ORFC Events

All About Agroforestry at Wakelyns 

From silvohorticulture, silvoarable and silvopasture to soil health and tree maintenance, join us at ORFC in the Field at Wakelyns, where you will be tutored by some of the country’s leading experts in agroforestry. 

£175 for two days, including lunch (limited to 70 places)

ORFC is returning to Wakelyns! Join us for two days packed full of practical workshops on Wednesday 28th and Thursday 29th May at the pioneering Suffolk organic agroforestry farm. 

We’ll be looking at tree management, including fruit and nut trees, and coppicing, pollarding, and pruning practices with head arborist at Wakelyns, Paul Jackson, exploring the practice of silvohorticulture, the integration of trees into vegetable growing systems, with Andy Dibben, and learning about the latest research on soil health in agroforestry systems with Rothamsted Research. 

Participants will have the chance to explore the full range of Wakelyns projects, where agroforestry forms part of a flourishing and diverse system: from grazing sheep for weed management to growing legumes for Hodmedods and YQ population wheat for the on-site bakery. 

With opportunities for connecting and knowledge-sharing from dawn till dusk, join us for early morning nature walks and evenings sharing delicious meals from Wakelyns Kitchen, made with produce from the farm (vegan and vegetarian options will be available). 

These two days of hands-on workshops will provide you with the skills to integrate agroforestry into your farm practice at different scales, as well as the opportunity to meet inspiring practitioners and explore all the facets of Wakelyns’ stacked enterprise system. We look forward to seeing you there!

Explore the Programme

Agroforestry Paradise: Exploring Wakelyns with David Wolfe

The organic agroforestry system at Wakelyns has been a site of innovation and diversity in Suffolk for over thirty years. Join proprietor David on a guided tour of the farm, exploring all of its main features.  The tour will explore how the vision of good locally produced food and enterprise-stacking approaches work together at Wakelyns to produce a flourishing system that benefits nature, produces delicious food, and brings people together for education, employment, and fun! 

Between the Trees: Fibres from the Field with Claire O’Sullivan and Kitty Wilson Brown 

Dive into the world of hemp at Wakelyns with Claire and Kitty, the duo behind Contemporary Hempery, exploring how the crop is cultivated, then processed from straw into fibre, yarn and fabric. Over the last three years, Claire and Kitty have been on a mission to revive hemp textiles in East Anglia, and now you can be part of the story. Using homemade wooden tools developed over the past three years, there will be a chance to process some of last year’s straw into beautiful fibre to spin. 

Silvohorticulture System Design with Andy Dibben 

Learn about the process of designing an effective agroforestry system that integrates trees and vegetable crops with Andy Dibben, Head Grower at Abbey Home Farm and co-author of Silvohorticulture: A Grower’s Guide to Integrating Trees into Crops. The session will cover the core elements of building this system, including site selection and preparation, system layout, and the different ways trees and vegetables can interact with each other. The workshop will cover tree selection, planting and establishment, as well as early years management and the long-term evolution of the system. 

Breaking Ground! New Research on Agroforestry and Soil Health with Rothamsted Research

Rothamsted Research is investigating the soils at Wakelyns to understand the effects of agroforestry on soil health. In this session, Andrew Neal will present the latest results from Wakelyns on the influence of tree alleys on soil structure and microbial biomass, the occurrence of stress markers in soil microbiomes, and greenhouse gas emissions from soils. There will be ample opportunity for discussion. 

Peas in Trees: Growing Pulses in Agroforestry Systems with Hodmedod’s

Join Josiah Meldrum, co-founder of Hodmedod’s, for a discussion of their experiments with Wakelyns, from fava bean bicrops, to winter peas and oats, through to lentils planted with additional annual species. While growing pulses between rows of woody perennials has particular challenges, there are also significant advantages. These include pest and disease control, risk management, and the influence of the within-alley microclimate. 

Understanding Agroforestry Grants with the Forestry Commission

Come along for a lunchtime talk where Kinna Mosley, Agroforestry Woodland Officer for the Forestry Commission, will introduce the agroforestry grants available to farmers looking to build trees into their farming systems. The session will cover what’s on offer, how to apply, and approaches to agroforestry design planning.  

Tree Fodder – The Forgotten Feed with Lindsay Whistance and Matt Smee

Used for over three millennia, tree fodder was once an essential part of livestock nutrition. This workshop will delve into the benefits, challenges, and practical considerations of adopting the ancient practice today. It will show how access to a diverse range of tree species allows livestock to express natural browsing behaviours, improving animal welfare. The session will explore how tree fodder can be cut and fed fresh, dried, or made into hay/silage, and how it can be targeted for use with specific animals. Whether you’re curious about small or large scale implementation, this session will provide essential practical insights and the latest research developments on the ancient feed.

Plus lots more: 

🐦 Early Morning Nature Walk 🐦 We’ll be rising bright and early on Thursday for a dawn chorus birdwatch with local ornithologist Harry Read. We’ll spend the morning on a gentle trail, exploring Wakelyns’ unique agroforestry areas and discussing identification techniques. Harry will highlight bird behaviour, shape, plumage, songs and calls to enhance the learning experience.

🧵 Community Cloth Making Evening 🧵Using the fibre produced in the workshop with Contemporary Hempery, along with some other natural materials, we’ll get together at the loom and create a community cloth. During this relaxed evening time around the fire pit Claire and Kitty will demonstrate how to make cordage from tow fibres.

🌾 Silva Kitchen and Bakery 🌾 We’ll be filling up on Silva’s nutritious lunches during the workshops and sharing abundant dinners together in the garden. There will also be breakfast pastries available from the bakery each morning!

🍕 Pizza Night 🍕Get down to Wakelyns on the Tuesday evening in time for our welcome pizza night with Silva. Try out cooking in the new Silva kitchen, learn how the farm’s produce goes into making delicious baked goods, and meet your fellow workshop participants over some delicious food. 

Meals, Parking and Accommodation

Lunches, tea and coffee are included on both days. The wonderful catering team at Wakelyns are offering a delicious evening meal at 7pm for £30 each evening; please book by Wednesday, 7th May to secure your place.

On-site parking is available, and we encourage delegates to liftshare using the spreadsheet included in the order confirmation email.

A limited amount of pod accommodation is available on-site at Wakelyns; please book early via our ticketing page to secure your place. On-site camping and campervan stays are also welcome; please book via our ticketing page by Wednesday, 7th May. There are a number of additional accommodation options nearby; the nearest B&B is The Duke William.

Subsidised tickets

Please note a limited number of subsidised tickets are available for students; young people (under 25); BPOC; part-time, low-waged, and/or unpaid workers; new entrant farmers; and anyone otherwise unable to attend.

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Deer are seen in a field of lentils growing at Wakelyns Farm, Suffolk. Photo Credit: David Bebber