Sam Bonney
@quivering-twig.bsky.social
Orchardist, growing chestnuts for the Northeast US with Breadtree Farms. Agroecology, plant breeding, evolution and co-evolution, speculative history and speculative futures 💫🌱🌈
quiveringtwig.substack.com
breadtreefarms.com
quiveringtwig.substack.com
breadtreefarms.com
I’m quite wary of agriculture influencers and gurus, and the incestuous infinite ponzi scheme of permaculture design courses. My sense is this course will be different. I’ve been following Erik’s work for a while now, he doesn’t seem content to imitate or stagnate. Exciting, experimental stuff
Temperate Syntropic Workshop — Black Creek Farm & Nursery
Join Roger Gietzen and Erik Schellenberg for a 4 day interactive training session. Learn the theory and practice of syntropic agroforestry in a temperate climate at Black Creek Farm in Highland, NY. W...
bcfnursery.com
April 9, 2025 at 2:21 AM
I’m quite wary of agriculture influencers and gurus, and the incestuous infinite ponzi scheme of permaculture design courses. My sense is this course will be different. I’ve been following Erik’s work for a while now, he doesn’t seem content to imitate or stagnate. Exciting, experimental stuff
Bad news: local and global water cycles are fucked, and that may be worse for climate stability than rising CO2. Good news: restoring local water cycles is way more actionable than nagging multinational corps to stop burning fossil fuels, and it has real, local, immediate positive impacts
www.researchgate.net
April 4, 2025 at 4:07 PM
Bad news: local and global water cycles are fucked, and that may be worse for climate stability than rising CO2. Good news: restoring local water cycles is way more actionable than nagging multinational corps to stop burning fossil fuels, and it has real, local, immediate positive impacts
Lord help me, I am so tempted by the beautifully rebuilt bright blue 1940’s Ford two-row corn planter on Facebook marketplace 🥵
April 3, 2025 at 2:20 AM
Lord help me, I am so tempted by the beautifully rebuilt bright blue 1940’s Ford two-row corn planter on Facebook marketplace 🥵
Came home today to these boys casually slapping together a marble staircase… ok go off
March 27, 2025 at 9:47 PM
Came home today to these boys casually slapping together a marble staircase… ok go off
Reposted by Sam Bonney
There is not enough #woodpasture content here on Blue Sky, because there is not enough wood pasture in this world.
Here are some wood pasture videos.
And go, create wood pasture.
Thorny, diverse, and (nearly) wild.
ptes.org/wppn/videos-...
Here are some wood pasture videos.
And go, create wood pasture.
Thorny, diverse, and (nearly) wild.
ptes.org/wppn/videos-...
March 26, 2025 at 5:39 AM
There is not enough #woodpasture content here on Blue Sky, because there is not enough wood pasture in this world.
Here are some wood pasture videos.
And go, create wood pasture.
Thorny, diverse, and (nearly) wild.
ptes.org/wppn/videos-...
Here are some wood pasture videos.
And go, create wood pasture.
Thorny, diverse, and (nearly) wild.
ptes.org/wppn/videos-...
Reposted by Sam Bonney
and their selective browsing was negated by differing selective browsing traits of other herbivores. Forests would be more open, and retain high floral diversity. Now without other herbivores, their selective browsing is concentrated, and we end up with novel "deerscapes."
March 26, 2025 at 4:00 AM
and their selective browsing was negated by differing selective browsing traits of other herbivores. Forests would be more open, and retain high floral diversity. Now without other herbivores, their selective browsing is concentrated, and we end up with novel "deerscapes."
Reposted by Sam Bonney
Interesting conversation on deer. One thought I've had is that the high abundance of deer might be a surrogate replacement for herbivore biomass which was once occupied by a diversity of herbivores. When more herbivore species were present, deer numbers were checked by food competition+
March 26, 2025 at 4:00 AM
Interesting conversation on deer. One thought I've had is that the high abundance of deer might be a surrogate replacement for herbivore biomass which was once occupied by a diversity of herbivores. When more herbivore species were present, deer numbers were checked by food competition+
This weekend — pruning my Malus breeding orchard (80 unique clonal genotypes, plus 100 seedlings), and winnowing the rest of my flint corn so I can have some good eats the rest of the week 🌈
March 24, 2025 at 6:06 PM
This weekend — pruning my Malus breeding orchard (80 unique clonal genotypes, plus 100 seedlings), and winnowing the rest of my flint corn so I can have some good eats the rest of the week 🌈
Reposted by Sam Bonney
We need free-flowing rivers!
“Giving rivers more room to move can represent a mutually beneficial solution for both the freshwater biodiversity crisis and flood hazard management as climate-driven extremes escalate.”
www.nature.com/articles/s44...
“Giving rivers more room to move can represent a mutually beneficial solution for both the freshwater biodiversity crisis and flood hazard management as climate-driven extremes escalate.”
www.nature.com/articles/s44...
The ecological benefits of more room for rivers - Nature Water
This Review synthesizes the ecological features and processes that arise when rivers are given room to move. Understanding these interactions will support more sustainable decisions that weigh river e...
www.nature.com
March 23, 2025 at 3:19 PM
We need free-flowing rivers!
“Giving rivers more room to move can represent a mutually beneficial solution for both the freshwater biodiversity crisis and flood hazard management as climate-driven extremes escalate.”
www.nature.com/articles/s44...
“Giving rivers more room to move can represent a mutually beneficial solution for both the freshwater biodiversity crisis and flood hazard management as climate-driven extremes escalate.”
www.nature.com/articles/s44...
Of all the things happening in the US, this is genuinely one of the most terrifying to me
Generations of dedicated public servants have, unseen by the general public, done all kinds of extraordinary things that benefit all of us—like preserving the genetic diversity of crop species that sustain humanity.
Musk is blindly slashing it all.
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/22/o...
Musk is blindly slashing it all.
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/22/o...
Opinion | Why Did Elon Musk Go After Bunkers Full of Seeds? (Gift Article)
Gene banks are like a survivalist cache: our nation’s safeguard against all future challenges to growing the food we need.
www.nytimes.com
March 23, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Of all the things happening in the US, this is genuinely one of the most terrifying to me
Reposted by Sam Bonney
Order plants from our plant sale! Pickup is May 17. We’ll be open for orders until April 14. www.whistledownfarm.com/s/order
March 22, 2025 at 8:17 PM
Order plants from our plant sale! Pickup is May 17. We’ll be open for orders until April 14. www.whistledownfarm.com/s/order
The best trees around are going up for sale. Seriously. The best. These boys are incredibly meticulous about genetics, + they have grown some insanely vigorous stems (deep spading, gonzo quantities of woodchips, + pasteurized human urine from the Rich Earth Institute will do that) www.yellowbud.farm
March 22, 2025 at 3:30 PM
The best trees around are going up for sale. Seriously. The best. These boys are incredibly meticulous about genetics, + they have grown some insanely vigorous stems (deep spading, gonzo quantities of woodchips, + pasteurized human urine from the Rich Earth Institute will do that) www.yellowbud.farm
Shout out to da best barn cat, Galaxy. Still well under a year old and already showin the voles who’s boss
March 22, 2025 at 2:57 PM
Shout out to da best barn cat, Galaxy. Still well under a year old and already showin the voles who’s boss
In 2021, I found a feral crabapple that remains my fav Malus find to date. Tied for 2nd place 🥈 for ‘best quality cider’ + 3rd place 🥉 for ‘best in show’ in @gnarlypippins.bsky.social 2nd annual pomological exhibition 💯💯💯🍎🍎🍎🍎
March 22, 2025 at 2:40 PM
In 2021, I found a feral crabapple that remains my fav Malus find to date. Tied for 2nd place 🥈 for ‘best quality cider’ + 3rd place 🥉 for ‘best in show’ in @gnarlypippins.bsky.social 2nd annual pomological exhibition 💯💯💯🍎🍎🍎🍎
Reposted by Sam Bonney
Livestock as a biological pest control: Experimental validation for oak savannas 🌲🧪
Suggests a new livestock management would increase the availability of healthy acorns, thus increasing the farm capacity and the economic profit by up to 20% 📈🌎
🔗 doi.org/10.1111/1365...
Suggests a new livestock management would increase the availability of healthy acorns, thus increasing the farm capacity and the economic profit by up to 20% 📈🌎
🔗 doi.org/10.1111/1365...
March 17, 2025 at 12:23 PM
Livestock as a biological pest control: Experimental validation for oak savannas 🌲🧪
Suggests a new livestock management would increase the availability of healthy acorns, thus increasing the farm capacity and the economic profit by up to 20% 📈🌎
🔗 doi.org/10.1111/1365...
Suggests a new livestock management would increase the availability of healthy acorns, thus increasing the farm capacity and the economic profit by up to 20% 📈🌎
🔗 doi.org/10.1111/1365...
Not domesticating / co-evolving with mammoths and mastodons when we had the chance is the greatest mistake of human history. I wanna ride around on an elephant and prune trees lol
All familiar plant and animal lineages on those continents were shaped, for most of their history, by living alongside elephants. Humans included. For many living species, the absence of proboscideans since the early Holocene is a recent and drastic change they’ve had to survive.
March 6, 2025 at 5:58 PM
Not domesticating / co-evolving with mammoths and mastodons when we had the chance is the greatest mistake of human history. I wanna ride around on an elephant and prune trees lol
I often hear it said that silvopasture won’t work as well in temperate zones vs the tropics because we have less light due to the suns angle of incidence. What’s missing from this simple analysis is 1) tree phenology 2) canopy architecture and 3) management. Not all silvopastures are created equal.
March 6, 2025 at 1:11 PM
I often hear it said that silvopasture won’t work as well in temperate zones vs the tropics because we have less light due to the suns angle of incidence. What’s missing from this simple analysis is 1) tree phenology 2) canopy architecture and 3) management. Not all silvopastures are created equal.
my PDF collection grows stronger by the day 😈
Arundinaria gigantia — our native bamboo — might be the most productive native source of ruminant fodder in the US. Evergreen, 15% crude protein, and it will hold onto that protein through the winter.
Arundinaria gigantia — our native bamboo — might be the most productive native source of ruminant fodder in the US. Evergreen, 15% crude protein, and it will hold onto that protein through the winter.
March 6, 2025 at 2:24 AM
my PDF collection grows stronger by the day 😈
Arundinaria gigantia — our native bamboo — might be the most productive native source of ruminant fodder in the US. Evergreen, 15% crude protein, and it will hold onto that protein through the winter.
Arundinaria gigantia — our native bamboo — might be the most productive native source of ruminant fodder in the US. Evergreen, 15% crude protein, and it will hold onto that protein through the winter.
Intensive silvopasture made it into a mainstream news outlet, although the language isn’t fully there — it is worth really differentiating between bog standard silvopasture (where trees do little but provide shade) and intensive silvopasture (where trees are generating substantial fodder)
Clearing land for cattle and cows is the single biggest driver of rainforest loss in the Amazon. This "hotel for cows" in Colombia offers a solution.
This Colombian 'hotel for cows' could help reduce deforestation in the Amazon
Clearing land for cattle and cows is the single biggest driver of rainforest loss in the Amazon. This "hotel for cows" in Colombia offers a solution.
www.npr.org
March 4, 2025 at 8:12 PM
Intensive silvopasture made it into a mainstream news outlet, although the language isn’t fully there — it is worth really differentiating between bog standard silvopasture (where trees do little but provide shade) and intensive silvopasture (where trees are generating substantial fodder)
❤️🔥
The Culling Wind
On moving with intention and fixing shit
open.substack.com
March 4, 2025 at 5:34 PM
❤️🔥
Going through the walk-in cooler this morning to make sure all the babies are doing OK as we get towards the end of winter. 4000+ trees in here, mostly chestnut and yellowbud hickory, plus 150 lbs of chestnut seed from select parentage. A few thousand more trees on the way. Spring will be busy!!
March 4, 2025 at 2:46 PM
Going through the walk-in cooler this morning to make sure all the babies are doing OK as we get towards the end of winter. 4000+ trees in here, mostly chestnut and yellowbud hickory, plus 150 lbs of chestnut seed from select parentage. A few thousand more trees on the way. Spring will be busy!!
fyi there’s like ~650,000 acres of direct-seeded, direct-browse intensive silvopasture with leucaena and tagasaste in Australia, ~120,000 acres with leucaena in Latin America, and they are doubling, tripling, 10xing carrying capacity for cattle operations. A scalable and real alternative to feedlots
March 4, 2025 at 3:20 AM
fyi there’s like ~650,000 acres of direct-seeded, direct-browse intensive silvopasture with leucaena and tagasaste in Australia, ~120,000 acres with leucaena in Latin America, and they are doubling, tripling, 10xing carrying capacity for cattle operations. A scalable and real alternative to feedlots
This is a rare, balanced analysis of a very important question (what is the true energy return on energy invested for various modes of food production?)
Eating oil
Revisiting the energy - food nexus
open.substack.com
March 3, 2025 at 2:01 PM
This is a rare, balanced analysis of a very important question (what is the true energy return on energy invested for various modes of food production?)
Hybridization as the dominant mode of macro evolution makes a lot of sense to me. aligns with punctuated equilibrium in the fossil record, and the documented origins of domesticated species. Nice to hear McCarthy - often dismissed by the mainstream as a crank - approached with genuine curiosity
Dr. Eugene McCarthy
Zero Input Agriculture · Episode
open.spotify.com
March 2, 2025 at 11:04 PM
Hybridization as the dominant mode of macro evolution makes a lot of sense to me. aligns with punctuated equilibrium in the fossil record, and the documented origins of domesticated species. Nice to hear McCarthy - often dismissed by the mainstream as a crank - approached with genuine curiosity
Organizing biomass in my very playful and experimental home orchard. All the hay was decades old insulation in our barn loft, full of pigeon and mouse manure (used to be a potato farm so the barn needed temp regulation). White pine and black locust are from two mature trees in the yard I limbed up
March 2, 2025 at 6:18 PM
Organizing biomass in my very playful and experimental home orchard. All the hay was decades old insulation in our barn loft, full of pigeon and mouse manure (used to be a potato farm so the barn needed temp regulation). White pine and black locust are from two mature trees in the yard I limbed up