Feeling the Squeeze: Manage Nutrients Efficiently to Offset High Fertilizer Prices

With the reality of high fertilizer prices, we encourage you to manage nutrients on your farm as efficiently as possible! The goal this year should be to reduce input costs without sacrificing yield. Below are three strategies that can help you manage nutrient supplies resourcefully. 1) Don’t Guess, Soil Test The first, best step to …

2021 Organic Spring Wheat Variety Trial

In 2021, the University of Vermont Extension’s Northwest Crops and Soils Program evaluated 35 spring wheat varieties to identify varieties that perform well in production systems in northern Vermont. The trial was established at the Borderview Research Farm in Alburgh, Vermont. The 2021 growing season was slightly warmer and significantly drier than the 30-year average. …

Vermont Hemp Production Plan approved by USDA

The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets’ Hemp Program received approval from the Agricultural Marketing Service of the U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) of the Vermont Hemp Production plan. The approved plan supports the Vermont Hemp Rules and governs registration, production, and compliance for hemp cultivation beginning in 2022. All grower registrants should …

The results are in! 2021 Conventional Soybean Variety Trial

Soybeans can be grown for human consumption, animal feed, and biodiesel production. 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, …

Rain Putting a Damper on Your Forages? Options Available

Rain, rain, go away, we haven’t been able to harvest our hay…or plant our forages! If you’ve been singing this song, you are not alone. With this wet weather, farmers across the region have seen poor corn germination, challenging hay harvest windows, and field conditions making planting difficult. While it has been tough going so …

Performance of Winter Canola Varieties

Canola, a member of the mustard family, is primarily grown as an oilseed crop across the Midwestern U.S. and Western Canada. The crop is of interest in our region for providing fuel, feed for livestock, and providing more rotational crop options. There are spring canola varieties–planted in the spring and harvested in the summer–and winter …

Our First Year Growing Industrial Hemp

During 2016, our Northwest Crops and Soils Program began researching industrial hemp. Hemp is a non-psychoactive variety of cannabis sativa L. The crop is one of historical importance in the U.S. and is re-emerging as manufacturers seek it as a sustainable resource for a wide array of food and fiber products. Vermont is among 32 …

Preliminary Results from 2016 Winter Wheat Variety Trials Give Snapshot of Yields

This year, the University of Vermont Extension Northwest Crops and Soils team conducted an organic hard red winter wheat variety trial–both heirloom and modern day varieties–to determine those that perform best in our northern climate. The following provides harvest results from the trials at Borderview Research Farm in Alburgh, Vermont. The project evaluated 34 winter …

2015 Corn Research Reports Ready

Our Northwest Crops & Soils Team has been busy this fall harvesting research trials, collecting samples, and crunching stats on all the data we’ve collected. Now that it is officially winter, we are busy writing reports for all of the trials conducted during the 2015 research season. The first of our reports are ready — …

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