Agroforestry Regional Knowledge Exchange Network (ARKx)
Demonstration Site Profile
Demonstration Site Name
Drinkers of the Wind
Demonstration Site Area
Bellevue, ID
Demonstration Site Contact Information
Brooke Bonner
Agroforestry Practices Demonstrated
Windbreaks, Riparian Buffer, Alley Cropping, Forest Farming, SIlvopasture, Food Forest
208-481-0434
General Information
Agroforestry Profile
Size of each agroforestry practice
Different practices implemented across our 76 acres. A mile+ of mature windbreak that we added food producing understory plantings to last year, ~20 acres of polyculture alley cropped orchards with at least one section we're going to experiment with as permanent silvopasture but using livestock throughout all of it seasonally, 3,000 trees/shrubs of 147 varieties planted last summer and more to come this year, starting some annual veggies/cut flowers among the orchard rows this year. ETC.
Geographic context
Rural
Open to contact regarding Agroforestry?
Yes
Land Tenure
Own
What species & products are being grown or produced in the agroforestry demo?
147 varieties of fruit and nut trees and shrubs to date (that number includes multiple varieties of the same fruit - i.e. 15 apple varieties, etc). Have an Excel sheet if you want the nitty gritty.
What is the scale of production?
Not much now, but more each summer as plantings mature and produce
Do you use other non-agroforestry conservation practices?
Yes? But where's the line, really... Cover crops, berms/swales, pollinator plantings, no-till on our 20 ac hay field, working on a more efficient irrigation plan this summer...
Total Site Size (acres)
76
Years in operation
3
Did you work with a Technical Service Provider or consultant for your design?
Private company - RAD
Year agroforestry systems established
2023
Visitors?
By appointment only
Demonstration Site Address
51 Lower Broadford Road, Bellevue, Idaho
Did you receive any technical assistance for implementing your agroforestry demonstration?
Private company - RAD
Have you used grants or other financial assistance (cost share, etc.) to fund agroforestry?
UDSA Equip. I wish there were other resources for small scale agroforestry, but I have yet to find anything. Help would be deeply appreciated in this area.
Are you doing any marketing?
Not really, just Insta and word of mouth
Who are you selling to? How are you selling? (CSA, farmers markets, distributors, etc.)
Farmers market, local online distributor, farm stand
Does your farm offer educational programs? If Yes, what type(s)?
Working with local schools, offered berm/swale workshop while we were installing them in 2022, plan to start annual workshops this summer
How did you get involved in agroforestry?
Inherited farm unexpectedly and decided to transition it to something more values aligned rather than selling it off for development.
What are your future plans?
This summer: remodeled Airstream AirBnbs along our river frontage and cut flower garden, both to support cash flow while trees come online. Someday farm-based distillery if the up front investment doesn't scare me away.
Can you describe any of the barriers or obstacles that you've overcome in establishing and maintaining your agroforestry demonstration site? (ex. land access, financial challenges, labor, operation costs, etc. )
Financial. I'm good at learning from books, internet, people, and am willing to jump in and experiment, so technical has not been as big of a hurdle. While we have a tremendous land asset that landed in our laps (so incredibly privileged), properly caring for the land is costly - we're providing a ton of ecosystem services to the community but there's minimal financial incentive or support to do so. This is a huge barrier to scaling the agroforestry solution regeneratively, i.e. having masses of small scale, community based farmers (rather than massive landholding corporations and institutions) implementing solutions across the country, in every bioregion. Interested in helping find ways to get more small farmers to plant trees, while also finding more ways to support our own farm so we can actually be a successful demo site (if the economics don't work, the practices will continue to just be academic).
Anything additional you want to share (i.e. economics, environmental, social impacts, etc.)