A UVM blog Outcroppings: Important crop news from the field!

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Enroll in a Course on Hemp Production

By outcropn

Did you know our colleagues at UMaine offer a series of short-term, career-relevant, flexible learning opportunities? Register today for the Hemp Production: Science & Uses course! A collaborative effort between UVM Extension NWCS and UMaine Extension Professor, John Jemison.

This 5-week course is designed for farmers and consultants who want to improve their understanding of why you might grow hemp, the key considerations involved, and what this plant might do for your customers that use it.

The online training will run each Tuesday: March 3, 10, 17, 24, and 31st from 5:30-6:30 pm.
10 CCA continuing education units available for Certified Crop Advisors.

Click the course link for more details and enrollment information:  https://discover.maine.edu/product?catalog=Hemp_Production_Science_and_Uses

Join us for a winter conference or webinar!

By outcropn

We have been busy planning and organizing conferences and webinars for February and March of 2023. You can view event details at: http://go.uvm.edu/conferences. This webpage includes detailed brochures, registration information, and also how to sponsor a conference if you are interested! You can also earn VAAFM water quality education credits and Certified Crop Adviser CEU credits.

Here’s a summary of the events –

We hope to see you at one or more of these events! Feel free to contact Susan Brouillette at susan.brouillette@uvm.edu or 802-524-6501 ext. 432 if you have any questions.

2023 Northeast Cover Crops Council’s Annual Conference

By crdavids

The 2023 Northeast Cover Crops Council’s (NECCC) Annual Conference is in Portland, Maine on February 16! Learn about…

  • Economics and Financial Opportunities of Cover Cropping
  • Diversifying Species and Applications of Cover Crops
  • Advanced Cover Cropping Methods for Vegetable Systems
  • Cover Crops’ Roles in Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation
  • Precision Sustainable Agriculture (PSA) project highlights

Register today: https://northeastcovercrops.com/2023-neccc-annual…/

Check out the full agenda: https://northeastcovercrops.com/2023-northeast-cover…/

If you have questions about this annual conference, contact Pasa Sustainable Agriculture, info@pasafarming.org, 1631 N Front St, Harrisburg, PA 17102, 814-349-9856

Assessing Forage Research and Education Needs of Organic Dairy Farms in the United States

By crdavids

Organic dairy farming has increased rapidly in the United States (US) over the past several decades, and the viability of these operations relies on forage production. The production of high-quality, high-yielding forage crops depends on optimal forage management and resilience to increasingly unpredictable climate.
In an effort to (1) assess current forage production practices and producer knowledge gaps and (2) identify forage research and educational needs of organic dairy and forage producers across the US, a survey was developed and distributed nationally in the fall of 2021.

Check out the survey results summarized here or at: https://www.uvm.edu/sites/default/files/Northwest-Crops-and-Soils-Program/2022%20Research%20Reports/OREI_Forage_Survey_Highlights_FINAL.pdf

SURVEY CONCLUSIONS:

Production of high yield and quality forages is critical to the sustainability of organic dairy farms, especially with the ongoing erratic weather conditions. The results of this survey and the focus groups provided insights on current forage production practices and management, factors affecting forage operations, and effects of climate on forage systems. Knowledge gaps and skills needed by organic dairy and forage producers were identified and can be used for developing effective educational and outreach programs to create resilience in organic forage production. Results from these efforts identified these most critical areas of research and education: climate resilience, forage quality, economic viability, and versatile, adaptive forage options. Continuing these efforts to create and disseminate this critical information in coordination with the organic forage and dairy communities is integral to the viability of these industries into the future.

Grass-Fed Dairy Production Course

By outcropn

With increasing organic grain prices, many dairy farms are looking to reduce or even eliminate feeding grain. Grass-Fed dairy is of growing interest and this ONLINE COURSE will walk you through unique aspects of this production system and as well as practical considerations before starting a transition. The online program will include weekly presentation/discussion and online resources.

VIRTUAL PRESENTATIONS/DISCUSSION: Farmers explore topics such as herd mgmt & monitoring, land base assessments, cost of production, and more through presentations and discussion. No internet? No problem! There will be a call-in option. Click here for the course flyer with webinar dates and details.
ONLINE RESOURCE HUB: Gain access to course materials online! Each session is cataloged chronologically and contains recordings of the presentations, lists topics covered and speaker bios, and supplemental resources which can be accessed at any time. The newly published Grass-Fed Dairy Production Manual will be available for download! Note: Most course materials can be mailed to participants without internet access.
MEET IN-PERSON: As an optional bonus, participants will have the opportunity to meet in-person at the Organic Dairy Conference in Vermont on March 9, 2023 at Vermont Technical College, Judd Hall!

Interested in enrolling? This course is free of cost, but REGISTRATION is required.
Register at: go.uvm.edu/registergrassfeddairycourse
To register by phone, or to request a disability related accommodation to participate in this program, please contact Susan Brouillette at (802) 524-6501 Ext. 432 or by email at susan.brouillette@uvm.edu by January 6, 2023 so we may assist you—thank you!

End of Year Tidings from the E.E. Cummings Crop Testing Laboratory

By outcropn

Happy holidays to friends and colleagues near and far from the staff at the E.E. Cummings Crop Testing Lab! We’re pleased to have been your choice for grain quality testing in 2022 and hope to see you again in 2023. 

There will be no mail service on UVM’s campus between December 22st and January 2th, so if you have samples that you need run before the end of 2022, please make sure they arrive by Monday, December 19th. 

The results are in! 2022 Soybean Variety Evaluation

By crdavids

As farmers look to reduce feed costs or diversify markets, soybean acreage across Vermont is increasing. Local research is needed to identify varieties that are best adapted to this region. In an effort to support and expand the local soybean market throughout the northeast, the University of Vermont Extension Northwest Crops and Soils (NWCS) Team evaluated yield and quality of short season soybean varieties at Borderview Research Farm in Alburgh, VT as part of a grant from the Eastern Region Soybean Board.

Research Trial Quick Facts:

  • EVALUATION:  31 varieties
  • SOIL TYPE:  Covington Silty Clay Loam
  • PREVIOUS CROP:  Corn
  • PLANTED:  May 23, 2022
  • SEEDING RATE:  185,000 seeds/acre
  • ROW SPACING: 30-inch rows
  • HARVEST DATE:  October 11 & 21, 2022

Conclusion:  Overall, soybean varieties performed well averaging over 70 bu per acre this year. Under these conditions, all soybean varieties reached maturity and a harvestable moisture although harvest dates differed depending on the maturity group. Although little pest and disease pressure was observed, some differences were still observed and highlight the importance of local variety evaluation in soybean variety selection. These data suggest that soybeans in maturity groups 0, 1, and 2 can produce high yields under conventional management in Vermont’s northern climate. It is important to remember that these data only represent one year at one location and therefore should not solely be used to make management decisions.

Interested in learning more? Access the full2022 Conventional Soybean Variety Trail here. You can also check out the Oilseed Factsheet: Storage and Cleaning, as well as other soybean and oilseed-related resources on our Oilseed Crops webpage under the Factsheets, Bulletins & Guides dropdown.

We will continue to post all our 2022 Research Reports to the webpage as they are completed throughout the winter.

UVM Extension Announces New Opportunity: Building Soil Health through Farmer Peer Learning Networks

By outcropn

Through a recently awarded 3-year Conservation Innovation Grant, the University of Vermont Extension, Northwest Crops and Soils Program and the Vermont Association of Conservation Districts partnered up to develop soil health peer learning groups for farmers with the goal of advancing soil health of Vermont farmland. Through this program farmers will learn to benchmark soil health, evaluate soil health gaps, and track changes in soil health on their farm. The project will also help to identify trends in soil health and ecosystem service benefits that the agricultural landscape provides to the Vermont landscape. The project will begin in the winter of 2023 and continue over a 3-year period.

Are you a farmer or part of the Lake Champlain Basin farming community and have interest in participating in the peer learning network? Contact Heather Darby at (802) 524-6501 or  heather.darby@uvm.edu for more information on getting involved!

This project is part of a larger State of Soil Health initiative in Vermont coordinated by UVM Extension. The goals of this initiative are as follows:  1) Establish a baseline of soil health indicators, carbon stocks, and associated ecosystem services in Vermont’s agricultural landscapes; 2) Create soil health soil sampling standards across management types; 3) Provide farmers with contextualized information about soil health on their participating fields; 4) Support collaboration among the many organizations that work with farmers towards shared goals around soil health; and 5) Build skills and capacity for measuring soil health and soil carbon stocks. Check out this initiative’s Summary of Soil Health Statistics from Vermont Agriculture in 2021 and/or the Soil Carbon Storage and Sequestration in Vermont Agriculture brief.

Impact of Cover Crop Termination Date on Weed Suppression and Corn Yield

By outcropn

Cover crops can retain nutrients, increase organic matter, and reduce erosion. In addition, cover crops may help to increase cash crop yields. Zeroing in on cover crop benefits, what happens to weed suppression and corn yield the longer the cover crop grows? Would more cover crop biomass suppress weeds better? Would that suppression of weeds improve yield or would the thick cover crop mulch cause cooler soil conditions and shade out the young corn seedlings suppressing crop growth?

We set out to answer these questions by implementing an experiment that compares treatments of three cover crop termination dates with no cover crops. On October 5, 2020, winter rye was planted at 70 lbs/acre. In the spring of 2021, cover crops were terminated with an herbicide on three separate dates: 3 weeks before planting (planting brown), 8 days before corning planting (planting green/brown), and 4 days after corn planting (planting green) (Image 1). A bare treatment (no cover crop) served as the control. All treatments were planted on May 18th. Corn was harvested for grain on October 20th. Weed biomass was collected from each treatment just prior to cover crop termination and also when the corn was at the fifth leave stage (V5). Corn seedling vigor was evaluated when corn plants in the plots reached the third leaf stage (V3).

So, what did we find?

Early Season Cover Crop and Weed Biomass: As to be expected, the later the cover crop was terminated, the higher the cover crop and weed biomass. Cover crop biomass at termination was significantly different among the treatments. The first treatment to be terminated, planting brown (1,500 lbs/acre), was 1,810 lbs/acre lower than the planting green/brown (3,340 lbs/acre) and 7,141 lbs/acre lower than planting green (8,671 lbs/acre) (Figure 1). Overall weed pressure was low in the cover crop treatments and was less than 4% of the total harvested biomass.

Corn Vigor: The time of cover crop termination impacted the growth and development of corn. The bare and early terminated cover crop (planting brown) were the most advanced in corn stage, averaging near (V3) (Figure 2). The planting green treatment, was significantly behind the other treatments by nearly a growth stage or more. Image 2, taken 2-July illustrates the delayed growth observed between treatments with no cover crops and those planted green. . There is a high correlation between cover crop biomass and vigor with vigor higher in treatments with lower cover crop biomass. This indicates, that early in the season more cover crop biomass stunted corn growth.

Mid-Season Weed Biomass: So, did early season weed biomass trends translate into later season weed biomass? Weed biomass remained low throughout the season and there were no differences observed amongst the treatments (Figure 3).

Grain Corn Yield: But then the question remains, does any of the delayed growth early in the season compromise corn yields? Average yield ranged between 118 bu/acre in the planting green treatment to 121 bu/acre in the planting brown treatment. The yield range of the treatments was narrow and there were no significant yield differences among the treatments (Figure 4). This indicates that cover crop termination date or cover crop biomass did not impact grain corn yield.

In Conclusion…

Preliminary results indicate that although later cover crop termination did impact early season corn growth and development, this did not translate into reduced grain yields. Additional years of data need to be collected to confirm this first year of data.  This trial will continue in subsequent years and with more data we can have higher confidence in the impact of cover crop termination date on corn yield. Additional research would also be needed to assess impact of cover crop termination date on corn silage yield.

This study is conducted in 16 states as part of the Precision Sustainable Agriculture Network (PSA). This work is supported by the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative’s Sustainable Agricultural Systems Coordinated Agricultural Projects [award no. 2019-68012-29818] from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

DAIRY WEBINAR – Alternative Milking Strategies: Lessons Learned From Research and Experience

By outcropn

Tuesday, December 13, 2022, 12:30-1:30 p.m.

Join UVM Extension’s Sara Ziegler and grazing consultant Sarah Flack for a webinar on alternative milking strategies (click here for event flyer) including seasonal production, once-a-day milking, and other alternative milking frequencies. They’ll share insights on the prevalence of these strategies on dairy farms around the northeast region, as well as common challenges, barriers to adoption, benefits, and economic considerations.

The webinar is free and there is no pre-registration is required. Just connect via the Zoom meeting link https://uvm-edu.zoom.us/j/89398749973 on 12/13. Meeting ID: 893 9874 9973 or dial by location – +1 929 436 2866 US (New York), or +1 780 666 0144 (Canada) Or find your local number: https://uvm-edu.zoom.us/u/keI1x2cnl2
Webinar will be recorded and available at a later date.

Questions? Contact Susan.Brouillette@uvm.edu or call 802-524-6501 ext. 432.
For more information go to http://go.uvm.edu/conferences

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