Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund
Principal Investigator: S. Bosworth
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Hatch
Principal Investigator: H. Darby
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Hatch/Multistate
Principal Investigator: J. Gorres
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Hatch
Principal Investigator: J. Gorres
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Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets
Principal Investigator: J. Kolodinsky
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Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc.
Principal Investigator: E. Mendez
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Earthwatch Institute
Principal Investigator: E. Mendez
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Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc.
Principal Investigator: E. Mendez
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Hatch
Principal Investigator: L. Perry
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Vermont Biofuels Initiative - Grass Biomass Energy
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Perennial grasses that have traditionally been used for hay, pasture or range have the potential to provide biomass feedstock for energy utilization on marginal land while still protecting soil resources and enhancing wildlife; yet, there is very little information on the productivity and management of perennial grasses grown for biomass feedstock in Vermont. The first objective was to evaluate various native and non-native grasses for biomass production potential on different soils in Vermont. In 2009, two warm-season grass (WSG) and cool season grass (CSG) trials made up of multiple varieties and species were seeded at two locations, South Burlington and Shelburne. In 2010, two additional WSG trials were planted in Randolph Center and Alburgh. Species being evaluated across various trials include Switchgrass, Big bluestem, Indiangrass, Miscanthus x giganteous, Intermediate wheatgrass, Tall wheatgrass, and Reed canarygrass. Most of the 2010 WSG harvests were made late in the fall after this report was submitted; however, from the earliest harvested study, second year stands of Switchgrass averaged 3.2 tons per acre. It usually takes three years for WS grasses to fully mature so yield data will continue to be collected over the next two years or more. Biomass yields of the CSG were collected in late July after they were fully mature. Yields ranged from 1.7 to 2.4 tons of dry matter per acre with Intermediate wheatgrass yielding the highest although there were no statistical differences amongst the treatments. Many of the potential grasses, such as Switchgrass, can be very challenging to establish since their seed can often vary in quality. A second objective was to evaluate a Switchgrass vigor test developed at the University of Massachusetts as a practical method that could be conducted by a producer. The results of this greenhouse method were compared to the results of a seeding rate field trial conducted on a sandy and clay soil, respectively. Based on results so far, we have not found a good relationship between this test and achieving an optimum stand population in the field. By the end of the second year, there was no difference in yield regardless of seeding rate and the studies confirm the recommended seeding rate of 8 to 10 lbs of pure live seed per acre. A third objective was to evaluate the effects of N fertility on the biomass yield of established stands of Reed canarygrass and Switchgrass. Treatments included three levels of N fertility, 0, 50 and 100 lbs of N per acre applied when the grass was about 3 to 4 inches tall. Biomass harvests were made after grasses were fully mature. Results for Reed canarygrass have shown that 50 lbs of N was all that was need and increased the grass biomass by about one ton per acre; however, in 2010, additional N fertilizer did cause some lodging of the stand. Preliminary results so far show Switchgrass has not responded to additional nitrogen fertilizer, which may be explained by the fact that this grass is more efficient at utilizing N from the soil compared to cool season grasses.
The information gained from these field trials will be useful to farmers and land owners who are interested in growing biomass crops, and communities that are developing feasibility studies to evaluate their energy options for the future. What we have learned so far is that with proper field preparation and optimum seeding time, Switchgrass and other warm season grasses can be successfully established and even provide some biomass yield in the first year of production although very low yields. Once established, the costs to produce grass biomass will be relatively low with harvesting and transportation costs making up the greatest proportion of that cost. The major challenge now are the development of a market and continued improvements in boiler technology that can handle the high ash content of grasses.
Enhancing farmers capacity to produce high quality organic bread wheat in Vermont.
The demand for local organic food is increasing throughout Vermont. Vermont millers and bakers cannot find enough locally grown organic wheat to meet their increasing demand, and that which is available often does not meet the higher quality standards for bread production. We aim to enhance the capacity of farmers to produce high quality organic wheat to meet the increasing demand from local millers, bakers, and ultimately consumers. The goal is to explore the affects of planting dates on disease and weed incidence as well as wheat yield and flour quality. In addition, a variety of outreach materials and programs will be developed to transfer new knowledge to producers. This project will increase farmers ability to produce bread wheat for an expanding high-value market. In doing so, it will contribute to the long-term profitability and sustainability of organic agriculture and farms in areas like Vermont where farmers do not have the land base to compete on the commodity scale
In the spring of 2010 a wheat planting date and harvest date study were established on certified organic land at Borderview Farm in Alburgh, Vermont. The previous crop history for this field site will be organic soybeans in 2009 and hay in 2008.
Six planting dates and four spring wheat cultivars were evaluated for their impact on weed and disease incidence as well as yield and quality. The experimental design was a randomized complete block in a split plot arrangement with four replications. Main plots consisted of planting dates and subplots consisted of cultivars. The cultivars were AC McKenzie, AC Superb, Ladoga, and RB07. Planting dates began on April 13th and continued at 1 week intervals until May 21st. Weed biomass and disease incidence data was collected at harvest. Plots were harvested on August 13, 2010. Baking quality data is currently being assessed at the UVM Cereal Quality Lab.
Four harvest dates and 4 cultivars were evaluated for their impact on wheat yield and quality. The experimental design was a randomized complete block in a split plot arrangement with four replications. Main plots consisted of variety and subplots consisted of harvest date. The cultivars were AC Bordon, AC Warthog, Harvard, and Arapahoe. Harvest dates began on July 7th and occurred every week until the end of July. Yield, grain moisture, and test weight were recorded at harvest. Baking quality data is currently being assessed at the UVM Cereal Quality Lab.
Since this is the first year of the wheat research project there has been little data shared with the agricultural community. However, the UVM Northwest Crops and Soils Team field day held in early August highlighted the project to 225 attendees. The results of the project will be shared this winter to over 150 attendees at the annual UVM Grain Growers Conference. Results will also be posted at www.uvm.edu/extension/cropsoil/. The research will be repeated in 2011.
Preliminary results indicated that the highest yields will be obtained if wheat is planted in April. The May 21st planting date was not harvestable due to significantly high weed biomass. There was a significant difference among the varieties. Interestingly the taller stature varieties yielded significantly higher than shorter stature varieties. Plots with taller varieties also had less weed biomass indicating their ability to compete with the weed population. These results indicate that organic farmers should select taller wheat varieties to have the best chance of higher yielding crops. Since one of the primary production limitations for organic wheat producers these are significant results that will improve farm viability. Farmers can use UVM wheat variety trial results to select taller varieties that perform well in our region.
Preliminary results from the harvest date study indicate that farmers harvesting wheat at excessive moistures (greater than 20%) are sacrificing yields. In addition, farmers that leave wheat in the field to dry to storage moistures (12% or less) are also losing yields. Ideally based on the data farmers should be harvesting when the wheat is between 15 and 17% moisture. However, the baking quality data will further indicate proper harvesting conditions.
Soil Organic Matter: Formation, Function and Management (new project)
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The purpose of this project is to see how earthworms modify the the amount of organic matter and the structure of soil aggregates (clumps of soils that combine many soil particles in a larger coherent unit) as habitat of other beneficial soil organisms.
A greenhouse experiment was conducted in which three earthworm treatments and one control treatment were analyzed for leached nutrients. Analyses of aggregates from these treatments are still to be carried out pending the installation of an instrument that measures the pore structure in individual soil aggregates.
Important questions that remain is how organic matter is distributed among aggregates of different sizes and whether that organic matter makes pore structure more inhabitable for soil organisms involved in nutrient cycling.
In a lab experiment, the common night crawler (Lumbricus terrestris) significantly reduces the amount of calcium leached (an element which is an essential element of lime often added to improve soil fertility). The amount of calcium leached from a treatment with a more aggressively invading worm, Amynthas agrestis, on the other hand maintains calcium losses at the level of the control. Lumbricus species, including L terrestris, do not have lungs and carbon dioxide needs to be disposed of in a different form of respiration. Lumbricus species have the ability to fix calcium using a calciferous gland that combines calcium and carbon dioxide to make calcite, a calcium carbonate mineral that is not easily dissolved and leached. This sequesters carbon dioxide from the atmosphere into the soil. How this process changes organic matter in the soil is unknown. Further tests are to be conducted next year. These tests will include measurements of carbon dioxide and methane gases from soils with and without L. terrestris.
The outcome of these new experiments may impact the discussion on carbon sequestration with respect to climate change as well as agronomists concerned with calcium availability in soils.
Earthworm Mediated Losses of N from Dairy and Maple Production Systems in Vermont
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Soil fertility and plant nutrition may be affected by the action of earthworms. These organisms are traditionally regarded as positive, but have recently been branded invasive earthworms effecting considerable ecosystem changes in the northeastern United States. Our hypothesis was that earthworms upset the synchronicity of nutrient cycles and plant demand.
This project is to evaluate
Earthworm communities in maple forests and dairy pastures;how earthworms affect nutrient availability in maple forests; nutrient losses from maple forests and dairy pasture.
Significant achievements this year were finishing the first year of sampling sugar bush in Cabot. We also began collecting baseline data on earthworm communities in rotationally grazed land. A graduate student was recruited to conduct field and laboratory experiments regarding nutrient cycling and physical structure of pasture soils.
Next year, we shall continue research on earthworm effects in forests and pastures by working on particular findings regarding calcium and nitrogen availability for two kinds of earthworms: those that fix calcium into calcite crystals (limestone) and those that do not. The fixing of calcium may have a feedback on both the productivity and nutrient retention in the ecosystem as well as on the emission of green house gases. In addition, we will collect maple sap from trees in areas affected by earthworms and in areas not affected to test the hypotheses that earthworms are affecting tree physiology.
In compacted rotational pastures we will evaluate whether subsoil tillage increases the leaching of nutrients from the rootzone.
To be productive, sugar maples require that nutrients are available in the soil in sufficient amounts. In most organically managed forests, nutrient availability depends on two sources: the natural ability of soils generated from soil minerals and recycling from leaf litter. Nutrient availability has to be balanced so that nutrients are available in appropriate ratios. Earthworms, all invasive species in Vermont, can change the balance and the timing of the release of nutrients. In a maple sugar production forest near Cabot Vermont, we found that the balance of nutrients is distorted when earthworms are present with much more calcium and nitrate, and less potassium available than in a similar area without earthworms. The effect of this distortion on sugar production is as yet unknown as it may take many years for these changes to impact tree species. While, at first sight, greater nitrate and calcium availability may be positive for the nutrition of maples it may also render these ions susceptible to loss by leaching and thus the potential for fertility deficits. In particular, during times before leaf out and after leaf fall, nitrogen concentrations in earthworm soils exceed the values for soils without worms. During these times plants do not pick up nitrogen from the soil and the excess is likely to leach. We found that forests affected by earthworms had less understory plants than those not invaded which is in agreement with observations made in other states. This is usually attributed to the loss of the top soil layer which is a seed bank and regeneration medium for the forest flora. The absence of understory plants may also indicate a tendency of the forest ecosystem to leach excess nutrients. As part of this project we also located three forest sites that have been invaded by the Asian earthworm, Amynthas agrestis, a new threat to Vermont forests hitherto not reported in Vermont. The three sites are in Quechee, South Burlington and Shelburne. This is a significant finding since these worms were thought to require warmer temperatures than those found in Vermont. Amynthas is several times more efficient in using forest resources with observable severe damage done to the forest ecosystem potentially representing a greater threat to biodiversity than European invasive earthworms. We also found Amynthas in several home and institutional gardens to where these worms may have been transported with landscaping materials such as mulch and compost.
In an initial survey of rotational pastures deep burrowing earthworms such as the common night crawler (Lumbricus terrestris) were not very abundant. However, species that live in the top 10 cm of the soil, such as pink worm (Apporectodea species) and redworm (Lumbricus rubellus), were found at densities of >200 individuals per square meter. It is mostly deep burrowing worms that affect the loss of nutrients to below the plant root zone.
Ultimate beneficiaries of this research are maple syrup producers, dairy farmers and land managers, and potentially policy makers at the national level (climate change, greenhouse gases), and local policy makers (control of invasive earthworms).
Researching the Taste of Place in Vermont
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This project is intended to develop producer-driven recommendations for a geographical indication and place-based marketing system for Vermont products. Establishing a system for identifying place-based foods could be a powerful tool for agricultural regions to differentiate themselves in the marketplace. These systems can also help keep food traditions active by adding economic value, fostering communities' pride in their local food culture, and preserving the working landscape. Countries and states around the world have decided that the taste of place is a key strategy for the survival of their small-scale producers. UVM has been working with the Vermont Agency of Agriculture on various aspects of Taste of Place, including a conference with experts from France, Quebec, and Vermont; research visits to Quebec and France; technical sessions with producers in Hardwick; market research studies; and a series of working sessions for producers and other stakeholders. Details and reports on the working sessions are shared with communities of interest on the UVM Food System Research Collaborative website at www.foodsystemresearch.net/taste-of-place/
The working sessions are continuing through the fall. The findings so far indicate a need for:
1) More producers to be part of the conversation;
2) Solidarity within and among the producer organizations;
3) More information about the costs and benefits of a designation system; and
4) A road map of next steps for the process.
Upcoming working sessions will address these issues and help the producers take the next steps toward developing recommendations.
The recommendations will ultimately be articulated as a systemic method for promoting and preserving Vermont's working landscape, engaging Vermonters and visitors in a meaningful way, and making better use of natural resources. The recommendations will be developed in concert with other agricultural marketing, working landscape, and rural economic development initiatives and be in line with the Farm to Plate recommendations developed by the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund. Vermont producers will benefit from the project outcome.
Graduate Fellowships for Sustainable Livelihoods in Coffee Producing Regions
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This project sought to evaluate a food security strategy with coffee farmers in Nicaragua. The general objective is to analyze the relationship between agrobiodiversity and livelihood diversification on levels of food security at the household level.
Last summer, graduate student Marcela Pino undertook 100 household surveys that will provide baseline data to be revisited in 2011 or 2012. Ms. Pino went to Nicaragua for 2 months to undertake this research. From this initial activity we have negotiated with CECOCAFE, the cooperative we have been working with to support a survey of the total of their membership (more than 2000 farmers), which we will use to address our research questions, but with a considerable large sample than expected.
We hope to conduct surveys of the entire CECOCAFEN membership in the following year. Ms. Pino will finish her MS degree in the spring and the expected outputs are 1 peer reviewed paper, 1 policy level publication and 1 publication to inform farmers.
We are in the process of analyzing findings.
We expect the outcomes of this project will provide policy guidelines and implementation strategies to combat food insecurity in coffee growing regions. Direct impact will go to CECOCAFEN and its members, but we envision coffee growers from all over the world could benefit from this research.
Direct beneficiaries are coffee farmers and their cooperatives. Indirect beneficiaries are rural development organizations, researchers and institutions. Coffee farmers have no access to research resources, and our support provides necessary information to develop food security projects and better negotiate with external actors.
Sustainable Coffee Growing Communities in Costa Rica
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The purpose of this project is to conduct research that supports coffee growers, of the Tarrazu region of Costa Rica, to develop more ecologically sound coffee production strategies.
At this stage we have been processing existing information and have decided on developing a research project seeking to reduce nitrogen (N) fertilizer application in coffee farms. The analysis will include soil properties and farm characteristics related to N use and uptake, as well as farmer characteristics that determine heavy N use. Experimental plots in at least 20 farms will be set up next year.
Project outputs so far show that excessive application of N fertilizer is impacting coffee grower profits and also contaminating local watersheds and releasing nitrous oxide to the atmosphere (a greenhouse gas). Our research will contribute to a gap in the literature on coffee production related to N management by small-scale farmers in Costa Rica. We will produce management recommendation strategies for the farmers that will improve N management efficiency and reduce environmental impact. Several hundred farmers in this region, in addition to others around the world will be the potential beneficiaries. Small-scale coffee farmers are resource poor and have little access to agricultural research and extension.
Confronting the Thin Months: Participatory Learning on Best Practices and Impacts of the GMCR Food Security Program
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The project seeks to compare different food security and food sovereignty strategies in Nicaragua and Mexico to identify best practices to achieve food sovereignty for smallholders in coffee growing regions. The project has just started. We got delayed in recruiting a graduate student, but have recruited one to start next January.
Next year we will establish contact with coffee cooperatives in Nicaragua and Chiapas, Mexico to start conducting the research.
None so far.
Herbaceous Perennials Hardiness
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Many growers of herbaceous perennials in northern climates need to successfully overwinter plants either in production, or held from the previous year. Often this is done in greenhouses which can heat during sunny winter days. This study this past winter continued to address this effect of mid-winter possible deacclimation by warm, or cycling, temperatures. Based on outcomes, a similar study with the same Shasta daisy and a foamflower will be repeated, to get a better underestanding of these effects and on a wider range of species. Results will be shared with industry both in their publications and presentations, and on the author's Perry's Perennial Pages website.
The second winter of this study examined a marginally hardy species of perennial shasta daisy (Becky) and a normally hardy selection of yarrow (Apricot Delight), both popular perennials. Result showed that in midwinter (January), even just 5 days at 16C was enough to deacclimate plants, resulting in loss in subsequent subzero soil temperatures. Returning plants to 4C during the night did not compensate for the deacclimation. There were no differences between one or two weeks held at 16C prior to subsequent freezing. Plants in a normally fluctuating greenhouse (-2 to 8C, mean 4C), continuous 4 or 2C showed no differences, all surviving similarly. This study also supported previous results that plants not sufficiently rooted had poor winter survival, so this study will be repeated one more year. Growers overwintering perennials will benefit from knowing the effect of mid-winter high temperatures and cycling on subsequent plant survival when exposed to freezing. This will enable them to save money either in plant losses, scheduling labor and covering treatments more appropriately, and saving costs and fuel in heating if not needed.