Savanna Institute Exec Director visits Optimists

Keefe Keeley, Executive Director of the Spring Green-based Savanna Institute, spoke to the Sauk Prairie Optimist Club on October 19 at the Jaybird Cafe. The Vision of the Savanna Institute is “A multifunctional agriculture in the Midwest US based on agroforestry systems of integrated trees, crops, and livestock that fosters ecological resilience, climate stability, economic prosperity, and vibrant communities.” New ways of farming are especially important as the climate continues to change. Agroforestry integrates annual crops and livestock with trees. Alley-cropping--growing crops and livestock between rows of trees--not only provides shade and a wind buffer for the livestock, but the trees also remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The annual crops and livestock provide income while the trees grow to maturity. Hazelnuts and Chestnuts are two high-demand nuts that can grow in Wisconsin, but need research to develop varieties that are profitable, predictable, and in high demand. That is where the Savanna Institute comes in--it provides the advice and technical knowledge to assist farmers who want to adopt agroforestry methods. The Institute assists all along the way, from crop selection to supply chain to finding markets with a predictable return on investment. The Savanna Institute is ten years old and is funded by grants, the USDA, and private foundations interested in practical solutions to climate change. The Sauk Prairie Optimist Club meets on the first and third Wednesdays at 7a in the Jaybird Cafe. Visitors are welcome! Pictured, Savanna Institute Executive Director Keefe Keeley (left) and Optimist member Dick McFarlane at the October 19 Optimist meeting at the Jaybird Cafe and Spirits in Prairie du Sac.