Restoration Agriculture author Mark Shepard to speak in SLO

Central Coast Bioneers is teaming up with Cal Poly’s Center for Sustainability to bring popular permaculture author Mark Shepard to speak on restoration agriculture and farm-scale permaculture on Monday, November 2 from 7-9 pm at the SLO Grange Hall, 2880 Broad Street.

Shepard will share the story of New Forest Farm in Wisconsin and provide an introduction to restoration agriculture. He will address agroforestry, permaculture, keyline design, perennial cropping systems and water management for resilience in times of flood or drought. Shepard is the CEO of Forest Agriculture Enterprises LLC and founder of Restoration Agriculture Development Inc. and Restoration Agriculture International Inc. His New Forest Farm is a 106-acre perennial agricultural savanna considered by many to be one of the most ambitious sustainable agriculture projects in the United States.

New Forest Farm is a planned conversion of a typical row-crops grain farm into a commercial-scale, perennial agricultural ecosystem using oak savanna, successional brushland and eastern woodlands as the ecological models.

No reservation is required. $5 entrance fee. The SLO Permaculture Guild and the SLO Grange are co-sponsors.