Information for Commercial Tree Fruit and Grape Growers in Vermont and Beyond UVM Fruit Blog

I am sharing this update from the state Natural Resources Conservation Service office that Vern Grubinfger recently posted to his Vegetable and Berry Newsletter. -TB

NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION SERVICE UPDATE
Travis L. Thomason, State Conservationist, NRCS-Vermont

In alignment with White House directives, Secretary Rollins will honor contracts that were already made directly to farmers. Specifically, USDA is releasing funds for contracts under the Environmental Quality Incentive Program, the Conservation Stewardship Program, and the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program.

Producers who have existing conservation contracts (general or IRA, CSP or EQIP) should continue moving forward with implementation as originally planned. We have approval to work on and make payments on ALL existing producer’s contracts (EQIP, CSP, ACEP, RCPP [both general and IRA]).

Currently, there are no plans to close any Vermont NRCS offices. Vermont NRCS will continue to provide one-on-one, personalized advice and financial assistance and works with producers to help them reach their goals through voluntary, incentive-based conservation programs.

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Terence Bradshaw (he/him)
Associate Professor, Specialty Crops

Chair, Dept of Agriculture, Landscape, and Environment
(formerly Plant and Soil Science)
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

University of Vermont
117/210 – Jeffords Hall | 63 Carrigan Dr
Burlington, VT 05405

(802) 922-2591 | tbradsha
https://go.uvm.edu/pssbradshaw

UVM Commercial Horticulture | UVM Fruit Blog
Horticulture Research and Education Center
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My graduate student, Eli Wilson, is conducting a survey to assess the status of orchard planting systems and farm diversification among Vermont apple producers. This is the same survey that was done in real-time at the 2/21 Middlebury meeting. If you took it there, please ignore. -TB

https://go.uvm.edu/25orchardsurvey

Good afternoon. The UVM Fruit Program is conducting a survey to assess the state of the apple industry in Vermont in 2025. We are looking to gain insight into the direction that Vermont orchards are headed, as there have been new practices, cultivars, and rootstocks introduced over the past fifty years. As members of the VTFGA your knowledge and experience in these areas is very valuable to us.

It has been 14 years since we have done a comprehensive assessment of the state of Vermont’s orchard industry and we want to gauge grower’s satisfaction and future intentions around the dwarfing rootstocks, cultivars, and other aspects of growing, such as crop diversification and value-added products.

The information collected from this survey will be anonymous and will be made available as a public resource.

The responses from this survey will help us to gain a firm understanding of the direction the VT orchard industry is moving and will inform us of the action steps we need to take now as a university, as a research facility, and as a community resource, so that we are prepared with the experience and tools necessary to answer growers’ questions in the future.

Thank you,

Eli Wilson. M.S. student

https://go.uvm.edu/25orchardsurvey

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Terence Bradshaw (he/him)
Associate Professor, Specialty Crops

Chair, Dept of Agriculture, Landscape, and Environment
(formerly Plant and Soil Science)
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

University of Vermont
117/210 – Jeffords Hall | 63 Carrigan Dr
Burlington, VT 05405

(802) 922-2591 | tbradsha
https://go.uvm.edu/pssbradshaw

UVM Commercial Horticulture | UVM Fruit Blog
Horticulture Research and Education Center
Message me on Teams

UVM’s Our Common Ground Values:
Respect | Integrity | Innovation | Openness | Justice | Responsibility

UVM is subject to the Vermont Public Records Act and communications to and from this email address, including attachments, are subject to disclosure unless exempted under the Act or otherwise applicable law.

Passing this on from the VT Agency of Agriculture. All farms subject to the Food Safety Modernization Act are required to have at least one supervisor or responsible party who has completed this or a similar training approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Want to know if you’re covered under FSMA? Here are the guidelines for exemption fromthe Vermont Produce Program:

Exempt Produce Farms

A produce farm is eligible for a qualified exemption under the Produce Safety Rule when:

· The farm’s average annual food sales over the past 3 years are less than $500,000. (Adjusted for inflation, the average 3 year value for 2019–2021 is $584,908.)

AND

· More than 50% of the farm’s average annual food sales over the past 3 years were to qualified end-users, which include the consumer of the food OR a retail food establishment, such as a restaurant or grocery store, located in Vermont or within 275 miles of the farm.

Qualified Exempt farms must meet recordkeeping and labeling requirements to maintain the exemption. Find the Qualified Exemption Self-Certification Form on our website at agriculture.vermont.gov/food-safety/produce-program/exempt-produce-farms.

Excluded Produce Farms

Farms that meet one of the following criteria are excluded and are not required to meet Produce Safety Rule requirements or undergo farm inspections.

· Farms with less than $25,000 in average annual produce sales over the past 3 years. (Adjusted for inflation, the average 3 year value for 2019–2021 is $29,245.)

· Farms that grow produce only for personal consumption.

· Farms that only grow produce that FDA considers “rarely consumed raw.”

Even if your farm is exempt or excluded, this valuable information to know, I have done the training myself and found it very useful. -TB

*** *** ***

The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets (VAAFM) Produce Program and University of Vermont (UVM) Extension are excited to announce registration for our annual Produce Safety Alliance (PSA) Grower Training.

Here is the registration link.

This training is for all growers, gleaners, farmworkers, and those supporting farms to cover produce safety topics under the FDA Produce Safety Rule including:

• Introduction to Produce Safety
• Worker Health, Hygiene, and Training
• Soil Amendments
• Wildlife, Domesticated Animals, and Land Use
• Agricultural Water (Part 1: Production Water; Part 2: Postharvest Water)
• Postharvest Handling and Sanitation
• How to Develop a Farm Food Safety Plan

If you or someone on your farm has already completed the PSA Grower Training, consider attending as a refresher or sending another employee. We will be delivering the updated Production Water Module. The course certificate is issued to the individual, rather than the farm. Not only can this training enrich your farm’s produce safety culture and employees’ working knowledge, but it also serves as professional development that your employees can carry with them throughout their farming careers.

This training also satisfies the FDA Produce Safety Rule requirement for covered farms that “at least one supervisor or responsible party” completes food safety training “recognized as adequate” by FDA (21 C.F.R. 122.22(c)).

To receive your certificate, you must attend all components of the training:

• March 5 from 9AM to 12PM – ONLINE
• March 6 from 8:30AM to 4PM – IN PERSON at the Berlin UVM Extension Office

We will be providing lunch, refreshments, and snacks for the in-person training. The course will be delivered in English and participants will receive an English-Language PSA Grower Training manual.

AGR.Produce or 802-828-2433.

Warmly,

The Vermont Produce Program

Good morning:

The full schedule for the 2025 Eastern Viticulture and Enology webinar series is out: Fifth Annual Eastern Viticulture and Enology Forum Webinar Series. Eastern Viticulture and Enology Forum Series (EVEF) is a collaborative effort between the Penn State Extension Grape and Wine Team and viticulture and/or enology Extension programs from the following U.S. land grant institutions: Colorado State University, Cornell University, University of Georgia, Iowa State University, University of Maryland, Michigan State University, University of Minnesota, North Carolina State University, Ohio State University, and Rutgers University, Texas A&M; University, University of Vermont, Virginia Tech, and University of Wisconsin. As part of the Eastern Viticulture and Enology Forum Webinar Series, this session is a collaborative effort between these viticulture and enology extension programs coordinated for grape growers and winemakers.

The series is delivered free to participants, though pre-registration is required to access the live webinars. All viticulture webinars will be held from 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. ET and all enology webinars will be held from 1:00 to 2:00 PM ET (dates and topics in the below table).

Date	Focus	Topic
21-Jan-25	Viticulture	Vineyard Nutrient Management: Expert Forum Discussion
28-Jan-25	Enology	SO2 Management: Putting Theory into Practice
18-Feb-25	Viticulture	Vineyard floor and weed management: Expert Forum Discussion
25-Feb-25	Enology	A discussion on piquette, low alcohol wines and value-added products
11-Mar-25	Viticulture	Vineyard disease management: Expert Forum Discussion
18-Mar-25	Enology	The wine microbiome and native fermentations
15-Apr-25	Viticulture	Vineyard Sprayer Best Practices and Technology: Expert Forum Discussion
29-Apr-25	Enology	Managing low vs high pH; A Northern vs Southern US perspective

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Terence Bradshaw (he/him)
Associate Professor, Specialty Crops

Chair, Dept of Agriculture, Landscape, and Environment
(formerly Plant and Soil Science)
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

University of Vermont
117/210 – Jeffords Hall | 63 Carrigan Dr
Burlington, VT 05405

(802) 922-2591 | tbradsha
https://go.uvm.edu/pssbradshaw

UVM Commercial Horticulture | UVM Fruit Blog
Horticulture Research and Education Center
Message me on Teams

UVM’s Our Common Ground Values:
Respect | Integrity | Innovation | Openness | Justice | Responsibility

UVM is subject to the Vermont Public Records Act and communications to and from this email address, including attachments, are subject to disclosure unless exempted under the Act or otherwise applicable law.

Happy New Year:

I have news of two exciting educational opportunities coming up in the next few months. First, the Vermont Tree Fruit Growers Association will hold their 129th (!) annual meeting in conjunction with the UVM Fruit Program on Friday, February 21 at the American Legion Hall, 49 Wilson Rd., Middlebury, VT. The agenda and registration form is located at https://go.uvm.edu/25uvmvtfgaagenda, online registration (preferred) is at: https://go.uvm.edu/25uvmvtfgamtg.

Second, we will again be running a series of winter lunchtime webinars this season in conjunction with our partners at the New England land grant universities and Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture Program. More information on those can be found at: https://ag.umass.edu/fruit/news-events/northeast-extension-fruit-consortium

See you soon.

Terry

__

Terence Bradshaw (he/him)
Associate Professor, Specialty Crops

Chair, Dept of Agriculture, Landscape, and Environment
(formerly Plant and Soil Science)
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

University of Vermont
117/210 – Jeffords Hall | 63 Carrigan Dr
Burlington, VT 05405

(802) 922-2591 | tbradsha
https://go.uvm.edu/pssbradshaw

UVM Commercial Horticulture | UVM Fruit Blog
Horticulture Research and Education Center
Message me on Teams

UVM’s Our Common Ground Values:
Respect | Integrity | Innovation | Openness | Justice | Responsibility

UVM is subject to the Vermont Public Records Act and communications to and from this email address, including attachments, are subject to disclosure unless exempted under the Act or otherwise applicable law.

The Eastern Viticulture and Enology Forum Webinar Series is a collaboration among programs from fourteen universities and will offer four educational webinars this winter on important vineyard management topics.

Please join us January 21, 12:00-1:30 PM for a discussion on Vineyard Nutrient Management. Preregistration is free but required. Details are available at: Vineyard Nutrient Management: Expert Forum Discussion

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Terry

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Terence Bradshaw (he/him)
Associate Professor, Specialty Crops

Chair, Dept of Agriculture, Landscape, and Environment
(formerly Plant and Soil Science)
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

University of Vermont
117/210 – Jeffords Hall | 63 Carrigan Dr
Burlington, VT 05405

(802) 922-2591 | tbradsha
https://go.uvm.edu/pssbradshaw

UVM Commercial Horticulture | UVM Fruit Blog
Horticulture Research and Education Center
Message me on Teams

UVM’s Our Common Ground Values:
Respect | Integrity | Innovation | Openness | Justice | Responsibility

UVM is subject to the Vermont Public Records Act and communications to and from this email address, including attachments, are subject to disclosure unless exempted under the Act or otherwise applicable law.

Passing this on from our Cornell colleague Liz Higgins. -TB

I am emailing this directly to our entire program email list because we just learned about a new USDA FSA payment program for specialty crop farms to help offset their high costs of labor and inputs. I had this in my newsletter a couple of days ago, but constant contact seems to go to people’s spam folders and the program is only available from December 10-January 8, 2025. This is not a grant or a loan and the payment is based on your sales revenue for the eligible crops.

If you are a commercial specialty crop farm (fruit, vegetable, nuts, Christmas trees, nursery crops, floriculture, honey, hops, maple, herbs) you are probably eligible for a one-time payment from USDA-FSA based on your 2023 or 2024 sales (calendar year). The payment will be based on your revenue from either 2023 or 2024, for the eligible crops. NAP Payments and Crop Insurance Indemnities count as revenue for the applicable crop year (Note from Liz – Since the payment is based on sales revenue it is to your advantage to choose the year with the highest revenue).

To apply, contact your local USDA FSA office. You will need to fill in an application and if you have not done business with USDA FSA, you may have other paperwork that you need to complete. They provided information on the factsheet about the documentation that is needed.

I have attached the fact sheet for this program that USDA has provided. Please share this with growers that you work with (if you are not a farmer) or with other farms. Help spread the word about this unusual opportunity!

Sincerely,

Liz Higgins, Ag Business Specialist

Eastern NY Commercial Horticulture Program

FSA_MASC_FACTSHEET1_24c_0.pdf

Live Webinar Series on Farm Succession and Transfer starting January 9th

Mike Ghia, VT Farm Viability Program

What is the future of your farm? If you are like most farmers, you are so busy with the day-to-day business of farming you find it difficult to take the time to plan ahead long-term, particularly planning for a transition from one generation to the next. It can be especially challenging during times of financial uncertainty. And it can difficult if there is not someone immediately lined up to take over the farm. At the same time, you probably have hopes for the future of your farm, and have thought some about what you would like to happen to your business and your land. With sound succession planning with concrete action steps, it is more likely that the goals and desires of all the generations involved can be met, and there is a greater likelihood that the farm will stay in farming.

The “Farm Succession Planning Webinar Series” is for farmers to learn about key issues, tools and resources to help them make informed decisions and take action steps towards transferring their farm to the next generation of their family or a non-family successor. Farmers will learn from professionals who can help in the process and from other farmers. Topics include retirement, financial, and estate planning, taxes, legal entities, and determining goals for retirement, business transitions, and your land. All generations, including family and non-family members, who may play a role in your farms future are encouraged to attend.

This series is organized by Land For Good, in partnership with the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board and will be held on 4 successive Thursday’s 11 am-1pm starting January 9th. For more info and to register, visit info for more information.

I have two ‘save the dates’ to get on your calendars for the 2025 winter meeting season:

1. The Vermont Tree Fruit Growers Association / UVM Fruit Program 129th Annual meeting will be held at the American Legion in Middlebury, VT on Friday, February 21.
2. The New England Extension Fruit Consortium will again offer a series of online webinars in February and March. Topics will include: Basic Orchard Weed ID and Management; Bitter Rot and Sunburn Management; Apple Scab- What Happened in 2024?!; Common Retail Marketing Mistakes (and how to not make them); and Tree Fruit Cold Hardiness Updates. The NEFC team is working hard to get speakers lined up and will be coordinating credits for the sessions that qualify. More details coming soon! Registration details may be found at: https://ag.umass.edu/fruit/news-events/northeast-extension-fruit-consortium

Have a happy holiday season and I look forward to seeing everyone soon,

Terry

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Terence Bradshaw (he/him)
Associate Professor, Specialty Crops

Chair, Dept of Agriculture, Landscape, and Environment
(formerly Plant and Soil Science)
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

University of Vermont
117/210 – Jeffords Hall | 63 Carrigan Dr
Burlington, VT 05405

(802) 922-2591 | tbradsha
https://go.uvm.edu/pssbradshaw

UVM Fruit Website | UVM Fruit Blog
Horticulture Research and Education Center
Message me on Teams

UVM’s Our Common Ground Values:
Respect | Integrity | Innovation | Openness | Justice | Responsibility

UVM is subject to the Vermont Public Records Act and communications to and from this email address, including attachments, are subject to disclosure unless exempted under the Act or otherwise applicable law.

While this meeting is based around apples, the concepts apply just as much to vineyards, so I am sharing to both lists. -TB

Eastern NY Orchard Soil Health and

Beneficial Fungi Workshop

Northern Orchards Walker Farm

688 River Rd, Peru NY 12972

August 15, 2024 3-5pm

(Rain date: August 16 if needed)

The soils that we grow our trees in play a critical role in the success of our orchard’s productivity. Mycorrhizal fungi provide many benefits to the soils, though it is still unclear to what extent inoculating our soils with commercial blends of these fungi may have on the growth of trees during orchard establishment.

Join members of CCE ENYCHP, the Cornell Soil Health Program, and CCE Harvest NY for a field meeting on the basics of soil health, building climate resilient orchard soils, and an update on the current project status of our SARE grant on the potential benefits of inoculating orchards with mycorrhizal products.

This meeting is intended for farmworkers, young and beginning orchardists, and experienced orchard managers wanting to learn about the basics of soil health and mycorrhizal fungi within the orchard.

Agenda

3:00 PM – Welcome and Introductions

3:10 PM – The Basics of Orchard Soil Health with Dr. Debbie Aller

3:50 PM – Planning for Climate Resiliency In Orchard Soils with Dr. Kitty O’Neil

4:20 PM – The Basics of Soil Mycorrhizae in New York Apple Orchards with Mike Basedow

5:00 PM – Meeting Concludes

Cost: Free!

Registration: https://bit.ly/eny-soilhealth-beneficialfungi-2024

For more information, please contact Mike Basedow at mrb254 or 518-410-6823

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Terence Bradshaw (he/him)
Associate Professor, Specialty Crops
Interim Chair
Dept of Agriculture, Landscape, and Environment
(formerly Plant and Soil Science)
College of Agriculture and Life Science

University of Vermont
117/210 – Jeffords Hall | 63 Carrigan Dr
Burlington, VT 05405

(802) 922-2591 | tbradsha
https://go.uvm.edu/pssbradshaw

UVM Fruit Website | UVM Fruit Blog
Horticulture Research and Education Center
Message me on Teams

UVM’s Our Common Ground Values:
Respect | Integrity | Innovation | Openness | Justice | Responsibility

UVM is subject to the Vermont Public Records Act and communications to and from this email address, including attachments, are subject to disclosure unless exempted under the Act or otherwise applicable law.