UVM Extension Cultivating Healthy Communities

Agriculture

No-Till & Cover Crop Symposium

Thursday March 1, 2018

UVM Extension’s Champlain Valley Crop, Soil & Pasture Team & the Northwest Crops & Soils Program invite all farmers and technical advisers to attend this event dedicated to No-Till and Cover Cropping systems for field crop growers in our area. Download the Brochure (PDF)

Location: DoubleTree by Hilton (formerly the Sheraton Burlington Hotel and Conference Center) in Burlington, Vt.

Learn the latest techniques! Discover how your neighbors are using this integrated system of cover crops and no (or less) tillage to create better soil health, increase profitability and meet water quality goals. Learn from other farmers, talk to your local ag dealers about equipment or seed, speak to NRCS about funding, listen to regional and national experts, and hear about research at UVM and in nearby states. This is the fifth year of this conference! If you haven’t come in a couple years, now is the time to come back and celebrate. Let’s keep the momentum going!

Fee: $85 (Students $50)

Online Registration Now Closed

Participants may register at the door (cash or check ONLY, no credit cards).

2018 Guest Speakers

Bob Schindelbeck

Bob is an Extension Associate in the Cornell Department of Crop and Soil Science and coordinates the Cornell Soil Health Laboratory operations and development. Bob has been part of the Cornell Soil Health Team’s development of soil management strategies to address laboratory-measured soil constraints. More about Bob Schindelbeck

Blake Vince

Blake is a 5th generation farmer from Merlin, Ontario, Canada where he lives with his wife and children. He is a charter member and past president of the Rotary Club of Chatham Sunrise and is a past director of the Innovative Farmers Association of Ontario. In 2013, Blake was awarded a Canadian Nuffield Scholarship. He works alongside his father Elwin and Uncle Tom Vince. Currently they produce corn, soybeans and winter wheat on approx. 1300 acres. The Vince family started no-tilling in 1983 and today they are using cover crops in various capacities. Blake has implemented planting green into a 18 way multi species cover crop following winter wheat as part of their cropping system. Blake’s claim to fame as a 45 year old farmer is that he has never used a moldboard plow. More about Innovative Farmers

Eric Young

Eric has a Bachelor’s of Science degree in environmental science from the State University of New York at Plattsburgh. After working in the field as an extension agronomist and nutrient management planner, he earned a Ph.D. in Soil Science from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry. He was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Vermont from 2006 to 2009. Eric has been at Miner Institute since 2009. He oversees cropping operations for the dairy herd, approximately 1000 acres. Eric is also involved with a number of research projects relating to forage production/quality, nutrient management, and field runoff water quality. More about Eric Young

Poster Submission Opportunities

Graduate students involved in regional (northeast) research on cover crops, no-till (or reduced tillage) and/or soil health are invited to submit a poster to present at the annual UVM Extension No-Till and Cover Crop Symposium. Research can involve any agricultural crop, though the focus of our symposium has traditionally been on dairy forages and grain crops. The poster session will be held during registration and two exhibitor/poster sessions throughout the day. See last year's poster descriptions.

Applicants should submit applicant name(s), title of research and/or poster, an abstract (400 words or less), and a PDF of the poster if possible. Applicants should submit this information to champlain.crops@uvm.edu by February 21st.

Students must also register for the symposium, but will be receiving the discounted rate of $50 instead of $85.

We typically have around 175 attendees at this conference, half of which are farmers/producers. Participants are also researchers, students, government employees, technical service providers and non-profit employees.

Sponsorship Opportunities

Become a sponsor and receive public recognition, logo placement on promotional materials, ads in the conference proceedings, exhibitor table, and more.

Download the Sponsorship Form

Contact Kirsten Workman or Karen Gallott at (802) 388‐4969 (toll free in Vermont: 800‐956‐1125); champlain.crops@uvm.edu.