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Dairy farmer is reshaping what resilience looks like on a working organic dairy in Highgate, Vermont. Last year, he and his family planted their first rows of trees for their herd, launching a silvopasture system designed to strengthen the farm’s bottom line and protect cow health during increasingly hot summers. This shift was inspired by two forces. One was economic; organic dairy prices had been lagging, and the Choinieres wanted a secondary enterprise that could support the farm through volatility. The other was rooted in values; conservation was central to the operation, and integrating trees into pasture supported long-term sustainability.

The family planted 160 trees in their first season, including 120 chestnuts along with poplar and willow. Despite an extremely dry summer, growth exceeded expectations. Many trees shot up more than eight feet, and about 80 percent of the chestnuts reached five to six feet in height. The fast growth reinforced Matt’s excitement about the system and opened the door to experimenting with poplar and willow as fodder and shade for young stock.

This year, the farm is expanding significantly thanks to a grant, which Matt successfully applied for with support from a grant writer available through the cooperative. The award enables him to plant another 350 trees across four acres, including interplanted false indigo shrubs. By the end of this phase, a total of seven acres will be established in silvopasture. The grant not only covers most of the cost but also helped the family think through the project in detail. The required budget sheets and drawings turned into valuable planning tools beyond the application itself.

Adapting grazing patterns has been part of the learning curve. With long, narrow rows between young trees, Matt found that small groups of dry cows tended to overgraze the front ends of alleys before moving deeper into each strip. Those areas had already begun regrowing by the time the cows returned. A dedicated travel lane halfway through each alley would help distribute grazing pressure, so the family used a temporary lane along the headland this past season while considering how to design a permanent version.

For implementation support, the farm turned to , who developed the silvopasture design and will handle this year’s planting. To reduce costs, the farmers relied on volunteer labor to install tree tubes and weed barriers as the trees grow. The partnership also accelerates the pace of work compared to planting everything by hand.

As rows of chestnut, mulberry, willow, and poplar take root, the farm is beginning to reflect a different kind of dairy landscape. Silvopasture offers shade, forage, wildlife habitat, carbon storage, and a potential new source of farm revenue. For the , it also offers a clearer path toward resilience. Tree by tree, acre by acre, the farm is building a future that is more adaptable, more biodiverse, and more aligned with the land.