Published by the MU Center for Agroforestryand the School of Natural Resources

Vol. 8, No. 4 Growing Tomorrow’s Future Today Fall 2004

Harvesting your own timber

What could a dark, damp forested area of yoursmall acreage be good for? A variety ofpotentially profitable crops, including spe-

cialty mushrooms. The Center for Agroforestry is con-ducting research to produce specialty and gourmetmushrooms, like shiitake, morel and the European blacktruffle, in forest farming settings. These forest farmingproducts can sell at high retail prices and grow well onsmall acreages.

In a forest farming practice, light, or shade levels, isintentionally managed in a forest to (cont. on page 7)

The woodland owner who cuts and delivers thelogs or other products to the roadside or mill maysubstantially increase profits from the sale. How-

ever, logging requires special skills and knowledge andthere are substantial risks involved. It is hard andpotentially dangerous work. In addition to personalrisks, engaging in logging may alter your insurancecoverage.

Some types of logging may require special equipment.Attempting to log with some agricultural equipmentcould result in extensive damage to the equipment andincrease the chances of personal injury. Furthermore,improper cutting, handling, or transporting of high-value logs can destroy much of their value. As withmost projects, logging often requires more time than isinitially estimated. (cont. pg 3)

Forest Management

Market Opportunities

Specialty gourmet mushrooms: A forest farmingcash crop

Specialty gourmet mushrooms, like shiitake, shown above,can be profitable value-added agricultural products whengrown in a forest farming system. Informative presentationson growing shiitake mushrooms will be included in theCenter for Agroforestry upcoming Specialty MushroomWorkshop, Dec. 3-4, 2004, in Columbia, Mo. (see pg. 10)

Landowners who receive proper training gain confidence infelling their own timber. Note: The chainsaw operator shown hereis wearing specially designed protective jeans for added safety.

2

Bottomland plantings can beeffective in all five agroforestry

practices: Forest farming, silvopas-ture, riparian buffers, alley croppingand windbreaks. Species suitable forbottomland plantings in agroforestrypractices include swamp white oak,bur oak, pin oak and shell bark hick-ory. In the southeastern region(bootheel) of Missouri, willow oak,nuttall oak, cherrybark oak andovercup oak may be effective.

Tree establishment methods:John Kabrick, researchforester, USDA Forest Service,presented information abouttree establishment methods atthe April 1 workshop. Two pri-mary establishment methods

Kabrick explained for bottomlandhardwood forests are direct seedingand planting seedlings.

Direct seeding is the establishmentof trees by sowing seeds. For hardmast species, seeds are usuallyplaced in the soil (acorns are placed2 or 3 inches below the soil sur-face). This can be accomplished byhand or with a mechanical planter.

The first-year survival rates ofdirect-seeded trees were studied bythe USDA Forest Service in three

conservation areas: a1998 study of FourRivers ConservationArea, Bates and VernonCounties, showed agreater than 95 percentsurvival rate; a 1991study of Settles FordConservation Area

showed a 14 percent survivalrate; and a 2003 study ofDuck Creek ConservationArea, Bollinger, Stoddard,Wayne Counties, showedonly a 5 percent survivalrate.

“Even with high quality seed, thenumber of seedlings that germinatecan be low if the seed becomes toodry or if it is eaten by insects orwildlife. Small seedlings that havejust emerged from seed are vulnera-ble to rain, wind, drought, andbrowse by wildlife,” said Kabrick.“However, when the conditions areright, survival can be quite high.”

Planting seedlings:The survival rate of plantedseedlings, whether you use barerootstock, container stock, or cuttings, isconsistently higher than it is forseedlings established by direct seed-ing. Bareroot stock, like the nameimplies, are seedlings that aremechanically lifted from the nurserybed, removing the soil and leavingthe roots exposed. Once lifted, theseedlings are packaged and sent tothe planting site where they can eas-ily planted with a tile spade orplanting bar.

Bareroot seedlings are establishedand grown for one or two years atthe nursery where they can be prop-erly cared for and protected whenthey are most vulnerable. Conse-quently, they are larger and betterable to compete for light, water, andnutrients once they leave the nurs-ery.

Much like bareroot stock, containerstock seedlings are also establishedand grown at the nursery for one totwo years. However, containerseedlings are established in smallpots or containers. The container isremoved during out planting, andthe root ball and planting mediumare planted without disturbing theseedling roots. (cont. page 5)

Agroforestry/ Forest Management

Establishing bottomland hardwood forests for agroforestry:Methods and funding incentives

Photo 1a: Container stock seedlingsgrown with the RPMTM method produce avery large root system at the nursery.With the RPMTM method, seedlings areestablished in small, bottomless pots (1b).This causes the seedling's tap root to airprune and produce a large number of lateralroots. During the final stage of this method,trees are transferred to 3- or 5-gallon pots(1c) where they continue to grow for anotherone to two growing seasons.

In the Summer 2004 issue of Green Horizons, we outlined the importanceof restoring bottomland hardwood forests in Missouri, based upon presen-tations from an April 1 workshop supported through the Missouri Depart-ment of Conservation (MDC) Forest Land Enhancement Program (FLEP)funds. Additional information about bottomland hardwood forest establish-ment and funding incentives is provided in this article. To view the summerarticle, visit www.centerforagroforestry.org and select UMCA Publications. Green Horizons is listed at the bottom of the page.

1a

1b

1c

RPM root stock

bare root stock

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Harvesting your own timber (cont. from page 1)

Hence it may interfere with otheractivities and responsibilities. Oncebegun, logging is best finished asquickly as possible so the forest canbegin regenerating itself.

For these reasons alone, harvestingof high-value species, such as blackwalnut or white oak trees containingveneer quality logs, should be left tothe buyer.

A discussion of proper techniques ofcutting, handling, and transportingtimber products is beyond the scopeof this article -- but if you’re think-ing about harvesting, keep the fol-lowing points in mind.

The Missouri Forest Products Asso-ciation offers an excellent timberharvesting short course and it isopen to private landowners. For aschedule of course offerings, visitwww.moforest.org or call educationcoordinator Glenda Fry at (573)634-3252.

“Realizing the Value of Trees in the Farming System” Agroforestry Workshop and Field Tours

Saturday, Oct. 30, 2004Southwest Research Center, Mount Vernon, Mo.

8:30 - 4 p.m.Fee: $8 if pre-registered; $10 at the door

Sponsored by the Missouri Farmers Union and the Kansas Farmers Union

Don’t miss this workshop in woodlot management and agroforestry!. Dis-cussions include: integrating forestry management on the farm; nuts as a growingmarket; lease hunting as an additional income; non-timber products and market-ing and managing a profitable woodlot. Featured speakers include Gene Garrettof the University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry; Joe Wilson of the MissouriNorthern Pecan Growers LLC; Skip Mourglia of the USDA Southwest MissouriResource Conservation and Development and Mike Gold of the University ofMissouri Center for Agroforestry.

Field tours include the low maintenance/fast establishing Robert Karr windbreakdemonstration; the Southwest Research Center nut orchards, including 800 graft-ed trees; nut harvest equipment and improved varieties of walnuts, pecans, hicko-ries and pawpaws; and a walk-through of a family forest to discuss forest man-agement and harvest issues. A wood-mizer (or portable sawmill) will also bedemonstrated during this section of the tour. See adjacent box for registrationinformation.

Recommendations for harvesting your own timber:

1. Have a market for your productbefore you invest the time andmoney necessary to harvest it. Ifpossible, have a written contractwith the buyer. Do not get stuckwith a product to sell without abuyer.

2. Know your buyer's specifica-tions and requirements. What sizelog will they accept (minimum, andin some cases maximum, diameterand length)? How much volume orhow many trees will they accept ina given period of time? Are theyonly interested in veneer qualitylogs?

3. Once the tree is down, knowwhere to cut the logs. There is moreto it than simply laying out a tapemeasure and cutting at every 16feet. One can ruin a perfectly goodlumber log (or heaven forbid, aveneer log) by cutting at the wrong

place. Super glue will not help youhere!

4. If you employ other people tohelp you, know your legal responsi-bilities for such things as workers'compensation, minimum wage,social security, state and federalincome tax, O.S.H.A. requirements,etc.

5. Use the proper equipment.Seek out others who have harvest-ed similar timber in conditions likethose found in your woodlot andsee what they recommend.

6. Observe all safety precautionsand procedures.

7. Check with your insurance carri-er to determine if logging alters yourcoverage. If it does, work with yourcarrier in securing a special riderthat will provide you with the necessary coverage.

Register now for “Realizing the Value ofTrees in the FarmingSystem” Agroforestry

Workshop

Send name, address, phone number,email address, number of woodedacres and county name with $8 checkby Monday, Oct. 25th to:

Missouri Farmers Union325 Jefferson City, Suite 100AJefferson City, Mo. 65101ph: (573) 659-4787

On-site registration is $10, but pre-registration is strongly suggested. Formore information or to see a list ofadditional sponsors, visitwww.missourifarmersunion.org.

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With the holiday seasonapproaching, many of our

thoughts turn to decorating, foodand family.

For members of the Missouri Christ-mas Tree Producers Association(MCTPA), thoughts turn to prepar-ing for harvest and hopefully, a rushof happy customers.

The association includes membersrepresenting 65 tree farms acrossMissouri. The focus is memberinformation and education, high-lighted by an annual meeting inJune and in January to exchangeideas about pest control, marketingand tree farm maintenance.

Steve Meier, association president,said the benefits to members extendbeyond producers' immediate area.“We're able to network with eachother often, and if a crop problem isdiscovered, the members contact theentire association and we all startwatching for it across the state.”

Another component of the associa-tion is to dispel ideas toward freshholiday trees that could turn buyersaway. For example, some consumerspurchase artificial trees for fear offresh trees catching fire in the home.

According to Meier, a fresh tree willmaintain its quality in your homefor up to three months if wellwatered and maintained.

“Contrary to popular belief, it'salmost impossible to catch a realtree on fire,” he said. “Proper prepa-ration of the stump and maintainingthe water level are the keys to abeautiful, long lasting tree withoutrisk of fire.”

The two most commontypes of trees grown atMissouri farms are Scotchand white pine. WhileScotch is the most preva-lent type, white pine issuggested for people whohave allergies.

“The pollen content ofwhite pine is unlike theothers, and is well-tolerat-ed by people sensitive to pollen,”Meier said.

One of the most important attributesof selecting a tree is the “Christmasaroma” that fills a room. Meier sug-gests purchasing a Virginia pine or afir for the best aroma. The Frazierfir, grown in the northern portion ofMissouri, is also an excellent choicefor the holiday scent.

Members of the associationalso take a role in environ-mentally-friendly disposal oftrees. They are encouraged toprovide tree bags for cus-tomers, which can be easilypulled up and over the tree atthe end of the holiday seasonwith little needle shedding.Many cities have designatedrecycling plans for the trees,

including mulch for parks and walk-ing paths.

“There's nothing like the freshnessand aroma of a real tree, especiallyif you go to a tree farm and have itcut just for you,” Meier said. “Pur-chasing fresh trees is also beneficialto the environment and to Missourifarmers.”

Meier said the number of Christmastree farms in Missouri is increasing,but despite the list of benefits toassociation members -- includinginformation about estate planning,taxation and new technology forimproving tree farm production --membership in the association isdeclining.

“This trend has been happening forabout the last ten to twelve years,”he said. “There are growers outthere who are missing the opportu-nity to try new techniques first-handand learn about innovations in theindustry.”

For tree maintenance tips and moreinformation about MCTPA, visitwww.missourichristmastrees.org; oremail Steve Meier atmeierhsp@netscape.net

Missouri Christmas Tree Producers Association booststree industry; holiday spirit

Forest Commodities

Fresh garland and wreath-makingdemonstrations offer tools to ChristmasTree Producers at the association’s annual meeting.

Members of theMissouriChristmas TreeProducersAssociationshare tips forshearing andmanaging trees.

5

Establishing bottomland hardwood forests (cont. from page 2)

Because the root system is not dis-turbed during planting, container-grown stock generally has highersurvival and growth than plantedbareroot seedlings.

Another kind of container stock isthe RPM™ seedling, or Root Pro-duction Method™.These seedlings areproduced through apatent-pending processdeveloped by ForrestKeeling Nursery, Els-berry, Mo. Through amulti-step program ofair-root pruning,seedlings develop avery dense, fibrous rootsystem that absorbs andutilizes more oxygen,water and nutrients,translating intogreater basal diameter,shoot length, root vol-ume and root and shoot dry weightthan bareroot seedlings.

Site Preparation:Site preparation provides an oppor-tunity to improve conditions forplanting trees and may include fertilizing, weeding, disking, clear-ing debris, or bedding (mounding)the soil.

Soil beds can be constructed bymounding soil with a moldboardplow, offset disc, rice levee plow, orsimilar tillage implements and alsowith backhoe-type excavators. Onceconstructed, beds range from 4 to 8feet wide and one-half to 2 feet tall.Soil bedding or mounding concen-trates organic matter and nutrients,decreases bulk density, andimproves aeration and soil drainage.On soils that are very wet or clayey,it may increase tree seedling sur-vival or growth.

Funding incentives for bottomland plantings There are a number of federal, state,and private organizations that canprovide landowners with both fund-ing and technical assistance for bot-tomland hardwood restoration inMissouri. At the federal level, the

primaryfundingorganiza-tions aretheUSDA'sFarmServiceAgency and Natural Resource Con-servation Service. At the state level,both the Missouri Department ofConservation and the MissouriDepartment of Natural Resources(DNR) have cost-share programs fortree planting in bottomland areas.On the private side, organizationssuch as the National Wild TurkeyFederation and Ducks Unlimitedsupport landowner efforts to restorebottomland wildlife habitat.

The USDA Wetlands Reserve Pro-gram (WRP) includes cost-shareprovisions that can provide thelandowner with up to 100 percent ofrestoration costs, while WRP ease-

ment options can allow landownersto receive market value for theirland while retaining rights of access,exclusion and compatible uses suchas hunting and fishing. Under theConservation Reserve Program(CRP), Bottomland Timber Estab-lishment on Wetlands (CP31) is arelatively new CRP practice that

provideslandownerswith a 50percent cost-share fortree plant-ing, anannual rentalpayment,

and maintenancepayments onenrolled lands.The RiparianBuffer practice(CP22), which canbe used in tandemwith CP31, pro-vides even moreincentives: inaddition to thestandard 50 per-cent cost-shareand annual pay-ment (at 120% of

the average soil rental rate),landowners installing CP22 receivea "practice incentive payment" thatcovers an additional 40 percent ofestablishment costs and a one-time"signing incentive payment" of upto $150 per acre, depending on con-tract length.

Other programs that can supportbottomland restoration include theWildlife Habitat Incentives Pro-gram, which offers up to 75 percentcost-share for habitat improvement,and the Environmental QualityIncentives Program, which alsoincludes several applicable cost-shares and other incentives (nxt pg)

Soil mounding or bedding (2a) increasessoil temperature, decreases bulk densityand improves soil drainage. Beds can becreated with a moldboard plow, offset disc,rice levee plow or similar tillage imple-ments (2b). Soil bedding can improve thesurvival or growth of seedlings planted invery wet, clayey soils.

2a

2b

6

Bottomland hardwood forests (cont. from pg. 5)

for both establishment and manage-ment of bottomland hardwoods.

At the state level, both the MDCand the DNR can provide technicalassistance and funding for bottom-land hardwood restoration and man-agement. The MDC will cost-share(up to 75%) on two timber-relatedwildlife habitat improvement prac-tices: Tree/Shrub Establishment(MDC 700) and WoodlandImprovement (MDC 900). TheDNR also provides up to a 75 per-cent cost share through their ForestPlantation (DFR-04) and PermanentVegetative Cover (DSL-11), thoughcertain eligibility criteria must bemet.

Private organizations also partnerwith landowners to support bottom-land habitat creation and enhance-ment. The National Wild Turkey

Federation's Superfund programhelps landowners develop habitatfor wild turkey and other species.Ducks Unlimited specializes inhelping landowners obtainresources and technical assistancefor wildlife habitat improvement.The National Fish and WildlifeFoundation gives challenge grantsto leverage funds from othersources. Taken together, thesesources of funding and technicalassistance offer landowners manyopportunities to defray the costs ofbottomland hardwood forestrestoration and management.

The guidelines in this article aresubject to change. Check with theappropriate agencies for up-to-dateprogram information.

Hunters and landowners will soon have the ability to beinsured for the upcoming hunting season as the Mis-souri Forest Products Association (MFPA) has teamedup with Davis-Garvin Agency, Inc. to offer hunt/leaseliability insurance to its members. The association isthe only source in the state for affordable hunt/lease lia-bility insurance.

“This is a program we have wanted to implement for awhile,” MFPA Executive Director Cory Ridenhour said.“It has had great success in the southeastern part of thecountry and benefits all parties involved. Landownershave to realize their general liability policies do notcover hunting activities on their land. This special policy is needed for protection.”

The hunt/lease plan provides comprehensive generalliability insurance for hunting clubs and for the timber-land owner who is leasing the land for hunting. Thereis a $1 million per event limit occurrence and a $2 mil-lion aggregate limit. Liability covers bodily injury andproperty damage. To participate in this program andqualify for the low rate of 16 cents per acre, both thelandowner and the hunt club must be current members

of MFPA.The organization began issuing policies on Sept. 13, 2004. To view a list of frequently asked ques-tions regarding hunt/lease liability insurance, pleasevisit the MFPA website at www.moforest.org.

For more information contact the MFPA office at (573)634-3252.

MFPA offers landowners and hunt clubs liability insurance

Talking Nuts: Bill Reid, (far left), Kansas State Researchand Extension Specialist on nut crops, discusses pecancultivar traits at the University of Missouri Horticultureand Agroforestry Research Center, New Franklin, Mo.The farm tour was part of the Northern Nut GrowersAssn./ North American Fruit Explorers joint annual meet-ing, held in Columbia, Mo., Aug. 15-19, 2004.

Additional sources ofinformation:

Missouri Department ofConservationwww.conservation.state.mo.us

Forrest Keeling Nurserywww.fknursery.com

Walnut Councilwww.walnutcouncil.org

John Kabrick, USDA Forest Service: (tree establishment)ph. (573) 875-5341 x.229 email: jkabrick@fs.fed.us

Dusty Walter, UMCA: (speciesselection) ph. (573) 884-7991; email: walterw@missouri.edu

Doug Wallace, NRCS: (fundingincentives) ph. (573) 876-0908; www.mo.nrcs.usda.gov

7

favor the growth, or enhanced pro-duction, of certain shade-lovingplants. These shade-loving plantsthat may be grown in the understoryof a forest are often termed non-tim-ber forest products--demonstratingthe possibility for successful growthof both timber and other productssimultaneously in a forest farmingpractice. However, to accomplishthis objective, forest canopy densi-ties must be controlled by manipu-lating the structure and /or speciescomposition of the forest. Thesemanipulations then influence lightlevels available to the forest floor.

Properly applied to the forest envi-ronment, the forest farming practicecan enhance and diversify farmincome opportunities, while at thesame time making significantimprovements to the compositionand structure of the forest for longterm improvements in overallhealth, quality and economic value.Long term tree crops and short termunderstory crops can be grownsimultaneously on the same forestedland, and result in a healthy, sustain-able forest environment.

It is very important to start smallwhen establishing a forest farmingpractice. The intensity of the prac-tice, and the value of the productbeing grown, makes it likely that theinitial management of smallacreages will provide greaterencouragement to landowners. On avery small area (5 acres or less) thevertical, horizontal and below-ground dimensions are managedintensely to produce multiple cropssimultaneously. One example of thisprocess is highlighted in the adja-cent article on Ozark Forest Mush-rooms, a timber/forest farming oper-ation in the state’s Ozark region.

Forest farming: specialty gourmet mushrooms (cont. from page 1)

Advantages of Forest Farming:

Improved forest health resultingfrom properly thinning and manag-ing the forest.

Intermediate income opportunitieswhile timber matures.

Diversified farm income of land oth-erwise not used.

From log to shelf: Ozark Forest Mushroomsfills niche in specialty market

Disadvantages of Forest Farming:

Requires intensive management.

Markets for some products are notyet fully developed.

Requires a broad knowledge ofboth trees/forest and plants to prop-erly manage to improve growingenvironments for both.

If Dan Hellmuth and NicolaMcPherson continue practicing

“business as usual,” consumersacross the country will soon knowthe beautiful Ozark region of Mis-souri as the heart andsoul of the Midwest'sgourmet shiitkakemushroom industry.

One of the state's mostsignificant demonstra-tions of a successfulforest farming practiceis Hellmuth andMcPherson's OzarkForest Mushrooms inTimber, Mo. The entrepreneurialcouple established the specialtymushroom operation in 1990 onwhat was then a timber operation,and coordinate every step of thevalue-added process, from theinnoculated log to packaged, con-sumer-friendly products.

A key to their success is developingan agroforestry practice that works within the natural settingof the land. Under the guidelines ofthe Stewardship Incentive Program,administered by the MissouriDepartment of Conservation(MDC), Hellmuth and McPhersonharvest a renewable supply of

mushroom bed logs while simulta-neously maintaining their forestedacres in a healthy ecological state.Consequently, what began 14 yearsago with only 100 oak logs in pro-duction has grown to include16,000 shiitake logs in production. Only five acres of the couple’s2,500 forested acres are utilized forthe mushroom business.

Hellmuth said the land was clearcut about eighty years ago, a formershort leaf pine forest. Now, the for-est is a second generation mixedhardwood forest divided into 20-acre sections and rotationallythinned on a 30-year (cont. pg 9)

The owners of the Ozark ForestMushrooms company, located inthe Ozark region of Missouri, aretaking their specialty gourmetmushrooms all the way from theforest log to a set of attractive,boxed food mixes.

8

What started out as a ruralretreat in 1989 is growinginto a model tree farm.

John Lee and his wife, Cheryl, werelooking for some place away fromthe bustle of Kansas City wheretheir family could hunt and fish.Nearly 15 years ago they purchased160 acres northwest of Gallatin,Mo., and are now resident landown-ers of 320 acres in Davies County.However, it was not until 2000when they entered a partnership onan adjacent parcel of land that theLees began actively managing theirwoodlands. Johnnotes, “It was atthat time that Inoticed we hadbought into a lotof fine timber.But, some of thelarger trees werebeginning to die.”

Not wanting tolose his forest,John contactedMissouri Depart-ment of Conser-vation Resource Forester, PhilSneed of the Chillicothe office. In ageneral sense, John and Cherylknew they placed a premium ontheir trees, followed by a desire forwildlife and recreation. Phil helpedthe Lees better define their goalsand outline a step-by-step manage-ment plan to achieve them in a man-ner they could not only accomplish,but afford.

Their plan calls for an array of landmanagement activities across theproperty. To help fund these pro-jects, the Lees have combined pay-ments from Federal incentive pro-grams with timber sale revenues.

Through the Wildlife Habitat Incen-tive Program (WHIP), they are suc-cessfully bringing back quail byconverting fescue fields into a richoasis of brood-rearing and food-bearing native forbs and warm sea-son grasses. “When we started,”John said, “we were able to jump uponly two quail on the entire farm.Now, after just two years in theWHIP program, we have eight wellestablished coveys of quail.”

Timber revenues have played a bigpart in implementing the Lee's plan.“I have purchased the logs from the

partnership just like I would as if Iwas a logger,” said John. Those dol-lars go back to the partnership tofund management activities on thejointly owned land. “The revenuethat I have obtained from selling thegraded lumber has paid for thesawmill, dry kilns, planer, andshed.”

Both John and Cheryl have takenadvantage of numerous landownereducation opportunities. ThroughMU Extension's Master Tree FarmerShort Course and the Missouri For-est Products Association's Profes-sional Timber Harvester Program,John employs Best Management

Practices (BMPs) during his timberharvests and confidently cuts downlarge trees. The ConservationDepartment's burning seminars putCheryl's fear of burning down thewoods to rest and demonstrated,“…that some textbook conceptsreally do work!”

What advice do the Lees have forlandowners wanting to follow theirlead? “Bite off a small section” saysJohn. “Go into an area and say,'Okay I can do so much today or somuch this week'. Do that, stand backand look at it. You'll be encouragedand then take on another section.”Cheryl adds, “I think it's importantto stay focused on how much you'vedone rather than how much needs tobe done. When you do that, it's alabor of love.” To learn more aboutJohn and Cheryl's woodland stew-ardship experiences, come to the2005 Tree Farm Conference inColumbia. They will be participat-ing in the new Friday eveningLandowner Information ExchangeSession. For conference informa-tion, contact Glenda Fry at the Mis-souri Forest Products Association(573) 634-3252; or emailglenda@moforest.org.

Lee Tree Farm succeeds with partnerships and focused goals

John Lee shares his diverse timbermanagement experience with fel-low landowners during a field day.

Landowner Spotlight

Revenue from timber sales has paid for JohnLee’s sawmill dry kilns, planer and shed.

9

Ozark Forest Mushrooms (cont. from pg. 7)

cycle. In accordance with MDCguidelines, only certain trees areharvested so that the forest is natu-rally thinned, never clear cut. Thebutt logs of the trees are sold tosawmills and the residual branchwood is the main source for shiitakelogs. Branch wood has more sap-wood, which provides the nutrientsfor the shiitakes to thrive on.

“People in this area have a skillwith cord wood, timber cutting, treeidentification, the entire business,”Hellmuth said. “What we're doing issimilar to cutting cord wood forfirewood or cord wood for the char-coal industry. This is an agroforestrypractice that works with the land wehave in this part of the country.”

The business is also sustainable.The couple is currently investigatingforest certification through the For-est Stewardship Council, andthrough funding from a USDASARE grant, a new greenhouse hasrecently been completed with awood furnace for burningspent/culled shiitake logs for heatduring the winter months. “We’renot actually depleting our forestresources over time,” said Hellmuth.“Basically, we’re turning wastewood into high value food and thenusing the spent logs for fuel value toheat our greenhouse in order to keepproduction all winter long.”

Hellmuth and McPherson havegiven particular emphasis to target-ed marketing of their value-addedboxed mixes and products.

“The biggest marketing challengefor a rural area is that most of themushrooms are a fairly high valuespecialty food, and the largest mar-ket is in some of the state's biggercities,” said Hellmuth. “We are mar-keting products to St. Louis andneed to deliver them to the city on aweekly basis.”

Markets for Ozark Forest Mush-rooms include restaurant owners,chefs, catering companies andorganic food stores. The mushroomsare refrigerated within one hour ofpicking to retain optimum freshnessand quality, and then shipped direct-ly to customers.

“If you're trying to manage yourmarket, you want to have a constantsupply of mushrooms every week.Your customers expect that,” saidMcPherson.

The operation competes in the nichemarket for organic products by notusing any artificial fertilizers or her-bicides in the growing and packag-ing process, demonstrated by theUSDA organic logo Hellmuth andMcPherson obtained through theMissouri Depart-ment of Agriculture.

Consumer educa-tion is anotherinvaluable aspect of a suc-cessful mushroom busi-ness. McPherson givescustomers a flier tellingthe story of their opera-tion, their local employeesand the growing process.As an effort to reinforcethe connection betweencustomers and locally-grown foods, Ozark Forest

Mushrooms has become part of achef's collaborative to promote localfarms and local foods to area restau-rants.

“Cross-marketing with other locallygrown foods in the area helps buildthe name recognition and connec-tion to the food and land customersseek,” McPherson said.

“It's hard work that doesn't stop,like milking cows,” McPhersonsaid. “There are a lot of long daysand weekend marketing events, butwhen I walk into a restaurant andsee my mushrooms on the menu, orwalk into a supermarket and see ourproducts on the shelf, that gives mehuge pleasure and makes all thework worthwhile.” For more infor-mation, visit www.ozarkforest.com.

Nicola McPherson will be a featured presen-ter at the upcoming UCMA Specialty Mush-room Workshop, Dec. 3rd and 4th inColumbia, Mo. See page 10 for workshopdetails.

Right: Nicola McPherson and DanHellmuth discuss productionstrategies. Below: Production ofOzark Forest Mushrooms utilizesonly 5 of the owners’ 2,500 acres.

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1st World Congress of Agroforestryaddresses challenges, successes

The University of Missouri Cen-ter for Agroforestry played a

key role in the 1st World Congressof Agroforestry, held June 27-July2, 2004, in Orlando Florida.

The conference, titled “WorkingTogether for Sustainable Land UseSystems” represented two years ofplanning among a global organizingcommittee of distin-guished researchersand innovators of theagroforestry field.

Gene Garrett, UMCAexecutive director,served on the WorldCongress global com-mittee and presidedover the Science andEducation in Agro-forestry congress ple-nary session.

Additional keyspeakers at the con-ference were Dr.P.K. Nair, director ofthe Center for Sub-tropical Agroforestryat the University ofFlorida’s Institute ofFood and Agricul-tural Sciences. Dr.Nair was chairmanof the Global Organizing Commit-tee and is also a co-founder of theWorld Agroforestry Centre, Nairobi,Kenya.

Dr. Nair’s address called agro-forestry “no longer a practice insearch of science” and cited a needfor greater numbers of university-trained professionals in agroforestryto share the expanding body of sci-entific knowledge about agro-forestry.

Dr. M.S. Swaminathan, acclaimedby Time magazine as one of thetwenty most influential Asians ofthe 20th century and described bythe United Nations as the “father ofeconomic ecology,” also presenteda keynote conference address. Dr.Swaminathan emphasized the valueof agroforestry in reconciling short-term food and livelihood needs with

long-term envi-ronmental conser-ation on a globalscale.

“The first WorldCongress had anenormous impacton me personallyand led me torealize just howfar agroforestryhas come in thepast few

decades,” saidGarrett. “Theadvantages ofthe age-oldpractice ofgrowing treesand cropstogether,which havebeen largelyignored for solong because

of a lack of scientific underpin-nings, are now being recognizedand accepted. Today, agroforestry istruly a science-based technologythat offers both poor and wealthynations many opportunities, includ-ing the reduction of poverty andproviding ecosystem services. Thiscongress demonstrated to me thatagroforestry has finally come ofage.”

Gene Garret, UMCA executivedirector (left) and Michael Gold,UMCA associate director (right)address conference attendees atthe 1st World Congress of Agro-forestry in June in Florida. Theevent brought agroforestryresearchers and professionals frommore than 80 countries together toaddress the ongoing challenges andsuccessses of agroforestry on botha local and a global level.

SpecialtyMushroomWorkshop

Dec. 3—4, 2004

Ramada Inn Conference Center1100 Vandiver Dr.

Columbia, Mo

Sponsored by The University of MissouriCenter for Agroforestry; The University ofMissouri College of Agriculture, Food andNatural Resources; Field and Forest Prod-ucts; Ozark Forest Mushrooms

Who should attend? Anyoneinterested in learning the basics ofproduction and marketing tech-niques for specialty gourmet mush-rooms including shiitake, oyster,Stropharia and truffles. University ofMissouri research faculty members,professional mushroom growersand marketers will provide partici-pants with the knowledge needed toget started with growing and mar-keting mushrooms. Exhibitors fromthe industry will be on hand to pro-vide information about mushroomproduction supplies.

Workshop events include lec-tures on outdoor and indoor log cul-tivation for shiitake mushrooms; Uni-versity of Missouri progress towardtruffle cultivation; guided tour of theHARC mushroom research area;log inoculation demonstration andan optional Missouri specialty foodand wine tasting.

Early registration deadline:Nov. 1. Fee is $59 per person forFriday evening mixer and Saturdayworkshop, and an additional $25 forSaturday evening food and winetasting event. Registration after Nov.1 is $69 per person. For a regis-tration form and more infor-mation, visitwww.centerforagroforestry.org; orcontact Julie Rhoads, UMCA eventscoordinator, at (573) 882-3234;email rhoadsj@missouri.edu.

Conference abstracts, summariesand photos are available atwww.conference.ifas.ufl.edu/WCA/

11

The Back Page

Green Horizons Editorial board: Hank Stelzer, Co-Editor, Green Horizons,

MU Forestry Extension(573) 882-4444

Rachel McCoy, Co-Editor, Green Horizons,MU Center for Agroforestry(573) 882-9866

Gene Garrett, Director, MU Center for Agroforestry and Director, MU School of Natural Resources(573) 882-3647

Scott Brundage, President, Missouri Consulting Foresters Association andMissouri Chapter of the Walnut Council(573) 443-3977

Brian Brookshire, MDC Forest Stewardship Program, (573) 522-4115, ext. 3304

Cory Ridenhour, Executive Director, Missouri Forest Products Association(573) 634-3253

Clell Solomon, Missouri Christmas Tree Producers Association (660) 273-2368

Larry Harper, Past President, Missouri Nut Growers Association (573) 442-5326

Fred Crouse, ChairmanMissouri Tree Farm Committee(573) 634-3252

We welcome your thoughts! Send newsletter material, questions or comments to:

Rachel McCoy203 ABNRUniversity of MissouriColumbia, MO 65211

Phone: (573) 882-9866Email: mccoyr@missouri.edu

Editorial Contributors

Prior to the 1st WorldCongress of Agro-

forestry, a group oftwenty-four attendeesrepresenting 8 countriesreceived a first-handlook at agroforetsrypractices in the Midwest.The Pre-Congress Tourof Midwestern Agro-forestry Practices, coor-dinated by the Center forAgroforestry, highlightedagroforestry demonstra-

tion areas and landownerefforts across Missouri

and Iowa on June 23-25, 2004.

Tour stops in Iowa included the Iowa State Universi-ty windbreak practice demonstration area, Ogden; theBear Creek Riparian Buffer Demonstration arealocated near Story City; and Ben's Black Walnut

Orchards and processing facility, Centerville. In Mis-souri, tour stops included the Deer Ridge, Henry Sever,and Ross Jones Farm alley cropping practice demonstra-tions near Novelty; University of Missouri GreenleyMemorial Research Center; Shepherd Farms located inClifton Hill; and the pine straw, silvopasture, flood lab,clonal trial and alley cropping demonstration areas at theUniversity of Missouri Horticulture and AgroforestryResearch Center, New Franklin, Mo.

Center for Agroforestry hosts Pre-Con-gress Tour of Midwestern Agroforestry

Gene Garrett (left) discusses agro-forestry in the coming decades withSurindar Hara, (right) from Haryana,India, at the 1st World Congress inFlorida.

Pre-Congress Tour participants explore the windbreakpractice demonstration area at Iowa State University.

Rosemary Lott, tour par-ticipant from Kingston,Australia, takes notes onpine straw production atthe HARC farm.

Missouri Chapter Walnut Council

Calendar of Upcoming Events

University of Missouri-Columbia203 ABNR BuildingColumbia, MO 65211

Oct. 30, 2004: “Realizing the Value of Trees in the Farming System” Agroforestry Workshop and Field Tours,Southwest Research Center, Mount Vernon, Mo. 8:30 - 4 p.m. Sponsored by the Missouri Farmers Union and the KansasFarmers Union, workshop discussions include integrating forestry management on the farm; nuts as a growing market; leasehunting as an additional income and non-timber products. Fee: $8 if pre-registered; $10 at the door. For more information seepage 3 of Green Horizons or visit www.missourifarmersunion.org.

Nov. 4-6, 2004: 12th National Small Farms Trade Show, Boone County Fairgrounds, Columbia, Mo. For more informa-tion, visit www.smallfarmtoday.com or call (800) 633-2535.

Nov. 5-6, 2004: Central Region Woodland Stewardship Conference, Lied Conference Center, Nebraska City, Neb. Ses-sion topics include alley cropping, woodlands for wildlife, handling and care of tree seedlings, insect and disease updates andcedar management. Registration before Oct. 29 is $35; after Oct. 29, registraion is $40. For a registration brochure or infor-mation, contact Hank Stelzer, extension forester, at (573) 882-4444 or email stelzerh@missouri.edu

Dec. 3-4, 2004: Specialty Mushroom Workshop, Ramada Inn, Columbia, Mo. Hosted by the Center for Agroforestry, thisworkshop presents the basics of production and marketing techniques for specialty gourmet mushrooms. Workshop eventsinclude lectures on outdoor and indoor log cultivation for shiitake mushrooms; University of Missouri progress toward trufflecultivation; a guided tour of the HARC mushroom research area and a log inoculation demonstration. To register, visitwww.centerforagroforestry.org or contact Julie Rhoads at (573) 882-3234. Additional details on page 10.

Dec. 12-14, 2004: Missouri Governor’s Conference on Agriculture, Tan-Tar-A Resort, Osage Beach, Mo. For moreinformation, visit www.mda.mo.gov.

Feb. 2-4, 2005: Missouri Natural Resources Conference, Tan-Tar-A Resort, Osage Beach, Mo. For more information,visit www.mnrc.org.

Feb. 25-26, 2005: Missouri Tree Farm Conference, Stoney Creek Inn, Columbia, Mo. Contact Hank Stelzer at (573) 882-4444 or email stelzerh@missouri.edu for more information.