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Elderflower Retreat at Hillside Pastures
Are you looking for a place to host your next event, board meeting, or family stay? At one of our demonstration farms in Spring Green, the Savanna Institute runs a rental space available for bookings. Built in 2014 by the Marquardt Family who envisioned it as a community gathering space, Elderflower Retreat is a 4-bedroom, 4-bath modern ranch that sits atop the ridge at Hillside Pastures overlooking Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In 2022, the Savanna Institute took on management of the farm and its mature silvopasture by subtraction established by the Marquardts. This year, we planted silvopasture by addition with bur oak, shagbark hickory, persimmon, honey locust, and hybrid poplar. Learn more about what the space has to offer at ElderflowerRetreat.com.
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NEW!
Resource Library
Our new Resource Library is an internet directory of 100+ publications from peers with foundational research in perennial agriculture, agroforestry practices, ecosystem services, and tree crops. You have the option to search by keyword or select tags to find resources that will answer your questions about perennial agriculture-related topics.
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An agroforestry podcast and blog by the Savanna Institute |
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Dos and Don’ts of Silvopasture by Subtraction in Wisconsin with Stefania Cartoni-Casamitjana and Diane Mayerfeld
Silvopasture, or the integrated management of trees, livestock, and forage, can be established by planting trees into existing pasture – “silvopasture by addition” – or by thinning a forest and establishing forages in the understory. “Silvopasture by subtraction”, the second method, tends to be a bit more complicated than silvopasture by addition, and without proper management it can revert to unmanaged woodland grazing, a destructive practice that has historically been very common in the upper Midwest.
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Living Roots Book to Launch at the 2026 Perennial Farm Gathering
Dr. Liz Carlisle and Dr. Aubrey Streit Krug will host a book release event at the 2026 Perennial Farm Gathering for the forthcoming book Living Roots: The Promise of Perennial Foods, which the two co-edited. Dr. Carlisle is the author of the books Lentil Underground, Grain by Grain, and Healing Grounds, and Dr. Streit Krug is Director of the Perennial Cultures Lab at The Land Institute.
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Canopy’s Nursery is offering affordable trees with high quality genetics in collaboration with Savanna Institute's Tree Crop Improvement Program, Red Fern Farm and many other great seed orchards. |
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We have many bare root plants still available for shipping in Spring 2026. Chestnuts, Black Currants, Persimmon, Asian Pear, Elderberry, Willow and Protection Supplies. |
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Reach out to us if you have questions about varieties or to make requests for trees you want to see available in 2027! CanopyNursery.com
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Calling All Tree Crop Nurseries!
The Agroforestry Coalition is creating a national directory of nurseries that grow and share trees and plant materials for agroforestry and regenerative farming. If you grow trees, shrubs, or perennial plants — for sale or community use — and care about building a resilient tree-based future, we want to include you! Complete your entry by Dec 31, 2025 so your nursery is featured in the January 2026 public launch, right when people start planning spring trees. |
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Wardropper Research Group Opportunity
Major Advisor: Dr. Chloe Wardropper, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Applications are being accepted for a Master’s-level graduate research assistant position on a project led by the Savanna Institute titled “Corn Belt Windbreaks: From Dust Bowl Relic to Climate-Smart Solution.” Ideal start date is August 2026.
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