Planning for Climate Change

Posted on November 14, 2012 by Linda Berlin

I was glad to turn the calendar page to November a couple of weeks ago.  In a personal and global way, October was a little overwhelming, and frankly, I was ready to move on and think about life’s next steps.  Then came the elections, which helped to clarify, in some way, our near-term local and national future.  But honestly, after Hurricane Sandy, I’ve been more than a tad bit anxious about global climate change, and the elections didn’t quell my anxiety by making our climate future more transparent.

Although Vermont was spared the devastation wrought elsewhere by Hurricane Sandy, many of our east coast friends and families were not.  And it once again became so obvious how unprepared we are for the future that appears to be before us.  My thoughts, as one might expect, have partly been on what this will mean for the future of agriculture in Vermont.

Yesterday I attended a workshop on regional climate change scenario development.   It couldn’t have come at a more perfect time given my immediate orientation.  The scenarios approach was designed to help us understand the possible or anticipated impacts of climate change, and then lead to a consideration of strategies to improve our resiliency.  I learned a lot, thank goodness, and went home with many ideas to ponder.

First and foremost, the main take home message was that Vermont’s agriculture future is unlikely to be business as usual.  We are expected to have wetter and warmer winters and hotter and drier summers, all of which adds up to a longer growing season with different water patterns than we are used to.  The implications of these changes are many.  Farmers will need to think more about irrigation and drainage, keeping animals cool, new pests and diseases, new crops and different crop varieties, changing energy needs, new business plans, and just about everything you can think of that relates to farming systems.  Some of our greatest vulnerabilities are likely to be cold-weather crops, maple sugaring, and the dairy industry.

Though I found the implications for Vermont’s farms overwhelming, the day left me especially sure of our decision to hire a Farming and Climate Change Coordinator at the Center for Sustainable Agriculture.  The person hired in this position will focus on working collaboratively with farmers to develop and implement applied research and outreach projects to help farmers adjust to what is coming.  Stay tuned for more information!

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Working Together for Clean Water

Posted on November 7, 2012 by Kirsten Workman

A buffer between a crop field and the Winooski River

Protecting water quality is everyone’s job; it just so happens it’s also my day job.  As farmers, we manage a multitude of tasks on a daily basis.  The To Do List always seems to get longer, not shorter.  Have you ever walked out the door, a general plan for the day in place, and found yourself doing what I call ‘spinning’?  You wander from unfinished task to unfinished task and finally sit down and profess, “I just don’t know where to start.”  That happens to the best of us.  As I work with Vermont farmers, I am always amazed by how many details they keep straight…in their heads, on scraps of paper, in their cell phones and otherwise.  As a UVM Extension Agronomy Outreach Professional tasked with assisting farmers implement practices to protect water quality in Lake Champlain, I only add to that list of details.  I show up in farmers’ fields and barns and ask them about Best Management Practices (BMPs) and how they protect water quality.  I ask them about crop rotations, how much manure or fertilizer they have spread on a particular field, and how they maintain buffers to comply with our state’s Accepted Agricultural Practices.  And there is ALWAYS records to keep and forms to sign and submit.

We are working together to get the job done. Vermont farms are in a very challenging position.  Well managed farmland is a vital resource for our State and can benefit water quality.  That said, farming has been identified by the Lake Champlain Basin Program and the EPA as a major contributor (along with waste water treatment facilities, urban stormwater runoff and forestry).  The main farm pollutants are eroding soil and nutrients, as well as pathogens, pesticides, metals and salts.  Not all farms do contribute to water pollution, however all farms have the potential to contribute to water pollution.

A short list of things you can do on your farm to protect water quality:

  • Properly manage nutrient applications.  Whether you’re spreading compost, manure, or fertilizer on a field; there is always the potential to over apply nutrients.  Excess nutrients not utilized by the plants leave the soil eventually, some quicker than others.  Test your soil and your manure/compost, and take note of the those numbers on your on the fertilizer bag.  Once you know what’s already in your soil and what your amendments are contributing, you can do some quick math to accurately apply what your crop needs without overdoing it.  You might also save yourself some time and money!!  Take it to the next level and create a formal Nutrient Management Plan for your farm. Continue reading →
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Balance is Bogus– Manage Energy not Time

Posted on October 25, 2012 by Jessie Schmidt

Every once in awhile, we like to share interesting articles we are reading on other blogs.  This one from Jody Urquhart, a motivational speaker and columnist, stuck a cord with the women working here at the WAgN office.  We thought you might find some useful insights from the article as well.  Read this and you’ll find out why laughing at my daughter splashing water ALL OVER the bathroom last night was a good choice.

Balance is Bogus– Manage Energy not Time

by Jody Urquhart

People are working longer than ever before and we are all expected to do more with less. With so much on our plates how can we possibly have balance? The simple answer is … we can’t. We each have only 24 hours in a day, no more and no less.

If we carry a greater workload, it will cut into our personal time. We are a time starved, time sensitive world. According to a recent study by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 65% of employees believe they have more on the job stress than the generation before them. 28% of workers say they are burned out by their work

Add to this our propensity for eating too much, staying up late, drinking and overspending (My idea of a perfect day!) and we have the perfect recipe for stress. Statistically, we eat, drink and spend more but sleep less when we are overworked.

Your Energy Bank Account

The good news is life doesn’t have to be stressful for you. Instead of obsessing over managing all the demands made on your time, consider your ability to manage energy. Continue reading →

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