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Welcome to From the Ground Up: Program Updates and News from the Northwest Crops and Soils Program Team!
The UVM Extension Northwest Crops and Soils (NWCS) program team works to provide you with practical, actionable information. From the Ground Up is our monthly update designed to help you succeed.
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To learn more about NWCS, visit our website and follow us on social media.
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Inside, you'll find:
- News and Updates
- Events
- Research Project Spotlight
- Winter Recap
- Outcroppings Blog
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Growing Season's Greetings!
The growing season has begun! April 14th marked the first day of planting for 2025. The NWCS program team worked at Borderview Research Farm to prepare the fields and crops for various projects. The team has planned more than 100 research trials to implement throughout the spring, summer, and fall. Follow us on social media and make sure you are subscribed to our newsletter to learn about research trials and research results throughout the season.
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New Home for Grazing and Livestock Resources
Resources from the UVM Extension Grazing and Livestock Programming teams now have a new home! Their new website features helpful information on grazing planning and forage management, livestock health monitoring, and more!
The first cut for harvesting grasses is approaching fast. Get informed on the latest research and updates from UVM Extension researchers by reading the NWCS Outcroppings blog on harvest timing and height, and checking out the resources from the Grazing and Livestock Programming teams.
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The Northeast Dry Bean Production Guide
The Northeast Dry Bean Production Guide is now available on the NWCS website! This guide explains the basics of growing dry beans, from choosing the right bean variety for your operation to planting and pest control.
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Stacia McIntosh, Postdoc Researcher
Dr. Stacia McIntosh is an animal scientist with a specialty in reproductive biology. She’s working under the Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI) to understand management strategies of organic grass-fed dairy producers. She's conducting research alongside NWCS colleagues to investigate all aspects of this emerging production sector, from feeding to breeding practices to parasite protocols.
A New England native, Stacia is thrilled to return to her roots, working in cattle production systems and with local producers who are shaping the industry.
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Daniel Bliss, Precision Ag Specialist
Daniel earned a bachelor's degree in biology from Ursinus College in Pennsylvania. While at Ursinus, he received a grant to conduct research at the Swedish University of Agriculture, where he studied insects in barley fields. Convinced by his time in Sweden to continue studying insects, he earned a master's degree in entomology from Penn State University, where his research focused on insects and other arthropods in dairy cropping systems.
Having completed his education outside of Vermont, Daniel is very happy to return to his home state!
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NWCS Annual Field Day
Thursday, July 24, 2025
Our favorite day of the year, the UVM Extension Northwest Crops and Soils Field Day, is scheduled for Thursday, July 24, 2025. Stay tuned for more information and the event registration link.
Check out some videos from previous field days on our YouTube channel.
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Tri-State Dairy Exchange: Navigating the Future of Dairy Monthly Webinar Series
Wednesday, May 28, 11:30 a.m.- 12:30 p.m.
Maine Farmcast Crossover Event: Hay Crop Silage Production & Management
This sessions will be a collaboration with Maine Farmcast. The speakers will focus on hay crop silage production and management. Tune in live to join the conversation or watch later on the UVM Extension Northwest Crops & Soils program YouTube channel.
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.
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A Sweet New Project: Managing Disease in Organic Strawberry Production
NWCS Research Specialist Kellie Damaan is taking the lead on an especially sweet project this year. Funded through the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets, the project Managing Disease in Organic Strawberry Production will allow us to better understand the current pest and disease landscape in Vermont’s strawberry fields and help foster solutions in a changing climate.
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The project’s goals are to:
- Conduct a survey to understand the pest and disease pressures of concern to growers,
- Scout strawberry farms to assess pest and disease pressures during the season,
- Establish two on-farm trials: one comparing low tunnels to traditional methods and the other comparing different fungicide treatments,
- Create outreach materials to better equip growers with management strategies and provide research results through reports, conference presentations, and a webinar.
| | When it's too cold to be out in the field, we gather and educate in other ways. We hosted many events this winter, including webinars, workshops, and conferences. Below are some highlights from these events. Thank you to all of our supporters, sponsors, and event guests. | | |
2025 Grain Growers Conference
This year, we held our annual Grain Growers Conference on March 12, 2025, at the Essex Resort & Spa in Essex, Vermont. The theme was The Links of a Local Grain Supply Chain: Throughout the day, speakers emphasized how each part of the “grain chain” is vital and connected. Each planter, grower, farmer, harvester, transporter, buyer, baker, miller, seller, and marketer is important to the success of local grains!
A highlight of this year’s conference was the first-ever Bakers Showcase which featured samples from ten local bakers who use local grains in their products.
Support these local bakers by visiting their websites and buying their products.
Find more resources and a full list of conference speakers on our website.
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2025 No-Till & Cover Crop Conference
On Thursday, February 13, 2025, we held our annual No-Till & Cover Crop Conference at the DoubleTree by Hilton in South Burlington, Vermont. The conference was filled with important conversations surrounding water quality, soil health, conservation, agronomic innovations, and more.
A big thank you to our amazing speakers who guided us through these topics and educated us by sharing their knowledge and expertise.
See more photos and information from this event on our social media.
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2025 Organic Dairy Days
This year, we held our Organic Dairy Days workshops on 3 dates and in 3 different locations. We did this in response to feedback from folks who attended this workshop previously. This made the workshop more accessible to organic dairy farmers and agricultural workers throughout Vermont.
This year, our speakers led the groups in discussions on forage quality and ruminant nutrition. Kurt Cotanch, Heather Darby, Sarah Flack, Sara Ziegler, and Jen Miller used their expertise to inform farmers on the science of rumination, digestion, nutrition, and how this relates to growing the best forages possible.
Thank you to our speakers and attendees. We look forward to applying your feedback to make this event even better in the future!
| | To gain a deeper understanding of the ultimate quality of a crop, we use staff in our group who have been trained in descriptive sensory analysis (DSA) to objectively measure its sensory quality, as well as products made with it. This is where Roy Desrochers steps in. He is our resident sensory expert and has over 42 years of experience providing sensory support to large and small food and beverage companies and their suppliers. In this panel, Roy led a group of NWCS program staff to evaluate the sensory properties of bread made with rye grown at Borderview Research Farm. | | | |
Growers are using no-till planting methods on suitable soils all over Vermont. This strategy works well if done properly.
To ensure the success of your no-till field conduct annual maintenance on your equipment, create a system that produces a consistent seed depth and properly covers the seed trench, avoid planting if the soil is too moist, use proper fertilization, and rather than trying no-till on your worst fields, try it on some of your best. You will not be disappointed.
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UVM Extension NW Crops and Soils Program | Website
278 South Main Street, St. Albans, VT 05478 I 802-656-7610
For more information contact shannon.macdonald@uvm.edu
| | Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture. University of Vermont Extension, Burlington, Vermont. University of Vermont Extension, and U.S. Department of Agriculture, cooperating, offer education and employment to everyone without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or familial status. | | | | |
