Join to see an update on this 2-year, grant funded project Join proprietors Charles and Tanya Lafferty of Skyline Pastures in Mohrsville, Berks County PA, on Monday, September 16, 2024, for a tour of their silvopasture project at this family farm from 4:30-6 pm.
The reservation fee of $5 is refundable for those attending the event. The Laffertys raise swine, beef cattle, and poultry in the most natural way possible--outdoors where livestock can enjoy a constant supply of natural forage and sunlight. They focus on regenerative agriculture techniques to improve soil health and provide good quality pasture for their livestock.
Charles is in the second year of a two-year Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (NE SARE) grant project, seeks to answer the question of whether under-utilized forest or brush areas that currently serve only as windbreaks and dividers for row-cropped fields can be effectively managed for pastured swine.
The goal of the project is to create a replicable system farmers can replicate to use wooded areas of their farms to raise pigs, improve fertility in wooded areas, increase productivity, and add a profitable enterprise to their existing businesses. Joining Lafferty will be professional forester John Hopkins of Susquehanna Tree Service.
As technical advisor for the project, Hopkins’ is role is to provide guidance in managing the forest overstory and understory in order to maximize solar gain and forage production, and assess the outcomes of the project. Workshop attendees will see the progress in season two, have the opportunity to hear lessons learned, and obtain answers to questions about silvopasture to apply to their own operations.