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Perennial AF

Savanna Institute

The Savanna Institute's podcast and blog about perennial agroforestry (AF) features interviews, questions from listeners, inside jokes, and more. Subscribe to Perennial AF to hear real AF conversations with some of the Midwest's top agroforesters and perennial farmers! More at https://www.savannainstitute.org/perennialAF

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  • 20 episodes
  • monthly
  • Avg 58 min
  • English

Episodes 20

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  • September 15 · 1 hr 5 min

    “You Don’t Want A Wall of Trees” - Getting Serious About Windbreaks with Erik Hagan

    You might think of windbreaks as a pretty basic form of agroforestry. You plant a row of trees -- probably evergreens -- and they grow up and block the wind. How hard can it be? They're the most common type of agroforestry in the Midwest by acreage, but they're also in decline across the country, and many existing windbreaks are old, unmanaged, and no longer effective. Don't make the mistake of underestimating windbreaks. This episode features a recording of our August 2026 field day at Valley Farm on Savanna Institute's Spring Green Campus. Farm Director Erik Hagan led a tour of several newly-planted three-row windbreaks at the farm, and explained how planting a windbreak incorrectly could actually make the wind WORSE. How is that possible? Learn more in this episode. Show notes and links at www.SavannaInstitute.org/PerennailAF

  • August 15 · 58 min

    "That's not what purple tastes like!" A tour of Europe (and black currants) with Lily Hislop

    Savanna Institute's black currant researcher, Lily Hislop, traveled to Europe for a month this summer to learn about black currant breeding and harvesting from farmers and colleagues in France, Switzerland, Austria, Poland, and Scotland. In this episode, she shares some highlights (and some black currant flavored candy) from her trip. Show notes at www.SavannaInstitute.org/PerennialAF

  • July 14 · 58 min

    “It Has Its Own Challenges” - Organic Agroforestry Management Farm Tour in Spring Green, Wisconsin

    How do you manage agroforestry alley cropping and silvopasture systems organically in the upper Midwest? Erik Hagan and Dave Hopey have spent years converting Savanna Institute’s demonstration farm north of Spring Green, Wisconsin from conventional corn and alfalfa fields into organically certifiable fields of berry and nut crops growing in and alongside livestock pasture, vegetables, and native prairie restoration. In this farm tour recorded on June 4, 2026, Erik and Dave walk through the conversion and management of these agroforestry operations, including establishment, crop selection, irrigation, weed and pest management, and more. Show notes at www.SavannaInstitute.org/PerennialAF

  • March 15 · 42 min

    Wes Jackson and Selena Warsaw-Lane Receive Deep Roots and New Shoots Awards at the 2026 Perennial Farm Gathering

    The Savanna Institute’s Deep Roots Award recognizes an individual for a lifetime of achievement advancing the science, practice, and adoption of perennial agriculture, and was presented this year to Wes Jackson, co-founder of The Land Institute. The New Shoots Award recognizes an emerging leader in perennial food and agriculture, and was presented this year to Selena Warsaw-Lane, owner of Future Fruit Farm and The Frozen Local in Spring Green, Wisconsin. This episode features a recording of the Deep Roots and New Shoots Awards Ceremony from the opening session of the 2026 Perennial Farm Gathering, held March 11-13th in Dubuque, Iowa.

  • February 15 · 1 hr 6 min

    At the World Congress on Agroforestry in Kigali, Rwanda with Lily Hislop and Jenn Ripp

    The 6th World Congress on Agroforestry was held October 20-24th in Kigali, Rwanda, and staff members Lily Hislop and Jenn Ripp were in attendance. Hear their interviews with other attendees and their reflections on the event in this episode of the Perennial AF podcast. Show notes at www.SavannaInstitute.org/PerennialAF

  • January 13 · 44 min

    “Living Roots: The Promise of Perennial Foods” Book Discussion with Liz Carlisle and Aubrey Streit Krug

    “Living Roots: The Promise of Perennial Foods”, a new book co-edited by Dr. Liz Carlisle and Dr. Aubrey Streit Krug, will launch at the upcoming Perennial Farm Gathering in Dubuque, Iowa on March 12th. In this episode, Liz and Aubrey share the stories behind the book. “Living Roots” features writing by over thirty different contributors who are working to advance perennial agriculture, including several Savanna Institute staff members. Show notes at www.SavannaInstitute.org/PerennialAF

  • Oct 15, 2025 · 1 hr 11 min

    Stockbroker to Black Currant Breeder: The Dick McGinnis Story with Lily Hislop

    Dick McGinnis, a black currant breeder based in British Columbia, began his career as a stockbroker before devoting many years to developing cold-hardy, blight-resistant black currant varieties. The Savanna Institute acquired Dick McGinnis’s breeding program in 2022. In this episode, Savanna Institute researcher Lily Hislop explains what’s next for the “McGinnis cultivars,” and we’ll hear from Dick McGinnis himself, who recorded a webinar with our staff last year. Show notes at www.SavannaInstitute.org/PerennialAF

  • Sep 15, 2025 · 1 hr 5 min

    1,281 Hours of Birds: Bioacoustic Monitoring with Nate Lawrence

    In 2024, Savanna Institute began a bioacoustic monitoring program to record the sounds of birds and other wildlife each morning and evening at one of our research farms. Ecosystem scientist Nate Lawrence explains the initial results from this project and how we hope to expand our acoustic monitoring in the future to identify birds, amphibians, insects, and bats in agroforestry fields. Show notes at www.SavannaInstitute.org/PerennialAF

  • Sep 1, 2025 · 44 min

    Tree Crops: A Permanent Agriculture by J. Russell Smith - Part 1

    Host Jacob Grace reads from the first three chapters of Tree Crops: A Permanent Agriculture by J. Russell Smith, first published in 1929. This book, which is now in the public domain, has been extremely influential in the adoption of agroforestry in the United States, and in the origins of the Savanna Institute in particular. Show notes at www.SavannaInstitute.org/PerennialAF

  • Aug 15, 2025 · 59 min

    “Doing the Work You Can’t Not Do” with Sallie Calhoun

    Sallie Calhoun, founder of the #NoRegrets Initiative and owner of Paicines Ranch on California's central coast, talks with staff member Jenn Ripp about how she got started ranching, her experiences as a philanthropist, and the importance of shifting from an agriculture based on chemistry to an agriculture based on biology. Show notes at www.savannainstitute.org/PerennialAF

  • Jul 15, 2025 · 45 min

    Rusted Plowshare Farm Tour with Josh Payne

    Farmer Josh Payne leads a tour of his farm in central Missouri and describes his management of beef cattle, sheep, and hogs in a rotational grazing silvopasture system with chestnuts and additional agroforestry crops.

  • Jul 1, 2025 · 1 hr 31 min

    Hoch Orchard Part 2: Carmelita Gardens, Belize (2025 Interview)

    Harry and Jackie Hoch describe their work establishing tropical agroforestry in Carmelita Gardens, Belize, and discuss what has happened with their farmland in Minnesota since the 2018 interview heard in the previous episode. Show notes at www.savannainstitute.org/PerennialAF

  • Jun 15, 2025 · 34 min

    Hoch Orchard Part 1: Southeast Minnesota (2018 Farm Tour)

    Hear an audio tour of Hoch Orchard and Gardens in southeastern Minnesota in this archival recording from 2018. Harry and Jackie Hoch describe their systems for organic apple and cider production, orchard management with multispecies grazing, integrated pest management, and more. More info at https://www.savannainstitute.org/minnesota/hoch-orchard/

  • Jun 1, 2025 · 1 hr

    “There Are No Slackers In This Field” - Plant Breeding Farm Tour with Adam D’Angelo

    Adam D’Angelo, Breeding Operations Manager for the Savanna Institute Tree Crop Improvement Program, leads a tour of a research farm at the Savanna Institute’s Spring Green Campus in Spring Green, Wisconsin. Learn about plant breeding efforts with hybrid hazelnuts, American persimmon, black currants, elderberry, and more. Show notes at www.SavannaInstitute.org/PerennialAF

  • May 15, 2025 · 56 min

    Is It Forest Or Is It Pasture? Silvopasture Q&A with Brett Chedzoy and Cherrie Nolden

    Brett Chedzoy and Cherrie Nolden have decades of experience managing silvopasture on farms in New York, Argentina, and Wisconsin. In this recorded session from PFG 2024, Brett and Cherrie describe their experiences raising cattle, goats, and other species in silvopasture systems, share lessons they’ve learned, and answer questions from the audience. Show notes at www.SavannaInstitute.org/PerennialAF

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