Champaign County: Woody Perennial Polyculture Fall Field Day

Join us in the field for a fun and informative afternoon. This is a great opportunity to meet, greet and engage with the growing midwest restoration agriculture community. Whether you are a farmer, teacher, student or just plain curious, we want to share stories, answer questions and hear your thoughts. Connect with and learn more about our research our people and our partners. We will be conducting site tours, holding a Q&A and offering complimentary drinks and snacks.

For more information and to RSVP, visit wppresearch.org or contact (708) 476-9929

The Woody Perennial Polyculture (WPP) Research site at the University of Illinois is a mulit-faceted study of a restorative agriculture system. Restoration Agriculture is the intentional restoration of healthy, functional ecosystems as the context for economically viable farm operations. Perennial crops, livestock, fungus, and pollinators are integrated to produce abundant food, fiber, and fuel and simultaneously restore critical ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration, water purification and infiltration, nutrient cycling, and biodiversity. The system at WPP is modeled on the native Midwestern oak savanna.

The midwestern oak savanna was the dominant pre-plow ecosystem of the Midwestern United States. Existing as a dynamic patchwork between prairie to the west and forest to the east, the Midwestern oak savanna is characterized by scattered canopy trees, an understory sparse with shrubs, and a ground layer rich in grasses and forbs. Regular disturbance via fire and large grazing animals keep the savanna ecosystem halted mid-succession in its diverse and productive multi-layer nature.

The research site is located at Lincoln Road and Windsor Avenue, Urbana, Illinois  61801.  (continue on the gravel portion of Lincoln Road south of Windsor Avenue.  First gate on the left.  Parking is available.)