UVM Blogs

I recently co-authored a summary of the economics of on-farm biodiesel with Netaka White from the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund.  This report collects the economic and logistic learning from the past seven years […]

1944 US Office of Education video on refrigeration principles.  Excellent.  As relevant today as it was then.

Had a great time talking about all the ways we can get sick from produce related pathogens yesterday.  The good news is that the bulk of the workshop was focused on ways to mitigate the risks.

The Practical […]

Demand for on-farm cold storage of produce and other Vermont agricultural products is increasing as local markets for these good expands.  I receive many inquiries regarding CoolBotsTM, an adaptation of a […]

Although estimates vary, we invest about 14 calories of fossil fuel-based energy and 15-20 calories of energy in general into every 1 calorie of food produced.  And (here’s the kicker) 30-50% of the food produced […]

As I’ve mentioned in several other posts, I think the continual monitoring of conditions in greenhouses and food storage spaces is incredibly important for quality and safety and insightful for any operation. […]

This is a great video overview from Cornell Cooperative Extension Small Farms Project with helpful guidance on wash and pack station layout. More on the Cornell Small Farm Project can be found here.  This video […]

The Vermont Bioenergy Initiative, a project of the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund recently released a series of videos summarizing their bioenergy related projects through-out Vermont. Visit the YouTube channel for […]

I had the pleasure of joining the Vermont Vegetable and Berry Grower’s Association yesterday for their annual meeting.  This event is packed with presentations ranging from the latest pests to farmer outreach in […]

As an engineer, I love data.  It turns out farmers do also.  At least, Pete Johnson and Isaac Jacobs at Pete’s Greens in Craftsbury, VT do. “Is it working yet?” Isaac asks as I put the finishing touches on the […]

This guide from the UC Davis Postharvest Center is jam packed with information relevant to VT’s small-scale growers seeking improved post-harvest handling and processing. I think it is a nice companion to the <a href="http://blog.uvm.edu/cwcallah/2012/11/14/usda-handbook-66-fruit-berry-and-vegetable-storage-guide/&quot; […]

Visit VPR’s site to listen to archived episodes.

“VPR looks at the economic impact of food production in Vermont in the special series The Business of Food.

All this week during Morning Edition, we’re […]

Thanks to all of those who took the time to respond to the food storage survey several weeks back.  The information you provided has been really helpful.  A clear desire for additional programming in this area was […]

Are you considering any equipment upgrades in the near future.  Check Efficiency Vermont’s webpage to research available technologies and to see if any of their many incentives apply to you. […]

The USDA regularly produces its Agricultural Handbook 66 – “The Commercial Storage of Fruits, Vegetables, and Florist and Nursery Stocks” to help guide long term storage of these products. The handbook is dense […]

I’m collecting information on Vermont’s commercial food storage practices.  This is most commonly a walk-in cooler or freezer on the farm or at a food hub, but there is room in the survey to tell me all about the […]

I really like the Ag Census and USDA-NASS. Fellow data geeks.

Thanks to Eric Garza (UVM RSENR) for putting me onto this dense and fascinating report that summarizes the energy use in our food system. I was surprised to learn the per capita energy use in our food system […]

Stealing liberally from last week’s Vermont Farm to Plate Network Gathering, Anil Gupta, and all of those who have influenced him. More at the TED Talks page.

As you may already know, UVM Extension has initiated an Agricultural Engineering program and I have been selected to lead it.  My charge is to conduct research, technology development and transfer, applied […]