The Iowa Learning Farms (ILF) conservation webinar taking place June 11, at noon CDT will feature John Fike, professor and forage extension specialist, Virginia Tech. Fike is a professor in Virginia Tech's School of Plant and Environmental Sciences and serves as Virginia's state forage extension specialist. He holds an MS in forage agronomy (Virginia Tech) and a Ph.D. in dairy nutrition (University of Florida). His primary research arena is with forages and forage-livestock systems with a particular focus on silvopastures (integrated tree-forage-livestock production).

In the webinar, “Nobody Wants Trees in Pastures - Do they?,” Fike will highlight the silvopasture practice, what it is and what it isn’t. He will discuss the historical context of the practice and cite challenges of implementing and managing silvopastures/shelterbelts and potential values for farms and ecosystems. Fike will draw on findings and current efforts from Virginia forage-livestock research and farmer surveys to showcase outcomes. He will also discuss regional approaches relevant to Iowa and Midwest implementations.

“Trees in pastures is not a panacea, but the intentional promotion of ‘working trees’ offer opportunities to increase farm resources and biodiversity, diversify productivity, improve animal welfare and bolster system resilience while creating habitats more pleasant for humans,” said Fike. “Participants in the webinar will gain familiarity with silvopasture management and may expand their context for considering why and where they might use trees on the farm.”

Participants are encouraged to ask questions of the presenters. People from all backgrounds and areas of interest are encouraged to join.