Pasture Program

The Center's Pasture Program was established in 1996, as a partner in the Vermont Pasture Network with USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service Grazing Lands Conservation Inititative and the VT Grass Farmers Association. The Pasture Program provides staff support to Network activities, as well as pursuing independent research and education.

The goal of the UVM Center for Sustainable Agriculture’s Pasture Program is to promote and enhance sustainable grass-based livestock farming through improvements in soil, water and forage quality and profitability by working with farmers and other partners to provide research, information, educational opportunities (including grazing workshops and the Vermont Grazing Conference), and technical support.

Our forward-looking purpose is to continue to support farmers through various forms of technical assistance, education, and outreach, and to carry out research, creating valuable and accessible resources.  This research will primarily be situated on farms throughout the state, highlighting farmers as innovators. 

Our current research is funded in these areas: soil quality impacts of farming methods, pasture species trials, community biomass production, winter grazing, and equine pasture management.

For more information about the Pasture Program's activities, contact Rachel Gilker, Pasture Program Coordinator, at (802) 656-3834 or rgilker@uvm.edu or Jennifer Colby, Pasture Outreach Coordinator, at (802) 656-0858 or jcolby@uvm.edu.