> SURE.
SO THE CHESTNUTS BENEFIT GREATLY FROM THE ROTATIONAL
GRAZING OF THE SHEEP.
SO THAT'S HELPING WITH THE FERTILIZATION OF THE CHESTNUTS
AND INSTEAD OF USING HEAVY POWERED MACHINERY THAT EMITS
CARBON EMISSIONS, WE ARE ACTUALLY USING THE SHEEP TO
KEEP THE GRASS DOWN.
SO IT'S A MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL SYSTEM FOR BOTH THE TREES AND
THE ANIMALS BECAUSE THEY'RE BENEFITING FROM THE SHADE AS
WELL.
AND SO WITH THE CARBON, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE HAVE HEARD OF
CHESTNUTS ROASTING ON THE OPEN FIRE DURING THE HOLLIDAY
SEASON.
CHESTNUTS ACTUALLY USED TO BE A THIRD OF OUR NUT CROPS IN
THE FOREST.
THIS IS BEFORE THE CHESTNUT BLIGHT.
IT CAME UP IN THE 1900'S, AND DEVASTATED THE CHESTNUT CROP.
SO THAT WAS A STAPLE CROP, IT WAS USED IN FURNITURE AND
HOUSE BUILDING.
IT WAS A BIG LOSS IN THE 1900'S.
SUNS THEN, THE AMERICAN CHESTNUT FOUNDATION AND OTHER
BREEDERS HAVE BEEN BREEDING A BLIGHT RESISTANT TREE CROP.
WE FINALLY LANDED ON HYBRID CHESTNUT RESISTANT TO THAT
BLIGHT.
PART OF THE PROJECT IS TO BRING THE CHESTNUT BACK AS A
REGIONAL STAPLE CROP THAT'S A TREE CROP.
IF YOU THINK ABOUT HAVING CORN AS A STAPLE CROP, IT HAS A LOT
OF IN PUT.
YOU HAVE TO TILL IT EVERY YEAR, STARTING THE SEED,
YOU'RE WEEDING.
IT'S A HEAVY FEEDING ON THE SOIL.
AND SO WHEN WE ARE TALKING ABOUT CARBON FARMING, WE ARE
PLANTING THAT CHESTNUT ONE TIME, AND IT'S GROWING AND
PRODUCING NUTS FOR HUNDREDS.
IF NOT THOUSANDS OF YEARS, THEY FOUND CHESTNUTS THAT HAVE
BEEN PLANTED IN FRANCE THAT'S OVER A THOUSAND YEARS OLD.
>> YOU HAVE A BACKGROUND IN FARMING, YOU HAVE A FAMILY
FARM.
YOU'RE DOING BOTH JOBS.
IS THIS REALISTIC FOR FARMERS AND CAN THIS BE PROFITABLE OR
DO YOU HAVE TO BE MISSION FOCUSED.
>> THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION.
I THINK HAVING A MISSION FOCUS IS REALLY IMPORTANT.
I DO FIND MYSELF THAT WHEN I AM WORKING THESE SYSTEMS IN MY
OWN FARM, THAT THERE'S TIMES WHEN I'M SO BUSY AND ANIMALS
NEED TO MOVE AND I'M LIKE -- IT'S JUST -- IT'S OVERWHELMING
AT TIMES, BUT I TRY AND MAKE -- HAS TO BE A FOCUS AND
HAS TO BE A COMMITMENT.
YOU HAVE TO SAY THIS IS WHAT MY INTENTION IS, AND I REALLY
WANT TO COMMITMENT TO IT.
SO I THINK THAT HAVING THE OTHER PRODUCT IN MIND AND
KNOWING, THAT IT IS MORE OF A -- LIKE MY INTENTION IS FOR
FUTURE, AS WELL, SOMETIMES WAY, CHANGING THE LAND SO THAT
IT'S MORE OF A REGEN RATIVE PRACTICE.
IT STARTS THERE.
IF YOU WANT TO COMMIT TO THIS.
>> TELL US A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE STUDENTS, I KNOW
THEY'RE HANDS ON AND WORKING THROUGH THE SUMMER AS WELL.
>> WE ARE REALLY TRAINING THE NEXT GENERATION OF REGENRATIVE
FARMERS.
WHAT STUDENTS ARE ABLE TO DO, THEY TAKE OUR CLASSES AND
LEARN ABOUT THE PHILOSOPHY AND THEORY AND THE SCIENCE BEHIND
THE PRACTICES, AND THEN MY STUDENTS ALSO GO A STEP
FURTHER, WHERE THEY ACTUALLY GOT TO DESIGN THE SILVOPASTURE
SYSTEM IN A CLASS THAT I TEACH BASED ON FARM DESIGN.
AND THEN I ALSO WORKED WITH A SMALLER NUMBER OF STUDENTS
OVER THE SUMMER WHERE THEY GET TO PLANT AND IMPLEMENT WHAT
THEY'VE BEEN LEARNING ABOUT AND GO DOWNING IN THE
CLASSES.
SO IT'S A HANDS ON PRACTICAL WAY WHERE THEY CAN GO THROUGH
THE WHOLE PROCESS.