On Tuesday August 5, a group of over 20 vegetable farmers and service providers gathered at Clearfield Farm, located along the White River in Granville, Vt., for a workshop titled, “Soil Health and Scaling Up For Wholesale.”

This workshop highlighted Clearfield Farm’s innovations to improve water quality and soil health. UVM Extension’s Vegetable and Berry Team, funded through Ag-CWIP, described technical assistance provided and facilitated conversation around soil health. Representatives from Vermont Agency of Agriculture Food and Markets (VAAFM) and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) attended to describe funding Clearfield utilized to support the farm’s water quality and business goals.

Clearfield Farm began in 2016 when Melissa Kosmaczewski and John Hirsch worked with the Vermont Land Trust’s Farmland Access Program to purchase the farm. The farm evolved from a diversified market farm into a highly mechanized wholesale farm, with the bulk of the work done by John. Melissa continues to work off-farm as they build their business. In 2024, the farm was awarded an Agricultural Development grant through VAAFM for the purchase of a mechanical top-lift root crop harvester to increase their growing capacity. This season, they are growing certified organic fingerling and specialty potatoes, carrots, winter squash, grains and herbs for wholesale markets on 50 acres of cropland. 

As Clearfield quickly expanded their land base to scale up wholesale production, UVM Extension’s Vegetable and Berry Team worked closely with them to reduce tillage, calculate nutrient applications based on soil test results, and develop a crop rotation and soil health plan. This ensures their farming practices do not negatively impact the nearby White River and associated watershed. John focuses on improving water quality through year-round cover cropping, using diverse mixes to actively hold soil in place and increase aggregate stability and infiltration. 

UVM Extension’s Vegetable and Berry Team used Ag-CWIP funds to provide John with cover crop seed to expand his use of summer blooming cover crops. These were successfully seeded in strips alongside or within cash crop fields to host beneficial insects and pollinators. John also planted one large 5-acre field with buckwheat, which was a pollinator heaven in full bloom during the workshop.  

As the farm’s acreage in cover crops has expanded, they broadened their ideas for utilizing cover crops. During a farm visit in 2024 with Julie Callahan and Becky Maden from UVM Extension, John shared his vision for using a combine to grow his own cover crop seed. Julie and Becky supported John’s application to the Capital Equipment Assistance Program (CEAP) grant for the purchase of a used combine. The combine has a direct positive impact on water quality because cover crop stays in the soil longer, thereby reducing tillage passes and increasing the soil carbon contribution from cover crops. In other words, the combine stretches out rotation times, with the co-benefit of improved pest and weed control. 

Thanks to support from Ag-CWIP and other funding programs, John and Melissa are well on their way to successfully scaling up their organic wholesale vegetable production while keeping water quality and soil health at the forefront of their goals.