“Every farm woodland, in addition to yielding lumber, fuel, and posts, should provide its owner a liberal education. This crop of wisdom never fails, but it is not always harvested” – Aldo Leopold
Integrating trees and shrubs with farming systems can provide many environmental, social, and economic benefits. The Farms Branching Out program seeks to help small- and medium-sized farmers and farmland owners explore and adopt agroforestry practices to diversify their revenue and address environmental challenges.
This program is a collaboration between researchers and Extension professionals in Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin. The Extension portion focuses on connecting farmers and farmland owners with agricultural and natural resource professionals through hands-on learning events like field days, peer-to-peer exchanges, and workshops. To accomplish the work in Wisconsin, we are partnering with the Savanna Institute on outreach for in-field agroforestry practices (for example, silvopasture) and the Midwest Forest Farming Coalition on forest farming outreach.
Upcoming Events & Appearances
Tri-state Forest Stewardship Conference
Saturday, March 7, 2026, in Dubuque, IA.
We will be giving a presentation on forest farming crops like ginseng, ramps, maple syrup, and log-grown mushrooms for woodland owners in the tri-state region (Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa) to consider. Registration is open now!
We are in the process of planning forest farming events in 2026 for farmers, woodland owners, and foresters interested in growing wild-simulated American ginseng.
If you would like to stay up to date on Farms Branching Out events and program resources, please sign up for our Forest Farming newsletter.
Past Events
July 2025—Getting Started with Stewardship
We partnered with Sauk County to host a field day at the Sauk County Farm for new landowners and anyone getting started with land stewardship in Wisconsin. Landowners connected with peers and conservation professionals to look at conservation in action and discuss ways to achieve their goals for their land.
July 2024—Agroforestry for Foresters Tour
We partnered with UW–Stevens Point’s Wisconsin Forestry Center, the Society of American Foresters, and the Savanna Institute to hold a field day for professional foresters. Foresters learned about various agroforestry practices that are possible in Wisconsin and received continuing education credits.
October 2023—Forest Farming Field Day
We held a forest farming field day for woodland owners in partnership with Misty Dawn Farm. Attendees learned about mushroom and maple syrup production, living off the grid, woodland management, and how the NRCS and the DNR can help.
If you have questions about the Farms Branching Out program, please contact:
Tony Johnson
Natural Resources Educator
anthony.johnson@wisc.edu
608-386-8900
Partners
The Farms Branching Out program is funded in part by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. Additional support comes from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
Page last updated February 2026.