Planting and designing an agroforestry-based farm is both a science and an art. It’s easy to get stuck in your head when approaching a site, and mulling over choices, such as whether to leave a section of land for pollinators, or how to select the most suitable trees for sun exposure and soil type.  Whether you’re a farmer who has dreams of productive and diversified plantings, or a designer who wants to meet their clients’ needs while retaining ecological integrity, this workshop is designed for you. Practice tapping into the intuitive side of establishing a landscape, connecting with not only the history and logical design elements, but the spirit and restoration of the land. 

During this workshop, we’ll:

• Learn how to creatively select plants & crops for your site
• Uncover what elements to pay attention to when using intuition as a planting guide
• Tour a productive and unique farm with a variety of perennial plantings
• Meet other agroforestry enthusiasts who have an abundance of heart and mind

Address and directions to this Deerfield/Whately area event will be sent out to all registrants in a ticket confirmation email immediately following registration.

Schedule/Agenda:

10:00 AM  – Welcome & Introductions

10:15  AM – Historical and site specific overview

10: 45 AM – Farm tour

12:00 PM – Discussions  & Breakout groups

1:00 PM – Wrap Up & Thank You

About:

Diana got called to the plants in her teens by working in the garden at her house, although she didn’t realize what was happening at the time. At 18 she did a gap year and ended up working on a local organic farm and fell in love with the farming life- being outside, moving her body and working with the plants, of course. Over the next 20+ years she worked at other market gardens, CSAs, plant nurseries, greenhouses, orchards and large-scale organic operations, in between traveling and road-tripping in Latin America and North America, respectively.

Seven years ago she started planting on some family farmland behind her house, which has now grown to a 25-acre, no-till, regenerative vegetable/medicinal/nut farm: Firefly Farm. Her focus has shifted to medicinal herbs, which has helped her see each plant as unique and with much to say, and also to nut farming, because she believes we need more non-animal fat sources in the Northeast, and we have the water resources to support this type of agriculture. She received her Master’s Degree from UMass Amherst in Geography, with a self-designed curriculum of regenerative farming, permaculture and agroforestry. 

Accessibility:

Portions of our farm tour will cover uneven terrain. This farm does not have indoor plumbing and participants will be asked to use the “facilitrees.” Please bring a chair if you anticipate needing to sit. The farm is not accessible by wheelchair. There is a bus stop in the area, and the farm is accessible by bike from there.

Refund/Inclement Weather Policy:

For information on our refund and inclement weather policy, click here. The rain date is September 14th, 2025,

Capacity:

Capacity for this event is limited to 20 people. Register ahead of time to secure your space! 

Questions?

Contact Hannah at [email protected]

MDAR

This Project is supported by the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program at the U.S. Department of Agriculture through grant AM22SCBPMA1163. Its contents are solely the authors’ responsibility and do not necessarily represent the official views of the USDA.