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Inside, you'll find:
- News and Updates
- Upcoming Events
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Research Spotlight: Can Tile Drainage and Best Management Practices Improve Water Quality and Crop Yields in the Lake Champlain Basin?
- Photos
| | Register for the 2026 No-Till & Cover Crop Conference | |
T-minus two days until the 2026 NTCC Conference. UVM Extension and the Northeast Cover Crops Council are excited to bring you a great event with engaging speakers, presentations of local research, exhibitors, networking opportunities, and more! This year, we will have multiple sessions focused on reduced tillage and cover cropping for vegetable producers. Don't miss it!
Session topics include:
- Why Compaction Is Essential to Dairy Farmers
- Managing the Potential Tradeoffs of Manure and Cover Crops
- 2025–2026 National Cover Crop Variety Trial Results
- Tightening the Focus on Corn Hybrids
- Reduced Tillage on Vegetable Farms
- Zone Tillage: Equipment Design
- Equipment Options for Interseeding Cover Crops
- Successes and Challenges of Reduced Tillage
- Optimizing Cover Crop Nitrogen for Vegetable Crops
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The Fiber Hemp Production Online Short Course Starts in One Week
Tuesdays, 1:00 p.m. to 2:15 p.m., February 24 - March 17
Learn the fundamentals of fiber hemp production in this free, research-based course for farmers, technical service providers, and anyone interested in the expanding hemp fiber industry in the Northeast. Class sessions will feature presentations from farmers, field researchers, and industry experts. The curriculum topics will primarily focus on best agronomic practices in hemp production.
Read the course flyer here.
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The 2026 Grain Growers Conference Is in One Month
Wednesday, March 18, 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
The Essex Resort & Spa, 70 Essex Way, Essex Junction, VT 05452
We're getting excited for this year's Grain Growers Conference! Every year, we work with the Northern Grain Growers Collaborative (NGGC) to bring you the latest lessons from the field, mill, and bakery. Register now to hear presentations from grain growers, bakers, millers, and more; taste grains in the Baker's Showcase; and network with others.
Sign up now for the second annual Bakers Showcase! If you are a baker and want to showcase your products at the 2026 Grain Growers Conference, please contact Carrie.Brisson@kingarthurbaking.com.
View the conference flyer here. Watch the recap video of the 2025 conference.
| | 2026 Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Week Recap | Our 2026 IPM Week webinar series was a great success! We had fascinating discussions about the latest IPM-related research, policies, and technology. Thank you all for your attendance and your thoughtful questions and comments. If you couldn’t attend the webinars, don’t worry! All five webinars are available on our YouTube channel. | | Franklin & Grand Isle County Farmers Watershed Alliance 20th Anniversary | On Thursday, February 12, the Franklin & Grand Isle County Farmers Watershed Alliance (FWA) celebrated 20 years of service to the local community and the environment. This group formed in 2005 and became a 501c5 organization shortly after, in 2006. FWA members work with partners such as UVM Extension, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS), and the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets (VAAFM) to ensure that farmers are directly involved in the development of water quality and soil health programs. Farmers’ perspectives are invaluable to the design and implementation of conservation initiatives. This group and the two other farmer watershed groups in Vermont have had an undeniable influence on the agricultural community in the state. Here's to another 20 years! Thank you, FWA! | More than 50 farmers and community partners attended the FWA 20th anniversary celebration. | Dr. Heather Darby received the Golden Goose Award. This award recognizes a community leader who is passionate about implementing and promoting Agricultural land stewardship on farms in Vermont. Dr. Darby was chosen for this award as a founding member of the FWA, whose dedication to supporting farmers and advancing agricultural innovation in Vermont has remained steadfast for more than 20 years. The Golden Goose Award is given in honor of Richard Longway, a local farmer who dedicated much of his life to advocating for the Vermont farming community. Dr. Darby (right) holds her Golden Goose Award next to her son, Flint (left). | | Soil Testing Designed for Vermont Farmers: UVM's Soil Health Research and Extension Center (SHREC) Now Accepting Soil Samples | SHREC is a new center at UVM offering soil health testing services to farmers and gardeners in Vermont and across the region. SHREC provides soil health testing options for land managers who want to understand more about their soil's physical and biological characteristics and how they respond to management changes. | | Updated Funding Information for Dairy and Crop Operations Available Now | Read the most updated information about grants and programs that can help support your farm. This webpage provides an overview, and the button below takes you to more details to help you apply for funding. | | 2026 Nutrient Management Plans (NMPs) | If you need assistance updating your NMP, please reach out to UVM Extension NWCS Program Manager Susan Brouillette at 802-656-7611 or 802-524-6501 (Toll-free in VT) or email Susan.Brouillette@uvm.edu. | | Get Paid to Use Untreated Seeds | |
The American Bird Conservancy's (ABC) Untreated Seed Program is currently accepting applications for the 2025-2026 planting/growing season. This program provides per-acre incentive payments to growers who are either currently using crop seeds without neonicotinoids as part of the coating package, or who are interested in switching away from neonicotinoid coatings.
The ABC is not asking growers to change any other practice, only the coatings used on seeds. They are most interested in corn, soy, and wheat crops.
Reach out to untreatedseedprogram@abcbirds.org with any questions, or call Hardy Kern at 202-750-1412.
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2026 No-Till & Cover Crop Conference
Thursday, February 19, 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
DoubleTree by Hilton, 870 Williston Road, So. Burlington, VT 05403
Read the conference brochure to learn more.
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Fiber Hemp Production Online Short Course
Tuesdays, 1:00 p.m. to 2:15 p.m., February 24 - March 17
Read the course flyer here.
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Tri-State Dairy Exchange Monthly Webinar Series: Advancing Dairy Systems through Technology
Wednesday, February 25, 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Topic: Wearable Animal Health Monitoring Technology Part 2
Speakers: Aaron Creighton, Premier Account Manager for the Atlantic Region at Alta Genetics Inc.; and Tara Bohnert, CowManager Performance Specialist for the USA
Did you miss Wearable Animal Health Monitoring Technology Part 1? Don't worry! You can watch past webinars on our YouTube channel. Click below to learn about animal monitoring technology from smaXtec, Inc. and Merck Animal Health.
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Dairy Sustainability Day
Thursday, March 5, 2026, 10:00 am to 3:30 pm
American Legion Post 27, 49 Wilson Road, Middlebury, VT 05753
Join representatives of UVM Extension teams from across Vermont—including the Champlain Valley Crop, Soil, and Pasture Team; the Northwest Crops and Soils Program; and the Agricultural Business Team—for a free workshop focused on dairy sustainability. Lunch and refreshments will be provided. Session highlights will include genetic selection strategies for dairy herds and a precision agriculture approach to enhancing sustainability and resiliency in dairy cropping systems and herd management.
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2026 Vermont Organic Dairy Producers Conference
Friday, March 6, 2026 , 10:00 am to 3:30 pm
Vermont State University, Randolph Campus Judd Hall, 124 Admin Drive, Randolph Ctr, VT
View the event flyer here.
Join us at this conference featuring the latest research updates for dairy producers and multiple farmer panels on the following topics.
- Cow Behavior and Strategies for Monitoring Health and Productivity
- Innovations to Improve Labor Efficiency
- Forage Renovation and Management
Are you interested in sponsoring this event? Sponsor and exhibitor opportunities are limited, so reserve your spot today! View the sponsor and exhibitor form here. View the sponsor and exhibitor form here.
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2026 Grain Growers Conference
Wednesday, March 18, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
The Essex Resort & Spa, 70 Essex Way, Essex Junction, VT 05452
View the conference flyer here.
Join the UVM Extension Northwest Crops and Soils Program and the Northern Grain Growers Collaborative (NGGC) for the Annual Grain Growers Conference. Hear presentations from grain growers, bakers, millers, and more; participate in our Baker's Showcase; and network with others.
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Can Tile Drainage and Best Management Practices Improve Water Quality and Crop Yields in the Lake Champlain Basin?
At a dairy farm in the St. Albans Bay Watershed, farmers and NWCS researchers are collaborating to study the impacts of tile drainage and best management practices on runoff, soil health, and crop yields. “It’s very difficult to reliably produce crops in this erratic climate, so farmers are turning to tile drainage to manage water and help provide more security,” says UVM Extension Professor Heather Darby. “We need to document benefits and tradeoffs of this practice and look at how to manage potential challenges from tile.” The research will provide locally generated results farmers can trust to help them meet state water quality requirements and mitigate the impacts of climate change.
Learn more about the research site, Discovery Acres, in the full article.
| | More photos from the Franklin & Grand Isle County's 20th Anniversary celebration! | | Left to right: Daniel Bliss, UVM Extension; Emily Klein, FWA Coordinator; Scott Magnan, FWA Board Chair; and Jeff Sanders, UVM Extension | Comedian Rusty "The Logger" Dewees gave a great performance that had the entire room laughing. | | |
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
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| | 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. | | | | |
