Champlain Valley Farmer Coalition

August is a BIG month for the agricultural community–see Addison County Fair & Field Days and Open Farm Week–so we’re pushing our Board of Directors meeting to a later date. They will meet on Wednesday, August 18 at 9:30 a.m. at the UVM Extension office located at 23 Pond Lane in Middlebury. All CVFC members are invited; members of the public may join at 10:00. If you would like to attend, kindly RSVP to Kirsten Workman, Board Secretary, at Kirsten.Workman@uvm.edu.

Interest is growing in using grazing management to rebuild the health of degraded soils. The National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) will host a two-part workshop in August for ag professionals, educators, and mentor farmers to provide information and hands-on training on regenerative grazing, soil health, and monitoring. NCAT soil and livestock specialists will be joined by Dr. Allen Williams of Understanding Ag, LLC to lead these workshops. Learn more at: https://bit.ly/3fOeh0C

The CVFC Board of Directors meets on the first Wednesday of each month. This month's meeting will be held at a location TBD. Members of the coalition are welcome to arrive at 10:30 a.m., and the general public is welcome to arrive at 11:00 a.m. For full details or to RSVP, contact Kirsten Workman at Kirsten.Workman@uvm.edu.

Bourdeau Brothers of Middlebury and Feed Commodities International, Inc. of Middlebury present the 12th Annual Addison County Ag Showcase. Watch crop demos, learn more about suppliers, products, and services, win door prizes, enjoy Skip's famous Barbecue Chicken for lunch, and connect with the ag community!

Protein is a critically important part of a basic diet but how can the global animal protein sector continue to sustainably feed a growing and increasingly hungry world? That question is at the core of the Sustainable Solutions for Zero Hunger by 2030: A Vision for Animal Agriculture, scheduled virtually for 12-5 p.m. ET on September 14, 2021. Presented in partnership with Elanco and Agri-Pulse the event will bring together key leaders across the animal protein food chain from around the world to discuss the next steps of food production’s sustainable transformation, its ability to fight hunger and its durability against shocks.

This virtual workshop, led by Didi Pershouse, will deepen each participant’s understanding of whole-systems landscape function and effective land management, with a focus on water and the soil sponge. Biology creates a natural sponge in healthy soils and grasslands that slows and sinks water on a total landscape scale–providing resilience in times of flooding and drought. Many of our current economic, social, and climate concerns are due to a degradation of our country’s soils, in particular it’s sponge-like structure or “tilth.” In this introductory class we will consider these questions: What is the soil sponge, and how is it different from...

The CVFC Board of Directors meets on the first Wednesday of each month. This month's meeting will be held at a location TBD. Members of the coalition are welcome to arrive at 10:30 a.m., and the general public is welcome to arrive at 11:00 a.m. For full details or to RSVP, contact Kirsten Workman at Kirsten.Workman@uvm.edu.

Come learn about the latest research in small grains, cover crops, soil health, and forages. We will be touring research trials evaluating perennial grass varieties, fall forages, stockpiled forages, and a variety of cover crop trials. Roy Desrochers, UVM Sensory Expert, will also provide a fun and educational session tasting and describing local grains! We will also be having a dedication of the new E.E. Cummings Crop Testing Lab and celebrating the lives of our friends Erica Cummings, Ken Van Hazinga, and Jack Lazor. Join us to remember and celebrate their love of agriculture and our small farming community. Field Day Registration...

Financial assistance is available through VAAFM for new or innovative equipment that will aid in the reduction of surface runoff of agricultural wastes to state waters, improve water quality of state waters, reduce odors from manure application, separate phosphorus from manure, decrease greenhouse gas emissions, and reduce costs to farmers when they apply manure. Applications are due in November. Learn more at: https://agriculture.vermont.gov/ceap

The CVFC Board of Directors meets on the first Wednesday of each month. This month's meeting will be held at a location TBD. Members of the coalition are welcome to arrive at 10:30 a.m., and the general public is welcome to arrive at 11:00 a.m. For full details or to RSVP, contact Kirsten Workman at Kirsten.Workman@uvm.edu.