Air Pruned Raised Beds for Tree Seedling Production – Allegany County

Cornell Cooperative Extension Allegany County in conjunction with the Cornell Small Farms Program will be offering a hands-on workshop on Air Pruned Raised Beds (APRBs). The workshop, hosted at Wild Geese Farm in Rushford, NY on Friday, May 8, 2026, from 10:00 AM until Noon, will be held rain or shine.

APRBs offer an innovative, scalable approach to tree seedling propagation. By naturally pruning roots through air exposure, this system produces seedlings with stronger root architecture, higher transplant success, and the ability to grow large volumes of bare-root stock in a small footprint—no land ownership required. APRBs are adaptable to both urban and rural contexts and support high-density seedling production for a wide range of species.

Participants will learn how to construct an APRB and explore key topics including bed management, growing media, pest management, species selection, seed collection, preservation, germination, and potential markets. Requirements for selling nursery stock in NYS will also be addressed. This workshop is ideal for producers seeking to diversify into a new, efficient tree seedling production system.

The session will be led by Connor Youngerman, Agroforestry lead with the Cornell Small Farms Program. There is no charge for the workshop, however pre-registration is required, as participation is capped at 25.

To register online: https://reg.cce.cornell.edu/Air_Pruned_Raised_Beds_202

If you have any questions about the workshop, please contact Lynn Bliven at 585-268-7644 ext. 18.