UVM EXTENSION reminds dairy farmers that due to the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, the last business Friday (sales closing date) for November Livestock Gross Margin (LGM) sales will be Nov 20, 2009. For December, the last business Friday (sales closing date) for LGM sales will be Dec 18, 2009.
November 22, Beyond Milk: Raw Dairy Processing Classes, Earthwise Farm & Forest, Bethel.
Learn how to make all kinds of delicious dairy goods in your own kitchen! With some simple instruction and good quality raw milk, it’s easy! Rural Vermont is partnering with some raw milk farmers and fans to bring you both. Classes will cover dairy processing basics, and will include info about how and where to purchase local, raw milk.
Butter, Yogurt, Ricotta, & Fromage Blanc with Lisa McCrory
To register, contact Lisa directly at 234-5524 or lmccrory@hughes.net
Cost: $25 - $45 sliding scale
Contact: Lisa directly
December 2, UMASS Extension Conferernce-Extending the Research Holiday Inn, Brockton, MA.
UMass Extension and Plymouth County Cooperative Extension are sponsoring an important daylong symposium for Green Industry professionals and municipal employees with horticultural responsibilities. Landscapers, arborists, garden center personnel, foresters, tree wardens, and state and town agency personnel that work in the areas of pest management and public relations will all benefit from this program.
For almost 100 years, UMass Extension, in collaboration with USDA and local County Government, has conducted applied and basic research that addresses the needs of citizens, businesses, and public agencies in Massachusetts. This Extension Conference, “Extending the Research” will highlight some of that research that is currently relevant to the Green Industry. UMass faculty and Extension specialists, along with staff from the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, will present updates on the Asian Longhorned Beetle, Winter Moth, Mile-a-minute vine, non-invasive weed control, new invasive turf pests and much more, to prepare Green Industry professionals to meet the challenges of the 2010 growing season.
Six pesticide contact hours available for categories 29, 36, and Applicators License. 1 MCA, 1 MCH, 2 MCLP, and 5 CFE credits available. ISA credit has been requested.
For a registration form or to register online, go to http://www.umassgreeninfo.org/programs/conferences.html
A copy of the agenda is available online by clicking "To register by mail with check or PO#: Download registration form" under the description.
Contact: Ellen Weeks
Phone: (413) 545-0895
http://www.umassgreeninfo.org/
December 14, 1:00 p.m.-5:00 P.m., GAPS Training for Growers, Manchester, N.H.
This training will provide an introduction to the USDA Good Agricultural Practices
(GAP) program. GAP certification is verification of practices on the farm to
minimize microbial contamination in the production of fresh fruits and
vegetables, and it is now required by some wholesale buyers.
In this training, you will learn about the USDA third-party audit process and how
to prepare a farm GAP plan. You will also receive a manual filled with GAP
resources and a CD loaded with templates that will be useful in helping you keep
the records you need to verify your GAP plan.
There will be a registration fee for each set of educational materials
needed; participants that do not need educational materials will be able to
register at a reduced rate.
To register or for additional information, please contact Shirley Mietlicki-Floyd at
413-545-4420 or mietlicki@umext.umass.edu. For questions regarding the
program, contact Rich Bonanno at 978-361-5650 or rbonanno@umext.umass.edu
or Becky Grube at 603-862-3203 or becky.grube@unh.
December 15-17, New England Vegetable & Fruit Growers Conference, Radisson Hotel, Manchester, N.H.
Includes 27 educational sessions over 3 days, covering major vegetable, berry and tree fruit crops as well as various special topics. A Farmer to Farmer meeting after each morning and afternoon session will bring speakers and farmers together for informal, in-depth discussion on certain issues.
There is also an extensive Trade Show with over 100 exhibitors. We hope that you will enjoy your time here, and meet with fellow growers, advisors, researchers, and industry representatives. We want you to leave with new ideas and new information that will have a positive impact on your farm.
This conference is special because it is put together with close collaboration between growers and Extension from across the region. The steering committee gathers the best speakers from within our region and across the country to tell you about the latest innovations and advances in the fruit and vegetable industry. Almost every session includes both farmers and research or extension personnel, so you are getting the “best of both worlds.”
Our sponsors invite you to visit the Trade Show during the conference. We invite businesses and organizations to exhibit at the Trade Show for the purpose of providing information to the participants. While we make reasonable efforts to assure the integrity of the exhibitors, the conference sponsors do not guarantee or warranty any product exhibited; neither do the sponsors imply approval or endorsement of any product to the exclusion of others that may be available.
The pre-registration fee to attend any part or all of the conference or trade show is $90 for the first member of the farm or business and $60 for each additional member (family or employee) when pre-registered with first member. The pre-registration fee for students (high school or college) is $40 each when pre-registered by the instructor. Pre-registration must be received by November 30, 2009. There is an additional fee of $10 per person for late registration or walk-ins. Please bring your checkbook or cash if registering at the door – sorry, no credit cards accepted. There is an ATM machine available in the hotel.
Please note: You will not receive a registration receipt in the mail. Your registration package will be available at the registration desk when you arrive at the conference.
January 5 & 19 or February 9. Digging Deep an Advanced Soils Course for Vegetable Growers, Lake Morey Resort, Fairlee.
Three different day long sessions:
January 5th, Soil Testing Tools and Their Use
January 19th, Using Soil Fertility Practices to Solve Problems on Your Farm
February 9th, Putting a System Together on Your Farm
Sessions will focus on tools and practices available to help farmers solve soil and soil fertility problems on their farms. Farmers will develop a soil fertility management plan that addresses nutrient needs, compaction, rotations and tillage.
Contact NOFA Vermont at 802-434-4122 or info@nofavt.org to be added to our mailing list. Watch the website for more information: http://www.nofavt.org/annual-events/digging-deep
NOFA Vermont holds an annual Direct Marketing Conference to provide a networking and educational opportunity for farmers’ market managers and vendors and farmers marketing through Community Supported Agriculture and farm stands.
More details coming soon or contact the office with questions: 802-434-4122
January 11, 9:15 a.m. to 3:00 p.m, Introduction to QuickBooks for Farmers, USDA Service Center, Rutland.
This course is designed for agricultural operators who are beginning with QuickBooks to those with an early working knowledge of the program. Specifically it’s designed for those not yet owning the program to those using QuickBooks as a check register who are seeking additional features in the computer program.
The course is sponsored by the Rutland Natural Resources Conservation District, Farm Service Agency, and, USDA Risk Management Agency, and UVM Extension. The class will be taught by Pam Smith and Glenn Rogers of UVM Extension. Sign up early as this is being offered on a first come-first serve basis. For sign up and further information contact Nanci McGuire at 775-7192 ext. 17, or e-mail: nanci.mcguire@vt.nacdnet.net.
$45 for an individual or $80 for 2 people from the same farm. A light lunch will be provided.
January 22 & 23, 2010. 14th Annual Grazing & Livestock Conference: Farming for Modern Markets, Lake Morey Resort, Fairlee.
Featuring Brian Moyer, Executive Director Rural Vermont
Pre-conference workshops Friday, January 22, 2010 and main Conference Saturday, January 23, 2010
Online registration, by credit card, electronic funds transfer (EFT) or personal check will open mid November.
The conference is coordinated by the UVM Center for Sustainable Agriculture's Pasture Program.
Keynote speaker Brian Moyer will highlight the conference theme of Farming for the Modern Market, speaking to the changing economic times and how we are positioned locally to address these challenges. Mr. Moyer became the Executive Director of Rural Vermont9 in July of 2009. For the last six years he has served on the board of directors of Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA), for the last 2 years as the Vice President. He also served as Vice President and President of American Pastured Poultry Producers Association (APPPA). Mr. Moyer and his wife Holley have been farming for twelve years raising broilers, layers, turkeys, sheep, goats and pigs on the pastures of their 27-acre farm in Berks County, Pennsylvania. They marketed their farm fresh food at their farm, through CSAs and farmers markets, and to restaurants.
The schedule on Friday January 22 will include three day-long workshops, focusing on business planning, farm visits and a weed management intensive with nationally known animal behaviorist Kathy Voth. Ms. Voth is the founder of Livestock for Landscapes, LLC10 and provides consulting services for farms and ranches as well performing research on grazing livestock behavior. Her in-depth workshop will focus on teaching livestock to become weed managers, and each attendee will leave with an individualized plan. The main conference Saturday January 23 will offer over 30 workshops on sustainable livestock production, with topics such as pasture-based research, grazing season extension, soil fertility & productivity, local beef marketing, high quality hay production, transitioning dairy farms to rotational grazing, small ruminant parasite management, swine, poultry and more. A concurrent kids’ conference includes indoor and outdoor activities. Lake Morey Resort’s chefs will highlight the bounty and quality of local and grass-fed foods.
Contact: Jenn Colby
Phone: (802) 656-0858
jcolby@uvm.edu
http://www.uvm.edu/pasture
February 13-15, NOFA Vermont Winter Conference, University of Vermont, Burlington.
Celebrating the Heart of Organic, will explore how local and organic agriculture provide a response to the national “Agenda for Change;” how climate challenges, inequities in food access, and increased demand for food grown closer to home are being addressed by innovative farmers, gardeners, and communities throughout Vermont.
The Winter Conference is the pre-eminent gathering of Vermont's local food community: the farmers, homesteaders, gardeners, localvores, educators, and citizens that are re-localizing Vermont's food system and leading the nation. Please join us for over 75 workshops, a Children's Conference, two great keynote speakers, a farmers' market, and much, much more.
United States Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is joining the conference as a special guest on Saturday. This is a great opportunity this is for Vermonters to show Secretary Vilsack Vermont's agricultural leadership in innovations, food security, grassroots organizing, and healthy food independence!
LaDonna Redmond joins us as our keynote speaker on Saturday!
Legendary Vermont dairy farmer, Jack Lazor, is our Sunday keynote speaker!
Monday features an intensive grower workshop with farmer Richard Wiswall, author of The Organic Farmer's Business Handbook.
December 10, 2009 marks the end of the crop insurance period for grain corn in Vermont. If you are unable to harvest by this date due to extreme weather conditions, such as rain or snow, you may request additional time to harvest beyond December 10, 2009 by contacting your crop insurance agent.
Your crop insurance company may allow additional time to harvest when the following conditions are met:
(a) You give timely notice of loss to the crop insurance agent; and
(b) The crop insurance company determines and documents that the delay in harvest was due to an insured cause of loss; and
(c) You demonstrate to the crop insurance company that harvest was not possible due to insured causes; and
(d) The delay in harvest was not due to uninsured causes of loss, nor because you did not have sufficient equipment or manpower to harvest the crop by the calendar date for the end of the insurance period.
It is important that you document conditions for your acreage and the actions you take in order to receive an accurate claim payment if one is due. You must harvest your crop during the extension period if a window of opportunity arises. If you do not, the crop insurance company will appraise the acreage at that time and finalize the claim based on that appraisal. Damage occurring after the window of opportunity to harvest is uninsurable.
If there is significant snow cover, if the crop is under water, or if extreme wet conditions exist, the crop insurance company should not (and is not required to), perform final inspections when conditions make it impossible to obtain appraisals accurately.
If weather conditions are delaying your harvest, contact your crop insurance agent to report a loss and request additional time to harvest in order to protect your crop insurance coverage.
Risk is a natural part of any farming operation. Farm success depends so much on factors that a producer cannot control such as weather and global markets. In recent years, risks facing Vermont farmers have increased due to changes in the nation and the world.
* Increased globalization has created more intense competition for farmers due to importation of cheaper goods produced outside the United States.
* The development of new technologies has enabled increased production of goods leading to price decreases and thus increased competition. The new technologies and increased production has also led to specialization which means increased risk of large crop losses in the case of disease, pest infestation, or certain weather events.
* More volatile weather patterns are a threat to crops and livestock.
* The increasing cost of fuel and feed is influencing farm operations.
* The government is putting more responsibility for risk into the hands of farmers themselves. In other words, farmers cannot expect to receive a check if there is a disaster. Farmers must either be enrolled in the Non-Insured Crop Disaster Assistance Program, or have a crop insurance policy in order to be considered for assistance payments if a disaster should occur.
The intention of this weblog is to convey information to producers, consultants, educators, students, and other interested parties about current risks that Vermont farmers face and provide information about workshops, strategies, and other resources that can be used to manage those risks.
This blog was developed by UVM Extension.
