Left: Abigail Augarten, Agronomy Specialist, Right: Anna Elewski, Soil Health and Water Quality Outreach Specialist
Our friends at UVM Extension in Middlebury recently hired two new staff members, and we’re thrilled to introduce them to you! Both of them will work closely with the farming community and our coalition. They’re planning to attend our Annual Meeting on January 31, so please say hello!
Abigail (Abby) Augarten has joined UVM Extension as an agronomy specialist and is working with farmers in the Champlain Valley to provide agronomy outreach and technical assistance to improve farm viability and water quality. She is excited to get to know CVFC members and develop outreach and research programming that meets their agronomic and natural resources conservation goals.
Abby received a bachelor’s degree in International Agriculture from Cornell University and a master’s degree in Agroecology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She was a Research and Outreach Specialist with University of Wisconsin- Extension’s Discovery Farms Program, performing on-farm agriculture, water quality and soil health research and outreach. She also served two years in the Peace Corps in Senegal as a sustainable agriculture extension agent. Abby is excited to be in Vermont and loves trail running, hiking, gardening, reading, and knitting.
Anna Elewski is excited to join UVM Extension as their new Soil Health and Water Quality Outreach specialist. Her work will focus on natural resource conservation and agronomy outreach to support farmers in the Lake Champlain Basin.
Anna recently moved to Vermont for the second time after working on a small organic farm near Mount Hood, Oregon. Before farming, she worked for the USGS doing salmon conservation research on the Columbia River. She earned a bachelor’s degree in biology, with a concentration in conservation ecology, from Vassar College in 2021. After graduating, she moved to Burlington to work a seasonal forestry position and quickly came to love Vermont. She is passionate about building sustainable food systems and community-centered responses to the climate crisis. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, knitting, and making pickles.
With the passage of Act 135 of 2022, farm surface water withdrawal reporting forms are due to the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets by January 31, 2023. Beginning January 15, 2023, any Vermont farm which withdrew 10,000 gallons or more of surface water within a 24-hour period in the preceding calendar year, or 150,000 gallons or more of surface water over any 30-day period in the preceding year, shall file a report with the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets (VAAFM).
Mark your calendars! We’d love to see you at the 2023 No-Till & Cover Crop Conference.
Thursday, March 2, 2023
9:00 am - 4:00 pm
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel
870 Williston Road
So. Burlington, VT 05403
UVM Extension invites farmers, technical advisers, agricultural providers, consultants, and others to attend the 2023 No-Till and Cover Crop (NTCC) Conference. This event is dedicated to No-Till and Cover Crop systems for field crop growers. Visit with sponsoring ag businesses, farmers, organizations, consultants, agencies and Extension. Download the brochure for a complete schedule of events.
Registration is $75 per person and $50 per student. Click here to register before Friday, February 24. If you cannot register online, please call the UVM Non-Credit Registration Office at 802-656-8407.
UVM Extension in Middlebury is offering update sessions for farmers who have already created an NMP and have a goCrop account. NMPs must be updated every year to stay in compliance with State of Vermont Required Agricultural Practices (RAPs).
You’ll be able to:
Update your spring/summer/fall 2022 records in goCrop
Roll over your 2022 into a 2023 plan and make any necessary changes
Print reports and records and fill out any reporting required for the state
These are informal sessions where you can get technical support from UVM Extension and work in a quiet space to get your updates done. NMP update sessions are free, but the goCrop account must be renewed every year online for $249. Coupon codes may be available; please contact UVM Extension for more information.
Available sessions dates and times are:
January 31, 2023 | 10:00am - 2:00pm
February 17, 2023 | 10:00am - 2:00pm
February 28, 2023 | 10:00am - 2:00pm
For further questions, email or call Abigail Augarten at (802) 388-4969 or abigail.augarten@uvm.edu.
February 10, 2023
10:00am - 11:30pm
UVM Extension
23 Pond Lane
Middlebury, VT 05753
If your custom applicator certification has lapsed or you have a new employee that needs to be certified, you may be interested in attending this custom applicator certification opportunity.
Contact Lindsey Ruhl at lruhl@uvm.edu or (802) 391-4546 by February 3rd to reserve your spot. The event is free but please be aware that there is a $30 certification fee to VAAFM.
Dairy Processing Research & Development Innovation Grant: The Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center (NE-DBIC) announces the availability of funds through the Dairy Processing Research & Development Innovation Grant program. This grant will provide funds for dairy processors, dairy producer associations, and educational institutions to conduct research and development projects that support innovation for Northeast dairy processors across a variety of scales. Projects funded through this program will support dairy processors in gaining knowledge that will allow them to make informed, long-term business investments with positive environmental and/or economic impacts.This grant is open to processors in all 11 NE states they serve: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont. The application period is January 26 - March 23. To learn more and to apply, click here.
Dairy Farm Innovation & Alternative Management Grant: Innovation is key to building enduring farm businesses and a sustainable regional food system. This grant supports the implementation of community- and climate-forward practices and will fund projects that lead to improved ecological and economic outcomes, as well as benefit the broader dairy community. Awards range from $15,000 - $75,000 with a 25% match commitment. The application deadline is February 2, 2023. For more information and to apply, click here.
Organic On-Farm Milk Storage & Handling Grant: This grant will fund the purchase of specialized equipment to help streamline milk pick-up, increase efficiencies around milk storage, and improve handling for both farmers and their processors. Open to all organic dairy farmers, those who lost contracts with Horizon Organic and Maple Hill Creamery will be prioritized to help them successfully transition to new buyers. Awards will range from $10,000- $50,000 with a 25% match commitment. Total funds available equal $450,000. Applications will open on December 15, 2022 with a submission deadline of February 9, 2023. For more information and to apply, click here.
Farm Agronomic Practice (FAP) Program: Utilizes state funding to help Vermont farms implement soil-based agronomic practices that improve soil quality, increase crop production, and reduce erosion and agricultural waste discharges. Eligible fall practices include manure injection and no-till renovation: apply >30 days before implementation. Click here for more information.
Pasture and Surface Water Fencing (PSWF) Program: Provides pasture management technical assistance and financial assistance to Vermont farmers to improve water quality and on-farm livestock exclusion from surface waters statewide. Applications accepted year-round. Click here for more information.
Grassed Waterway and Filter Strip (GWFS) Program: Provides technical and financial assistance to Vermont farmers for in-field agronomic best practices to address critical source areas, erosion, and surface runoff. The Program’s goal is to reduce soil erosion and improve soil and water quality on cropland that contributes a disproportionately high level of nutrients in runoff. Such areas of cropland are considered “Critical Source Areas” (CSAs), representing a small proportion of the landscape yet a high proportion of non-point source pollution loads. Applications accepted year-round. Click here for more information.
Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP): A voluntary program designed to reduce sediment runoff and improve water quality by removing land from agricultural production and establishing vegetative buffers. State and federal funds are used to compensate landowners for the loss of productive agricultural land through upfront incentive payments and annual rental payments based on the total acreage dedicated to vegetated filter strips, forested buffers, or grassed waterways. Applications accepted year-round. Click here for more information.
Community Recovery and Revitalization Program: The CRRP will provide funding for projects that make capital improvements or capital expansions that were delayed due to the negative economic impacts of COVID-19. Eligible uses for these funds include the development of affordable housing, improvements to or new construction of childcare facilities, projects for nonprofits and small businesses in impacted industries*, and municipal water supply and wastewater projects. These recovery funds are intended to retain and expand existing businesses and nonprofit organizations with a preference for projects located in regions and communities with declining or stagnant grand list values. The application is now open and will remain open until all funds are allocated. Click here for more information.
Thank You to Our Partners!
Our mission to assist all farmers in implementing innovative agricultural practices that enhance water quality, soil health, climate smart farming, and their economic resiliency in the Champlain Valley is generously supported by the
