Farms Branching Out
Farms Branching Out
Integrating trees and shrubs with farming systems can provide many environmental, social, and economic benefits. Our 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
Our Ginseng Patch Project 2026 cohort is working this fall to plan, prepare, and plant patches of American ginseng in private woodlands throughout Wisconsin. We are developing additional American ginseng educational resources for landowners on the Grow American Ginseng in Your Woods webpage.
The Wisconsin Woodland Owners Association Annual Meeting offers group tours of nature-based facilities and private woodlands, member presentations, silent auction and raffles, awards banquet, professional presentations, exhibitors, and a field day.
View Event DetailsAre you interested in growing culinary mushrooms like cremini, oyster, or shiitake mushrooms? This webinar will introduce the basics of growing culinary mushrooms indoors and outside in logs or buckets.
View Event DetailsJoin this webinar to learn how to identify trees for removal, evaluate fuel value, and improve forest structure and diversity to set up your woods for long-term success.
View Event DetailsPast Events
Sauk County Farm Field Day (July 2025)
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.
Agroforestry for Foresters Tour (July 2024)
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.
Forest Farming Field Day (October 2023)
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.
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 through summer 2027. Additional support comes from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. For more information about Farms Branching Out, contact:
Tony Johnson
Forestry Educator
anthony.johnson@wisc.edu
608-386-8900
Page last updated July 2026.