The Science & Beauty of Silvopasture
/
Mark Batcheler pictured with his dog.
When Mark Batcheler was growing up in the Midwest, he swore he’d never have a career in farming.
“Everyone I knew had cows or worked on a farm,” Mark said. “As an adolescent, I thought, I’m never going to do that.”
So Mark became a teacher, then an environmental educator, and then went back to school to earn his masters in restoration ecology. And yet, none of these were the right fit.
Somehow farming still called to him. It just ended up looking a lot different than what he'd expected.
A New Point of View
“I got back into growing food just haphazardly in California,” Mark said.
While there, he encountered practices he'd never seen before. He met farmers using no-till methods and hedgerows to increase biodiversity. Mark started to realize that the two worlds he’d come from—farming and restoration—weren’t so separate after all, and that they could actually be mutually beneficial.
About 10 years into farming, Mark attended a talk by Miguel Altieri, a Professor of Agroecology at the University of California in Berkeley.
“Where he grew up in Chile, agriculture wasn’t just about yield,” Mark explained. “It was about involvement in the entire landscape and a really deep understanding of ecological principles.”
What Mark learned would send him back to school again. “I wanted to look at ecosystems from a different lens—not just native plants, but also food systems.”
Bringing It All Together
Mark studied at Washington State University where he recently earned his PhD in Environmental Science. His area of research is in silvopasture, the intentional integration of livestock, trees, and forest management all on the same unit of land.
Silvopasture is an ancient practice, but remains extremely relevant today—it’s recognized by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change as one of the ways to mitigate and adapt to climate change. Trees sequester carbon and provide microclimates for livestock and forage, which is critical during extreme hot weather events like the heat dome we experienced in 2021. Thousands of livestock died, and their forage died early also.
“May looked like August,” said Mark. “People were having to bring in hay with prices going through the roof. Landowners with trees had shade for their animals and their grass stayed greener longer.”
Part of Mark’s doctoral research focused on another issue related to climate change—wildfires. When forests have a buildup of understory such as grasses, shrubs, and small trees, it can increase the chance of a fire and also the intensity.
“I wanted to know if allowing livestock to graze on the understory reduces fuel loads in forests. And it does—very successfully,” said Mark.
Farmers as Scientists
While it may sound straightforward, silvopasture isn’t just the simple act of putting livestock out into trees.
“You're intentionally integrating the two which means you need to manage the herd size, their nutritional needs, and how long they graze,” Mark explained.
Because these systems are complicated, Mark also researched whether farmers and ranchers in the Pacific Northwest have the silvopasture resources they need.
“I determined that there’s a real lack of information in our area—it’s vastly different from what's available to practitioners in other portions of the US.”
Mark then looked at whether silvopasture was being practiced in Washington, despite the dearth of resources. The answer was a resounding yes.
“Not only are they doing it, about 63 percent have been doing it for ten years or more. They're doing their own research, observing their land, experimenting, and adjusting accordingly. That’s science right there. Farmers are some of our original scientists.”
Landowner Examples
Mark has seen a wide variety of systems in his research, including one landowner with an orchard of Asian Pears and Kiwis who integrated sheep. Instead of mowing and having to maneuver between the trees, the sheep do it for him. They also provide free fertilizer in the form of manure.
“It's so idyllic to see these beautiful orchards and the sheep wandering between the rows. The Kiwis ripen around February or March and then the Pears come out later, so it seems like there's food always coming off the landscape.”
Then there was the third generation cattle rancher whose father had cut down most of the trees long ago.
“The soil was really compacted and he kept having to reseed and buy more and more hay.”
So he started to integrate Alder, Willow, and Oaks. When he learned about the age-old practice of raising pigs on acorns, he got a small herd.
“When the acorns are ready, he'll send the pigs out underneath the Oaks.”
And then there was the landowner who used pigs in her timber forest to help control invasives like Himalayan Blackberries and Reed Canary Grass. She reminded Mark that the benefits of silvopasture extend beyond the merely practical.
“What she really loves is walking with the pigs through the forest, sitting with them while they graze, and hearing the happy pig noises,” said Mark. “Who doesn't need happy pig noises?”
Getting Started
For those who’d like to give silvopasture a try, Mark has some advice.
“I’d suggest landowners make up their own team. Work with your conservation district and—if you have a forest—the Department of Natural Resources. Talk to other people with livestock. I haven't run into a farmer that isn't willing to share what they've learned.
“Remember that the interplay of livestock and trees is like moving pieces on a chessboard. It’s a dynamic process—and that’s a beautiful thing.”
Note: You may notice that we've chosen to capitalize common plant names in this article, a concept inspired by the work of Robin Wall Kimmerer, Professor of Environmental and Forest Biology and member of the Potawatomi Nation.
