Join us on our series of 2019 On-Farm Workshop for Commercial Vegetable and Berry Growers!
Attendance at these events is free for members of the Vermont Vegetable and Berry Growers Association. The cost is $10 per-person for non-members, payable on-site. Refreshments will be served. Membership in the VVBGA costs $55 per farm, per calendar year. The VVBGA works with University of Vermont Extension to deliver education and applied research for its growers.
A PDF of this schedule can be seen here.
Monday, June 10, 4-7 pm. Sam Mazza’s Farm – Facebook Event
Wednesday, July 10, 4-7 pm. Intervale Community Farm – Facebook Event
Wednesday, July 17, 4-7 pm. Root5 Farm – Facebook Event
Thursday, August 1, 4-7 pm. Woods Market Garden – Facebook Event
Thursday, August 8, 4-7 pm. Sunshine Valley Berry Farm – Facebook Event
Tuesday, August 20, 4-7 pm. HeartLand Farms – Facebook Event
Wednesday, September 25, 3-6 pm. Mighty Food Farm – Facebook Event
Wednesday, October 16, 3-6 pm. Deep Meadow Farm – Facebook Event
Wednesday, November 6, 2-5 pm. Small Axe Farm – Facebook Event
Monday, June 10, 4-7pm . Sam Mazza’s Farm Market and Greenhouses 277 Lavigne Rd., Colchester, VT
Sam Mazza’s Farm has one of the largest vegetable and ornamental greenhouse operations in the state. Join farm managers Gary and Laurie Bombard and greenhouse manager Neil Comstock for a tour of multiple greenhouses growing tomatoes, bedding plants and other ornamentals.
Margaret Skinner and Cheryl Frank Sullivan of the VM Entomology Lab will be on hand to describe monitoring, use of biocontrols and other IPM strategies for greenhouse pest control.
Ann Hazelrigg will cover greenhouse diseases, Vern Grubinger will lead discussion of tunnel tomato production.
RSVP to the Facebook Event
Wednesday, July 10, 4-7 pm. Intervale Community Farm, 282 Intervale Rd., Burlington, VT
Andy Jones is the farm manager of this 25-acre, 600-member community owned CSA farm. He will be joined by Rachel Schattman and Joshua Faulkner of UVM Extension to discuss irrigation practices informed by soil moisture sensors.
Agricultural engineer Chris Callahan will be on hand for a tour of four large high tunnels and new wash/pack and storage facility.
Vern Grubinger and Becky Maden will lead a discussion
of soil health and nutrient management.
RSVP to the Facebook Event
Wednesday, July 17, 4-7 pm. Root5 Farm, 2340 US Route 5, North Fairlee, VT
Danielle Allen and Ben Dana grow over 100 varieties of vegetables, herbs, and flowers organic vegetables on 38 acres along the Connecticut River. They sell at farmers’ markets, CSAs, local restaurants and grocers.
Joining them will be UVM agronomist Laura Johnson, plus UVM Extension’s Becky Maden to discuss soil health, tarping systems for vegetables, and use of caterpillar tunnels and Hans Estrin and Andy Chamberlin will lead the conversation about pack shed design to improve efficiency, address produce safety needs, and accommodate on-farm processing of cabbage into Powerkraut.
RSVP to the Facebook Event
Thursday, August 1, 4-7 pm. Woods Market Garden. 93 Wood Lane, Brandon, VT
Jon Satz farms over 50 acres of diverse crops. He will be joined by Chris Callahan and Andy Chamberlin to demonstrate the use of a laser system for bird control in sweet corn, and Jon will discuss his sweet corn growing and marketing methods.
Vern Grubinger and Becky Maden will chime in on tunnel tomato production, and we will take a look at cover crops and tillage equipment used to maintain soil health.
RSVP to the Facebook Event
Thursday, August 8, 4-7 pm. Sunshine Valley Berry Farm, 129 Ranger Rd, Rochester, VT
Rob Meadows and Patricia Rydle invite you to a tour of their 6-acre PYO organic blueberry and raspberry farm. Come see—and possibly try out– their new Easy Harvester for blueberries. Rob will explain his laser and distress call systems for bird control, and we will see their farm store and cool room setup.
Extension small fruit specialists Laura McDermott from Cornell and Sonia Schloemann from UMass will be on hand to answer questions, along with Vern Grubinger.
The farm is open until 6 pm so please park so as not to compete with customers.
RSVP to the Facebook Event
Tuesday, August 20, 4-7 pm. HeartLand Farms, 74 Gibson Rd., Hartland VT.
Join Brian Stroffolino for a tour and discussion of permaculture and no-till techniques on his hillside farm that has 2 acres of veggies, 1.5 acres of fruit, nuts, and berries, and a couple of high tunnels for overwintering seed crops. He produces for farmers’ market and some local buyers, but is shifting to seed saving of vegetables, grains and herbs with sales through an online catalog Solstice Seeds that focuses on rare, diverse and resilient varieties.
UVM Extension’s Laura Johnson and Becky Maden will be present to discuss reduced till techniques and how to manage nutrients in this unique scenario.
RSVP to the Facebook Event
Wednesday, September 25, 3-6 pm. Mighty Food Farm, 280 Rod and Gun Club Rd., Shaftsbury, VT
Lisa MacDougall grows vegetables, berries and cover crops on 20 acres of hillside land and in five high tunnels for CSA and wholesale markets. She will host a tour of her new wash/pack facility with Chris
Callahan and Andy Chamberlin on hand to discuss design considerations.
Vern Grubinger and Becky Maden will assist with discussion of fall cover crops, nutrient management, erosion control, and high tunnel vegetable production.
RSVP to the Facebook Event
Wednesday, October 16, 3-6 pm. Deep Meadow Farm, 6377 US-5, Windsor, VT
Jon Cohen and family grow vegetables and berries on 50 acres of river bottom soils and in half a dozen tunnels, selling at a farm stand, farmers’ markets and wholesale.
Join him and the UVM Extension vegetable and berry team to tour his fields, wash/pack facilities in a refurbished barn, and tunnels transitioning to winter greens.
Jon will discuss how he ‘scaled up’ from a smaller farm, made investments in new equipment, and how he uses electronic record keeping systems.
RSVP to the Facebook Event
Wednesday, November 6, 2-5 pm. Small Axe Farm, 731 Whitehill Rd., Barnet, VT
Join Heide Choate and Evan Perkins for a tour of their off-the-grid, no-till, hillside vegetable farm, where they grow on small acreage for co-ops, a local grocery store chain, restaurants within 35 miles of the farm, plus a 30-person CSA.
Chris Callahan will provide insights about their renewable energy systems and recent barn/packshed construction project.
Vern Grubinger and Becky Maden will join in the discussion of soil health and nutrient management.
Hans Estrin will discuss produce safety considerations.
RSVP to the Facebook Event
Questions? Contact Vern Grubinger at 802-257-7967 x303. To request a disability-related accommodation to participate in this program, please contact Dana Rupert at dana.rupert@uvm.edu or
802-257-7967 three weeks prior to an event so we may assist you.