Category: Events & Workshops

Integrating Irrigation Into Your Grazing System: Thursday August 4, 2016

Hescock Cows

Joe and Kathleen Hescock’s Elysian Fields has been certified organic since 1998, where they currently manage 225 milking cows on pasture. This workshop will look at how they have recently integrated a traveling gun irrigation system into their grazing program. We will discuss the impacts of installing pasture irrigation with opportunities to maximize dry matter yields, shorten recovery periods and increase the number of rotations.

When: Thursday August 4, 2016 at 12:30pm to 2:30pm
Where: Elysian Fields, 3658 Route 74W, Shoreham, VT
Cost: $10 for farmers, $20 all others
Register: At the NOFA VT Events Page

This workshop is part of the Summer Organic Dairy Series put on by the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont (NOFA-VT) and UVM Extension Northwest Crops and Soils Program and the Champlain Valley Crop, Soil and Pasture Program.

Aeration Tillage & Precision Ag Field Day: Tuesday August 2, 2016

Aeration Tillage

The Champlain Valley Crop, Soils, and Pasture Team will lead a hands-on discussion of benefits and challenges of aeration tillage on hay ground. We will examine:

  • Compaction relief
  • Manure incorporation
  • Potential drawbacks

Results from a 2-year SARE research project studying the aeration of permanent hay land will be presented and discussed. Additionally, GPS guidance assist will be discussed as a way to make aeration tillage more efficient.

When: Tuesday August 2, 2016 at 10am – 12pm
Where: Doug Gould Farm – 2072 Nortontown Rd., Addison VT
RSVP: Rico Balzano-(802)-388-4969 ext 338 or or rico.balzano@uvm.edu
Download the Flyer

Special thanks to Doug Gould.

University of Vermont Extension and U.S. Department of Agriculture, cooperating, offer education and employment to everyone without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or familial status. To request a disability related accommodation to participate in this program, please contact Karen Gallott at (802) 388-4969 or 1-800-956-1125 (toll-free in Vt. only) by July 28, 2016.

In the News and Around the Town

Lately we’ve been busy bees (particularly Kirsten Workman!) and have found ourselves on Across the Fence as well as NPR.  Here are some links where you can see and hear more about what we are up to!

http://digital.vpr.net/post/farmers-embrace-cover-crops-improve-soil-reduce-runoff#stream/0

http://digital.vpr.net/post/no-till-tell-all#stream/0

 

 

 

 

Grazing School Coming To Pawlet

Cheryl Cesario has coordinated a ‘Grazing School’ event to be held Wednesday June 22nd, 2016.

Sarah Flack, a prominent grazing consultant in our area will lead a discussion at both Consider Bardwell and Wayward Goose Farms. There will be something for everyone and Sarah can tailor the conversation to the grazing level of the participants.

Topics covered will include:

  • Management Intensive Grazing (Intensive Discussion!)
  • Multi-Species Grazing
  • Small Scale Cheese Production Business Model
  • Animal Welfare Approved Certification

More Information Can Be Found Below:

CBF kidCBF Goat pasturegallery-cows2x

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

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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:

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Gold Sponsors:

Caring Dairy

Champlain Valley Equipment

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Silver Sponsors:

CVFC_color_round_cropped matts trucking

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Bronze Sponsors:

mview_new logoJBI Heli_logo

Scott Magnan’s Custom Service

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Thank You to Our Other Supporting Organizations:

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                                   Conservation Innovation Grant

USDA NIFA LogoUSDA NRCS

SARE_Northeast_CMYK

VAAFM

UVM EXT

3rd Annual No-Till and Cover Crop Symposium

NTCC2016Join Us For This Great Event Full of Useful Information For Your Farm!

February 17th at the Sheraton Hotel and Conference Center, Burlington, VT

Registration is now open for this event. We have a day filled with guest speakers and professionals from around the state, country and also Quebec. Speakers will be addressing soil health, herbicides, cover crop research and demonstration trials, no-till successes and challenges, economics and soil conservation.

All the information about this event can be found on our 2016 Symposium Page.

You can register online here.

To view the pdf brochure of the event: NTCC Brochure 2016

We are still accepting sponsors! 2016 Sponsor and Exhibitor Form

Questions? Feel free to contact us! [802-388-4969, cvcrops@uvm.edu]

December 2015 Pasture Workshop

Irrigation and Tile Drainage: Tools For Pasture Productivity

When: Friday, December 4, 2015  10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Where: Bridport Community Hall, 52 Middle Rd, Bridport, VT

Cost: $20

More Information –> download our pdf: Irrigation and Tile with Pasture Flyer

Register Online By December 1st ——> www.regonline.com/irrigationonpasture

It often seems we either have too much water or not enough. We will be discussing how water management fits into pasture productivity. Irrigation specialist Jim Peeler of Charles W. Harris Irrigation will start the day with a session on design and implementation considerations, while farmers Tyler Webb and Earl Fournier will talk about how it has worked on their farms. Eric Young from the Miner Institute in Chazy, NY will update us on research in tile drainage systems for optimizing nutrient retention. This workshop will specifically be focused on how these topics apply to pastures, but we are also happy to have other farmers interested in these concepts attend.

Registration Questions? Contact Karen Gallott [802-388-4969 x 330, karen.gallott@uvm.edu]

Questions about the Topic? Contact Cheryl Cesario [802-388-4969 x 346, cheryl.cesario@uvm.edu]

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Fall Soil Health Workshop And Field Day

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 Join Us as we discuss soil health, cover crops, no-till and more, share information from our research and demonstration trials, hear from farmers about their successes in Addison County, and welcome guest speaker Ray Archuleta.

 

 

 

Ray Archuleta is a Conservation Agronomist at the NRCS East National Technology Center, in Greensboro, North Carolina. Ray teaches soil health and the principles of agroecology throughout

the country.  He has 25 years of experience with the Natural Resources Conservation Service in many different states, has also served in the Peace Corps, and holds a B.S. in Agricultural Biology.

When: October 28th, 2015. 10:00 am to 3:00 pm

Where: Middlebury, VT. Begins at the American Legion; after lunch we will visit Foster Brother’s Farm.

Cost: Farmers attend and eat for FREE, but ONLY with registration. Others, $20, which includes a hot lunch.

— REGISTRATION WEBSITE  —     

www.regonline.com/soilhealthworkshop

For More Information:

Oct 28 Soil Health Field Day Flyer

Questions? Contact Karen Gallott at karen.gallot@uvm.edu or 802-388-4969 ext 330

To request a disability-related accommodation to participate in this program, contact UVM Extension by 10/07/15 at 802-388-4969 or toll-free in Vermont at 1-800-956-1125 so we may assist you.

 

Spring 2015, Soil Health Field Day

Soil Health Field Day Flyer_Hoorman 2015The snow is melting, the sap is flowing (hopefully), and the crew at CV Crops is dreaming of spring!

Join us for our Spring 2015 Soil Health Field Day

April 21st, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm.

We will be hosting Jim Hoorman, from Ohio State University Extension (PhD candidate and farmer), to discuss:SoilHealth

  • The Biology of Soil Compaction
  • Using Cover Crops to Keep Phosphorus Out of Surface Water
  • Economics of Cover Crops & Weed Suppression

    Soil Health Field Day Flyer_Hoorman 2015_Page_1

 (click on the picture above to view the pdf)

We will meet at the American Legion, have a hot lunch, and then head out to the field to visit Vander Wey’s Nea-Tocht Farm. If you are a farmer, you can attend this field day FOR FREE, due to the generous contributions of Caring Dairy and the Champlain Valley Farmer Coalition.

Service professions are welcome to attend, there will be a $30 fee. Five CCA credits available from this event.

Either way, we request that you register.

You may do so by either calling us at (802) 388-4969, or by registering online: https://www.regonline.com/soilhealth

 

Recent Planter Clinic

 

Jeff Sanders Speaking About No-Till Corn Planter Maintenance.
Jeff Sanders Speaking About No-Till Corn Planter Maintenance.

Last week we held a corn planter clinic, with a focus on no-till equipment maintenance. Rico Balzano organized the event and Jeff Sanders (NW Soils and Crops Team) spoke to a crowd that included about 30 (+) farmers, and other agriculture professionals. It was a very successful event, with constructive discussion. The clinic benefited both those considering no-till and those doing regular maintenance or upgrades on their equipment.

Jeff Sanders highlighted many different parts of the no-till corn planter that should be looked at and maintained for optimum performance. He highlighted the importance in no-till for successful opening and closing of the seed slot, and that maintenance should be focused on those pieces. He discussed different options to achieve that objective, and what people have had the most success with in VT. Jeff also talked about the importance of a level planter, of proper depth, and of seed placement in the seed slot. Proper maintenance of the planter will prevent doubles and skips, and ensure the slot is V-shaped and not W-shaped. He recommends getting off the tractor and looking at what the planter is doing and ensuring that it is planting properly. Jeff also emphasized that weather conditions and soil moisture will affect how successful no-till planting is, and particularly that fields that are saturated may not seed well.

Missed the Clinic? Do not despair.

Check out the checklist fact-sheet which can be downloaded:

Fact Sheet_No-Till Planter Checklist_2015.

We will hopefully be holding more events in the future! In the mean time, if you have any questions, feel free to contact us.

Rico Balzano can be reached at (802) 388-4969 ext 338

or rico.balzano@uvm.edu