The Champlain Valley Farmer Coalition (CVFC) is teaming up with Shelburne Farms and the Lake Champlain Basin Program to offer “Watershed for Every Classroom,” a year-long, supported professional development program for interdisciplinary teams of K-12 teachers in the Lake Champlain Basin of New York, Vermont, and Quebec.
The program offers teachers inspiration, knowledge and skills to frame exciting place-based curriculum. A new session runs every other year, and course sessions are held in July, October, January, March, and May. The next WEC session will begin in July 2024.
In this program, teachers will:
Explore the stories of the Lake Champlain Basin as shared by its people, places, and things;
Learn how these stories offer multiple ways to teach all subjects;
Engage students in learning in and about their community; and,
Build their students’ sense of belonging to their home place.
Through CVFC’s partnership, educators in Addison County will additionally receive:
Year-long curriculum coaching
Opportunities to bring their students on field trips to local farms to learn about the interplay between agriculture and the watershed.
The program is best suited for educators working with grades 4-9, but is applicable to all subject areas and grades.
Program Overview
2024-25 Gathering Dates
July 16–19, 2024
October 4–5, 2024
January 31, 2025
April 11–12, 2025
You should be willing to:
Participate in all sessions. Personal transportation will be needed to study sites around Vermont and New York.
Complete readings and written reflections and participate in collegial planning and dialogue.
Develop a watershed-based teaching unit that integrates the local landscape. The unit will meet the goals of your district’s curriculum and exemplify best practices of place-based education and service learning.
Provide a letter of support from your administrator if accepted; this is important to ensure you’ll be given time during the academic year to join all retreats.
Fees + Credits
Program fee: $500, includes housing and meals for single overnights happening in July, October, and May. Needs-based scholarships are available once accepted.
Educators receive $100 for classroom resources to advance personal watershed learning after the summer retreat. Apply for an additional $200 school mini-grant at the end of the program.
Lake Champlain Sea Grant is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s Office of Teaching Initiatives as an approved sponsor of CTLE for Professional Classroom Teachers, School Leaders, and Level III Teaching Assistants. CTLE certificates of completion will be offered for educators in attendance for the full duration of the program.
Optional graduate credits for an additional fee: 3- and 6-credit options are available from Castleton University. 3 credits are available for the summer only portion and 6 credits for the full year.
To Apply
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until program spaces fill.
Ready to cultivate success in your dairy farming journey? Join our new, vibrant community of young dairy farmers!
Whether you’re planting the first seeds of your career or growing your operation, our group provides the support, resources, and camaraderie you need to thrive. Connect with peers, access expert advice, and stay ahead with the latest innovations in sustainable farming practices.
We’re gathering young dairy farmers from throughout the state to create the Young Dairy Farmer Group. Together, these farmers will work to address some of the biggest challenges facing their farms and the dairy industry
As a member of our group, you will have the opportunity to:
Learn about financial resources available to you.
Develop farm communication plans to inform the public of the great work dairy farms do in the areas of conservation and environmental stewardship.
Find assistance for new projects, including grant and loan research, business plan development, and grant proposal writing.
Receive training on new technologies and practices.
Attend farm and industry tours to learn from peers.
Do you want to be a part of this exciting new initiative for young dairy farmers? Reach out today to:
Shawn Goodfellow
Program Manager for Young Farmers
Champlain Valley Farmer Coalition
shawn@cvfc-vt.com
802-349-8938 call or text
The Young Dairy Farmer Group
is a collaborative project of Vermont’s three farmer watershed groups:
the Franklin Grand Isle Farmer’s Watershed Alliance, the Connecticut River Watershed Farmers Alliance, and the Champlain Valley Farmer Coalition.
Thank you to Gaines Insurance for helping to fund our upcoming field trip to the North American Manure Expo! If you'd like to support young dairy farmers in attending this exciting event, contact us today about sponsoring.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently published revised pre-harvest agricultural water requirements for produce farms subject to the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule.
Pre-harvest agricultural water is water used during growing that directly contacts produce, such as water used for irrigation, crop sprays, or frost protection using a direct application method.
Produce farms are now required to make pre-harvest agricultural water assessments to identify any potential hazards and implement corrective or mitigation measures as appropriate. These revisions replace the mandatory microbial water quality testing that was previously required in the 2015 version of the Produce Safety Rule. While no longer required, microbial water quality test results can still be an important factor for a farm to consider if they choose to conduct testing as part of their agricultural water assessment.
Compliance dates for the pre-harvest agricultural water requirements are tiered by farm size. Farms subject to the Produce Safety Rule with annual produce sales above $500,000 must comply by April 7, 2025. Farms with sales between $250,000 and $500,000 must comply by April 6, 2026, and farms with sales between $25,000 and $250,000 by April 5, 2027.
Key requirements:
Annual Agricultural Water Assessment – Produce farms are required to conduct annual agricultural water assessments to evaluate factors that can impact the produce safety of their water. Factors include:
The location, type, and degree of protection of the farm’s agricultural water sources and distribution systems
Agricultural water application methods and application timing
Crop characteristics
Environmental conditions
Other relevant factors, such as the results of any microbial water quality testing
Risk-Based Outcomes – Based on the findings of annual agricultural water assessments, produce farms must determine if corrective or mitigation measures are necessary in order to reduce the potential for contamination of produce or food contact surfaces with hazards identified in their assessment.
Click here for more information or contact Tucker Diego at tucker.diego@vermont.gov or by phone 802-622-4412.
Sand County Foundation and national sponsor American Farmland Trust present the Leopold Conservation Award to private landowners in 27 states. In New England the $10,000 award is presented with New England Forestry Foundation. This award honors farmers and forestland owners who go above and beyond in their management of soil health, water quality and wildlife habitat on working land.
Given in honor of renowned conservationist Aldo Leopold, the award recognizes landowners who inspire others with their dedication to environmental improvement. In his influential 1949 book, A Sand County Almanac, Leopold called for what he called “a land ethic,” an ethical relationship between people and the land they own and manage.
Nominations may be submitted on behalf of a landowner in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Landowners may also nominate themselves. Click here for the nomination application.
The application deadline date is June 28, 2024. Applications should be emailed to award@sandcountyfoundation.org. Applications will be reviewed by an independent panel of agricultural and forestry conservation leaders from New England.
August 4 - 11
Open Farm Week creates an opportunity for folks to visit farms and connect with Vermont's working landscape, and it's a great way to engage with your customers and community. We are all looking forward to getting out and enjoying Vermont this summer! Remember, you can choose any day during the week to host an event, or have events on multiple days. Neighboring farms interested in collaborating and marketing their events together can sign up together and receive a $10 discount per farm.
New England Dairy is celebrating the 10th anniversary of Vermont Open Farm Week by covering the cost of registration for 15 Vermont dairy farmers.
Registration for farm participation ends July 1st.
The Expo offers two full days of tours, demonstrations, education sessions and networking, all delivering the latest and greatest in manure management solutions and technologies in the heart of the Finger Lakes region.
Day one includes offsite tours that showcase the innovative manure practices of the northeast, on-site demonstrations dedicated to agitation and safety, and plenty of industry networking.
Day two features educational sessions by industry experts, followed by solid and liquid manure application demonstrations, including a dragline application in corn and grassland injection.
Join us for our in-person on-farm Annual Crops & Soils Field Day at Borderview Research Farm. Attendees will tour the research trials including perennial grasses, soybeans, small grains, hemp, hops, and other crops, as well as participate in one of the afternoon sessions.
This event is free to farmers and $25 per person for non-farmers.
Lunch is included and certified crop adviser and water quality education credits available.
Click the button below to register. If you cannot access the online registration, please call the UVM Non Credit Registration office at 802-656-8407 to register. For event related questions, please contact Susan Brouillette at susan.brouillette@uvm.edu or call (802) 656-7611 or (802) 524-6501.
The Farm Agronomic Practice (FAP) Program is open for applications from Vermont farms to support the installation of field conservation practices planned from now until the end of the calendar year.
The deadline to apply for funding for fall practices is August 1, but you are welcome to apply now if you wish.
Interested in rotational grazing, but don’t have good maps or a grazing plan? Feel free to reach out to Connor Steckel at Connor.Steckel@vermont.gov or 802-522-0065 for assistance or to be referred to someone who can help.
Please note that from now on, The Farm Agronomic Practice program will be operating on a calendar year basis. Each farm is eligible for a MAX of $10,000.00 per calendar year. When you apply, please include any conservation practices planned until December 31, 2024 that are not already funded by another payment program. (FAP cannot fund the equivalent practice that you are already receiving payment for under another state, federal or private agreement, such as EQIP or CSP.)
Click here for more information on the FAP program requirements and to apply.
Vermont Diesel Emissions Reduction Financial Assistance Program
Open Now! The Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has opened another application period for incentive funding through the Vermont Diesel Emissions Reduction Financial Assistance Program! This funding will be competitively awarded to projects that reduce emissions from diesel-powered vehicles, engines, and non-road equipment.
Please note: this is a second Request for Proposals to award remaining funding available from the proposal request issued in November 2023; the next full round of funding will be made available this fall.
Technical assistance and incentive funding are available for projects that reduce emissions from diesel-powered vehicles, engines, and non-road equipment, including:
Replacement of diesel-powered heavy-duty vehicles, engines, and non-road equipment with electric (battery, grid, or fuel cell), alternative fuel, or newer diesel options,
Retrofitting with emission control technologies,
Engine replacements,
Clean alternative fuel conversions,
Installation of idle reduction technologies,
Aerodynamic technologies and low rolling resistance tires, and
Electrified parking spaces for transport refrigeration units and truck stop electrification projects.
Funding will be available for NEW projects only (we cannot fund projects that are ongoing or already completed). Eligibility requirements apply.Click here for more information on eligible projects. Application deadline is July 10,2024.
Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP)
The State of Vermont received a $16 million grant from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) in 2015. In 2020, this grant was extended for five years with an additional $10 million in assistance to farmers and forest landowners. This program provides financial and technical assistance for the development and implementation of water quality improvement throughout Vermont. Funds are available for agricultural and forestry best management practices, for wetland restoration, and for agricultural, wetland, and forestry easements.
Priority is given to smaller farms and forest operations for practice implementation with a focus on agronomic and forestry water quality improvement practices, grazing, and feed management. Unique opportunities through RCPP include the following:
Many practices are covered at 100% payment rate, based on the NRCS Practice List.
If you meet certain practice requirements (e.g., implementing a cover crop early) you may be eligible for an additional incentive payment.
RCPP practices are not included in the $450,000 NRCS Farm Bill cap. You have a maximum of $450,000 in RCPP as well.
RCPP applications are in a separate funding pool, greatly increasing your chance of funding with less competition.
All Vermont farm and forest landowners are eligible, however strong priority for agricultural practice funding is given to small farmers (CSFO and SFO). Easement prioritization is based on water quality protection value and availability of funding.
Landowners who are interested in this RCPP program are encouraged to reach out to the RCPP planners with the VT Association of Conservation District. General programmatic questions may be directed to: Marli Rupe, Agricultural Water Quality Section Chief, Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, marli.rupe@vermont.gov or 802-490-6171. 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 nonpoint 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 (CRRP)
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.
Rural Energy for America Program (REAP)
The program provides guaranteed loan financing and grant funding to agricultural producers and rural small businesses for renewable energy systems or to make energy efficiency improvements. Agricultural producers may also apply for new energy efficient equipment and new system loans for agricultural production and processing. Applications accepted year-round. Click here for more information. Contact Tracy Rexford with any questions regarding REAP at tracy.rexford@usda.gov.
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
