#16 Feedback from 40 years of pecan intercropping with Dan Shepherd

One of the key questions we are trying to answer is 'in what contexts does agroforestry work, or doesn't'. Dan started intercropping grains between his pecans before he knew it was called agroforestry, because it made sense to him at the time. The first part of the interview focuses on the business strategy of the farm. Whilst providing many tips and fascinating info, you'll also understand the context in which the agroforestry system sets itself. You will be able to understand the details of how he created and managed his intercropping operation, and follow the system whilst it gains maturity. Dan expresses some of his concerns with intercropping in more recent times, and when asked if he would do it again, he provides a surprising answer. We hope you enjoy! • TABLE OF CONTENTS00:01:21 Introduction of farm and pecan agroforestry system 00:13:20 Business strategy behind diversifying farm production 00:25:10 Direct selling 300 acres worth of pecans 00:29:35 Creating a quality product 00:33:27 The importance of scale 00:45:15 Why start intercropping the pecan orchard? 00:53:05 Challenges with managing both the intercrop and the tree crop 00:57:00 Trendsetting instead of doing what everybody else is doing 01:00:25 Managing the intercrop strategy with an evolving orchard 01:08:45 Competition between intercrop and tree crop 01:17:05 Silvopasture challenges01:19:45 Management of the tree row 01:24:10 Biggest mistakes • RESOURCEShttp://shepherdfarms.com/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDcBULb4WsE&t=8s• GET IN TOUCH www.regenerativeagroforestry.org• SUPPORT US www.gumroad.com/regenagroforestry• FOLLOW US on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.