{"id":4380,"date":"2026-03-09T13:11:36","date_gmt":"2026-03-09T17:11:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/outcropn\/?p=4380"},"modified":"2026-03-09T15:17:39","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T19:17:39","slug":"a-watershed-moment-the-franklin-and-grand-isle-farmers-watershed-alliance-celebrates-20-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/outcropn\/2026\/03\/09\/a-watershed-moment-the-franklin-and-grand-isle-farmers-watershed-alliance-celebrates-20-years\/","title":{"rendered":"A Watershed Moment: The Franklin and Grand Isle Farmer’s Watershed Alliance Celebrates 20 Years"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Written by Elizabeth M. Seyler PhD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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An FWA sign at Borderview Research Farm in Alburgh, VT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

On a cold evening in February, a jovial group of farmers, UVM Extension agents, legislators, consultants, and agency personnel filed into the Elks Lodge in St. Albans. Eighty-two people in all, they gathered not to discuss drought challenges or farming policy but to celebrate the work of a devoted group of farmers: the Franklin and Grand Isle Farmer\u2019s Watershed Alliance<\/a> (FWA). After a presentation, testimonials, and dinner, they laughed at the antics of comedian Rusty “the Logger” DeWees and cheered for the winner of the 2026 Golden Goose Award: Heather Darby, a farmer, FWA member, and UVM Extension Professor.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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People laughing at Rusty DeWeese at the FWA 20th<\/sup> anniversary celebration<\/em> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

There was a lot to celebrate. Since 2006, the FWA has been supporting farmers, building relationships with policy makers and funders, and informing the public about agriculture and its influence on the environment. Its mission is \u201cto value and support farmers by cultivating environmentally positive and economically viable solutions through education, research, and advocacy to better the soil, air, and waters of Vermont.\u201d In the past 20 years, the FWA has become a widely respected voice representing farmers who steward our natural resources and whose livelihoods depend on them.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have a saying in the FWA: We\u2019re not environmental activists, we\u2019re active environmentalists,\u201d says semi-retired Alburgh farmer Roger Rainville. He helped launch the FWA in 2005 and to establish it as a 501(c)5 in 2006, and he served as chair for the first ten years. The alliance now has more than 60 active members and a mailing list of 150, all of whom are invited to FWA events, such as the one this month.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The FWA Precision Ag Workshop<\/a> is on Thursday, March 12, from 10 am to 2 pm at Scott Magnan\u2019s Custom Service, 13 Hudson St, St Albans City. Attendees will learn about precision-generated record keeping, granular fertilizer application, yield data usage, and preventative maintenance. Registration<\/a> is recommended, and the public is welcome. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The FWA\u2019s activities and impacts are most impressive with a bit of history in mind. In the early 2000s, conflict regarding farming and water quality was roiling in Vermont. High phosphorus concentrations in Lake Champlain led to cyanobacteria blooms, also called blue-green algae, that sickened wildlife, killed pets, and prompted recreational beaches to close. Though nonpoint source pollution such as phosphorus comes from both developed areas and agricultural fields, Vermont communities, agencies, and the legislature began leaning hard on farmers to reduce their impacts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Farmers in the Lake Champlain Basin had long been working to manage water on their fields. The region\u2019s finely textured, heavy clay soil doesn\u2019t drain well after spring thaws and heavy rainfall, limiting crop yields and making fields impassable. Farmers had been investing in numerous water management practices, including reshaping fields, planting buffers, and installing tile drainage\u2014but no one was collecting data on their efficacy. Without locally generated data, legislators responding to public concern relied on research from elsewhere in the country to guide programs and policies.  <\/p>\n\n\n

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Demonstrating a grassland manure injector in the Lake Carmi watershed <\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

That\u2019s when the friction began. Farmers knew that some of the things they were being asked to do didn\u2019t make sense in their fields, and they began to lose confidence and trust in the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets (VAAFM); the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS); and other agencies. They also felt vilified by the public, which didn\u2019t seem to understand their stewardship efforts.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rainville had an idea. He\u2019d been following a group in the New York City Watershed and got in touch with them. \u201cThey brought farmers together to reduce phosphorus loading before they did any studies,\u201d he recalls. \u201cThe farmers knew they needed to address water quality, and NYC backed them, funding their projects.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With French-Canadian heritage and a farm bordering Canada, Rainville also looked north for inspiration. In Qu\u0117bec, the government was helping farmers install buffers\u2014vegetation planted at the edges of fields to absorb, filter, and slow water drainage.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rainville, Darby, and 14 other farmers decided to form a group to do similar work and to mend bridges between Vermont farmers and state agencies. \u201cWe wanted to be the go-between between agencies and farmers who were losing confidence in our agencies,\u201d Rainville says. <\/p>\n\n\n

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An FWA project that installed cattle crossings & fenced cattle out of waterways<\/em> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Since then, the FWA has provided farmers with education, training, and technical assistance to implement practices that protect water. Members have also conducted on-farm projects, testified before the legislature, provided information to policy makers and regulatory agencies, and informed the public about farming and the environment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For many years, the FWA received state funding to complete on-farm projects. \u201cThe key to success was getting the politicians on board,\u201d Rainville recalls. \u201cThat was one of our greatest achievements.\u201d More than 40 FWA projects improved water quality and documented that progress. The group helped farmers install laneways, fence off waterways, create clean water diversions, and improve mortality composting. On more than 14,000 acres of hay ground they implemented the practice of soil aeration, which pokes holes in soil before manure application to improve soil condition and reduce runoff. Farmers continue to use aerators to benefit their farms and the environment.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through these projects, the FWA built trust and connected with farmers who had previously been hesitant to work with the VAAFM, USDA-NRCS, and other agencies to address water quality. In about 2011, the FWA assisted with the administering a program that has become the VAAFM\u2019s Farm Agronomic Practices (FAP) Program, which pays farmers to cover crop. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFWA has a very passionate\u202fboard of farmers who care deeply about their community,\u201d says Kate Wettergreen, agricultural programs manager for the Franklin County Natural Resources Conservation District (NRCD). \u201cBoth currently and throughout the history of the organization, they have led by example, implementing strategies on their farms to improve water quality while bringing their neighbors along with them.\u201d\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n

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FWA Vice Chair Darleen Reynolds (second from left) and Chair Roger Rainville (holding award) receiving the 2014 EPA Environmental Merit Award\u202fon behalf of the FWA for its outstanding efforts to preserve and protect New England\u2019s environment<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cTwenty years of FWA is so huge because of the fights farmers have fought just to do better by the environment,\u201d says Darby. \u201cFarmers have wanted to understand the impacts of their water management practices so they could make informed decisions and so that regulations were based on reliable data.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the years, the FWA inspired the formation of two similar groups: the Champlain Valley Farmer Coalition<\/a> and the Connecticut River Watershed Farmers Alliance<\/a>. Each conducts its own research and supports local action, but \u201cthere has been lots of communication among the three watershed groups,\u201d says current FWA board chair Scott Magnan. For example, \u201cWe\u2019ve collaborated on legislative bills to make sure we\u2019re on the same page and take a uniform approach,\u201d he said. Kate Longfield, executive director of the Champlain Valley coalition, recently launched monthly meetings to support communication and collaboration among the groups.<\/p>\n\n\n

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The FWA installed concrete pads in front of forage feed bunks to divert leachate to a holding area or filtration area<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The FWA\u2019s on-farm projects have dwindled over time as funding has become available to farmers directly for water quality projects. But the group remains focused on being a voice for farmers in the water quality world, such as in the debate about managing nonpoint source pollution from confined animal feed operations (CAFOs). The national model applies to farms in the Midwest with 5,000 cows but not to farms in Vermont, Magnan explains. \u201cHere, the bigger bang for the buck is in field management, especially with higher rainfall,\u201d he notes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The NRCD\u2019s Wettergreen appreciates FWA farmers\u2019 input. \u201cThey are\u2026always well informed on the current challenges and happenings in the farming community and share that knowledge. Our organizations have very similar goals in a lot of ways, and collaborating with them has benefited all of us.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The FWA\u2019s current work also focuses on education and outreach, particularly in precision agriculture. \u201cIt\u2019s the next step in managing nutrients. It\u2019s the most refined tool we have,\u201d Magnan says. The FWA aims to help reduce knowledge gaps in the farming community regarding technology such as yield monitors, flow meters, and calibration of manure spreaders. \u201cThe more knowledge out there, the higher the rate of success,\u201d Magnan adds.  <\/p>\n\n\n

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FWA Chair Scott Magnan setting up a corn planter with precision agriculture equipment at an FWA on-farm workshop<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

With funding from the VAAFM\u2019s Agricultural Clean Water Initiative Program (AgCWIP), last year the FWA hired a part-time program coordinator and a full-time precision agriculture specialist who makes technical service visits, helps farmers with nutrient management plans and grant reporting, and conducts research on precision technology. In 2025 alone, the FWA consulted with more than 15 Vermont farmers and visited 35 farms. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Flint Darby-Hermann and Heather Darby with her Golden Goose Award at the 20th<\/sup> anniversary celebration<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

But according to one late FWA member, no one has yet addressed a flighty yet intractable source of nonpoint source pollution: geese. Dick Longway was a farmer and avid hunter who, at most meetings, mentioned how many geese were out in the corn fields and how much they were pooping. \u201cWhy pick on just the cows?\u201d he\u2019d ask, recalls Jeff Sanders, a farmer, longtime FWA member, and UVM Extension agronomy specialist. After Dick died in his sleep one night, the FWA established the Golden Goose Award in his honor for people who\u2019ve done a lot to help agriculture. It\u2019s fitting that Darby was this year\u2019s winner. She helped launch the FWA, is its secretary\/treasurer, and is the longest-serving board member.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI feel so loved by the people we work so hard for,\u201d Darby said of receiving the award. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To learn more about the FWA, visit farmerswatershedalliance.com or email info@farmerswatershedalliance.com<\/a>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Written by Elizabeth M. Seyler PhD On a cold evening in February, a jovial group of farmers, UVM Extension agents, legislators, consultants, and agency personnel filed into the Elks Lodge in St. Albans. Eighty-two people in all, they gathered not to discuss drought challenges or farming policy but to celebrate the work of a devoted … <\/p>\n

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