Across the Northeast, many farms include wooded or brushy acreage that isn’t suitable for crop production. The landowner pays property taxes and maintenance costs with very little financial return. Some farmers are turning to silvopasture, the practice of raising livestock among trees, to recover today’s higher production costs.
Since 2021, over 4,200 farmers have participated in research funded by Northeast SARE to improve the sustainability of their operations. One of those farmers, Charles Lafferty, of Skyline Pastures in Morshville, Penn., saw potential in the wooded section of his family’s 12-acre farm. Lafferty was determined to understand which forage species and tree cultivars would allow pigs, trees, and soils to thrive together profitably.
With support from a Northeast SARE Farmer grant, Lafferty experimented with rotational grazing of pigs on his farm’s woodlot. He established temporary electric fencing to create paddocks and installed essential infrastructure such as water troughs and shelters. To provide animal nutrition and long-term forest productivity, he planted a variety of fodder and nut tree species. Lafferty tracked costs and revenue, collected soil data, and worked with a professional forester to conduct tree and plant inventories.
Despite startup costs and the labor required to manage fencing and rotations, Lafferty found that the system generated returns while improving forest conditions. He noted there was a 90% survival rate among the fodder and nut trees planted, along with improved control of invasive species within the woodlot. He shared his findings with more than 50 farms through field days and farm walks, helping other producers see how silvopasture would fit into their own operations.
“The project successfully demonstrated that pigs can be raised profitably in wooded areas,” says Lafferty.
Read Turning Woodlots into Revenue Streams with Silvopasture for more information on this project.
Turning Woodlots into Revenue Streams with Silvopasture is just one of 12 stories featured in SARE’s 2025/2026 Report from the Field. Download or order your free print copy at https://sare.org/report or by calling (301) 779–1007. 2025/2026 Report from the Field is available in quantity for free to educators for use in educational workshops, classes or tours.
For information on grants and resources available from SARE, visit www.sare.org.
