You all know the old saying. You can have something done well, done quickly, or done on the cheap. You can have two, but never three.
While this may not hold up everywhere, it certainly does in the world of agroforestry, and offers a useful decision-making framework for deciding how to move forward with a project.
I highly recommend that you prioritize doing a silvopasture well. Those trees will be there for a while, and you want the project done right to begin with. A poorly-done project is simply not worth it. While nobody consciously chooses a poorly-done project, everyone wants to save money and make projects go quicker. But if you cut the wrong corners, don’t know what you’re doing, or have poor weather, you end up shooting yourself in the foot.
So your primary choice is between good and cheap (but slow), or good and fast (but expensive). Unless you are sitting on a pile of money, I highly recommend good and cheap, knowing that it will take a while. We are working with trees after all. Another year or two of waiting might feel long now, but matters very little in the long run. Especially in these early days of silvopasture, when waiting will mean you have access to better tree stock, better genetics, likely more cost-share, and more experienced services, being patient truly is the best way forward. So start small, and start now. Get the ball rolling, get your hands-on experience with just a few trees (done well), then plan and build from there.
Slow and steady wins the race.
