Blending Forest and Field with Steve Gabriel

About this episode

Steve Gabriel discusses the importance of integrating trees into farming practices and the cultural barriers that hinder agroforestry in America.

Steve Gabriel joins us to unpack one of the most consequential myths shaping how we grow food in America: the separation between forest and field. As a co-steward of Wellspring Forest Farm in Mecklenburg, New York, author of Silvopasture, and researcher at the Cornell Small Farms Program, Steve has been listening. Through a SARE-funded project called Farming with Trees, he's been in conversation with over 120 farmers, from Bronx-raised beginners to multi-generational stewards, exploring not just how to plant trees, but why it matters and what gets in the way. What he's found is that the barriers to agroforestry aren't just technical. They're cultural, historical, and deeply personal, rooted in a Eurocentric agricultural paradigm that told farmers to clear the land and never look back. In this episode, we dive into: * How personal relationships with trees in childhood shape a farmer's vision for the land * The paradigm shift required to move from stark field or stark forest toward something in between * How indigenous land stewardship modeled a working tree landscape long before "agroforestry" was a word * What livestock farmers, vegetable growers, and flower farmers each need…

People in this episode

Guest: Steve Gabriel

Topics covered

• agroforestry
• cultural barriers
• indigenous land stewardship
• personal relationships with trees
• livestock and crop needs
• community and craft traditions

Keywords

• agroforestry
• trees
• farming
• cultural barriers
• indigenous stewardship
• livestock
• vegetable growers
• community

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Wellspring Forest Farm, Cornell Small Farms Program, SARE

Books & works: Silvopasture

Places: Mecklenburg, New York

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