Livestock Wala'au

S5 Ep 04: Silvopasture In Hawaii For Resilient Herds

• Season 5 • Episode 4

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Shade that actually pays for itself—this conversation digs into how silvopasture blends trees, forage, and livestock to reduce heat stress, build healthier soils, and diversify income in grazing systems. With Oahu Livestock Extension Agent Yunuen Bustamante, we unpack the nuts and bolts: how to pick the right tree for your goal, how wide to space rows to protect forage, and what it takes to guard young plantings from goats, cattle, and poultry without breaking the budget.

We start with the why: in a warming climate, shade and windbreaks create a cooler microclimate that keeps animals grazing and lowers stress. Then we move to the how: selecting native species like milo, ulu, kukui, and hala for resilience, and layering in productive options such as citrus, cacao, or banana for extra revenue. 

Yunuen also share about upcoming workshops, field days, and hands-on support so you can see silvopasture in action and tailor it to your site, herd, and rainfall. Ready to turn heat into an advantage and make your pasture do more? Subscribe, share this episode with a fellow producer, and leave a review to help more graziers find these tools.

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SPEAKER_01:

Aloha, today's episode is sponsored by the Livestock Extension Group of the University of Hawaii, Manoa College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience, the Center for Ag Profitability of the University of Nebraska, and the Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program.

SPEAKER_00:

Aloha and welcome to the Livestock Val'au, a podcast aimed to provide educational support, information, guidance, and outreach to our livestock stakeholders in Hawaii and the U.S. We are your host, Meli Oshiro and Shannon San.

SPEAKER_01:

Today we're talking about Silva Pasture for Livestock Production with our guest, Oahu Livestock Extension Agent, Yunwen Bustamante.

SPEAKER_00:

Thank you, Yoon, for joining us today.

SPEAKER_02:

Yes. Yeah. Thank you for having me, Meli and Shannon. I think it's been almost a year since I was with you guys. And I'm happy to be back and just talk about uh civil pasture that's my passion.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. So Yoon is, as Shannon said, our Oahu livestock extension agent with Citar. She works directly with producers on various things as far as grazing management, forage systems. Um, but I know that she's very passionate about civil pasture. But before we get started with that, do you want to talk a little bit about your background and sort of your current position?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. So I have an animal science degree, I earned it back in Mexico. And I think graduated in 2016 and a master's degree in agroforestry, specialized in civil pasture systems. Um, and where I learned all the type of variety of agroforestry, civil pasture for like tropical climates, more like temperate climates, and yeah, for the most part, and for various species like sheep goats and even poultry. Uh, right now I'm the Oahu Livestock Extension Agent for a University of Hawaii, College of Tropical Agriculture, Human Resilience. And yeah, I'm happy to share what I'll be learning and what I'll be applying in the field and what's coming up in terms of silver pastures.

SPEAKER_01:

Now that we've heard about your background and work with livestock producers, let's talk about today's main topic: silva pasture, an area you've studied and are really passionate about, it sounds like. Awesome.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I think it's a a big part that's sort of growing interest in many different agriculture areas, especially with our grazing and trying to incorporate those things. So maybe you want to talk a little bit of how these systems would get established, um, whether it's a new area you're trying to establish, or maybe maybe you just came upon a piece of land now that you have that used to be an orchard. So, what exactly would you need to be doing to sort of establish those types of civil pasture systems?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, well, kind of like before the design, I would like to kind of like explain a little bit what's the importance of it. It's I I love this, like it's a sustainable practice for livestock production in this in this case, and just it addresses several big needs at once. Uh, so the trees provide some shade, they they assist the animals with the heat stress. And you know, we're in a tropical climate, and during the summertimes, there's just these waves of heat for the animals that can compromise their productivity and their animal well-being. So that's when the trees come and provide the shade for the animals. And the another benefit that's just directly and indirectly is just provide soil, improve the health of the soils. You know, like trees can just go deep into the ground and just strack nutrients, they're often not available for grasses. So then when the trees get all these nutrients and just make it in leaves, and then when the leaves drop, is when this cycle carbon is just recirculating in the system that it provides multiple benefits to this civil pasture system. And you know, if you plant any fruit trees or any other timber, you can have additional income. They can benefit, you know, in Hawaii, we're very limited in various um uh the ag industry is not the most profitable. So having other avenues that you can just have extra income, so that's another source of you know, you can harvest fruits or you know, and branches. I I think even now I've been learning even tea leaf, you can use it for hula dancing and things, uh so various things. So, and in certain areas, you know, the wind can affect potentially all these uh land. So having windbreaks also as a silver pasture system is a way to assist all this system overall. Um also like I found it very exciting to work about silk around silver pasture system because you know lately the droughts have been increasing and been affecting all these grasslands and all these producers overall. So just having those having like a microclimate here in your land, that you can just minimize or reduce the heat stress and and have like a humidity around for the grasses, for the animals, all of that is is very beneficial and just becomes those systems more resilient overall. But then I'm gonna now I'm going back to uh how to establish it. Is that what your question, Bella again? Yeah. Okay. So when um when establishing the system, I think first is what's my goal, number one, and number two, what species I'm trying to select. So, you know, when we sometimes we plant trees, like an example that I like to tell my stakeholders, like a mango tree, and then you see like a mango tree in the nursery, but it can get huge. So you definitely need to be mindful how big is is gonna be and um what it, you know, one of the challenges in civil pasture systems is the competition for shade. So if you plan to have trees in your land, but you put it so close to each other, it can cover completely, and your grass availability of forage is going to be decreased, which is overall affect your productivity. So just understanding what's uh species was the goal, we want to provide shade, we we want to have extra income for fruits and vegetables, so selecting the species, uh, planning the spacing, that will be kind of one of the first steps. I I really like to encourage people to uh select uh native of indigenous uh trees to start because those those species are already adapted to this climate environment, so they're uh they will thrive better. So uh some examples of that are likely like Millow, Millow Tree, Ulu tree, cuckooe, those are really good ones. And I I already experienced it in the field. They just they they can coexist with with the livestock. Hala, hala tree is is really good. Uh however, if you want to go into more like you know, more productivity-wise, you can use another tree, like uh citrus, avocado, um banana trees, cacao, you know, with some limitation, certain species, you know, avocado, these goats and sheep can be uh it can be toxic for them. So we do have to manage what type of species you're selecting and what type of livestock you have. And also you have to base it on your rainfall, soil, type of soil, and overall the purpose of your uh system. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I think that was that was one of my questions, I think, was talking about establishment. Is there particular infrastructure things that you need to consider as far as you know fencing or whatnot to try and get those? I mean, I know some animals will not bark at trees, right? But there's others that will. So is there any other infrastructure things that we should think about when we're establishing a sewaposture?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, definitely, you know, when you're in the establishing period is a of course is more challenging because you're bringing young trees, they are susceptible from the lack of the city.

SPEAKER_01:

That's kind of one thing I was wondering. I was like, do you need to like put them in and then wait a few years to bring animals in to establish silva pasture, or is it just dependent on a lot of factors, it sounds like yeah, yeah, it depends.

SPEAKER_02:

It depends because you have the young trees, so definitely you have to kind of what I like to just uh suggest or advise is you wanted to be prepared in your plan, maybe during summertime to say timeline, and then when it's rain time, you know, when it started the the heavy rain or the rainy season is when you start planning, but you have it you start planting, but you have everything planned. And then one of the things is you gotta consider access to water when it's summertime and just have some kind of irrigation temporary when they when the trees are young. Definitely you need to have fencing, yeah. Overall, like the animals just can't poultry can just step on it or peck at the bottom of the trees. Uh, sheep and goats, goats can just totally eat the tree. Yep. Uh they're good at that. No time. Yeah. They're good at that. Cattle just can just rub against it and just completely break the branch off. So definitely having just some fencing around for the first years. And it depends on the trees. You know, some trees are more resilient than the others. I I found the Ulu. Ulu does not like to be, you know, chew by sheep and goats, so it's it can get very susceptible and die. Uh banana, banana is more uh resilient, so it falls, and you know, the other cake comes out right back. So uh it depends, but yeah, definitely you need to have water for drought or when it's summertime for the first years. Uh temporary fencing, having rotational grazing is very beneficial because you're giving a break to those trees in case you know a branch is broken or is this true of the leaf they have time to recuperate. Uh is it can be challenging, but um, it doesn't have to be expensive too. You can, depending on the type of livestock, you can have some pallets around it or just some extra fencing, wire. It just depends. It's doable, but yeah, it comes with challenges for sure.

SPEAKER_00:

As far as the other forage grazing species that are under these trees, is there recommendations for the type that we want to put underneath there? Or, like, you know, I mean, I I got a lot of folks come in and they'll clear a whole area and then come and ask me what should I be planning in there? Where sometimes I feel like maybe we should look at what's there before that. But are there certain forage species that work better in a civil pasture system?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, well, in my experience here on Oahu is, you know, there are a variety of grasses. However, you know, unfortunately, the most invasive grasses are the ones the most resilient grasses because they tolerate grazing, they tolerate uh fire, and you know, so far, like here in these grasslands, California grass thrives in the silver pasture systems, and guinea grass thrives, and it can tolerate some shade, not a lot, but definitely is able to proliferate in the grasslands. So, you know, um, it's always recommended in high-quality grasslands, you know, and it depends on the species of the animals that you try to graze, you know, you don't have a whole guinea grass when you're gonna have poultry in civil pasture systems, uh, maybe like uh, you know, shorter grasses like cucuyo, but also depending on your climate. Yeah, so and and now that we have some uh outbreaks, I know in Big Island of the Spittle Bug, we want to diversify our grasslands too. So uh monocrop is not recommended, so you can just mix various types of grass, it's always beneficial to make our systems more resilient.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. Well, and you know, some of our invasive species are actually good forage for our grazing animals, they just have a different type of management that needs more intensive management, I should say, because they just are quicker growing, right? But um, in times when we don't have feed, they are usually the ones that can hold us over. So um good thing to think about. Thank you.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, yeah, like even during summertime, those type of grasses tend to still, you know, grow and and here some of them they're adapted to flooded conditions too. So yeah, it's uh try to get the best of the invasive.

SPEAKER_01:

So establishing a system is one thing, but what are like some management benefits and common challenges with actually creating a silva pasture again system of some sort?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, well, one of the best benefits and just for the animals is reduced heat stress, as we mentioned. And even some trees can be can provide forage, different types of forages for for the the animals as well. This side the cycling of nutrients, you know, bringing all the carbon, nitrogen, and just dropping it back, and just you know, the feces also provide fertilizer for for the grasslands. So um that will be one of the benefits for it. Um also the soil improvements, you know, as we're talking about the cycling of that. Um some of the things that we kind of need to consider is how to manage weed pressure and competitions, because the trees and grasses can compete for light and nutrients, especially early on, you know. So then one of the ways that you can just combat that is just try to do spacing for the trees, mulching, uh, organic fertilizer at the beginning, just to give it a boost of these trees and just grow faster and taller, and just able to uh, you know, uh compete the the pressure of the animals and just to kind of find a balance overall. Um, I think again, one of the most common mistakes I've seen is sometimes we try to plant as many trees as possible and as closest together, and then um is when you know it can be even like bare ground, like you're looking under a mango tree, there is no no grass or nothing growing up, and and you know, for poultry, if you're just providing like a shade or you have like a poultry house underneath for like a small-scale backyard, can be sufficient, can be will be good, but you know, if you're trying to get some um small ruminants of cattle, the definitely the main source of food will be the grasslands, right? So yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, that's a good point though about choosing the tree properly, right? And the spacing between that different species are probably gonna be really different of what you choose, right? And thinking about the forage that grows. I didn't really. I mean, I think about that because you do get more sort of soil moisture underneath those trees. That's how we see, but you're right, if the tree's too big, you're not gonna have any grass growing underneath there either. So it's so almost a fine line, right? To making sure you have enough spacing and whatnot, and remembering how big your tree is gonna get in whatever species you choose. So good point. So um, with all of that, I think there's I mean, I and I think you can talk about civil pasture and really in more detail, depending on where people are planning to establish. But are there resources um that producers can use or steps they should start to take think about and take um if they want to start to develop a civil pasture system? Good question.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, well, um in terms of you know, like uh livestock extension, where we're happy to offer some workshops just specifically for silver pasture, how establish it, you know, all these things that we discuss. So we'll we're happy to offer workshops, uh, also like field days that we can go and visit. Like, you know, I've been in some uh branchers and some farms here in Oahu that are already establishing silver pasture assistance, you know, and then you know, some people they've just been doing it without knowing that it's a silver pasture system. So many people have been doing it. So happy to do uh organize field days or even like visit your your farm if you're interested in doing it. I can walk you through step by step what will be beneficial, what you needed to. And you know, one of the things is like like you mentioned it, don't uh I would suggest don't try to just start all over again, just a small area, just a fence area. Try try small, see what it works, and he is you can kind of like in a small scale see what are the challenges of in you know adding trees into your livestock because it comes with various challenges. Just at early stages, as mentioned earlier. But um yeah, so workshops, training, farm visits, hands-on demonstration. And then I'm in the process to trying to put together like a series of silver pasture uh material, like printed material for people to see, you know, what trees are suitable, why, all the things that we're discussing just in a written form for for everybody have access to that.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, that'd be great. Yeah. Great. Yeah. So how can they get in contact with you if they have questions or want some information on or talk with you about anything at the Wahoo?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. So you guys can email me. My email is my name, Y-U-N-U-E-N, B at Hawaii.edu. Also, I have like an Instagram page. I know like some young folks are more into the social media. So we're trying to adapt to that too. So livestock extension Oahu. Uh, and just yeah, send me an email, a text, anything, I'll be happy to visit your farm, talk story, you know, help designing systems and anything related to livestock anyway. So I'm happy to assist you guys.

SPEAKER_00:

And we'll include um Yun's contact information as well in the show notes for today's episode. Sounds good.

SPEAKER_01:

Sounds good. Yeah. Is there anything else, Yunnan, that you want to talk about or let our listeners know that you have going on in the next little bit?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. So what we have upcoming is we're gonna have, you know, besides the livestock stakeholders, also like collaborate with 4-H. So we're having uh training for all these youth about um handling animals with well-being and caring for animals. Uh, next year we have some uh livestock projects, so we're excited to train uh all these youth interests of livestock handling. We're having a December 20th uh poultry workshop here in Waimanalo, Oahu. So everybody wants to learn how to raise laying hands, you know, for backyard, and just learn like the main diseases and just biosecurity. We're gonna uh provide that workshop and next year more adventures. Yeah. Oh, that's exciting.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. Yeah. Thank you, Yun, for joining. And I hope our listeners were um found this information useful for them.

SPEAKER_01:

Make sure to follow us on our social media pages, the Livestock Valal and Livestock Extension Group if you haven't already. Be sure to visit the UHCTAR extension website and our YouTube channel listed in the show notes.

SPEAKER_00:

And sorry, for additional information about this or other topics or comments, send us an email at val at hawaii.edu. Thanks again for listening to the livestock val.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, yeah. And before we go, show some love for your favorite podcast by leaving us a review wherever you listen to this. And then stay and then stay tuned for next month's episode.

SPEAKER_00:

Thanks again to our sponsors, the Livestock Extension Group of the University of Hawaii Manoa, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience. Thanks again to our sponsors, the Livestock Extension Group of the University of Hawaii Manoa, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience, the Center for Ag Profitability of the University of Nebraska, and the Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program. Mahalo for listening.