Join us for a field day at Granite Grains certified organic farm to explore the future of grain growing in New England. View the event flyer here. Learn about growing grains for malting, distilling, and developing whiskey. Gain an understanding of local and regional markets. Granite Grains farm managers will guide guests through their agronomic practices and how these impact soil fertility, variety selection, rotation, cleaning and drying the crop, and delivering the crop to market.

WHEN: Thursday, July 10, 2025, 10:00 a.m.

WHERE: Granite Grains, 381 Boston Post Road, Amherst, NH 03031

COST: FREE. Lunch and beverages provided.

REGISTRATION: Email Todd Hardie at todd@champlainvalleygrain.com or call (802) 324-0354.

This field day will feature sessions with:

• Tyler Murray from Granite Grains Farm
• Joel Alex and Joe Rinaldo from Blue Ox Malt
• Heather Darby from the UVM Extension Northwest Crops & Soils Program
• Northern Grain Growers Collaborative

To register or for any questions, please contact Todd Hardie at todd@champlainvalleygrain.com or call (802) 324-0354.

Join us for this series of free on-farm pasture walks and workshops focused on practical strategies for managing successful grass-fed dairy systems, led by grazing specialists and experienced farmers. View the event dates and locations here. 

To register, please contact Susan Brouillette at susan.brouillette@uvm.edu, 802-656-7611 (direct line), or 802-656-7610 (office line).

Thank you to our event sponsors - Organic Valley / CROPP Cooperative, Family Farmstead Dairy, and Maple Hill Creamery. 

This work is supported by the Organic Research and Extension Initiative project award no. 2023-51300-40985 from the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

Join us for our favorite day of the year, the 18th Annual Crops & Soils Field Day at Borderview Research Farm! Click here to view the event flyer.

WHEN: Thursday, July 24, 2025, 10:00 a.m.- 3:30 p.m. 

This year’s theme, Growing for Tomorrow, highlights cutting-edge research and practical innovations conducted by the Northwest Crops and Soils Program staff that are shaping the future of agriculture. Our team is excited to share timely updates on impactful projects that address both today’s challenges and tomorrow’s opportunities. 

The day will feature dynamic speakers, workshops, and a guided tour of Borderview Farm. You’ll hear the latest findings on a diverse range of topics, including hemp, flax, strawberries, vegetables, dry beans, forages, soil health, and much more. 

We can’t wait to connect, learn, and grow together. See you there! 

REGISTRATION AND COST: Pre-registration is required. Register online before July 21 at https://go.uvm.edu/2025annualfieldday or call the UVM Non-Credit Registration Office at (802) 656-8407. 

Farmers: Free 

Other Guests: $25 

Lunch is included. 

EXHIBITOR AND SPONSOR SPOTS AVAILABLE:

Would you like your company or organization to be represented at this event? Consider becoming a sponsor or reserving a table to engage directly with event attendees. Exhibitor table limit is 10.  

Interested? Please contact Susan.Brouillette@uvm.edu or 802-656-7611 or complete this Exhibitor Registration Form and email it to Susan. 

This is a rain or shine event. Come dressed for the weather! 

If you require an accommodation related to a disability, please contact UVM Student Accessibility Services at access@uvm.edu or (802) 656-7753 three (3) weeks prior to the event. 

Thank you to our event sponsors - Organic Valley / CROPP, VM Agritech

The mission of the Tri-State Dairy Team is to unite Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont in advancing dairy management through collaborative educational programs, addressing shared industry challenges, and fostering innovation across northern New England.

Starting in January 2025, join the team of Dairy Extension Professionals from UMaine, UNH, and UVM and guests for live monthly webinars held on the last Wednesday of each month from 11:30am-12:30pm.  Sessions will focus on current dairy research and programs happening in the tri-state region, including interviews, presentations and roundtable discussions.   Tune in live to stay up-to-date and join the conversation.  All sessions will be recorded and posted to the UVM Extension Northwest Crops & Soils Program YouTube channel.

Up next in this series:

July 30 - Rumen Biochemistry & Function with nutrition consultant Kurt Cotanch 

August 27 - Improving Calf & Heifer Management Practices in New England with Glenda Pereira & Sarah Allen

September 24 - Milk Quality in the Northeast with Dr. Paul Virkler, Cornell Quality Milk Production Services

Past webinars with recording: 

January 29 - Grant Applications: Tips, tricks, and resources, YouTube recording
February 26 - Ben & Jerry's Low Carbon Dairy Program, YouTube recording 
March 26 - Spotlight on Farm of the Year Awardees, YouTube recording
April 30 - Virtual Fencing in the Northeast: Farmer panel and discussion, YouTube recording 
May 28 - Maine Farmcast Crossover Event - The Science of Hay Harvest: Maximizing Yield & Quality with Dr. Juan Romero , YouTube recording 
June 25 - June is Dairy Month!  Dairy Consumer Trends & Dairy Checkoff in the Northeast, YouTube recording. This presentation also included this Consumer Trends presentation (PDF) by Abby Korhonen from Dairy Management Inc. 

Free webinars, but you must register to receive the confirming email with the webinar link. Register online for the Tri-State Dairy Exchange webinars. 

To request a disability-related accommodation to participate in this program, please contact Susan Brouillette at 802-656-7611 or Susan.Brouillette@uvm.edu by 3 weeks before the webinar you wish to attend.

Download the Tri-State Dairy Exchange flyer (PDF).

The 2026 No-Till & Cover Crop Conference is scheduled for Thursday, February 19, 2026 at the DoubleTree by Hilton in South Burlington, VT. 

The 2026 Grain Growers Conference is scheduled for Wednesday, March 18, 2026 at The Essex Resort and Spa in Essex, VT.

The University of Vermont Extension held three interactive workshops in March 2025 on forage quality and ruminant nutrition that included Agronomist Heather Darby, joined by research specialist Sara Ziegler, dairy nutritionist Kurt Cotanch, grazing consultant Sarah Flack, and Jen Miller of NOFA-VT.

Click here to view the PDF of dairy nutritionist Kurt Cotanch's presentation. 

Thank you to our Conference Sponsors!

The Links of a Local Grain Supply Chain is our theme for the 2025 Grain Growers Conference. View the full brochure here that includes the Agenda and speaker bios.

Was held on Wednesday, March 12, 2025

We invited Bakers for the Baker's Showcase and had a very successful showing. We are looking to doing this again in 2026. 

Thank you to our Conference Sponsors!

Was held on March 25, 2025, 9:00 a.m. CT, 10:00 a.m.  ET.  View our flyer here. 

The Discovery Farms® Programs in Wisconsin, Vermont, Arkansas and Minnesota hosted a virtual webinar to present program updates and highlight new data. 

View this webinar recording to learn more about farmer-led water quality research in these four states or go to our Discovery Acres webpage to view this and previous webinar recordings.

Wisconsin - Evaluating Agricultural Conservation Practices with Wisconsin Discovery Farms Data

Vermont - Can Tile Drainage and Best Management Practices Help Vermont's Over-saturated Soils?

Minnesota - Edge-of-Field Water Quality Impacts of Cover Crops in Northern Corn & Soybean Farm Fields

Arkansas - Assessment of Biochar as a Soil Amendment in Eastern Arkansas Agricultural Production

This four-part webinar series on soil health indicators has completed. We have posted the YouTube recording next to each webinar below. 

Following is the list of webinar topics and speakers. View the flyer for bios on each of the speakers.

Wednesday, December 11: Introduction to soil health indicators and testing with Dr. Heather Darby, Professor of Agronomy and Lindsey Ruhl, Research Specialist,  Extension, University of Vermont. View the recorded video here. 
Thursday, December 12: Crushing It: Soil physical properties, compaction, aggregate stability, and soil health with Dr. Joshua Faulkner, Research Associate Professor, Department of Agriculture, Landscape, and Environment, University of Vermont. View the recorded video here. 
Friday, December 13: Biological indicators: What, how, and why with Dr. Deborah Neher, Professor Emerita, Department of Agriculture, Landscape, and Environment, University of Vermont. View the recorded video here.
Monday, December 16: Is soil health connected to carbon persistence? What management practices promote long-term carbon storage with Dr. Caitlyn E. Hicks Pries, Associate Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College. View the recorded video here. 

Download the Soil Health Indicators Webinar Series flyer (PDF).

This work is supported by the Natural Resources Conservation Service Conservation Innovation Grant award #NR221644XXXXC013.

This webinar series was hosted by NECCC and includes 10 webinars. Following is the list of the webinar topics and the speaker, as well as a link to the video recording.

8/21 Cover crop species selection for agronomic systems with Victoria Ackroyd. View the video recording. View the presentation PDF file. 
8/28 Cover crop species selection for vegetable systems and long-term rotations with Jason Lilley. View the video recording. View the presentation PDF file. 
9/4 Cereal rye vs. wheat and other common either-or cover crop choices with Kate Brown. View the video recording. View the presentation PDF file.
9/11 Cover crop mixtures vs. monocultures with Sarah Hirsh. View the video recording. View the presentation PDF file.
9/18 Cover crop planting date vs. seeding rate considerations with Laurel Wellman. View the video recording. View the presentation PDF file.
9/25 Tips for different planting methods with Chad Cochrane. View the video recording. View the presentation PDF file. 
10/2 Cover crops and herbicide carryover concerns with Mark VanGessel. View the video recording. View the presentation PDF file. 
10/9 Results from the joint Northeast Cover Crops Council field experiments with Arthur Siller. View the video recording. View the presentation PDF file. 
10/16 Case studies from the University of Maryland Extension cover crop project with Sarah Hirsh. View the video recording. View the presentation PDF file.
10/23 Planning for the end before you start - when and how to terminate your cover crop with John Wallace. View the video recording. View the presentation PDF file.

Click to View Flyer (PDF)

This event was held on Thursday, July 25, 2024, 10am to 3:30pm. It included a tour of the research trials including perennial grasses, soybeans, small grains, hemp, hops, and other crops, as well as afternoon sessions. 

Click to View Flyer (PDF) for this two-part summer webinar series to address all your in-season dry bean challenges. Collaborated by Cornell University and University of Vermont. 

Webinars included -

• Friday, June 21, Noon to 1:00 p.m. Managing Dry Bean Insect Pests in the Field. Hear from Clark Moore, CCA of Western NY Crop Management Association about common dry bean pests to look out for, scouting techniques, and management options. Click here to view the recorded video.
• Friday, July 19, Noon to 1:00 p.m. Managing Dry Bean Diseases in the Field. Learn from Dr. Sarah Pethybridge of Cornell AgriTech about common dry bean diseases to look out for, how to distinguish them from each other, and your options for management. Click here to view the recorded video. 

Click to View Flyer (PDF)

Thank you for joining the UVM Extension Northwest Crops and Soils Program for this webinar series that explored the new and upcoming technologies available to dairy producers that work to increase efficiency, reduce costs, improve product quality, minimize adverse environmental impacts, and improve animal health and well-being.

The seven webinar sessions include the following and the recorded video is linked to each.

• Mon, March 18: Navigating CowManager’s Health and Nutrition Modules with Bryce Warriner, CowManager, and Accurate Internal Temperature as the Best Early Indicator of Subclinical Health Issues with Joe Gilbert, smaXtec Inc. CEU PD 1 credit. View the recorded video here.
• Wed, March 20: Genetic Selection Strategies for 2030 and Beyond with Kevin Jorgensen, Select Sires. CEU PD 1 credit. View the recorded video here.
• Fri, March 22: Virtual Fencing, Unlocking All the Power of Managed Grazing with Monte Bottens, Bottens Family Farm. CEU CM 1 credit. View the recorded video here.
• Mon, March 25: SCIO Cup: Analyze Feed to Boost Dairy’s Bottom Line with Damian Goldring, Consumer Physics. CEU PD 1 credit. View the recorded video here.
• Wed, March 27: Moving and Organizing Data for Variable Rate Applications with Scott Magnan, Scott Magnan’s Custom Services, and Cultivating Tomorrow: Innovations in Planting Technology with Mike Contessa, Champlain Valley Agronomics. CEU PAg 1 credit. View the recorded video here.
• Fri, March 29: A Closer Look at Emerging Sprayer Technologies with Chris Creek, Precision Planting, and Optimizing Forage Inventories with Drone Imagery with Adam Durrin, Aurox. CEU PAg 1 credit. View the recorded video here.
• Mon, April 1: Precision Weed Management with Muthu Bagavathiannan, Texas A&M University. CEU IPM 1 credit. View the recorded video here.

Click to View Flyer (PDF)

Tuesday, March 26, 2024, 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time

On March 26, the Discovery Farms® Programs in Wisconsin, Vermont, Arkansas and Minnesota hosted a virtual webinar titled “Emerging Contaminants and Water Quality: The Importance of On-Farm Research”.
This was a discussion about farmer-led water quality research in these four states and how the Discovery Farms® network is responding to emerging concerns. If you were unable to attend, you can view the YouTube video here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZlgK9X959Y

On the Agenda -
- Wisconsin's Changing Climate and New In-Field Nitrate Monitoring
- Monitoring Neonicotinoids in Water and Soil from Discovery Farms Field Sites in Vermont
- Chloride: Water Quality Impairments & Edge-of-Field Losses from Discovery Farms Monitoring (Minnesota)
- Potassium and Sulfate loss in Runoff from Arkansas Discovery Farms

Click to View Flyer (PDF)

Wednesday, March 20, 2024 - Growing Collaborations

The conference was held at The Essex Resort & Spa in Essex, Vermont on March 20.

Conference highlights included our keynote speaker Amber Lambke, founder and president of Maine Grains, Inc., as well as our lunch time speaker, Bill McDorman, cofounder of the Great American Seed Up & Heritage Grain Alliance. Other topics include managing soil health on grain farms, cover crop-based no-till and interseeding techniques, cleaning and drying seed, dry beans IPM, a sensory session, and baking sessions.

Thank you to our Grain Growers Conference Sponsors!

• Northern Grain Growers Collaborative
• Frazer Insurance Agency
• Arthur Carroll Crop Insurance
• Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education
• Naga Bakehouse

Click to View Flyer (PDF)

Thursday, March 21, 2024, 9:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. EST at the Middlebury Extension Office

As more Vermont dairy producers look to increase homegrown forage and reduce purchased feed costs, there has been an increased interest in corn and soybeans grown for grain in Vermont.

This meeting was a collaboration among three UVM Extension teams — Ag Business, Northwest Crops and Soils, and Champlain Valley Crop, Soil and Pasture Team. It is co-hosted by the Champlain Valley Farmer Coalition. The day’s agenda includes:

• Heather Darby and Northwest Crops and Soils team will discuss considerations on varieties of corn and soy optimal for the Northeast.
• Abby Augarten and Joshua Faulkner from the Champlain Valley Crop, Soil and Pasture team will present preliminary data on nutrient balances and the water quality impacts of growing soybeans.
• Mark Mordasky, Jack Kennett, Peter Briggs, George and Jeremy Foster, and Lorenzo Whitcomb are farmers who have integrated grain production into their operations. This producer panel will share the knowledge they have gained from their experiences.

Click to View Flyer (PDF)

This year, we offered two days at two separate locations for a choice to attend. We held the meetings in Newport and Vergennes, VT.

Thank you to our Organic Dairy Days Sponsors!

• PLATINUM:
  • Morrison's Custom Feeds
  • Stonyfield Organic
• GOLD
  • Organic Valley

Click to View Flyer (PDF)

In collaboration with Cornell University, we offered a three-part webinar series on dry beans! You can view the recordings below.

• Tuesday, February 20 - Dry Bean Disease Management with Dr. Sarah Pethybridge, Associate Professor, School of Integrative Plant Science Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology Section Cornell AgriTech. View the Recorded YouTube Video.
• Tuesday, February 27 - New Dry Bean Varieties: Improving the production of heirlooms without losing the culinary characteristics. Travis Parker, Department of Plant Sciences, University of California-Davis. View the Recorded YouTube Video.
• Tuesday, March 5 - Dry Bean Farmer Panel: Hear from growers about their experiences growing dry beans, from harvesting & cleaning to storage & markets. Speakers include: Nazirahk Amen, Purple Mountain Organics (Tacoma Park , MD), Kevin Messing, Sheridan Acres (Ubly, MI), and John Wepking, Meadowlark Farm and Mill (Ridgeway, WI). View the Recorded YouTube Video.

Click to View Flyer (PDF)

Thursday, February 22, 2024 - Building Resiliency and Profitability into your No-Till System

The conference was held at the DoubleTree by Hilton in South Burlington, Vermont, 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. View our 2024 No-Till and Cover Crop Conference webpage for details and to see our sponsors.

Click to View Flyer (PDF)

This webinar was held on Tuesday, January 23, 2024. Click here to view the recorded YouTube video of the webinar presentation or go to https://youtu.be/N9OWx9XWIaE.

University of Vermont Extension and the Vermont Bee Lab collaborated a discussion with Québec farmers to learn about their experiences transitioning away from neonicotinoid ("neonic") treated seeds. In 2019, Québec limited neonic pesticide use to protect pollinators and our environment. Similar to the New York bill that was signed into law this past December, these restrictions applied to neonic coatings on corn and soybean seeds, two of the largest uses of neonics in the province.

In this panel discussion with four Québec farmers, we will learn how they navigated this transition and the challenges they faced. The panel includes the following farmers:

• Jocelyn Michon from La Présentation
• Renaud Peloquin from Sainte-Victoire-de-Sorel
• Stephane Pitre from Saint-Louis-de-Gonzague
• Francis Quintal from Saint-Ignace-de-Stanbridge

Click to View Flyer (PDF)

This series was to educate policy-makers, farmers and educators on the role of neonicotinoids in managing pests and how best to minimize impacts on the surrounding environment. Following are the presentation titles and link to their recorded video.

• December 12 - Intro to Agricultural Innovation Board (AIB) and their work, Steve Dwinell, VAAFM. View Recorded Video
• December 14 - Neonicotinoids and Pollinators, Samantha Alger, UVM. View Recorded Video
• December 15 - Using No-Till, Cover Crops, and IPM to Control Insects and Slugs, John Tooker, PENN State. View Recorded Video
• December 18 (Noon to 1:30pm) - Integrated Management Strategy for Seed Corn Maggot in NY, Ken Wise, Dr. Alejandro Calixto, and Dr. Katja Poveda from Cornell University. View Recorded Video
• December 20 - Reducing Bee Exposure to Insecticidal Corn Seed Treatment Dust, Reed Johnson, Ohio State University. View Recorded Video.
• December 21 - Questions and Feedback. Provide valuable feedback to VAAFM to inform regulation on Neonics, Steve Dwinell, VAAFM and Heather Darby, UVM. View Recorded Video.

Click to View Brochure (PDF)

This was a 3-part webinar series in place of the Grain Growers Conference. View the Grain Production Webinar Series web page for all the details.

All videos from the Grain Production Webinar Series are available in a Playlist on our YouTube channel called Grain and Legume Production Series 2023, linked here.

Direct links to the videos are below.

• 2/17/23, Growing Dry Beans in the Northeast
• 3/3/23, The Basics of Dry Bean Production
• 3/23/23, Maine Grains Tour with Amber Lambke and Todd Hardie
• 3/24/23, Reviving Heritage Grains
• 3/31/23, NGG Hits the Road

Click to View Flyer (PDF)

The recorded videos from these webinars are now available and are listed below and above as part of the Grain and Legume Production Series 2023.

• February 17, 2023: Growing Dry Beans in the Northeast
• March 3, 2023: Basics of Dry Bean Production

Discovery Farms® Multi-state Webinar (PDF)

Tuesday March 28, 2023, 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. ET.

View the Discovery Acres web page to view the webinar recordings and for more information about Discovery Acres.

Click to View Brochure (PDF) - Thursday, March 9, 2023

View the 2023 Vermont Organic Dairy Producers Conference web page to view a PDF of the presentations.

Click to View Brochure (PDF)

This virtual conference was held on Thursday, February 23, 2023. View the Industrial Hemp Conference web page for all the details.

The 2023 Industrial Hemp Conference proceedings are now available online. You will find the presentation videos for all the presentations, as well as a PDF of the presentation (if available).

The proceedings are on the Extension Foundation website and are available for a fee of $50.

If you registered to attend the conference on February 23 virtually, you can send me an email request to receive a voucher code to access these proceedings at no additional cost, susan.brouillette@uvm.edu. I can confirm your attendance with our master attendee list.

You can access the 2023 Industrial Hemp Conference proceedings here – https://campus.extension.org/enrol/index.php?id=2341

You can choose PURCHASE/ENROLL to access.  NOTE: You will need to email me before hitting PURCHASE/ENROLL to receive the voucher code if you attended on Feb. 23 virtually. If you did not attend on Feb. 23, choose PURCHASE/ENROLL and complete the necessary information and payment. You will receive the Checkout information that has the link to access the proceedings/training once purchased. There is no limit on how long you will have access to these videos.

Click to View Flyer (PDF)

With increasing organic grain prices, many dairy farms are looking to reduce or even eliminate feeding grain. Grass-fed dairy is of growing interest and this online course will walk you through unique aspects of this production system. The online program will include weekly presentation/discussion and online resources. Webinars were recorded and are available on teh Extension Foundation web site (see below). Please contact Susan at 802-524-6501 ext. 432 or susan.brouillette@uvm.edu if you have any questions.

ACCESSING THE SITE – The course webpage is housed on Cooperative Extension’s online campus called Extension Foundation at: http://campus.extension.org. If you have not yet been to this website, you will need to create an account. To do so, click the grey button in the top right corner of the webpage titled, “Login” then click “Create new account.” You will complete some basic information and confirm your account via email.
Once you have created an account, you will enroll in the Grass-Fed Dairy Production Course by typing “Grass-Fed Dairy Production” in the Search Courses box on the homepage (select the course title). Under ‘Self-enrollment (Student)’, click the ‘Continue’ button to enroll.
Access the course anytime at: https://campus.extension.org/course/view.php?id=2287

Click to View Flyer

On December 13, 2022, UVM Extension’s Sara Ziegler and grazing consultant Sarah Flack joined for a webinar on alternative milking strategies including seasonal production, once-a-day milking, and other alternative milking frequencies. They shared insights on the prevalence of these strategies on dairy farms around the northeast region, as well as common challenges, barriers to adoption, benefits, and economic considerations.

If you were unable to attend the webinar, here is the link to the YouTube video of it.

The Northern Grain Growers Association and the University of Vermont Extension Northwest Crops and Soils Program joined to bring the 2022 Grain Growers Conference to you! Three virtual programs were offered over the course of three weeks with a series of videos, presentations, and hands-on activities, each highlighting a specific grain crop in the Northeast. View the Grain Grower Series brochure for the details. YouTube video links are included below that includes captioning.

RESILIENCE IN RYE

• 3/22/22, Ecological Rye Production with Sandy Syburg of White Oak Farm in Wisconsin. View recorded video.
• 3/24/22, Conditioning, Aeration, and Storage of Grain with Don Hosteler of Brock Grain Systems in Indiana. View recorded video.

DYNAMIC DRY BEANS

• 3/30/22, Dynamic Dry Beans with Heather Darby (UVM) and Sarah Pethybridge and Matthew Ryan of Cornell University. View recorded video.

THE ANATOMY OF WHEAT FLOUR

• 4/5/22, PART 1—From the Field to the Lab with Heather Darby of UVM Extension, Carrie Brisson of King Arthur, Randy George of Red Hen Baking Co., and Jeffrey Hamelman of King Arthur. View recorded video.
• 4/6/22, PART 2—From the Mill to the Bakery with Andrew Heyn of New American Stone Mills. View recorded video.

University of Vermont Extension and Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets hosted the 4th annual Industrial Hemp Conference virtually over two days, Tuesday and Wednesday, March 15 and 16, 2022. The conference included live presentations on hemp trends, consumer knowledge, economics, CBD, grain and fiber hemp, pest and disease management, oil presses, Vermont rules updates, and more.

View our conference brochure here, to see the full agenda, speaker bios, and sponsors.

In May, we will post the videos from the Industrial Hemp Conference, either here on this website in this section, or we will share the proper link if we do not post them here.

Thank you to our conference collaborators (VAAFM and USDA NIFA) and our sponsors Bia Diagnostics Laboratories, Delmhorst Instrument Co., Neptune's Harvest, and King's AgriSeeds.

The Northwest Crops & Soils Program hosted the Dairy Webinar Series (click link to view PDF) from February 11, 2022 to March 9, 2022, which included seven (7) webinars covering a diversity of dairy-related topics from higher forage diets to cost of production to emissions and manure matters. Each webinar was recorded and we made the recordings available here.

• 2/11/22, Manure Matters: Sustainable Dung Ecology with Bryony Sands of UVM. YouTube video available.
• 2/18/22, Higher Forages Diet with nutritionists Patrice Vincent and Kurt Cotanch. YouTube video available.
• 2/23/22, Dairy Loose Housing Systems with Marcia Endres from the University of Minnesota. YouTube video available.
• 2/25/22, UVM Forage and Dairy Research with Heather Darby and Sara Ziegler. YouTube video available.
• 3/2/22, Green House Gas Emissions on Organic Dairy with Andre Brito of UNH and Horacio Aguirre-Villegas from University of Wisconsin-Madison. YouTube video available.
• 3/4/22, Genetic Considerations for Organic Dairy Herds with Glenda Pereira of the University of Maine. YouTube video available.
• 3/9/22, Cost of Production in Organic and Grass-fed Dairy Systems with Jen Miller of NOFA-VT and consultant Sarah Flack. YouTube video available.

The Northeast Cover Crops Council (NECCC), the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA), and the University of Vermont Extension held the fifth annual Northeast Cover Crops Council Conference (click to view the conference brochure) on March 10 and 11, 2022. Check back at a later date for information on accessing the recorded videos from the conference.

In May, we will share a link here on this page of how to access the recorded videos from the 2022 NECCC Conference.

Thank you to our conference collaborators (NECCC, PASA, USDA NIFA, and VAAFM) and our sponsors NY FarmNet, Seedway, King's Agriseeds, Albert Lea Seed, BioTill Cover Crops, and Friends of Northern Lake Champlain.

The Discovery Farms® network hosted a free webinar titled, Cover crop and water quality: A multi-state webinar featuring the work of Discovery Farms Programs (click to view flyer) on Wednesday February 16, 2022. This included presentations from the Discovery Farms programs in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Arkansas, and Vermont. View this YouTubevideo recording here.

Learn more about Discovery Acres Vermont as well as the other programs in the Discovery Farms® network by visiting at our Discovery Acres website- https://go.uvm.edu/discoveryacres.

The Hemp Production Webinar Series went from April to November 2021. Thank you for joining us for one or more of the webinars. We recorded and have posted all of the webinars below. You can view the final Series Flyer (PDF) for some of the final webinar details. All webinars were free and lasted one hour.

Following are the links to recordings of past webinars in this series and please note that the posted video will include closed captioning:

• Growing High Quality Hemp Starts. Recorded April 12, 2021.
• Hemp Irrigation Systems: Maximizing Efficiency & Productivity. Recorded May 11, 2021.
• The Development of Seedless Triploid Hemp varieties. Recorded May 20, 2021.
• Old Solutions to New Problems: Building with Hempcrete. Recorded June 24, 2021.
• Manufacturing of Hemp Products. Recorded July 29, 2021.
• The State of Play: Hemp in Vermont. Recorded September 13, 2021.
• Hemp Chemicals and the Effects on the Human Body. Recorded September 14, 2021.
• Researching the Market - Is there a Market for the Hemp you Plan to Grow? Recorded October 6, 2021.
• Assessing the Market - How are Hemp Products Different? Recorded October 13, 2021.
• Hear from Someone Who's Done It - A New Hemp Venture. Recorded October 20, 2021.
• Fire Safety On-Farm: Building Requirements and Facility Safety. Recorded November 4, 2021.

June 4, 2021, 1:00pm to 3:00pm EST

Part of the Northeast Healthy Soil Network Symposium. Includes Heather Darby as the moderator and panelists of farm owners, agricultural professionals, and researchers. Supported by the UVM Gund Institute for Environment. View the recorded YouTube video here. You can also view information on the Gund Institute web page, https://www.uvm.edu/gund/news/northeast-healthy-soil-network.

The Vermont Agency of Agriculture (VAAFM) is providing an online opportunity to earn water quality and custom applicator credits to maintain certification.  Visit VAAFM’s Water Quality and Educational Credits webpage: https://agriculture.vermont.gov/water-quality-educational-credits to access videos and submit a form to receive credit. The videos, including the Custom Applicator Webinar from April 21st on manure injection and inline sensing equipment, are listed midway through the page. Next to the video listing is a PDF form that the applicator or farmer should submit in order to receive credit.

The Northern Grain Growers Association and the University of Vermont Extension Northwest Crops and Soils Program brought the Grain Growers Conference to you virtually this year with three programs being offered - The Culture of Corn, The Resonance of Rye and The Splendor of Spelt.

View the Grain Growers Conference web page for the past conference details and YouTube links to the recorded presentations.

We offered an exciting two week online learning series covering a diversity of dairy-related topics from forage production to bedded packs to alternative milking frequencies. You will hear from researchers, local farmers, and agricultural professionals sharing the latest research and experiences from the field. View the detailed brochure here (PDF).

Following are the recorded videos, which include closed captioning, and a PDF of their presentation (if available):

March 9, Exploring Alternative Milking Intervals (YouTube video) and the presentation (PDF).

March 10, Evaluating Sensory Properties of Dairy Products (YouTube video) and the presentation (PDF).

March 12, Cow Comfort: Can it be Improved in your Barn? (YouTube video), the presentation (PDF), and the following handouts:

• Dairy Facility Risk Factors (PDF)
• Estimating the Impact of Cow Comfort (PDF)
• Seven Things that can improve Cow Comfort, Productivity and Well-being (PDF)
• Steps to Improving Existing Freestalls (PDF)

March 16, Forage Quality: How to Improve, Assess and Feed More Forage (YouTube video), the Quality Forage presentation (PDF) from Kurt Cotanch, and the Managing Forage Crops presentation (PDF) from Sid Bosworth.

March 18, Updates on Local and Regional Research Projects (YouTube video). Including Bedding Strategies presentation (PDF) from John Barlow, Feeding Legumes to Organic Dairy Cows (PDF) by Andre Brito, Impact of Forage Mixtures (PDF) by Miriam Snider, and Interseeding Forage Crops (PDF) by Kathy Soder.

March 19, Corn Silage Hybrid Testing Update and Management Tips (YouTube video), the presentation (PDF) from Joe Lawrence, and a Benchmarking Table handout (PDF).

We had a successful Industrial Hemp Conference on Friday, February 26, 2021. Thanks to everyone that was able to join us!

The 2021 Industrial Hemp Conference proceedings are now available online. You will find the presentation videos for all the live presentations and the on-demand ones, as well as a PDF of the live presentation powerpoint (if available) and resources that were posted on the virtual conference website. The proceedings are on the eXtension website and are available for a fee of $75.

If you attended the conference on February 26 virtually, you can send me an email request to receive a voucher code to access these proceedings at no additional cost, susan.brouillette@uvm.edu. I can confirm your attendance with our master attendee list.

You can access the 2021 Industrial Hemp Conference proceedings here – https://campus.extension.org/course/view.php?id=2033

The NECCC's first-ever virtual conference was held on March 4, 2021. Thanks to everyone that joined us!

View the conference link for details as they are posted - http://northeastcovercrops.com/2021-conference/.

UVM Extension Northwest Crops and Soils (NWCS) program is offering this free course in collaboration with the following organizations: Vermont Agency of Agriculture (VAAFM), Food & Markets, Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR), SUNY Morrisville, University of Maine Cooperative Extension, Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners (MOFGA), Northeast Organic Farming Association of NY (NOFA-NY), and Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program (NE-SARE). This course is only for Agricultural/Technical Service Providers please.

Offerings include up to 13 webinars (7 are required), up to 5 in-field intensives (1 is required), and admission to attend the 2021 and 2022 Industrial Hemp Conferences! You will also be asked to complete a pre- and post- course survey. All this is FREE and you can also earn Certified Crop Adviser credits! Sessions will be live on Tuesdays, 12pm - 1pm.

Sorry, but we are not taking on new registrations at this time as registeration was required by October 26, 2020.

The program flyer (PDF) or the Eventbrite website includes more detailed information. View the July 2021 updated Hemp Growing Season Intensive flyer showing all the session opportunities for July, August, and September 2021.

Questions? Please contact Catherine Davidson, Catherine.davidson@uvm.edu, or Heather Darby, heather.darby@uvm.edu or 802-524-6501.

In lieu of the UVM Extension Northwest Crops and Soils Annual Field Day, we held several Virtual Field Day Fridays. You can view our flyer of the dates and topics, as well as our Funding Sources and Collaborators for our program research here Flyer (PDF).

• July 24 - Small Grains; Integrated Pest Management
• August 7 - Interseeding Cover Crops; Solar Corridors; Forages
• August 21 - Hops; Corn Silage Trials
• September 4 - Dry Beans; Flint Corn; Behind the Scenes at the Grains Lab
• September 18 - Hemp; Cover Crops

All video's from the webinars are posted online on a Map of Borderview Farm (PDF). Open this PDF file and you can click on the video you wish to watch. The video locations, match up with the research trial locations at the farm. The videos/recordings will also include closed captioning.

Coordinated by the University of Vermont Extension Northwest Crops & Soils Program and the Center for Sustainable Agriculture.

Join us for these webinars being offered LIVE and FREE on Thursdays from noon to 1pm. See below for dates/topics. We will record the webinars and post them to this website, as well as our Hemp web page. These recordings will also include closed captioning.

June 11th – The Vermont Hemp Rules with Stephanie Smith, Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets. View the YouTube webinar recording here - https://youtu.be/Z02EyQkkN9U. View the presentation here (PDF).

June 18th – Getting the Season Started with Heather Darby and John Bruce of the UVM Extension Northwest Crops and Soils Program. View the YouTube webinar recording here - https://youtu.be/7ErgkuUwUUc. View the presentation here (PDF).

July 9th – Identifying and Manage Arthropod Pests in Hemp with Heather Darby and Scott Lewins of the UVM Extension Northwest Crops and Soils Program. View the YouTube webinar recording here - https://youtu.be/KbKbDkEwk2I. View the presentation here (PDF).

July 30th – Identification and Management of Disease in Hemp with Ann Hazelrigg, UVM, and Chris Motyka. View the YouTube webinar recording here - https://youtu.be/wouZy-3Ioxk. View the presentation (PDF) here.

August 6th - CBD Post-Harvest Handling (Drying focus) with Chris Callahan, UVM. View the YouTube webinar recording here - https://youtu.be/dIPozbV-MuY.  View information and the presentation slides (PDF) here.

August 13th – Hemp Sampling Pre-Harvest with Robert Shipman and/or Michael DiTomasso of the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets. View the YouTube webinar recording here - https://youtu.be/9NFlbdJyS-w. View the presentation slides (PDF) here.

September 10th – Hemp Testing at Certified Labs with Robert Shipman and/or Michael DiTomasso of the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets. View the YouTube webinar recording here - https://youtu.be/LNw_4wQojB0. View the presentation slides (PDF) here.

This is material is based upon work supported by USDA/NIFA under Award Number 2018-70027-28588.

Several webinars are being offered through this series collaborated by UMass Extension, UVM Extension, and UMaine Extension. Pre-registration is requested. Please click on this Webinar Series Flyer to see the details and the Go To Webinar link for registration. Following are the dates with webinar topics, which also includes the link to register (click on webinar title):

• July 31, 12:15-1:00 PM, Brassicas and Other Cool Season Annuals with Heather Darby of UVM Extension
• August 11, 7:00 to 8:00 PM, Stockpiling with Troy Bishopp: 60 Days From Your Fall Feeding Plan
• August 28, 12:15-1:00 PM, Harvesting Over-wintering Cover Crops with Sam Corcoran of UMass Extension
• September 18, 12:15-1:00 PM, Bringing it All Together: Integrating Alternative Forage into Your Feed Plan with Kathy Soder of USDA-ARS

Dig into Your Day…with Cover Crops & Conservation (click to view flyer) - The University of Vermont Extension is offering a FREE Webinar Series!
This webinar series will discuss current research on cover crops and conservation in various cropping systems, interesting findings, and common obstacles to implementing a successful cover crop and no-till program. Each webinar will be 30 minutes and will end with a 15 minute Q&A session.YouTube videos of completed webinars will be posted when available.

Dates & Topics Listed Below:
Monday, 3/23/20 9am to 9:45am - Precision Sustainable Agriculture (YouTube video available) with Steve Mirsky, United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service
Thursday, 3/26/20 9am to 9:45am - Cover Crops in the Corn/Soybean Rotation (YouTube video available) with Peter Tomlinson, Kansas State University, Department of Agronomy
Monday, 3/30/20 9am to 9:45am - Cover Crop Profitability with Rob Meyers (YouTube video available), University of Missouri Extension, Agricultural Engineering
Thursday, 4/2/20 9am to 9:45am - No-Till and Cover Crops in Organic Systems (YouTube video available) with Joel Gruver, Western Illinois University, School of Agriculture
Monday, 4/6/20 9am to 9:45am - No-Till and Cover Crops in Vegetable Systems (Organic Focus) (YouTube video available) with Natalie Lounsbury, University of New Hampshire, Earth and Environmental Sciences
Thursday, 4/9/20 9am to 9:45am - Stewarding the Birthplace of No-Till with John Young (YouTube video available), Young Family Farm, Innovative No-Till Farmer from Herndon, Kentucky
Monday, 4/13/20 9am to 9:45am - Cover Crop and Soybean Research in Vermont (YouTube video available) with Heather Darby, University of Vermont Extension, Northwest Crops and Soils Program
Thursday, 4/16/20 9am to 9:45am - Cover Crops and No-Till in Soybeans (YouTube video available) with Cara Peterson, University of Maryland, Sustainable Agricultural Systems Lab

Certified Crop Adviser (CCA) credits are available through online registration or by emailing your CCA number and/or farm name to catherine.davidson@uvm.edu within 2 days of the webinar.

Grain Growers Webinar (PDF) - was held Tuesday, March 24, 2020, 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Included the following two webinar presentations that you can now access to watch. Each are 1 hour or under.
Growing Rye for Flavor and Function (YouTube video available) with Aaron MacLeod of Hartwick College.
Cover Crop Based No-Till and Interseeding Techniques (YouTube video available) with Erin Silva from University of Wisconsin.

Grain Growers Conference (program brochure and agenda) - Tuesday, March 24, 2020 at The Essex Resort & Spa, Essex, VT. View our Conference web page - go.uvm.edu/2020grainsconference. This conference has been CANCELED, sorry for any inconvenience.

2020 Winter Farm Meeting (click for meeting agenda) - Friday, February 7, 2020 at the American Legion, 100 Parah Drive, St. Albans, VT. Free event with lunch sponsored by Yankee Farm Credit. Conference web page https://2020winterfarmmeeting.eventbrite.com.

2nd Annual Industrial Hemp Conference (click for full brochure and agenda) - Thursday, February 20, 2020 at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Burlington. View our Conference  web page - go.uvm.edu/2020hempconference.

No-Till Cover Crop Symposium (click to view conference web page) - Wednesday, February 26, 2020 at the DoubleTree by Hilton, South Burlington, VT

Hop Conference (flyer) - Friday, February 28, 2020 at the Delta Hotels Marriott Burlington, Burlington, VT. View our Conference web page - go.uvm.edu/2020hopconference.

Organic Dairy Producers Conference - Wednesday, March 11, 2020 at Judd Hall at Vermont Technical College, Randolph, VT. View our Conference web page - go.uvm.edu/2020organicdairyconference.

• 2019 Summer Farm Meeting (PDF) - Wednesday, August 14, 2019, Bridgeman View Farm, Franklin, VT. View the detailed agenda (PDF).
• Summer Organic Dairy Series - UVM Extension, NOFA-VT, and Organic Valley are collaborating and offering several organic dairy related workshops this summer. View our flyer for the details and registration information. Workshops are offered in July, August and September and are in Vermont, New Hampshire and New York.
• 2019 12th Annual Crops & Soils Field Day - Thursday, July 25, 2019. Our theme is Twelve Years of Research - But Wait, There's More! View the 2019 Field Day Booklet (PDF).
• Malt Flavor Evaluations - was held on Wednesday, June 26 in Burlington, VT. For brewers and growers.
• No-Till Training Program - In-Field Intensives. As part of the No-Till Training Program, Agriculture Service Providers (ASP) and program participants must attend at least one (1) in-field intensive training. We are also inviting ASPs working with farmers curious about implementing no-till. We are offered 4 workshops, In-Field Intensives information flyer (PDF)
• 15th Annual Grain Growers Conference (click to view brochure) is Thursday, March 28. Following are the PDF versions or links to most of the conference presentations listed chronologically.

• Paul Schwarz, Impact of Disease on Malting Grains (PDF)
• Erik Andrus, Growing Rice in New England (PDF)
• Jeffrey Hamelman and Randy George, 100% Rye, NGGA Testing (PDF) and NGGA Rye Baking Test Evaluation Form (PDF)
• Jason Furch, Recipes from Baking Session (PDF)
• Jacob and Bruce Buck, Growing and Storage of Malting Barley (PDF)
• Tom Molloy, Research and On-Farm Experiences with Camera-Guided Cultivation in Maine (PDF)
• Jennifer Lapidus, From Grain to Loaf: A regional flour mill in the south (PDF)
• Mark Bernard, Transitioning to Organic and Value Added Products (PDF)
• Roger Rainville, Small Scale Oil Pressing (PDF)
• Lynn Ellen schimoler, Joe Bossen and Elijah Massey, Financial and Technical Assistance Resources for Farmers and Processors (PDF)
• Becca Regier, Baking session recipes. Caraway Rye Crisps (PDF) and Barley Cookies (PDF)
• Rye Matthews, Basics of Growing Hemp for CBD (PDF)
• Kristy Borrelli, Role of Cover Crops in Nutrient Cycling and Soil Health (PDF)
• Joel Steigman, Growing, Processing, and Milling Spelt (PDF)

Additional links for information from Kristy Borrelli.
Making the Most of Mixtures: https://extension.psu.edu/making-the-most-of-mixtures-considerations-for-winter-cover-crops
Managing Soil Health: https://extension.psu.edu/managing-soil-health-concepts-and-practices

• No-Till Cover Crop Symposium (PDF), was held Thursday, February 28, DoubleTree by Hilton, Burlington, VT.

• 9th Vermont Organic Dairy Producers Conference (click to view brochure) was held Thursday, March 14. Following are the PDF versions or links to the conference presentations.

Gary Hirshberg, Perspective on Organic Dairy (PDF)
Linda Tikofsky, Milk Quality: It's the Little Things (PDF)
Research Updates, Combined Slide Show from all Presenters (PDF)
Larry Tranel, Economics of Grazing Dairy Heifers (PDF)
Larry Tranel, TRANS Iowa Low Cost Parlors - link to view video - https://connect.extension.iastate.edu/parlor
Larry Tranel, Transforming a Milking Parlor at Low Cost Fact Sheet - downloadable link - https://store.extension.iastate.edu/Product/12657

• (click to view brochure) was on Friday, February 8 and was very successful!  Following are the PDF versions of the presentations listed chronologically. To access the presentation videos, contact susan.brouillette@uvm.edu.
• I have also included this PDF of our Sponsor and Exhibitor contact information (PDF).

Online proceedings for the Industrial Hemp Conference are available for $75 and includes video recordings of presentations conducted during the conference. The proceedings are housed at eXtension’s Online campus. If you have not yet been to this site, you will need to create an account. To do so, on the left bar under “Login,” click on “Create new account.” You will need to complete some basic information and confirm your account via email.  Once you have created an account, you may enroll in the proceedings. You will enter your payment into eXtension’s PayPal system.

• Monique McHenry, PhD, Cannabis as a Plant: Taxonomy and Chemistry (PDF)
• Christine Motyka, Propagation Techniques for starting CBD Hemp Plants (PDF)
• Joe Veldon, Breeding and Selection of CBD Hemp (PDF)
• Keanan Stone, Hemp Grain/Fiber Commercial Production (PDF)
• Trevor Hardy, Plasticulture for Hemp Production (PDF)
• Heather Darby, Hemp Production in the Northeast (PDF)
• Steve Kostell, Micro-manufacturing of Agricultural products for Industrial Hemp (PDF)
• Jane Kolodinsky, Markets for Hemp - Considerations (PDF)
• Reuben Stone, Hemp Grain Harvest & Storage (PDF)
• Jay Noller, Developing Sustainable Markets for Hemp (PDF)
• Rye Matthews, Farming Hemp in Vermont (PDF)
• Keith Morris, Permaculture Design (PDF)
• Christine Motyka and Scott Lewins, Integrated Pest Management in Hemp (PDF)
• Chris Bailey, Hemp Seeds 101: Processing, Products, and Markets (PDF)
• Brenden Beer, Field to Market (PDF)
• John DiGiuseppe, Harvest and Drying (PDF)
• Marc Tardiff, Acadia Farms (PDF)
• Zoe Stapp, Hemp Irrigation 101 (PDF)
• Bob Escher AIA and Alex Escher, An Ancient Material to Solve Contemporary Problems (PDF)
• Scot Waring, Hemp Processing and Analysis (PDF)
• Jay Noller, CBD Production Systems in Oregon (PDF)
• Heather Darby, Fertility Management (PDF)

• 10th Annual Hop Conference (PDF), was Thursday, February 21, DoubleTree by Hilton, Burlington, VT. View detailed Conference Agenda (PDF).We had a great conference with informative and fun topics. Listed below are PDFs of the presentations.

Online proceedings for the 2019 Hop Conference are available for $35 and includes video recordings of presentations conducted during the conference. The proceedings are housed at eXtension’s Online campus. If you have not yet been to this site, you will need to create an account. To do so, on the left bar under “Login,” click on “Create new account.” You will need to complete some basic information and confirm your account via email.  Once you have created an account, you may enroll in the proceedings. You will enter your payment into eXtension’s PayPal system.

Tom Spilsbury, British Hop Industry & Growing English Hops (PDF)
Gene L'Etoile, Pests and Diseases of Hops (PDF)
Heather Darby and John Bruce, Historical Hop Evaluation Trial (PDF)
Ellen Dillenbeck and Lejla Mahmuljin, Brewing with Wild Vermont Hops (PDF)
Blake Crosby, Hops 101 (PDF)
Kevin Broderick, Whitefield Hop Yard (PDF)
Tom Spilsbury, Three Tier Hop Drying (PDF)

2019 10th Annual Hop Conference was held Thursday, February 21, 2019

Online proceedings for the the 10th Annual Vermont Hop Conference are available for $35 and include video recordings of presentations conducted during plenary and advanced sessions. The proceedings are housed at eXtension’s Online campus. If you have not yet been to this site, you will need to create an account. To do so, on the left bar under “Login,” click on “Create new account.” You will need to complete some basic information and confirm your account via email.  Once you have created an account, you may enroll in the proceedings. You will enter your payment into eXtension’s PayPal system.

Following are the links to the PDF files of the conference presentations.

Tom Spilsbury, British Hop Industry & Growing English Hops (PDF)
Gene L'Etoile, Pests and Diseases of Hops (PDF)
Heather Darby and John Bruce, Historical Hop Evaluation Trial (PDF)
Ellen Dillenbeck and Lejla Mahmuljin, Brewing with Wild Vermont Hops (PDF)
Blake Crosby, Hops 101 (PDF)
Kevin Broderick, Whitefield Hop Yard (PDF)
Tom Spilsbury, Three Tier Hop Drying (PDF)

2018 Hop Power Hour Recordings (April - October 2018)

• April 23 feature Julien Venne presenting on Mastering Spring Activities in the Hopyard
• May 21 with Erin Lizotte from MSU presenting on Powdery Mildew
• June 25 with Gene L'Etoile sharing one decade of growing hops: a farmer shares his experiences
• July 23 with Trevor Hardy who shared information on irrigation systems for hop production
• August 27 with Dr. Lily Calderwood who presented on harvest timing and the effect on quality of hops
• October 1 with Melanie Lewis Ivey who shared information on hop viruses and viroids

2017 Hop Power Hour Recordings (April - September 2017)

• April 24 featuring Dr. David Gent presented on downy mildew management
• May 22 Dr. Heather Darby shared information on soil fertility management and Scott Lewis shares results from the first goScout survey
• June 26 Dr. Lily Calderwood, Cornell Cooperative Extension, provided information, including management options, on potato leafhopper hopper in hops
• July 31 Dr. Andrew Landers, Cornell University, provided a presentation on pesticide application tools and technology
• August 28 Chris Callahan, UVM Extension Agricultural Engineering, provided a presentation on postharvest handling of hops
• September 25 Hop Quality, End of Season Observations

2018 9th Annual Hop Conference was held Friday, February 16, 2018

Online proceedings for the the 9th Annual Vermont Hop Conference are available for $35 and include video recordings of presentations conducted during plenary and advanced sessions. The proceedings are housed at eXtension’s Online campus. If you have not yet been to this site, you will need to create an account. To do so, on the left bar under “Login,” click on “Create new account.” You will need to complete some basic information and confirm your account via email.  Once you have created an account, you may enroll in the proceedings. You will enter your payment into eXtension’s PayPal system.

Following are the links to the PDF files of the conference presentations.

Morning Session

• Pam Miller, Hops Harvest Center, A Hop Niche Market (PDF)
• Julian Post, Mt. Philo Hops, Know Your Strengths: Why is Small and Local an Advantage? (PDF)
• Roy Desrochers, Tufts University, Sensory Technology – Taste and Aroma Presentation (PDF)

Advanced Session

• Rob Sirrine, Michigan State University, Hop Production in Michigan (PDF)
• Lily Calderwood, Cornell University, Hop Harvest Timing (PDF)
• Joe Catron, Select Botanicals Group, From Propagation to Pint – Creating and Sustaining Value in a Dynamic Supply Chain (PDF)
• Steve Miller, NeHA, Are Feral Hops in Your Future (PDF) and a Feral Hops Handout (PDF)
• Heather Darby, UVM NWCS, Hop Research Updates (PDF)

Beginner Session

• Stephan Schmidt, Schmidt Hop Farm, Hop Yard Trellis Design (PDF)
• Steve Miller, NeHA, Basic Hop Production (PDF) and a Fertilizing Commercial Hop Fields handout (PDF)
• Trevor Hardy, Brookdale Farm, Hops Irrigation (PDF) and Irrigation and Fertigation handout (PDF)
• Scott Lewins, UVM NWCS, Integrated Pest Management Strategies (PDF)
• Julian Post, Mt. Philo Hops, Harvesting and Drying (PDF)

2017 Vermont Hop Conference (February 25, 2017)

Online proceedings for the the 8th Annual Vermont Hop Conference are available for $35 and include  video recordings of presentations conducted during plenary and advanced sessions. The proceedings are housed at eXtension’s Online campus. If you have not yet been to this site, you will need to create an account. To do so, on the left bar under “Login,” click on “Create new account.” You will need to complete some basic information and confirm your account via email.  Once you have created an account, you may enroll in the proceedings. You will enter your payment into eXtension’s PayPal system.

2016 Vermont Hop Conference (February 19, 2016)

Online proceedings for the the 7th Annual Vermont Hop Conference are available for $35 and include video recordings of all presentations. The proceedings are housed at eXtension’s Online campus. If you have not yet been to this site, you will need to create an account. To do so, on the left bar under “Login,” click on “Create new account.” You will need to complete some basic information and confirm your account via email.  Once you have created an account, you may enroll in the proceedings. You will enter your payment into eXtension’s PayPal system.

2015 Vermont Hop Conference (February 20, 2015)

As mentioned at the 2015 Hop Conference by Steve Polewacyk from Vermont Pub and Brewery, you can access the Hop Evaluation Excel sheet here.
Proceedings from the 6th Annual Vermont Hop Conference are now available online. The online proceedings include video recordings and PDFs of all conference presentations. They can be accessed for a one-time fee of $35 at eXtension’s Online campus. If you have not yet been to this site, you will need to create an account. To do so, on the left bar under “Login,” click on “Create new account.” You will need to complete some basic information and confirm your account via email.  Once you have created an account, you may enroll in the proceedings. You will enter your payment into eXtension’s PayPal system.

2014 Vermont Hops Conference (February 27, 2014)

Online proceedings for the the 5th Annual Vermont Hops Conference are available for $25 and include both video recordings and PDFs of all presentations. The proceedings are housed at eXtension’s Online campus. If you have not yet been to this site, you will need to create an account. To do so, on the left bar under “Login,” click on “Create new account.” You will need to complete some basic information and confirm your account via email.  Once you have created an account, you may enroll in the proceedings. You will enter your payment into eXtension’s PayPal system.

2013 Winter Hops Conference (February 22, 2013)

• UVM Research Update: Dr. Heather Darby, Rosalie Madden, and Scott Lewins (PDF)
• Hop Cover Cropping: Lily Calderwood, UVM (PDF)
• Solar Hop and Herb Drying Greenhouse System: Rich Andrews, Boulder Innovative Technologies, Boulder, CO (PDF)
• Effectiveness of Irrigation and Cover Cropping to Produce Sustainable Hops: Krista Delahunty and Jason Johnston, Aroostook Hops, Westfield, ME (PDF)
• Growing Hops–Fertility, Water, and Pest Management: Graham Ollard, Agrimanagement, Yakima, WA (PDF)

2012 Winter Hops Conference (March 19, 2012)

• Addison Hop Farm, Statistics and Costs from 2011: Kris Anderson, Addison Hop Farm, Addison VT (PDF)
• Trial Low Trellis Hop Yard: Ron Brennan, Leap of Faith Farms, Williamstown, ON (PDF)
• Recording of Ron’s conference presentation (YouTube)
• Mobile Hop Picker: Chris Callahan, UVM Extension (PDF)
• Organic Hop Yield and Quality in the Northeast: Heather Darby and Rosalie Madden, UVM Extension (PDF)
• What’s Wrong with My Hops Plants?: Ann Hazelrigg, UVM Extension (PDF)
• Hops Baler: Ian Pfeiffer and Brian Pinan, UVM Students (PDF)
• Building an Oast: Roger Rainville, Borderview Farm, Alburgh, VT (PDF)

2011 Winter Hops Conference (February 18, 2011)

•  Low-Trellis Systems: John Henning, USDA-ARS (PDF)
• Recording of Dr. Henning’s presentation (YouTube)
• USDA-ARS Hop Breeding and Genetics Program: John Henning, USDA-ARS (PDF)
• Brewers Panel Introduction: Mark Magiera, Bobcat Cafe & Brewery, Bristol, VT (PDF)
• Brewers Panel Discussion (PDF)
• Building a Hopyard: Roger Rainville, Borderview Farm, Alburgh, VT (PDF)
• Recording of Roger’s presentation (YouTube)

2010 Winter Hops Conference: Hopping To It! (March 26, 2010)

• Hop Botany, Cultivation, and Breeding: Jason Perrault, Perrault Farms, Inc., Yakima, WA (PDF)
• Transcript: Jason Perrault, hop farmer and breeder from Yakima Valley, Washington – transcript (PDF)

NEEOGRAIN virtual webinars was done in collaboration with ACORN, Atlantic Canadian Organic Regional Network, and the University of Vermont Extension Northwest Crops and Soils Program.  NEEOGRAIN stands for Northeast (U.S.) and Eastern (Canada) Organic Grain Network.

• April 6, 2018 – Exploring soil management for organic field crop producers with organic grain farmer Klaas Martens from Lakeview Organic Grain in Penn Yan, NY.  View webinar with Klaas Martens.
• April 20, 2018 – Soil Organic Matter Study and Best Practices webinar with Dr. Judith Nyiraneza.

2018 14th Annual Grain Growers Conference -was held on Thursday, March 22, 2018

Following are the links to the PDF files we had from the Grain Growers conference presentations.

• Keynote presentation on Hot Bread Kitchen (PDF) from Jessamyn Waldman Rodriguez
• Value Added Product Development (PDF) with Sue Gray of King Arthur Flour
• Five Marketing Must-Haves for Grain Growers (PDF) with Carey Underwood of King Arthur Flour
• Liberty View Farm (PDF) with Larry Moore, New York dairy farmer
• Beidler Family Farm (PDF) with Brent Beidler, Vermont dairy farmer
• BBGA Rye Handout (PDF) from James MacGuire, Chef and Baker from Montreal
• Growing and Processing Hemp (PDF) with Marc Bercier and Hannah Windatt from Eastern Ontario
• Using Small Grains in Animal Rations (PDF) with Rick Kersbergen from University of Maine
• UVM 2017 Small Grain Research (PDF) (incl. Hemp) with Heather Darby, Erica Cummings and Hillary Emick
• Fertilizing with Green Manures (PDF) with Thomas Dewavrin from Les Cedres, Quebec
• Milkweed – More than Just a Weed! (PDF) with Roger Rainville of Borderview Farm
• Growing Dry Beans (PDF) with Seth Johnson of Morningstar Farm
• Tortilla de Tiesto handout (PDF) from Hot Bread Kitchen’s Peiwen Lee’s baking session

Online Proceedings of Hemp Presentations from the 2017 Vermont Grain Growers Conference

At the 13th Annual Vermont Grain Growers Conference, held on March 23, 2017 in Essex, Vermont, five workshop sessions were dedicated to industrial hemp production. Proceedings—video recordings of the presentations—are now available online. They may be accessed for a one-time fee of $35 at eXtension’s Online campus. If you have not yet been to this site, you will need to create an account. To do so, on the left bar under “Login,” click on “Create new account.” You will need to complete some basic information and confirm your account via email. Once you have created an account, you may enroll in the proceedings. You will enter your payment into eXtension’s PayPal system.

10th Annual Grain Growers Conference — March 13, 2014 “Grow it Here”

• Keynote Speaker, Jack Lazor, Butterworks Farm, Westfield, VT. The Culture of Grain in Our Culture (PDF)
• Heather Darby and Susan Monahan, UVM Extension 2013 Small Grain Research Results (PDF)
• Tate McPherson, Aroostook County Maine. Maine Seed Company LLC (PDF)
• Andrea Stanley, Valley Malt, MA. Specialty Malts Grain-ing Traction (PDF)
• Bruno Vachon, Malterie Frontenac, Quebec. Malting Barley – Local Sources (PDF)
• Frank Kutka, Northern Plains Sustainable Agriculture Society Farm Breeding Club, ND. Breeding Better Corn On-Farm (PDF)
• Frank Kutka, Northern Plains Sustainable Agriculture Society Farm Breeding Club, ND. What’s New With Specialty Seeds and Grains? (PDF)
• Seth Johnson, Morningstar Meadows, Glover, VT. Dry Beans (PDF)
• Melanie Hernandez and Beth Ruman, River Moon Farm, Craftsbury Commons, VT. Small-Scale Dry Bean Production (PDF)
• Andrew Heyn and Blair Marvin, Elmore Mountain Bread, Elmore, VT. Elmore Mountain Bread (PDF)
• Joe Bossen, Vermont Bean Crafters Company, Waitsfield, VT. Bringing Dry Beans to Market (PDF)

GOING THE WHOLE GRAIN 2010 NGGA CONFERENCE

• Keynote: Health Trinity: Healthy Soil=Healthy Plants=Healthy Planet (PDF) by Paul Hepperly, Fulbright Scholar
• Local Grain Research (PDF) by Dr. Heather Darby, UVM Extension Agronomist and Nutrient Management Specialist
• From Field to Glass: Brewing Beer with Local Grains (PDF) by Andrea and Christian Stanley, Valley Malt
• Mycotoxin Analysis, a Resource for Vermont Grain Growers (PDF) by Ann Hazelrigg, UVM Plant Diagnostic Clinic (pdf)
• Grain Quality Testing, New Services Offered Through UVM Extension (PDF) by Erica Cummings, UVM Extension (pdf)

No-Till Tuesdays Webinar Series (2017).  Interested in no-till farming? Check out the recordings to our No-Till Tuesdays webinar series.
You will hear from our own Heather Darby and Jeff Sanders on no-till tips and equipment considerations; PennState experts Doug Beegle and John Tooker who addressed manure and pest management in reduced tillage systems; and John Jemison and Rick Kersbergen from the University of Maine who discussed managing soils in no-till.

Coffee Break for Cover Crops Webinar Series (2016)

We offered a webinar series focused on practical cover cropping tips you can use on your farm and/or in your work with farmers. Links to the recordings can be found below.

• Cover crops and your corn herbicide program. Bill Curran, Penn State University, 4/27/16.
• Termination strategies, pros and cons. Heather Darby, UVM Extension, 5/4/16.
• Cover crop variety selection for inter seeding. Kirsten Workman, UVM Extension, 5/11/16.
• Options for interseeding cover crops. Jeff Sanders, UVM Extension, 5/18/16.
• VT NRCS & state programs for cover cropping, Sandra Primard, USDA NRCS, 5/25/16.

2014 - 2017 No-Till and Cover Crop Symposium

Past proceedings and presentations. 2018 is not posted yet.

Northwest Crop, Soil and Dairy Meeting: Tile Drainage, January 20, 2015

• The Benefits of Tile Drainage (PDF), Steve Mahoney, River Bend Farm Agriculture and Environmental Services. (pdf)
• Nuts and Bolts of Tile Drainage Systems and Basics to Tile Maintenance (PDF), Larry Brown, Ohio State University. (pdf)
• Drainage Water Management for the Midwest Fact Sheet (PDF). (pdf)
• Tile Drainage Research at the Miner Institute (PDF), Eric Young, Miner Institute. (pdf)
• Tile Drainage Research in Wisconsin, Matt Ruark (PDF), University of Wisconsin. (pdf)
• Tile Drainage in Wisconsin Fact Sheet (PDF)
• Designing and Constructing Bioreactors to Reduce Nitrate Loss from Subsurface Drains Fact Sheet (PDF)
• Woodchip BioReactor for Nitrate in Agricultural Drainage Fact Sheet (PDF)
• USDA Conservation Fact Sheet: Highly Erodible Land Conservation and Wetland Conservation Compliance (PDF)
• USDA Wetland Conservation Provisions (PDF)
• USDA Annual and Perennial Crop List for the Purpose Conservation Compliance (PDF)
• USDA FAQ: Conservation Compliance (PDF)

2014 Northwest Crop, Soil & Dairy Meeting — January 21, 2014

• Gary Bergstrom, Cornell University, NY. Corn and Soybean Diseases in the Northeast (pdf) (not available at this time)
• Sid Bosworth, UVM Agronomist, VT. Meadow Fescue in Vermont (PDF)
• Kurt Cotanch, Miners Institute, NY. Researching the Forage-Cow Interface (PDF)
• Steve Woodruff, NRCS Agronomist, NC. Understanding Soil Health (PDF)

Online Proceedings of Hemp Presentations from the 2017 Vermont Grain Growers Conference

At the 13th Annual Vermont Grain Growers Conference, held on March 23, 2017 in Essex, Vermont, five workshop sessions were dedicated to industrial hemp production. Proceedings—video recordings of the presentations—are now available online. They may be accessed for a one-time fee of $35 at eXtension’s Online campus at: Campus Extension. If you have not yet been to this site, you will need to create an account. To do so, on the left bar under “Login,” click on “Create new account.” You will need to complete some basic information and confirm your account via email.  Once you have created an account, you may enroll in the proceedings by going to Campus Extension. You will enter your payment into eXtension’s PayPal system.

Oilseeds Webinar (2014)

UVM Extension Ag Engineer Chris Callahan and Penn State researcher Doug Schaufler teamed up to present a webinar on pressing oilseed crops for biodiesel and human consumption. You can access a PDF of the presentation.

Oilseed Producers Workshop - March 3, 2014

• Chris Callahan's presentation on economic viability of oilseed crops (pdf)
• Hannah Harwood and Chris Callahan's final results of the small-scale press evaluations (pdf)
• Small-scale press evaluation report (pdf)
• Small-scale press design video (YouTube)
• Heather Darby's presentation on 2013 research updates and uses for oilseed meal (pdf)
• Ryan Elias's presentation on culinary oil quality (pdf)

Oilseed Producers Meeting - March 19, 2013

• Chris Callahan and Hannah Harwood's preliminary results of small-scale oilseed press design evaluations (pdf)
• Sabrina Greenwood's presentation on feeding oilseed meal to livestock (pdf)
• Alan Eaton's presentation on bird management in oilseed crops (YouTube)

2012 Oilseed Producers Meeting

Downloadable for free Oil Crops Outlook from the USDA. 

• Mobile biodiesel trailer designed by the nonprofit GreenStart, based in NH
• Effect of bleaching on stability, consumer acceptability, and nutrition of Canola (pdf, Ryan Elias)
• TRT ETGO Oilseed Crushing Plant (pdf, Etienne Tardif)
• Running the Tractor on SVO and Biodiesel from Oil Crops (pdf, Douglas Schaufler)
• Canola Research Update 2011 (pdf, Heather Karsten)

Prior Oilseed Producers Meetings

• Notes from 2011 Oilseed Producers Meeting (pdf)
• Notes from 2010 Oilseed Producers Meeting (pdf)

Past 2018 Events

Tile Drainage Webinar Series - Drainage and Doughnuts

View our Tile Drainage Webinar Series - Drainage and Doughnuts (PDF). 

Videos

• Wed, October 24, Introduction to Tile Drainage, Joshua Faulkner, UVM Center for Sustainable Agriculture
• Fri, October 26, Tile Drainage and Management in Wisconsin, Matt Ruark, University of Wisconsin - Madision
• Wed, October 31, Tile Drainage and Management in New York and end-of-tile treatment, Eric Young, USDA ARS - Marshfield, WI
• Fri, November 2, Tile Drainage and Management in Ohio, Lindsay Pease, University of Minnesota - St.Paul
• Thu, November 8, Conservation and Tile Drainage Survey Results, Heather Darby, UVM, and Update on RAPs and tile drain rule amendment, Ryan Patch, VAAFM

Listing of Past 2018 Events

• Establishing Your Hop Yard (PDF) – Champlain Valley Hops, Starksboro, September 28, 2018
• Grass Fed Dairy Production – The Larson Farm, Wells, September 21, 2018
• Summer Farm Meeting – Bridgeman View Farm, Franklin, August 9, 2018
• Summer Organic Dairy Series – July 24, Newport, Improving Milk Quality and Pasture Systems; July 25, Graniteville, Robot Grazing Systems & Forage Harvesting; and August 6, Whiting, Pasture Management and Youngstock.
• 11th Annual Northwest Crops and Soils Field Day, July 26, Borderview Research Farm.
• Grain Growers Conference, March 22, 2018, The Essex Resort, Essex.
• Organic Dairy Producers Conference, March 15, 2018, VT Technical College
• Winter Farm Meeting, March 7, 2018, Champlain Valley Equipment St. Albans
• No-Till Cover Crop Conference, March 1, 2018, Sheraton Hotel in Burlington
• Hop Conference, February 16, 2018, Sheraton Hotel in Burlington
• 2018 Nutrient Management Planning (NMP) classes were held in 6 locations January - March 2018.
• 2018 Nutrient Management Planning Grain and Vegetable classes were also held.

Past 2017 Events

• Cover Cropping Management on a Vegetable Farm  – River Berry Farm, Fairfax, Thursday, October 12, 2017
• Conservation Practices on Farms in St. Albans Bay - Thursday, September 7, 2017
• Summer Organic Dairy Series – Monday, July 31, West Danville, VT. Organic Dairy Transition – Developing a Grazing System; Wednesday, August 30, Randolph Ctr, VT. Pasture Management – Recovery After a Drought; and Tuesday, September 12, Vernon, VT. Organic Dairy Forage Management – Corn Silage and Weed Control
• Summer Farm Meeting – Thursday, August 17, 2017, Bridgeman View Farm, Franklin, VT
• Harvesting and Malting Barley – Tuesday, August 22, 2017, Peterson Quality Malt, Monkton, VT
• 10th Annual Northwest Crops and Soils Field Day, Thursday, July 27th, Borderview Research Farm.
• Manure Applicator Spring Workshop Series for custom applicators, seasonal employees or farmers who have questions about RAPs and their implications for manure application.
• Grain Growers Conference, Thursday, March 23, 2017, The Essex Resort, Essex.
• Organic Dairy Producers Conference, Thursday, March 9, 2017, VT Technical College
• Hop Conference, Saturday, February 25, 2017, Sheraton Hotel in Burlington
• No-Till Cover Crop Conference, February 16, 2017, Sheraton Hotel in Burlington
• 2017 Nutrient Management Planning (NMP) classes were held in 6 locations January - March 2017.