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www.uvm.edu/extension/cvcrops
http://blog.uvm.edu/cvcrops/
http://blog.uvm.edu/cvcrops/newsletter/
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Contact a Member of the TEAM!!
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UVM Extension Agronomist
(802) 388-4969 ext. 332
Agronomy Outreach
(802) 388-4969 ext. 338
Agronomy Outreach
(802) 388-4969 ext. 347
Grazing Outreach
(802) 388-4969 ext. 346
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CV Crop, Soil & Pasture Team
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UVM Extension helps individuals and communities put research-based knowledge to work.
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 FARM NEWS & EVENTS |
Deadline Approaching for NRCS Signup
NEXT BATCH DATE:
March 20, 2015
Are you choosing to add cover crops, rotate crops, try no-till, establish a grassed waterway or other conservation field practices this year benefit your farm and water quality?
To sign up for an Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) or Conservation Activity Plan (CAP) for this summer or fall, you need to sign up with NRCS by March 20th.
(scroll down to "more info" for VT)
Contact your local NRCS office.
68 Catamount Park, Ste. B, Middlebury, VT 05753
Telephone: 802-388-6748
Feel free to contact us as well with any questions you have!
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Intro to Ownership Succession Planning
DATE: March 18, 2015
TIME: 9:00 am - noon
WHERE: National Bank of Middlebury, 30 Main St, Middlebury
COST: FREE!
Participants will learn how to choose a path for ownerships succession in their business. Different paths of succession planning will be discussed: selling to an outsider, to family members, to managers or to the larger group of employees. Both first-hand stories and some technical details will be addressed.
Click here to register online, or contact Vermont Employee Ownership Center, 802-338-7448.
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11th Annual Grain Growers Conference
DATE: March 18, 2015 (online registration by March 13th)
TIME: 9:00 am to 5:30 pm
WHERE: The Essex Resort, Essex, VT
For more information and to register, visit the UVM Extension news and events page, or call (802) 524-6501
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Farmer Equipment Training & Webinar Series
DATE: March 18, April 1, and April 15, 2015
TIME: starts at 10:30 am
WHERE: Online
COST: Free (hands-on workshops additional cost)
UVM New Farmer Program is hosting a series of online webinar courses and in-person workshops, collectively called 'Groundwork' designed to help farmers and managers gain knowledge, skills and confidence in selecting, operating and maintaining equipment and machinery. The information will cover basic tractor use and operation, basic tractor maintenance, and farm mechanization strategies.
Those interested in participating should check out the Ground Work blog , or contact Heidi Krantz, 802-223-2389x203
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Farm Budget Clinics
DATE: Ongoing, and in Middlebury March 19, 2015
TIME: 10:00 am - 2:30 pm
WHERE: Around the state, and at UVM Middlebury Extension Office
COST: $25 for 1 1/2 hr private session
UVM Extension Farm Business Specialist, Mark Canella, will work with you one on one to help manage your business finances, and develop an accurate balance sheet or budget for your farm.
Other locations and dates available. Dennis Kauppila is also hosting these clinics.
Click HERE for more details and to register, or contact Christi Sherlock at 1-866-860-1382 x 200
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Welcoming Customers onto Your Farm
DATES: April 7-8, 2015 TIME: Rutland, VT WHERE: Vermont Farmer's Food Center COST: $25-$100, multiple options UVM VT Agritourism Collaborative is holding this event for farmers, agricultural service providers, educators, and others interested in agritourism, on-farm education, and direct sales.
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Soil Health Field Day
MARK YOUR CALENDARS:
April 21, 2015
Join us for a great workshop as we welcome Dr. Jim Hoorman from Ohio State University as he gives us a lively and informative session on:
- The Biology of Soil Compaction
- Using Cover Crops to Keep Phosphorus out of Surface Water
- The Economics of Cover Crops and Weed Suppression
We'll have great lunch and then head out in the field to see these concepts first hand.
More details are coming soon, so stay tuned and check our website
for updates and look for a future e-mail on the event.
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Ask ELSIE
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Q: Dear ELSIE...
I've heard a lot about all the activity at the state house regarding new water quality regulations for farms in Vermont. How do I keep track of the legislation to know what's going on and how it may impact my farm??
Answer :
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| News and Events
For Vermont Farmers in the Lake Champlain Watershed
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HOORAY
Spring is coming fast and so is manure spreading and planting crops.Field Demonstrations & Research
My team in Middlebury is gearing up for spring just the same as you. We are finishing out the winter meeting schedule with a grazing event next week out in Bridport and Shoreham that Cheryl has pulled together and then Kirsten has lined up another great Soil and Cover Crop Day on April 21st to see how fall seeded cover crops made it through the winter and how the farm will plant corn there in May. The No-Till conference was a great event with over 100 farmers, consultants and and Ag business folks attending. The other 75 people were from NRCS, Conservation Districts, students and other Extension folks who want to learn more and eager to hear what farmers are really doing to grow cover crops and plant more no-till corn. The research plantings we did last fall were for the ten 3-way cover crop mixes, different methods and time of planting , how to use manure in the fall, winter rye and radish combos, the commercial mixes. All of these trials are still under snow cover today, but as soon as April gets here there will be plenty to see if you are interested. Kirsten and her team will be out sampling biomass amounts, evaluating nutrients that were saved. Trials are all around including from Shoreham, Middlebury, Panton, Ferrisburgh, Starksboro to Richmond. Extension and the Champlain Valley Farmer Coalition (CVFC) Water Quality issues with Lake Champlain continue to come to the forefront of many discussions as you see with the Water Quality bill making its way through the legislature right now. We will continue to help the farmer group speak up about what their member farmers think is a reasonable and proper response to issues affecting local agriculture. The CVFC is really making progress in these discussions at the state level, and as more farmers we get involved the stronger a position farmers could have in setting a future course for Vermont Agriculture. Not by ourselves, but in concert with farmers in Franklin county as part of the Farmer Watershed Alliance work, and farmers in the Connecticut River Watershed who are discussing a Farmer Alliance over there. The proposed legislation will impact all farms, livestock, vegetable and crop farms alike. Issues with new fees, new regulations, new rules on setbacks and tile drainage. Your voice is important, and these farmer groups can help you. Spring Crops I am amazed how much has changed in just a few 30 years. Look at the soybeans being grown, no-till corn on clay, cover crops on 20,000 acres, pasture farms frost-seeding chicory and trefoil, new products to make the soil microorganism critters in the soil more healthy, a younger generation of farmers taking over with new ideas. Maybe the cycle is just coming around again.
Jeff Carter 
UVM Extension Agronomy Specialist
http://www.uvm.edu/extension/cvcrops
https://www.facebook.com/ChamplainCropSoilPasture
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GRAZING GREENER
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READING 'COW SIGNALS' WITH DR. HUBERT KARREMAN
Join us TUESDAY, MARCH 24th, 2015
Where:
9:00 @ Bridport Community Hall, 52 Middle Road, Bridport, VT
and
12:45 pm @ Madison Dairy Farm, 2806 Smith Street, Shoreham, VT
Cost: $30 per person
We are excited to announce that holistic veterinarian Dr. Hubert Karreman, will be here to lead us through a full-day 'Cow Signals' workshop on March 24th. The 'Cow Signals' program teaches farmers how to interpret the behavior and physical characteristics of groups of cows and individual animals to monitor health and well-being. This workshop will include both classroom and barn sessions. We will start the day at the Bridport Community Hall for a classroom session with Dr. Karreman learning key elements of the 'Cow Signals' program. Lunch will be provided by the NOFA-VT mobile pizza oven! After lunch, we head to Shoreham to the Madison Dairy Farm for a barn session putting 'Cow Signals' into practice with Dr. Karreman and farmers Jeep and Joann Madison. We will also have an opportunity to learn about current NRCS projects underway to update manure handling and nutrient management systems. NRCS field staff will be on hand to discuss how small farm operators can implement these types of practices as part of Lake Champlain water quality initiatives.
Madison Dairy Farm is a certified organic dairy farm operated by Jeep and Joann Madison along with their son Will. The farm milks approximately 60 Holstein cows and ships their milk to Horizon Organic. The farm also produces Jojo's Elixir garlic tincture.
Dr. Hubert Karreman has over 25 years of experience working with dairy cows, 20 of those practicing holistic veterinary medicine. He has written two books, Treating Dairy Cows Naturally and The Barn Guide to Treating Dairy Cows Naturally. He is also adjunct veterinarian at the Rodale Institute. Dr. Karreman is internationally known for pioneering organic veterinary medicine and especially the non-antibiotic treatment for infectious disease.
Thank you to the Vermont Agency of Agriculture and Morrison's Custom Feeds for providing sponsorship so that we may bring you this great opportunity!
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COVER CROP CORNER
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by Kirsten Workman
Help Us Help You
AND Enter to Win a Prize!!
Check Out Our 2015 Farm Management Survey
You could Win A Free Year of goCrop! Or
One of these great books by SARE!
Managing Cover Crops Profitably
Missed the 2015 No-Till and Cover Crop Symposium?
Or, Want to Review What You Learned? | | Koepke Farms no-till planting corn into alfalfa. |
Have Cover Crop Questions?
contact Kirsten any time:
(802)388-4969 x347
kirsten.workman@uvm.edu
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SOIL HEALTH
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WHEN IT COMES TO NITROGEN, DON'T LET POP-UP GET YOU DOWN
by Rico Balzano 
Growing corn successfully requires a good start. Fast germination and strong seedling vigor go a long way to securing a uniform stand. Nitrogen (N) and Phosphorus (P) are the two most critical nutrients during the early stages of seedling development. Highly available N and P will lead to increased nutrient uptake early and decreased grain moisture at harvest. Soils with adequate fertility can generally supply the required amounts of N and P. However cold, wet conditions reduce seedling growth, nutrient mobility, and mineralization rates of these essential nutrients. Cold, wet conditions are most common in the early spring, but also are more common in reduced tillage systems and no-till. Therefore, it's no surprise that the greatest response to starter fertilizer is observed in the early spring and in no-till systems. Furthermore,
no-till requires
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from Fluid Fertilizer Foundation (www.fluidfertilizer.com)
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extra N due to potential immobilization issues from unincorporated crop residues. So, which starter fertilizer system is best at getting our seedling corn plants what they need? Let's take a look at some methods used here in Vermont.
Pop-Up
Liquid starter fertilizer applied through the planter in-furrow, commonly known as 'pop-up', is useful for getting essential nutrients, especially P, in close proximity to the germinating seed. However, because the fertilizer is applied directly on the seed, the overall amount is limited due to the risk of burning the seed. Regardless of tillage system, the rate of N and Potassium (K2O) must be kept below 10 lbs./ac. when applying in the furrow. (For sandy soils, N+K2O must be kept less than 5 lbs./ac.) Recommendations for no-till corn range anywhere from 15 to 50 extra pounds of N at planting, depending on the situation. So, when using common pop-ups such as 9-18-9 or 6-24-6 and following the N+K2O rule, only 5 lbs./ac. of N is actually applied. Using pop-up alone will not supply the germinating crop with adequate N for very long after emergence.
2x2 Banded (Dry)
The old stand-by, banded dry fertilizer 2" beside and 2" below the seed allows for much more fertilizer to be applied at planting time. Because the fertilizer is not in contact with seed, up to 80 lbs./ac. N+K2O may be applied without risk of seed burn. Using this method, the extra N required in no-till planting is relatively easy to achieve. Some producers have decided that starter is the most efficient way to apply fertilizer and have moved the band to 3" beside to safely apply higher amounts of fertilizer. The disadvantage to this method is that applying higher rates will require frequent fill-ups, slowing down the planting process.
Dribble Banding
Now becoming more popular, dribble banding consists of applying liquid fertilizer 2" beside the seed trench. Sometimes called 2x0, it can be also be split to apply on both sides of the row with minimal extra equipment. Like 2x2 banding, higher rates of nitrogen can be applied using this method, and therefore may be a good choice for no-till planting. Planters equipped for pop-up fertilizer can easily be converted over to dribble banding with minimal extra hardware. However, in no-till systems where there is heavy crop residue, surface applied nitrogen may become bound up, or immobilized by the excess carbon. Some no-till farmers have gone to banding liquid fertilizer 2 x 2, eliminating the problem of immobilization, although this is more common in grain systems where more residue accumulates. Also, this may require extra hardware that may not be necessary in lower residue corn silage systems.
Every farm operation has its own fertilizer needs based on soil test, soil type, tillage system, and realistic yield goals. An extra investment may or may not be worth it. Any investment or systems change should only be done after a thorough review of all the pros and cons. Each farm needs to make their decisions, but remember: selling yourself short in the beginning will catch up with you in the end.
Trying to make fertilizer decisions and would like more assistance?
Contact us!
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CHAMPLAIN VALLEY FARMER COALITION
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Vermont Farmers working together for a clean Lake Champlain
& thriving agriculture in Vermont
Legislative Update:
The legislative session is in full swing, and our Board of Directors have been spending quite a bit of time testifying and educating our legislators about key points in House Bill H.35. Last week it was voted out of the House Agriculture Committee and is now on its way to House Ways and Means, House Judiciary and then to House Transportation. The coalition is working hard to make sure that our members have their voices heard, and our presence is having a positive impact in the water quality conversation in Montpelier.
Coalition Goals:
Back at the farm, it's time to start thinking about spring and what your farm will do this season to protect water quality AND make you more profitable. Are you going to No-till corn into sod, planning to harvest your cover crop as seed or forage, working to improve your grazing management, or looking to modify how you spread manure? We want to see EVERY member trying something new this season, and we want to help make that happen! We don't have all of the answers but we can help you find information, help you in the planning process, get you advice from other farmers and businesses, get you machinery, and coordinate activities for the entire coalition.
Let's work together to make this year our most innovative and exciting year yet!
If you are interested in becoming a member, please give us a call or just apply! You can find our membership application HERE. It is a valuable way to stay informed, be proactive, and add 
your voice to the discussion.
For more information about this farmer organization visit our website at:
www.champlainvalleyfarmercoaltion.com
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FROM THE FIELD
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You Never Know Until You Try: Adjusting Your Agronomic Practices or Crop Rotation by Nate Severy "If you don't have one or two failures every year, you're not doing enough". Trying something new is never easy. We all get into a groove, and as long as things seem okay then it's tempting to stay there. However, if we never experiment with a new type of equipment, test a new crop variety, or implement a new cropping system, then we could easily be leaving money on the table and never even know it. For those who are not used to trying something new, there are a few guidelines you should follow: Plan Plan Plan! Make sure that you go into this summer with a plan! Flying by the seams of you pants is exhilarating and requires the least amount of upfront effort, but going to the seed dealer the morning before you plant something only to find that they sold out the other day and another shipment of seed won't be in for at least a week is never a good position to be in. Planning is especially important with herbicides. Atrazine is a broad spectrum herbicide that is relatively persistent in the soil. If you use Atrazine and then decide to broadcast a cover crop two months later, you have created a recipe for disaster. Failing to plan is planning to fail! When you experiment with a new crop or cropping system, start small. No-till corn into a 3 acre hay field this spring. Pick one field and use a no-till grain drill to plant oats, rye, and radishes into your corn stubble the same day you harvest, and then spread manure on it the next day. Plant one acre of Brachytic Dwarf BMR Forage Sorghum, or reseed an alfalfa field with 2-4 pounds of Italian Ryegrass for a nurse crop instead of Oats. Try rotationally grazing a handful of heifers in that pasture out back. Even if you fail miserably remember, a small "oops" is called learning! Lastly, when you are figuring out what new things you are going to try this year, start by picking 3 things. For example: (1) plant sorghum sudangrass in the end of May/beginning of June that you graze and later harvest as silage. (2) plant winter wheat after your corn that you will harvest for grain and straw in 2016, and then (3) plant oats in August that you graze in November. Another example: (1) No-till into a green sod that you kill at planting. (2) Plant a short day corn, and when you are chopping for silage in the first half of September, (3) have a grain drill planting a cover crop cocktail directly behind the chopper. Will everything you try work as well as you imagined? Probably not. However, it will be a learning experience and will inspire you to try something else next year. With any luck, |
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Oats-Peas-Clover Mix, 2014 Trial
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every year or two you will have at least one thing that you tried that worked so well that you decide to incorporate it into your farm!
If you want to try something new but don't know where to start, call our office and we can give you some ideas, help you make a plan, help you make that plan a reality, and measure and share you successes!
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If you know someone else who might be interested in receiving
this  newsletter, please share it and encourage them to join our mailing list. Meanwhile, please call if you have an interest in helping us move forward with selecting projects that you feel are important to you. We are learning more about how soil health is so critical to your farm profitability and will protect the lake water quality. We just need to be sure any moves toward reduced tillage and more soil cover are based on good field data.
Jeff Carter,
Extension Agronomist
UVM Extension- Champlain Valley Crop, Soil & Pasture Team
Funding for the Champlain Valley Crop, Soil & Pasture Team and the programs and resources we offer is provided by the following organizations:
- Lake Champlain Basin Program
- USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service
- VT Agency of Natural Resources
- VT Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets
- USDA-Risk Management Agency
- USDA-National Institute of Food & Agriculture
- NE-SARE Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education
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.
If you would no longer like to receive this newsletter, feel free to Unsubscribe by clicking the SafeUnsubscribe™ button at the bottom of this newsletter.
Although, we hope you won't!
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