Written by Elizabeth Seyler “What corn variety grows best in my soil type?” “What cover crop would help me meet my conservation goals?” “Does this new fertilizer improve yields?” Vermont farmers are committed to land stewardship practices that protect soil and water quality, and they’re constantly gauging how to invest time and money in crops, …
Continue reading “Creating Vermont’s On-Farm Research Network”
Written by Amber Machia The mission of the Tri-State Extension Dairy Team is to unite Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont in advancing dairy management through collaborative educational programs, addressing shared industry challenges, and fostering innovation across northern New England. Since January 2025, the team has been hosting live monthly webinars on the last Wednesday of …
Continue reading “July Tri-State Dairy Exchange Webinar: Rumen Biochemistry and Function”
Written by Kellie Damann In the spring of 2025 UVM Extension Northwest Crops and Soils Program (NWCS) sent a call out to organic dry bean growers in the Northeastern U.S. to send in seed samples for evaluation of seed health and seedborne pathogens. Growers in the Northeast have indicated sourcing quality seed and a lack …
Continue reading “2025 Seedborne Pathogen Survey of Organic Dry Beans in the Northeastern U.S.”
Written by Shannon MacDonald “I come because I want to be with other people who want to learn about agriculture. We want to make Vermont and Vermont agriculture the best that’s possible for a long time,” said one local farmer, explaining why he attends the UVM Extension Annual Crops & Soils Field Day. On July …
Continue reading “2025 Annual Crops & Soils Field Day Recap”
Written by Hillary Emick and John Bruce Preliminary Results It is already time to get ready for planting winter wheat. Each year, UVM Extension evaluates winter wheat varieties to determine those that will perform best here in Vermont. This year, the project evaluated 44 varieties of winter wheat, including six varieties of soft white winter …
Continue reading “2025 Winter Wheat Variety Evaluation Trial “
Cover cropping offers many benefits, such as weed suppression, building soil organic matter and biodiversity, reducing erosion, and decreasing nutrient loss. But selecting the best species and variety for a farm’s location and goals can be tricky, especially given increasingly erratic weather conditions. Despite this challenge, the number of U.S. farmers using cover crops has …
Continue reading “Evaluating Cover Crop Varieties in Vermont and Beyond “
Written by Amber Machia The Vermont growing season offers a short window to produce, harvest, and store nutrients in the form of forages for dairy cattle, including hay crop silage and corn silage. This process can be challenging, but the result is rewarding for you, your livestock, and your operation. The goal is to harvest …
An armyworm outbreak has been reported in Fairfax and Waterbury areas. The armyworms have been primarily feeding on grass fields. Armyworm moths generally blow up from the south in storms. Please don’t panic, but do go out and scout your corn and grass fields for armyworms. When full grown, the caterpillars can be almost 1.5 …
Written by Lindsey Ruhl UVM Extension NWCS Research Specialist Lindsey Ruhl and 4-H educator Wendy Sorrell, attended the 110th National Association of County Agricultural Agents (NACAA) Annual Meeting and Professional Improvement Conference in Billings, Montana, June 29 – July 2, 2025. There were over 1,200 attendees from 45 states. Presentations ranged from 4-H programming to research …
Continue reading “UVM Extension Attends National Conference for Agricultural Agents”
When we harvest hay crop silages, naturally occurring bacteria present on the forage are responsible for completing the fermentation process we rely on to preserve the silage. During fermentation, bacteria take sugars in the forage and convert it into organic acids that acidify the material and preserve nutrients. Goals for good silage fermentation: 1. Rapid …
Continue reading “Evaluating Hay Crop Silage Inoculants for Use in Organic Systems”