
Supplementing Chicken Feed With Mast
Whether your chickens are free-range or confined to a run, you can reduce feed costs and add variety to your chickens’ diets with fruits and nuts from mast-producing trees. Though fruits, nuts, and other forms of mast are not an …

Alternative Crops From Mast-Producing Trees
For many farmers and landowners, Return On Investment (ROI) is a major concern when converting crop or pasture land to trees. Although government incentive programs can encourage conservation measures such as hedgerows and riparian buffer zones, these measures must …

The Best Mast-Producing Trees and Shrubs for Beekeepers
Honeybees are an introduced species in North America, so unlike some non-native mast-producing trees and shrubs, native mast-producing trees and shrubs do not rely on honeybees for pollination. However, the activity of honeybees and other pollinators can increase the …

Chestnut-Finished Pork
Chestnuts are one of several types of hard mast that have been used as food for pigs for centuries in parts of Europe. The tradition followed European settlers to North America.
The most famous chestnut-fed pigs are those raised around …

Acorn-Finished Pork: An Ancient Tradition
Acorn-finished pork is a centuries-old tradition that has been handed down from the Mediterranean region of Europe. Pigs are native to the hardwood forests of Eurasia and there is a growing movement in Europe and America to return to more …