Is there hope for honey locust?

A prickly tree with a sweet secret could help reshape the future of farming.

Honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos) has long provided food for people and livestock. Yet despite its sugar-rich pods, welcome shade and potential role in sustainable farming, the tree remains overlooked by modern agriculture. Eric Toensmeier’s “Guide to Honey Locust: A Perennial Staple Crop for People and Livestock,” updated in June 2026 and supported by SARE, argues that it’s time to give this native tree another look.

There’s a growing interest in agroforestry, which combines trees with crops or livestock to make productive use of farmland. Honey locust could fit that model, supplying seasonal feed while offering farmers a potential new food crop.

But this is no forgotten wonder crop waiting to transform agriculture overnight. Its promise comes with prickly problems, from dangerous thorns and inconsistent yields to limited markets and unanswered questions about cultivation and processing.

The most immediate opportunity may lie in livestock farming. Honey locust pods are palatable to cattle, sheep, goats and hogs, with some poultry also reported to enjoy them. The pods typically fall in late autumn and winter, when pasture growth slows and farmers need alternative feed.

That seasonal supply could prove useful. The pods contain sugars and starches that provide energy while their seeds contain protein. Livestock can eat them directly from the ground or consume harvested pods ground for easier feeding.

The trees also provide shade without necessarily competing heavily with pasture beneath their canopies. Their leaves are nutritious for ruminants, although honey locust does not regrow quickly enough to make repeated leaf harvesting practical. Research cited in the guide has also identified potential for the pods to reduce methane emissions from ruminant digestion (although further evidence is needed to establish this value in feeding systems).

For farmers, the attraction is getting several benefits from one planting. Trees can provide shade and feed while becoming part of a longer-term farm system rather than an annual crop that must be replanted.

Toensmeier outlined several production approaches, including fodder orchards, silvopasture and managed natural regeneration. Silvopasture combines trees and grazing animals on the same land, while fodder orchards grow trees specifically to produce feed for collection or direct consumption.

The right approach depends on local conditions, tree characteristics and the farmer’s goals. Honey locust is not suitable for every pasture, and the guide stresses that better field-tested systems and clearer management advice are needed.

The more surprising possibility is that honey locust could become a food crop for people too.

Its sweet, fleshy pods have a history of human use, including among Indigenous communities and rural families. Children, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, ate the pods well into the early 20th century. That tradition has faded, leaving the tree better known for its spines or ornamental value than its edible harvest.

The pods offer culinary possibilities, drawing inspiration from carob and mesquite, two other pod-producing trees with established food traditions. Depending on the variety and processing method, honey locust could provide ingredients for flour, sweeteners and other products.

Toensmeier suggested that using the pods directly for human food could produce substantially more food per acre than feeding them to livestock. But turning a promising ingredient into a popular pantry staple will require reliable supplies, appealing products and consumers willing to embrace unfamiliar food.

Taste is another hurdle. Honey locust trees vary considerably, and not all pods are suitable for eating. Some are sweet and fleshy; others are thin, papery or unpleasantly astringent. The guide distinguishes between so-called “fatback” types, which produce plump, sugary pods, and “razorback” types, whose thinner pods contain less edible pulp.

That distinction matters for commercial growers. Livestock may happily consume pods that people would reject, meaning varieties selected for animal feed are not necessarily the best candidates for human food.

Breeding and selection therefore sit at the heart of honey locust’s future. The guide documents efforts to identify trees with sweeter pods, improved yields and greater cold tolerance. As of 2026, it lists 24 commercially available fruiting cultivars, giving growers more options for productive plantings.

But more cultivars do not mean every practical problem has been solved. Growers still need dependable information about pollination, planting distances, bearing age, harvest timing and storage. Trees differ in productivity and hardiness, while some bear heavily only in alternate years.

Then there are the thorns. Honey locust can develop formidable, branching spines that complicate pruning, harvesting and livestock management. Thornless varieties offer one solution, but a lack of spines does not guarantee sweet pods or reliable production.

The tree’s tendency to spread also demands care. Although native to North America, honey locust can become invasive beyond its native range. Livestock that eat the pods may help disperse seeds, creating problems where the species is unwanted. Farmers must weigh these risks before planting.

Commercial development presents another challenge. Honey locust has few established markets beyond on-farm livestock feed. Without consistent yields, efficient harvesting equipment, suitable processing facilities and willing buyers, the economics of planting orchards remain uncertain.

The tree’s history offers both encouragement and caution. Earlier generations of researchers and breeders recognized its potential, particularly during the 20th century, but practical questions remain unresolved. Toensmeier argues that progress will require sustained research, careful cultivar selection and collaboration among growers, nurseries and agricultural researchers.

The guide identifies organizations, nurseries and researchers working to preserve useful genetic material, test promising varieties and improve production systems. Their efforts could turn scattered expertise into a stronger foundation for commercial cultivation.

For now, honey locust is best understood as a promising crop rather than a proven agricultural solution. Its strongest near-term role may be on farms where livestock can use fallen pods and trees provide multiple benefits. Human food production could follow as varieties, processing methods and markets improve.

The broader message is that useful crops do not always arrive as new inventions. Sometimes they have been growing in plain sight for centuries, waiting for farmers and researchers to recognize their value.

A tree capable of supplying food, feed and shade deserves more than a passing glance. Even with its prickly drawbacks, it has promising pods, and honey locust could yet claim a bigger place in perennial agriculture.

by Enrico Villamaino