Resources
BRWG
For information on the FREC graduate program, please visit the prospective graduate student page.
Catawba Sustainability Center
The Catawba Sustainability Center is a 377-acre property situated in the Catawba Valley at the headwaters of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The Center hosts applied research, education, and outreach, featuring integrated agroforestry practices and a grass-fed beef operation utilizing adaptive grazing practices. It is located 10 miles from the Roanoke–Blacksburg Regional Airport, 22 miles from the Virginia Tech Blacksburg campus, and directly adjacent to the Appalachian Trail. The Center falls under Virginia Tech Outreach and International Affairs in collaboration with Virginia Cooperative Extension and Roanoke County.
Kentland Farms
Virginia Tech acquired Kentland Farm on December 31, 1986 for the support of teaching, research, and extension programs in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. The Whitethorn Agroforestry Research and Demonstration Site was established in 1995 and offers numerous opportunities for agroforestry research and student learning. Forest farming, wind breaks, and silvopasture have been established for research purposes. The silvopasture site was designed to compare the performance of honeylocust and black walnut (Juglans nigra L) silvopastures with open pasture systems.
McCormick Farm
The Shenandoah Valley AREC works to improve the viability of livestock, forage, and forestry production systems in Virginia and the mid-Atlantic region. In addition to our extension programs for farmers and landowners, we also seek to improve the understanding of agricultural and forestry production systems by students and other visitors to the farm. The Shenandoah Valley AREC, also known as the McCormick Farm, is the site of the development of the first mechanical reaper and is thus widely recognized as the birthplace of the modern mechanical revolution in production agriculture. Today, the Center consists of over 900 acres of owned and leased land with a herd of 190 fall-calving cows. A number of silvopasture demonstration and research projects are ongoing at the Center, including a thinned woodlot with forages established under the existing trees, an 18-acre pasture within a grazing system with rows of young hardwood trees, and a pasture with loblolly pine and a diverse mixture of native warm season grasses.
Southern Piedmont AREC
The Southern Piedmont AREC near Blackstone, Virginia was established in 1974 and conducts strong commodity-oriented research and extension programs to provide information and technology to the agricultural industry. Programs enhance the economic viability and environmental stewardship of tobacco, forage crops, beef cattle, small fruit, and other field and specialty crops. A silvopasture site was established at the AREC in 2013 by thinning a 40-acre forest stand of hardwood and pine. This site is used for agroforestry research and demonstration.
Appalachian Forest Farmer Coalition
The Appalachian Forest Farmer Coalition is a network of forestland owners, universities, and governmental and non-governmental organizations that share a common goal of improving agroforestry production opportunities and farming capabilities among forest farmers. Our collective aim is to increase awareness of forest-grown medicinal plants through education and relationship building, and support conservation efforts through stewardship of existing plant populations and forest farming of these native botanicals.
Agroforestry Regional Knowledge Exchange (ARKx)
The Agroforestry Regional Knowledge Exchange Network (ARKx) is a peer-to-peer learning network that connects agroforestry stakeholders across the national landscape. By helping to connect producers with each other and with agroforestry partners, and resources, we are creating a vibrant network and future for agroforestry from the ground up!
Catalyzing Agroforestry Grant Program (CAGP)
The Catalyzing Agroforestry Grant Program is a competitive grants program focused on implementing the following agroforestry practices: Alley Cropping, Forest Farming, Riparian Forest Buffers, Silvopasture, Urban Food Forests, and Windbreaks. The goal of the effort is to scale agroforestry adoption across the United States through direct financial support and technical assistance to farmers and land stewards