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Inside, you'll find:
- News and Updates
- Upcoming Events
- Research Spotlight: Six Robotics Weeders Are Coming to Vermont
- Outcroppings Blog
- A Watershed Moment: The Franklin and Grand Isle Farmer's Watershed Alliance Celebrates 20 Years
- Vermont Farmers Collaborate with UVM Extension to Inform Statewide Soil Health Programming
- Photos
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Don't miss the 2026 Grain Growers Conference Tomorrow!
Wednesday, March 18, 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
The Essex Resort & Spa, 70 Essex Way, Essex Junction, VT 05452
We're super 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.
View the conference brochure with session details and speaker bios here.
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Session Highlights:
Keynote Session
Landscape Diversity Through Collaboration
| | This year, we are very pleased to open the conference with a presentation by Alyssa Hartman, Andrew Hutchison, and Sandy Syburg. Together, they have grown a strong regional grain chain network in the Midwest and will share the challenges they have overcome and the successes they have celebrated. With the resurgence of local markets, it’s more important than ever to build connections, share knowledge, and strengthen relationships across the grain chain. | |
Presentation Session
Milling, Quality, and End-Use
| | In three 45-minute sessions, Nora and Andrew will share their experiences working in the milling industry and employing regional grains in bakeries. They will also facilitate a discussion about scaling, flexibility, and the importance of partnerships to ensure success. The goal of these sessions is to foster an open and honest discussion about the challenges and opportunities of sourcing, milling, and baking with regional grain and how this builds a healthier and more connected community. | |
Presentation Session
Utilizing Small Grains for Animal Feed
| | | | Small grains that don’t meet food-grade standards can still have great value for farmers. Mike Thresher, a third-generation Vermont farmer and NOFA-VT board president, will discuss practical ways to incorporate small grains into feed rations, what processing steps may be required to make them suitable for animal diets, and how these grains can replace or supplement commonly used feed ingredients. He'll provide farmers with strategies to capture more value from their grain crops. | |
Presentation Session
Small-Scale Grain Production on Vegetable Farms
| | Growing grains can offer real benefits to a vegetable farm, such as lengthened crop rotations, benefits to soil health, and potential new income streams. It also comes with a unique set of challenges. Seth and Noah will discuss crop rotation, scale-appropriate equipment, post-harvest handling, and marketing. | | |
Farming community input is needed for Vermont’s Community Resilience and
Biodiversity Protection Act (Act 59)
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The Vermont Conservation Plan — also known as 30x30, Act 59, or Vermont’s Community Resilience and Biodiversity Protection Act — calls for a statewide conservation plan, developed by the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board (VHCB) in consultation with the Agency of Natural Resources (ANR), that solicits input from communities, landowners, and partners across Vermont. After 18 months of inventorying, studying, and community input, VHCB has developed an expanded draft Conservation Plan Framework and is seeking public input before it is finalized and sent to the state legislature in June 2026.
To ensure that farmer and farmworker feedback is included in this final round of community input, NOFA-VT is hosting a virtual listening session to collect input on the draft pathways and actions that most directly relate to our working lands.
Please join NOFA-VT for this lunchtime virtual session on Wednesday, March 25, 12-1 pm, with Q&A to follow.
Bring your lunch, insights, and critiques to this virtual listening session. This is an opportunity to advocate for the State to recognize working lands and farmers as critical partners in stewardship and conservation.
| | 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. | | Get Paid to Use Untreated Seeds | |
The American Bird Conservancy's (ABC) Untreated Seed Pilot Program is currently accepting applications for the 2025-2026 planting/growing season. This program provides per-acre incentive payments to growers who are 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 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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Discovery Farms 2026 Multi-State Webinar
Tuesday, March 24, 10:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. EST
During this webinar, Discovery Farms® Programs in Wisconsin, Vermont, Arkansas, and Minnesota will present program updates and new data. Join this interactive webinar to learn more about farmer-led water quality research in these four states and celebrate 25 years of the Discovery Farms Program.
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Tri-State Dairy Exchange Monthly Webinar Series: Advancing Dairy Systems through Technology
Wednesday, March 25, 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Topic: Get The Most Out of Your Wearable Data
Speakers: Dr. Claira Seely, Assistant Professor of Precision Dairy Management at the University of New Hampshire
Join Dr. Claira Seely, for a practical discussion on how to get more value from your wearable data. Dr. Seely’s research focuses on integrating dairy cow biology with precision technologies to enhance cow health, well-being, and productivity.
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Six Robotic Weeders Are Coming To Vermont
UVM Extension and Greenfield Robotics are teaming up to bring BOTONY™ robotic weeders to Vermont farms. These robots will first be tested at Borderview Research Farm in Alburgh. After initial testing, the UVM Extension Northwest Crops and Soils Team will conduct on-farm testing with local farm partners in Vermont to see how the robots fit into farming operations across the state. The BOTONY™ robotic weeders offer promising innovation as farmers navigate extreme weather events, crop losses from pests, and environmental regulations.
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A Watershed Moment: The Franklin and Grand Isle Farmer's Watershed Alliance Celebrates 20 Years
On a cold evening in February, 82 farmers, UVM Extension agents, legislators, consultants, and agency personnel gathered to celebrate the work of a devoted group of farmers: the Franklin and Grand Isle Farmer’s Watershed Alliance (FWA). Since 2006, the FWA has been supporting farmers, building relationships with policy makers and funders, and informing the public about agriculture and its influence on the environment.
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Vermont Farmers Collaborate with UVM Extension to Inform Statewide Soil Health Programming
Healthy soils are the foundation of long-term land viability and economic success for farmers. In 2022, UVM Extension formed the Farmer Soil Health Innovator Network (FSHIN), a peer learning network that brings farmers, researchers, and technical service providers together to share knowledge and implement management practices to improve soil health and water quality throughout the state of Vermont.
| | Thank you to everyone who attended, supported, and sponsored the 2026 No-Till and Cover Crop Conference! The day was a great success with engaging sessions and plenty of time to catch up with friends, neighbors, and colleagues. | | Folks came from all over the country to listen to sessions about reduced tillage, cover cropping strategies, and real experiences from farmers implementing these in their operations. | | Our friends and collaborators Aero Drone Solutions LLC were one of many exhibitors connecting with folks at the conference. | | |
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. | | | | |
