2026 Agroforestry Institute

The 2026 Minnesota Agroforestry Institute is a two-and-a-half-day in-person training designed to help participants move from concepts to a practical farm plan. It focuses on five recognized agroforestry practices: windbreaks, silvopasture, alley cropping, riparian forest buffers, and forest farming. The event combines classroom workshops with on-farm visits, which makes it especially useful for people who want to see how these systems are implemented in real production settings rather than only learning theory. The training is aimed primarily at SWCD, NRCS, and conservation professionals, but the public is also welcome to attend, which broadens its relevance for farmers, landowners, and technical service providers. The institute is positioned as a practical learning opportunity for integrating agroforestry concepts into land management decisions, and the description explicitly says participants will have the opportunity to translate what they learn into a workable farm plan. The event is hosted in partnership with TTCP and UMN Extension and takes place at Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge. A registration fee is listed, which suggests it is a structured professional training rather than a casual informational seminar. Because the agenda covers multiple agroforestry systems, it may be especially valuable for people comparing silvopasture with related practices such as riparian buffers or alley cropping and looking for an integrated farm-design perspective. The combination of classroom instruction, field observation, and planning-oriented outcomes makes this a strong signal for practical agroforestry implementation, particularly for those working in conservation planning or farm system design.