by Juan Alvez, Pasture Technical Coordinator Learn why you should consider leaving some space for pollinators and beneficial fauna! Farming is an amazingly fulfilling activity that can bind families and communities around food production and rural way of living. However, this idyllic activity demands great knowledge, dedication, and perseverance. In an effort to make the […]
Countdown to the VT Grazing & Livestock Conference!
Coming Right Up: 18th Annual VT Grazing & Livestock Conference Farm Management Decisions: More Than the Sum(s) of Their Parts January 17 & 18, 2014 Lake Morey Resort, Fairlee, VT The conference will include day-long focused sessions on soil health and farm planning on Friday January 17. On Saturday January 18, there will be 21 […]
Socialize With Cows to Promote Soil Fertility
by Juan Alvez, Pasture Technical Coordinator When I studied Agronomy in Brazil, my grazing mentors recommended that farmers that walked in the paddock or grazing strips for a few minutes previous to moving the cows to a fresh pasture, might stimulate soil fertility. If you are wondering how this is possible, read on and I’ll […]
Animal Behavior: Avoiding Grazing Selectivity
By Juan Alvez , Pasture Program Technical Coordinator In general, well-managed swards should present a variety of grasses, legumes and forbs, each fulfilling an important function in animal nutrition and health. All species have more or less, sugars, proteins and minerals. Legumes are well-known for fixing nitrogen via plant root-bacteria symbiosis. They also carry important […]
It’s OK to Trample!
by Kimberly Hagen, Pasture Program Grazing Specialist “Graziers need to get beyond the paralyzing paradigm of wasting grass if we want to be truly sustainable.” Those are the words of Ian Mitchell-Innes, of South Africa – farmer, philosopher, punster and no-nonsense world renowned educator of grazing farmers, and wanna-be grazers all over this planet. He […]
Planned Grazing Featured on NPR, Tested in Vermont
Several weeks ago, NPR featured a piece on using planned grazing to build soil. While the piece focused on a ranch in Colorado, the concept is one that farmers in Vermont have also been working with for over a decade. In fact, the Pasture Program is part of a Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) […]
Trampling Paradigms in Vermont
Troy Bishopp, aka The Grass Whisperer www.thegrasswhisperer.com, www.cnyrcd.org/planned-grazing-participants/ Wells, Vermont– In the coolness of a Vermont landscape etched with green pastures, green mountains and small farmers, stood a passionate rancher from South Africa ready to inspire others about the “whole” future of grass-based agriculture. The internationally recognized, holistically-driven grazier, Ian Mitchell-Innes, is no namby-pamby in […]
Increasing Farm Resiliency in the Mad River Valley Though Grazing
by Kimberly Hagen, Pasture Program Grazing Specialist Quite naturally, springtime is when our minds start thinking about new ideas for the coming season. The outside world’s been dormant, tucked under the snow, and we’ve been tucked inside reading and thinking about how we might change things for the better on our farms for the coming […]
Thanks for following us over from our former blog!
After blogging independently through Blogger for several years, we’ve decided to join our UVM brethren here, and spread the word of well-managed livestock through the UVM community and beyond. If you’d like to check out our posts about teaching livestock to become invasive weed managers, reading the biological landscape, testing methods to address soil compaction, […]
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