Our Mission: To conduct research, education, and outreach dedicated to enhancing our food systems with a focus on infrastructure, technology, and equipment that meet the needs of producers and processors.
Our Work Areas
Post Harvest
Handling of crops after harvest including washing, packing, curing, drying, storage, and produce safety.
View Post Harvest Resources
Protected Culture
Growing in areas protected from the environment such as high tunnels, greenhouses, and indoor growing.
View Protected Culture Resources
Sustainable Agriculture
Farm-based energy sources and practices supporting agriculture for today and tomorrow.
View Sustainable Agriculture Resources
Find a Resource
Tools and Information
Calculators & Tools
- Bean Counter – A Simple Counting App
- Crop Storage Planning Tool in Excel
- Heating and Cooling Load Calculator for Produce Coolers and Warm Rooms
- High Tunnel and Greenhouse Heating and Cooling Calculator
- Hops Moisture Calculator
- Pump and Pipe Pressure Excel Calculator
- PsychroCalc Excel Add-in
- Sanitizer Dose Calculator
- Wall Thermal Calculator
Events (Workshops, Webinar’s & Presentations)
Other Projects
Our team is Chris Callahan and Andy Chamberlin. Our common motivations are problem solving in agriculture, the community of people who grow and make food, the environment, dogs, and coffee.
The SCRUB Project is a multi-state team creating and sharing educational resources to improve produce safety and efficiency on your farm.
A behind the scenes podcast where we visit with farmers and learn what it takes to be a sustainable produce grower across people, profits and our planet.
Recent Posts
- A Guide to Preparing High Tunnels for Extreme Weather
Compiled from VVBGA farmer input by Becky Maden, Chris Callahan, Vern Grubinger, and Andy Chamberlin. Introduction High tunnels and greenhouses provide protection for crops, extend the growing season, and improve yield and quality. However, climate change brings both a higher frequency and increased intensity of extreme weather events. It is important to think about how …Continue reading “A Guide to Preparing High Tunnels for Extreme Weather”
- Shipping Container Delivers the Goods for Ascutney Harvest
Lauren Mucha and Oliver Owen own and operate Ascutney Harvest in Ascutney, Vermont. Their half-acre market garden consists mostly of mixed vegetables and herbs which require washing and packing before heading off to two different farmers markets and a few wholesale vendors. They are fairly new to this land, and needed to make a quick …Continue reading “Shipping Container Delivers the Goods for Ascutney Harvest”
- Planning Tames the Postharvest Beast at Wild Work Farm
Lissa Goldstein runs the farming operation at Wild Work Farm in Keene Valley, New York nestled in the Adirondack Mountains. Wild Work is a diversified vegetable farm with some blueberries and fruit trees. When Lissa heard we were building out examples of wash/pack areas she reached out to share details of her shipping container project, …Continue reading “Planning Tames the Postharvest Beast at Wild Work Farm”
- Reinventing the Wheel: Easing Movement and Adding Flexibility
Could wheels help you out in your pack shed? When do they make sense and when don’t they? Below are examples illustrating how growers are using wheels in different ways to ease the movement of product out of the field and around the wash/pack. Why Scale, Diversity, Markets and Bins Matter? At the heart of …Continue reading “Reinventing the Wheel: Easing Movement and Adding Flexibility”
- Farmer’s Favorites: The AZS Rinse Conveyor
Vegetable growers are seeking tools to improve flexibility and efficiency in the packshed. The AZS Rinse Conveyor is becoming a popular piece of equipment to meet the need to rinse off a variety of crops. Table of Contents OverviewCommon Uses Cost User Reviews Use as a Bin Washer Contact information This machine is designed and …Continue reading “Farmer’s Favorites: The AZS Rinse Conveyor”
- Farmer’s Favorite: Univerco Barrel Washer
Josh Carter is the manager of the market garden at Shelburne Farms. They grow three acres of certified organic fruit, vegetables and flowers while supporting an educational mission. They wanted to eliminate a bottleneck in their postharvest systems of hand washing roots with hoses and power washers, turning them around by hand or in crates. …Continue reading “Farmer’s Favorite: Univerco Barrel Washer”
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ageng@uvm.edu
(802) 447-7582 x256
310 Main St, PO Box 559
Bennington, VT 05201-0559
