Spring is here, and that means some of our NTFPs are starting to grow! One of those NTFP species is ramps/wild leeks (Allium tricoccum), an edible wild onion. This species takes advantage of the early spring months before tree canopy closure to produce leaves and photosynthesize. In late May, when the forest canopy above them has closed, their leaves wither. Immature plants will
remain dormant for the rest of the year, and mature plants will send up a scape with small white flowers arranged in a cluster called an umbel. Ramps reproduce through both seed production and asexually through bulb division, with individuals (ramets) eventually becoming independent and dividing again to form large, genetically identical clumps (genets).
In recent decades, their popularity has increased significantly, leading to declines in some
wild populations due to commercial harvesting. Although the commercial harvest of ramps from wild populations is concerning from a conservation standpoint, it presents an opportunity for landowners to engage in forest farming as a means of “conservation through cultivation”. Intensive horticultural practices used in forest farming, such as bulb division and selective harvesting can increase growth rates and productivity, helping to meet market demand and reduce foraging pressures in the
wild.
Ramp patch being sustainably managed for commercial harvest by an MWFFC member farmer in Missouri.
Forest farmers are catching onto this trend, and some have begun to manage existing ramp
patches for commercial production. However, just because you don't currently have a ramp patch on your property doesn't mean you can't establish one. If you are a Missouri-based forest farmer interested in cultivating ramps or other NTFPs on your property, apply now to the MWFFC Planting Stock Access Program, and we will provide up to $1000 of assistance to buy your planting stock.
Join the MWFFC and MU Extension on May 3rd for a forest farming workshop at the Alan T. Busby Research Farm in Jefferson City, MO!
Lunch is provided with registration. Come prepared to hike on and off trail through the research forest as we discuss site selection (including identifying plant indicator species) and site preparation outdoors! After lunch we will head
inside for a presentation on budgeting, considering quality, and where to sell your products!
Join
us on zoom over the lunch hour on Friday, April 11th for our monthly forest farming office hours, where we will talk about forest farming, answer questions, and connect with farmers in the region and beyond. This is a great opportunity to learn and expand your network.
Register for our April 11th office hours using the link below. The registration links is also posted on our website. See you
there!
Click the link below to register via zoom. If you have specific questions you would like to discuss, send them in advance to [houstone@lincolnu.edu].
Applications for the MWFFC Planting Stock Access Program are open!
Overview: The Planting Stock Access Program is
designed to increase the availability of non-timber forest product planting stock in the Midwestern US. Planting stock can be expensive, but once plants are established, they can become a self-sustaining population which can meet the planting stock requirements of the farmer, and in turn lead to sales or donations of planting stock to other members of the community, increasing overall access.
Eligibility: The first round of applications will solely be awarded to forest farming projects based in Missouri. However, our goal is to eventually expand this program to other states in the Midwest. Preference will be given to applicants who are new to forest farming and that agree to work with a technical service provider in the planning stages of their project. The MWFFC can serve as a technical service provider and will provide technical assistance as a free service. Awardees
who prefer to work with another service provider, such as a consulting forester, may do so.
Program Highlights:
The MWFFC will award grants to 5 participating farmers to order up to $1000 worth of planting stock through the MWFFC. Awardees will fill out an order form which will be fulfilled by the MWFFC and planting stock will be distributed to
farmers.
The MWFFC will provide guidelines to awardees on best practices and suitable species.
The MWFFC will provide individualized site assessments to determine ideal planting locations and appropriate site preparation, if needed.
These
funds will be ‘no strings attached’ in the sense that there will be no requirement to sell or give away planting stock. However, the MWFFC will provide venues for planting stock sales in the coming years.
Grant awardees will be expected to share their progress through a platform of their choosing. This could include speaking at a workshop or other event hosted by the MWFFC, uploading a farm profile to the
Agroforestry Regional Knowledge (ARKx)Exchange Network, creating a report for the MWFFC to share in a monthly newsletter, or sharing in some other way. The MWFFC understands potential privacy concerns associated with growing high value crops such as American ginseng and will not ask recipients to disclose the exact location of their farm on publicly available
platforms.
Timeline:
January 2025 – Grant application opened and is posted on the MWFFC website or can be emailed upon request by houstone@lincolnu.edu
April 18th 2025 – Grant applications close
May 2025 – Awardees will be chosen. An information session will be held detailing steps to order plants, accepted plant species, and expectations for best practices.
June 2025 – MWFFC will visit with awardees to perform a site assessment to recommend species and planting locations, unless the awardee wants to work with another qualified service provider. Farmers will place orders after the site visit.
June 2025 – September 2025 – Farmers will prepare their sites for planting.
August - September 2025 - Farmers will receive their orders of planting stock.
September - October 2025 – Planting stock will be planted, unless the awardees choose a species which is best planted in spring. In this case, planting will occur in early spring 2026.
2026 – The MWFFC is
willing to assess the progress of plantings and give recommendations if the awardee desires. A venue for sales of seedlings grown through this program, and for sales of any other existing planting stock by forest farmers will be provided in late spring or summer 2026.
The grant application is open until April 18th. Questions? Contact Ezra Houston at houstone@lincolnu.edu.
Join the MWFFC and MU Extension on May 3rd for a forest farming workshop at the Alan T. Busby Research Farm in Jefferson City, MO!
Applications for the MWFFC Planting Stock Access Program are open!
