Beyond the Field: Ironbound Hard Cider Project

contour alley Cropping at IronBound

Beyond the field: Ironbound Hard Cider Project

Water management, alley cropping, and silvopasture on a diversified New Jersey farm

* Our “Beyond the Field” Series highlights select projects Fields Without Fences is working on to further regenerative agriculture, agroforestry, agroecology, environmental renewal, and permaculture within our state, region, and beyond.*

A couple of years ago, we were approached by Ironbound Hard Cider to help develop their new cider orchards within a regenerative design context. This summer we broke ground on installing a swale system on their sloped field to help mitigate erosion and run-off, while retaining water in the landscape and increasing soil hydration for tree roots. Their new orchard layout follows the contours of the landscape, creating a continuity between agricultural production, and the underlying geographic formations of natural landforms.

Over successive seasons, Johann Rinkens of Fields Without Fences, has been working in collaboration with the farmers and stewards at Ironbound on farm wide site design to create a cohesive farm design that integrates water features, perennial orchard productions, annual vegetable production, silvopasture, and habitat restoration.

Clean, plentiful water depends on healthy surrounding natural areas, like forests. Forty percent of the world's usable water is stored and filtered through forests. From the tree canopy all the way down to root systems, every part of a forest plays a critical role in cleaning and protecting our water supply.