A fodder bank is a designated area where woody plants are planted at a high density and harvested for livestock feed. Our fodder bank is managed through coppice, an ancient management practice that involves cutting the entire plant back to the ground every few years. The branches and leaves are food for the animals.

After the plant is cut back it sends up numerous sprouts low to the ground the next growing season, which allows for an easier and more abundant harvest each year.

We are planting a diverse fodder bank of willow species, mulberry, linden, and honey locust with additional rows of red osier dogwood and winterberry for cut stems and elderberry for the flowers and berries. 

Mulberry also appears in our silvopasture alleys. In addition to producing delicious berries in the summer, mulberry leaves can be eaten as a vegetable and contain very high levels of fiber, calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc, Vitamin A, folate, and Vitamin C.