2026 Catalyzing Agroforestry Grant Program applications close on March 3, 2026.
Lazy Pigg Farm
Ferrum, VA
Location:
Ferrum, VA
Total Acres:
45 Acres
Agroforestry Acres:
5 Acres
Year Established:
2023
Introduction
We already practice rotational grazing with Dexter cattle and Katahdin sheep. Shade has been a real limiting factor on grazing in the summer. I hope to use the silvopasture project to allow more efficient grazing of this pasture as well as to increase the yield of forage. We have predominantly cool season forages and the shade will increase the amount of time the forage is actively growing. The tree species chosen are all native to increase biodiversity. Each tree species chosen needed to produce a product or additional benefit to the farm. For example the locusts will provide additional nitrogen to the pasture as we will lose some of the clover to shade. They will also provide fodder and fence posts. We are hoping to use coppice and pollard practices to increase the diversity of revenue streams to the farm. Our goal is for these ancient practices to increase the amount of productivity and income from the trees.
Main Agroforestry Species
Yellow Poplar - 260, Black Locust - 350, Black Walnut - 35, Bald Cypress - 35, Black Willow - 325, Shellbark Hickory - 45, Pecan - 25. The trees were planted in blocks of three rows with 10' between trees and 30' between blocks of trees.
Contact Information
Main Contact:
Dana Lydon Owner/Operator
Phone
Not provided
Email:
Website:
Social Link
Social Link
Site Visitors
Site visitors information
Nursery or Planting Stock Provider Information
Agroforestry System Design
The entire 5 acre field is river bottom, so the species chosen had to do well with occasional flooding. The poplar, locust, and willows were planted as nurse trees as well as for fodder and shade for livestock. The locust will be coppiced for fence post on a 10 - 12 year rotation. The willow will be pollarded for fodder and craft supplies on a 3 year rotation. The poplar will be pollarded for fodder as needed. In 15 - 20 years the nuts will be harvested for retail sale or used to custom finish hogs. The cypress limbs will be chipped for mulch as limb levels are raised to graze under.
Personal or Collective Experiences
The planning, field prep, and installation went well. We changed the tree protection mid-project and this lead to some challenges with rotational grazing. Every tree was wrapped in electric poly-twine to protect the seedlings from deer, cattle and sheep. We were completely unprepared for the amount of hands-on tasks that would be required in the first year. The summer annual weeds had to be removed from each tree tube. The fescue around the tree tubes had to be sprayed 3 times over the first two years. Some of the stakes holding the young trees upright rotted and had to be replaced.
However, the first summer after the trees were planted we had small areas of shade for the livestock. The second summer we could cut some of the black locust and willow for fodder when it didn't rain for several weeks in the late summer. In the second year we were able to harvest willow for crafting.
We started our silvopasture project in a relatively small pasture. Knowing what we do now, the next project will have fewer trees per acre. We allowed for a mortality rate of 15% when planning the project; next time we would allow for at least a 20% mortality rate. We know now that Poplar takes longer to emerge and get established than willow or black locust or black walnut. Hickory does not transplant well, although the pecan did much better than the shellbark hickory. Overall, managing the rotational grazing through the silvopasture was no more difficult than rotating through open pasture.
December 10, 2025 at 7:53:31 PM