Dairy Sustainability: Climate, Soil, & Water

April 10th, 2024, 8:30am-3:30pm

American Legion Post 27, 49 Wilson Rd, Middlebury, VT

This Dairy Sustainability Workshop is brought to you by UVM Extension, Cornell Pro Dairy, and the Champlain Valley Farmer Coalition. Workshop highlights include: dairy and climate resilience, whole farm environmental assessments, managing enteric methane emissions, manure storage and treatment options, and managing for greater sustainability and resiliency in our dairy cropping systems.

Addison County Fair and Field Days Crop Entry Info

The Fair is scheduled for Tuesday, August 10 through Saturday, August 14. For schedule, exhibits and forms visit https://www.addisoncountyfielddays.com. We need your crop submissions to make our display spectacular! Submit your crops at the north end of the 4-H Exhibit Building on Monday, August 9, between 8:00 a.m. and noon. Judging begins at 1 p.m. Contact Karen Gallott if you have any questions about entries – 802-388-4969, karen.gallott@uvm.edu

On the Wild Side: Planting Food Plots

This post is from our Summer 2021 Newsletter by Jeff Carter.

I have had great success utilizing summer seedings in early August to grow high quality food plots for fall. The same system used in farm fields for seeding pastures and hay fields works for clover, chicory, peas, radishes and Brassicas for wildlife food plots. Remember that warm soil and fewer weeds means the new crop can grow very fast compared to an early spring seeding. However, water is needed for good germination, so wait until the hot dry days of July have passed. The seeding rates (below) are in pounds per acre (43,560 sq. ft.) so adjust according to your food plot size. Make sure to take a soil test before any crop planting, and remember to feed your crops lime and fertilizer if you want to feed the wildlife. Find wildlife food plot recommendations at https://go.uvm.edu/ag-testing.

I like to plant these mixes in separate plots, or side-by-side, right at the end of July or the first week in August:
• Cool season perennial: 8 pounds clover mix plus 4 pounds chicory per acre. Add 30 pounds of oats as a nurse crop (and to keep the bears busy) while the clover gets good roots established.
• Cool season annual: 6 pounds Brassica mix, plus 2 pounds radish per acre. Overseed 100 pounds of oat/wheat/rye mix 30 days later for a tasty treat in late fall that provides for winter feed and spring green-up.Toward the end of August, try this mix:
• Cool season Annual: 50 pounds oats plus 50 pounds winter peas. Add 100 pounds of wheat or rye in early September for that extra boost of feed. Reach out to Jeff if you have questions on food plots at jeff.carter@uvm.edu or 802-388-4969 ext. 332

Carbon in the Soil – How Much to Add, How to Measure?

This article is based on two accompanying articles by Jeff Carter and Kristin Williams in our Summer 2021 Newsletter. Read the full articles on page 6 and additional info from Kirsten Workman on page 1.

Adding carbon to agricultural soils is being tossed about as the preferred currency for extra payments to support farms, improve soil health for better crops, hold precious rainwater, and reduce those pesky CO2 greenhouse gases (GHG) in the atmosphere which are hurting our planet. This leaves farmers and service providers asking, “how much carbon should we be trying to add to our soils?” The short answer is, “as much as you can.”

Right now, the Vermont Climate Council, the Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) workgroup, and the Addison County Climate and Economy Action Committee (CEAC) are all discussing the values of increasing carbon in farm fields, for short-term income, long-term soil base preservation, and GHG mitigation. Easy to talk about, but much harder to accomplish if you are a farmer.

The University of Vermont is in the process of soil health testing, including measuring carbon for multiple projects. This include a Conservation Effects Assesment Project (CEAP) lead by Joshua Faulkner with support from our team, which is a long term water quality project in Addison County. Allison White is conducting a ‘State of Soil Health’ survey of farms across Vermont. Joshua is also leading another initiative looking at soil health and climate.

Read the full articles in our Summer 2021 Newsletter.

Check out these sites for the status of these projects in Vermont:
https://aoa.vermont.gov/content/vermont-climate-council
https://agriculture.vermont.gov/pes
https://ceacac.org/climate-action-planning

Opportunity for Farmers to Develop Grazing Plans

This fall, through Northeast SARE funding, we will again offer a grazing management course for farmers to learn about the benefits and challenges of grazing from both economic and environmental perspectives. Participating farmers will develop a plan specific to their own operation that considers their personalized farm goals.

The class will meet once per week over the course of a month and each farmer will receive a copy of Sarah Flack’s book “The Art and Science of Grazing” as both the course textbook and helpful future reference. Outside of class, one-on-one farm visits will provide additional support as new practices and strategies are implemented on the ground.

Read more about the course on page 3 of our Summer 2021 Newsletter. You can also contact Cheryl Cesario at 802-388-4969 ext. 346 or email cheryl.cesario@uvm.edu.

Our Summer 2021 Newsletter is Here

In This Issue:

  • Focus on Agriculture
  • News, Events and Info You Should Know
  • Opportunity For Farmers to Develop Grazing Plans
  • Managing Nitrogen in Hay and Pasture Crops
  • How Much Carbon Should You Add to Your Soil? and Soil Health Testing Coming to a Field Near You
  • On the Wild Side
  • Addison County Fair and Field Days Crop Entry Info

Read the full Summer 2021 Newsletter as a pdf.