The Center for Agrarian Learning at McHenry County College (MCC) will be hosting an engaging workshop on Agroforestry and Perennial Crops Saturday, October 29 from 9 a.m.–1 p.m. The workshop will be held in Room A229 at the College, 8900 US Hwy. 14.
Representatives from the Savanna Institute, a nonprofit organization that works to promote the development of agroforestry (farming with trees) in the Midwest, will provide an overview of the practice and discuss promising perennial crops for the area. These include Hazelnuts, Chestnuts, Elderberry, Aronia, and Black Currants. The session will also cover the agronomics, marketing, and propagation protocols for each crop, and participants will take home chestnut seeds and supplies for growing their own trees.
“Farmers who practice agroforestry integrate trees, perennial crops, and animals together in farming systems in ways that benefit each species, creating exceptionally productive farm ecosystems,” said Sheri Doyel, Director of the Center for Agrarian Learning at MCC. “Agroforestry helps farmers regenerate soil, capture carbon, filter water, shelter livestock and wildlife, and grow healthy local food.”
The session will be presented by Kaitie Adams, Community Agroforester, and Bill Davison, Value Chain Development Manager.
Bill has a BS in Wildlife Biology from the University of Montana and an MS in Biology from Eastern Illinois University. Following graduate school, he worked for The Nature Conservancy as a Land Steward and spent seven years as an organic vegetable farmer in central Illinois.
Kaitie leads the Illinois Demonstration Farm program and helps build community through agroforestry education across the state and beyond. Her background in anthropology helps illuminate the deep ecological and social connections created through agriculture and informs her work in building bridges between landowners, farmers, industry builders, and researchers.
The session costs $25 to attend and lunch is included.
To register and learn more about all upcoming presentations, visit www.mchenry.edu/events/agriculture-events.html. For more information on the Center for Agrarian Learning, visit www.mchenry.edu/cal.
If you need an accommodation or a sign language interpreter, contact the Access and Disability Services department at (815) 455-8766 or disabilityservices@mchenry.edu.
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