Curl Up Next to Fire with our Newsletter – Fall/Winter 2020

This season we have combined the Fall and Winter Newsletter.

In This Issue

  • Focus on Agriculture, by Kirsten Workman
  • News, Events and Info You Should Know
  • Winter Planning for 2021 Farm Risk Management, by Jake Jacobs
  • Nitrogen, An Overlooked Macronutrient, by Kirsten Workman
  • Transition to Grazing: Farmers Thinking Outside the Box, by Cheryl Cesario
  • Giving Credit Where Credit is Due: Farmer’s Practices Make Gains Towards Meeting TMDL, by Kristin Williams

View the Full PDF Here!

See our highlighted article on Nitrogen management (which will become a series) as a blog post.

Important update on our No-Till, Cover Crop Symposium included in the newsletter:

We have made the difficult decision to forego our annual in-person No-Till and Cover Crop Symposium in order to comply with COVID safety precautions, and keep folks safe and healthy. But we have some other exciting options in the works. The 2021 event was intended to be a partnership between our conference and the Northeast Cover Crop Council’s Annual Conference. The NECC Annual Conference has moved online and will be held on March 4, 2021. Save the date and stay tuned for more details including an agenda which will be posted soon on the http://northeastcovercrops.com/ website. In addition the Champlain Valley Crop, Soil and Pasture and Northwest Crops and Soils Teams are working on bringing the NTCC Symposium ‘hyper-local” by potentially hosting smaller in-person meetings (with remote participation available) to build on the virtual NECCC meeting and fill the void of the NTCC Symposium. If there are topics you’re interested in hearing more about in your locale, reach out to Kirsten at kirsten.workman@uvm.edu and let her know.

Spring Newsletter is Here!

View the Newsletter Here (pdf link)

In This Issue:

  • Focus on Agriculture, by Jeff Carter
  • News, Events & Info You Should Know
  • Opportunities for Grazing Funding, by Cheryl Cesario
  • Grassland Manure Injection: By The Numbers, by Kirsten Workman
  • Two Bedrock Professors Retiring: Will Be Missed in Jeffords Hall and Beyond
  • End of Gypsum Project Leaves us with Important Lessons and Questions, by Kristin Williams
  • USDA Authorized Flexibilities Help Producers During the Coronavirus Pandemic, by Jake Jacobs
  • Notes on the Wild Side, by Jeff Carter

Newsletter Highlight From Grassland Manure Injection: By The Numbers (pg. 4)    With funding from VAAFM’s Clean Water Fund and the help of Ken and Debbie Hicks at Hicks Equipment, we purchased the right equipment from the Netherlands. With the expertise of Eric Severy of Matthew’s Trucking to operate it, we began demonstrating the utility of this system. Shallow slot grassland manure injection gets liquid dairy manure just two inches below the soil where it is protected from runoff during rain events while still well within the root zone where the plants will use it. Read More

Save the Date: 2021 No-Till Cover Crop Symposium March 4-5, 2021. More information coming soon.   We’re joining forces with the Northeast Cover Crop Council to bring you a full day and a half of information related to no-till and cover cropping. go.uvm.edu/ntccs    If you missed this year’s symposium you can also read presentation pdfs and the proceedings online.

Stay Cool and Read Our Newsletter – Summer 2019

In this Issue:

  • Focus on Agriculture: Summer Seeding Options & Other Management Adjustments, by Jeff Carter
  • News, Events & Info You Should Know
  • Save-the-Date 2020 No-Till and Cover Crop Symposium
  • USDA 2017 Census of Agriculture Results, by Kristin Williams
  • Focusing on Effectiveness with Grass-Fed Beef, by Cheryl Cesario
  • Vermont Farmers Are Conservation Leaders, by Nate Severy
  • Nutrient Mass Balance: Operating in the Green Zone?, by Rachel Orr 
  • Research Update: Gypsum Trails, by Kristin Williams

View our 2019 Summer Newsletter Here!

News, Events and Info You Should Know (2018 Winter Newsletter)

2018 Vermont Farm Show – January 30, 31 and February 1, 2018                       Your product entries for the Vermont Farm Show can be dropped off at a nearby Extension office or other location by 4:00 p.m. on Friday, January 26 or drop them off at the Champlain Valley Expo on Monday, January 29 between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. (judging starts at 4:00 p.m.). Give us a call to find out which offices are participating and what the rules are. Read more about the farm show at www.vtfarmshow.com. We hope to see you there!

Nutrient Management Planning (NMPs)
Winter is the time to create and update your plan. NMP classes begin in January. If you need an NMP but don’t have one, please contact your local conservation district to get the process started for next winter’s classes. NMP update sessions for those farmers who have already taken our class and finished an NMP with us will be held in February and March. Tentative dates in Middlebury are February 8 and 15, and March 8 and 14, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. An RSVP is requested – please call our office to confirm you are coming. Remember, an NMP has to be updated every year to be accurate and reflect Vermont RAPs regulations. If you need to find out whether your operation is required to have an NMP call us, 802-388-4969, or check out Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets (VAAFM) online at go.uvm.edu/raps.

8th Annual Organic Dairy Producers Conference
Thursday, March 15, 2018 at Vermont Technical College. More details to follow at go.uvm.edu/crop-soil-events.

Farm Business Clinics
The clinics will run from January through April 2018. This is an opportunity for farmers to meet privately, one-on-one, for 90 minutes with a UVM Extension Farm Business staff member. Meetings are conveniently scheduled at various locations across Vermont. Use the time to develop a balance sheet, update financial statements, review a business plan, consider changes to your business, and more. Registration is $25. For more information about this program contact 1-866-860-1382, or register online at go.uvm.edu/businessclinics2018. Ongoing Water Quality Business Planning is an additional in-depth program also offered by UVM Extension.

5th Annual No-Till and Cover Crop Symposium – March 1, 2018 DoubleTree by Hilton (formerly the Sheraton Burlington Hotel and Conference Center) in Burlington, Vt.

Registration Is Now Open
Learn the latest techniques! Discover how your neighbors are using this integrated system of cover crops and no (or less) tillage to create better soil health, increase profitability and meet water quality goals. Learn from other farmers, talk to your local ag dealers about equipment or seed, speak to NRCS about funding, listen to regional and national experts, and hear about research at UVM and in nearby states. This is the fifth year of this conference! If you haven’t come in a couple years, now is the time to come back and celebrate. Let’s keep the momentum going! For more information and to register go to go.uvm.edu/ntcc.

View Our Entire Newsletter HERE

 

Winter 2018 Newsletter

In this Issue:
 
Focusing on Agriculture in the Champlain Valley and Beyond 
By Jeff Carter. Changes for a new year. 
 
News, Events & Info You Should Know 
Vermont Farm Show; Nutrient Management Planning; 5th Annual No-Till and Cover Crop Symposium; Organic Dairy Producers Conference; Farm Business Clinics. News and Event Info also on our blog page here. 
 
Should I Have Crop Insurance?  
By Jake Jacobs. Deciding if and what coverage makes sense for your business; upcoming deadline. 
 
UVM Extension Provides Financial Analysis for Producers Doing Water Quality Projects  
By Tony Kitsos. Opportunities still exist for farmers to receive assistance from Farm Business Planning on water quality projects. 
 
Fall Pasture Walks Highlight Extended Grazing Season 
By Cheryl Cesario. Two different farm pasture walks this fall addressed how local farmers approach management for extended fall grazing. 
 
Why Do We Care About Water Quality? 
Champlain Valley Farmer Coalition. Why we care and how we engage other farmers and the community at-large in the conversation. Join to add your voice!  
Winter is the Time to Focus on Record Keeping 
By Kristin Williams. Good record keeping is key to effective decision making, both in the financial word and for nutrient management.
 
Ongoing Field Research and a Look Forward
By Nate Severy. A look at work we’ve been doing this past fall that continues into the new year, and planning for spring planting success.
 

2017 No-Till & Cover Crop Symposium

cover_graphicUVM Extension Annual No Till & Cover Crop Symposium

Join us on February 16, 2017 at the Sheraton Hotel & Conference Center in Burlington, Vermont

Time: 9:00 am to 4:30 pm

Cost: $80 or $40 for graduate students …lunch, snacks, coffee/beverages included

Register Online: go.uvm.edu/ntcc

Questions about registration can be directed to Karen Gallott [802-388-4969, karen.gallott@uvm.edu]

CCA and Pesticide Credits will be available

Coming Soon: Sponsor link, Brochure, and Graduate Student Poster Session.

The UVM Extension’s Champlain Valley Crop, Soil & Pasture Team & the Northwest Crops & Soils Program invite all farmers and technical advisers to attend this event dedicated to No-Till and Cover Crop systems for field crop growers in our area.  We are welcoming speakers from around the country and from Vermont – including Extension specialists, researchers, farmers and consultants.

Speakers confirmed so far:

  • Dr. John Tooker, Penn State University
  • Mark Anderson, Land View Farms, LLC
  • UVM Faculty & Staff
  • Farmer Panel

To book a room at the Sheraton at the special rate of $109 plus tax, contact the Sheraton at (800)325-3535. Request UVM Extension No Till & Crop Symposium Room Block.  Cutoff Date for special rate is February 3, 2017.

To request a disability related accommodation to participate in this program, please contact Karen Gallott at 802-388-4969 or toll free in  Vermont at 1-800-956-1125 by January 23, 2017 so we may assist you.

2016 No-Till and Cover Crop Symposium

Our 3rd Annual No-Till & Cover Crops Symposium:

Our symposium has come and gone but you can find information about it below, including proceedings, links and presentations.

See you next February! Thank you to all our speakers and participants for a great symposium!

Please respect primary authorship of presentations and research.

NTCC2016

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Check out our proceedings, full of useful information from our speakers.

–> NTCC Proceedings_2016

 Guest Speakers:

  • John Kemmeren, a NY dairymen with 40 years of no-till experience on his 200 head dairy farm. He will share successes and challenges of no-till and cover cropping.
  • Dr. Kevin Bradley, associate professor and extension weed scientist at the University of Missouri. He will share his perspectives on how cover crops, herbicides, and good weed control can work in a no-till system.

More information about Dr. Bradley’s research can be found at:  http://plantsci.missouri.edu/faculty/bradley.cfm  and   http://weedscience.missouri.edu/

  • Odette Menard, a soil conservation honoree and employee in Quebec’s Ministry of Agriculture will share her insight into helping farmers identify strategies to build soil health, increase yields, improve economics, and reduce erosion.

Other speakers and facilitators from UVM Extension:

As with previous years, we will also have a great panel discussion:
* Mark Anderson, Land View Farms * Kevin Kocsak, Salem Farm Supply *Larry Gervais, Gervais Family Farm * Brad Thomas, Jillian Holsteins *

The UVM Extension’s Champlain Valley Crop, Soil & Pasture Team & the Northwest Crops & Soils Program invited all farmers and technical advisers to attend this event dedicated to No-Till and Cover Cropping systems for field crop growers in our area.

NTCC2016B

Thank You to Our Sponsors!!!

Platinum Sponsor:

mansfield_LOGO_2000

____________________________________________

Gold Sponsors:

Caring Dairy

Champlain Valley Equipment

____________________________________________

Silver Sponsors:

CVFC_color_round_cropped matts trucking

YankeeHeaderLogo_trans-1

____________________________________________

Bronze Sponsors:

mview_new logoJBI Heli_logo

Scott Magnan’s Custom Service

____________________________________________

Thank You to Our Other Supporting Organizations:

usda rma underneath

                                   Conservation Innovation Grant

USDA NIFA LogoUSDA NRCS

SARE_Northeast_CMYK

VAAFM

UVM EXT

2015 No-Till and Cover Crop Symposium

Thursday, February 19, 2015

brochure thumbnail

Sheraton Hotel & Conference Center   |   Burlington, VT

Miss the Symposium? You can still learn about the information presented:

2015 NTCC Proceedings

THE CONFERENCE BROCHURE

Check out this awesome Across the Fence Video, that was shot at the symposium, and in the studio with Kirsten Workman and Jeff Sanders.

To view PDFs of the individual presentations, click on the links below.

Speakers Included:

  • John Koepke and his family own and operate a 350 cow dairy farm in SE Wisconsin. They are 2011 Leopold Conservation Award Winners and 2011 Dairy Men of the Year and have been no-tillers for more than 25 years: John Koepke’s Presentation
  • Gerard Troisi is crop advisor/production consultant since 1991, consulting on 24,000 acres in central PA.  He works with operators who no-till or are transitioning, and is skilled at increasing production on marginal soils while reducing input costs and adjusting production practices: Gerard Troisi’s Presentation
  • Lucas Criswell and his father farm in the hills of the Chesapeake Bay watershed in central Pennsylvania. They have been no tilling for over 30 years and now utilize high residue cover crops: Lucas Criswell’s Presentation
  • Pierre-Olivier Gaucher is the owner of Terralis & convened a consortium of Canadian farmers who are changing their cropping techniques to improve soil health.  They developed a crop rotation to include cover crops, winter cereals and interseeding in corn: Pierre-Olivier Gaucher’s Presentation, Pierre-OLivier Gaucher’s Video
  • Heather Darby, UVM Extension Agronomist: Heather Darby’s Presentation
  • Kirsten Workman, UVM Extension: Kirsten Workman’s Presentation
  • VERMONT FARMER PANELISTS:
    • Richard Hall, Fairmont Farms (E. Montpelier): Richard Hall’s Presentation
    • Ron & Chad Machia,  Machia & Sons (Sheldon)
    • Shawn Gingue, Gingue Bros. Dairy (Fairfax)
    • Scott Magnan, Custom Service (St. Albans)
    • Gerard Vorsteveld, Vorsteveld Farm (Panton)
 (Please respect the pdfs as original content).

 Thank you to our 2015 Sponsors:

mansfield_LOGO_2000

CVE LogoCaring Dairymatts truckingCVFC_color_round_croppedusda rma underneathVAAFM

   mview_new logoYankeeHeaderLogo_trans-1

NT_FarmerMonument FarmsJBI Heli_logo

 SARE_Northeast_CMYKACSdairy one

champlain.crops@uvm.edu | (802) 388-4969

2014 No-Till and Cover Crop Symposium

First Ever UVM Extension

No-Till & Cover Crop

Symposium

February 19 & 20, 2014

Sheraton Hotel & Conference Center   |   Burlington, VT

Click HERE for the complete conference brochure and agenda!

Did you miss the symposium…here is some of the information that was presented during the two-day conference.

The UVM Extension Champlain Valley Crop, Soil & Pasture Team and the Northwest Crops & Soils Program were joined by farmers and technical advisers at the first conference in New England dedicated to No-Till and Cover Cropping systems for field crop growers in our area.  We welcomed speakers from around the country and from Vermont – including Extension specialists and researchers, farmers and consultants.

Conference Proceedings

Click the picture below for the PDF version of the conference proceedings.

NTCC Proceedings_Cover ThumbnailVideos:

Frank Gibbs NRCS Resource Soil Scientist sharing from a root pit

The ‘smoke test’ results from Frank Gibbs’ experiment on continuous no-till soils.

Aerial Seeding Cover Crops into Corn (Richmond, VT) – 2013

Loading Cover Crop Seed into the Helicopter – 2013

Earth Worms Working in the  Field (filmed  by Jean-Marie Harvey, Soil Conservationist, Quebec Ministry of Agriculture)

Presentations:

DAY ONE (Feb. 19)

Reduced Tillage Success – presented by Rico Balzano

No-Till Considerations – presented by Jeff Sanders

No-till and Cover Crops on a Pennsylvania Dairy Farm – presented by Jim Harbach and Gerard Troisi

Keeping Your Phosphorus Where it Belongs in No-Till Fields – presented by Frank Gibbs

Precision Agriculture for Conservation Tillage Success – presented by Guy Palardy

DAY TWO (Feb. 20)

Cover Crops No-Till and Diversity – presented by Jeff Carter

Earthworms – The Key to Quality No Till Soils_- presented by Frank Gibbs

Cover Crop Mixes After Corn Silage – presented by Sjoerd Duiker

Cover Crops at North Island Dairy – presented  by Andre Quintin

Cover Crops for No-Till Systems on a Pennsylvania Dairy Farm – presented by Jim Harbach

Double Cropping with Cover Crops – Winter Rye Forage at Deer Valley Farm

Aerial Seeding Cover Crops in Vermont – presented by Kirsten Workman

 THANK YOU TO OUR 2014 SPONSORS

mansfield_LOGO_2000CVE LogoACS

MountainViewLD05aR04cP01ZL-Madison4c_mdmusda rma underneath

lakechamplainbasinprogramVAAFM

UVM EXT

 Monument FarmsCaring DairyNT_Farmer

2014 Sponsor and Exhibitor Form

Click HERE for the complete conference brochure and agenda!