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Vermont Pasture Network
News & events
- Online Pasture Calendar
- New grazing resource: On Pasture
- We are planning 2013 summer pasture walks now, but review our 2012 events here
- Jon Rutter Memorial Fund to Mentor Grass Farmers
- 2011 Directory of Grass-Fed Products Online (4.4 MB PDF file)
Quick links
Technical Resources
Animal BehaviorBehavioral Education for Human, Animal, and Ecosystem Management (BEHAVE), Utah State Extension
What Makes An Animal Choose a Forage? by Beth Burritt and Fred Provenza, in PDF format
Animal Health & Nutrition
Animal-Powered Farming
NY Times article on oxen
Beef Cattle
UVM Extension Livestock page
Cornell Beef Cattle Extension
VT Beef Producers Association
Better weight gains with calm cattle
http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2006/060516.htm
Business Planning
VT Farm Viability Enhancement Program
Dairy Cattle
Dairy Success Through Management-Intensive Grazing, a downloadable PDF file, produced by Maryland GLCI and partners.
Making the Switch: Two Successful Dairy Graziers Tell Their Stories, a downloadable PDF, produced by the University of Maryland and Chesapeake Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture
Fencing Resources
(Please note that we do not endorse one contractor over another, we are listing them as resources)
List of fencing contractors within or near Vermont (updated 3/29/10)
Food Safety
Food Safety News article on food safety issues in confinement operations
Forage
Alternate Forage Options article by Sid Bosworth and Heather Darby
Proceedings of the 2008 Forage Conference (PDF format--2.4 MB file)
VT Crops & Soils page at UVM's Plant & Soil Science Dept
Estimating Pasture Carrying Capacity, Forage Yield and Costs (Excel format)
Invasive or Poisonous Plants in VT (PDF format)
University of Wisconsin Extension Forage Resources
Grazing Basics
The Art and Science of Pasture Management, by Sarah Flack (PDF format)
Key Concepts for Successful Grazing, by Jenn Colby & Rachel Gilker (PDF format)
Using the Pasture Estimating Device (PED) by Darrell Emmick (PDF format)
Grazing Plans
VT Grazing Plan Template (Excel format). (Note: the template opens more quickly if you open your Excel spreadsheet program first).
This template was developed by VPN partners to help make the process of preparing a grazing plan easier, consistent with state and national NRCS requirements for grants, and still practical for farmers' management needs.
Pasture/Hayland/Livestock Inventory Sheet (PDF format)
Excellent sheet to use while gathering farm information to enter into grazing plan template.
VT Pasture Condition Scoresheet (PDF format)
Very helpful for estimating forage. An Excel version (does calculations for you) is available on the VT NRCS Grazing System Information page.
Manure/nutrient management planning (web page)
From the VT NRCS web site, multiple resources.
Maps of your farm can be obtained by contacting your local NRCS office.
Additional grazing information can be found at the VT NRCS Grazing Systems Information page.
Horses
Check out VPN's SARE project working with stable owners to improve high traffic areas
Seeking Balance: Elements of a Successful Horse Grazing System (link to Center for Sustainable Ag for ordering)
Horse Forage and Forage Management
An extensive web-based product detailing rotational grazing with horses in the Central US, but with many concepts applicable to our region
Insect Control
New York State Integrated Pest Management (IPM) for Livestock
Suppliers of Beneficial Insects in North America
New England Parasitic Wasp Life Cycle (Cornell University)
Guide to North Carolina Dung Beetles (NC State University)
Livestock
UVM Extension Livestock page
Organic Transition
Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA-VT)
Plants
Cornell University's Poisonous Plants for Livestock Database
Invasive Species ID and Control (Source: Cornell Cooperative Extension)
Invasive Species Targeted Grazing--controlling grazing behavior to target particular plants (note: mostly western species)
Poultry
Here's a comprehensive list of poultry suppliers around the country
Slaughter & Processing
Key Vermont Slaughter Inspection and Licensing Requirements for Meat Producers
Soils
UVM Soil Testing Lab
VT Crops & Soils page at UVM's Plant & Soil Science Dept
Cattle Grazing Pastures Can Improve Soil Quality overview
Stockman Grass Farmer article on use of wood ash as soil amendment.
Swine
USDA Pork Standard
Water
Smart Water Use on Your Farm or Ranch, a SARE research report. Available for purchase or free PDF download at:
http://www.sare.org/publications/water.htm
Last modified June 15 2011 03:13 PM