Agriculture Commons^™

2021 Northeast Maple Business Benchmark, Mark Cannella, Christopher Lindgren

UVM Extension Faculty Publications

The 2021 production season left many producers disappointed. While sap flow volume was reported as average to normal in many instances, pervasive low sap sugar content influenced the lower syrup production totals.

The 2021 Northeast Maple Business Benchmark report documents the ninth year of financial record analysis for commercial syrup producers. The project includes maple producers in Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Tap counts for this year’s participant businesses ranged from 7,000 taps to 65,000 taps.

This report demonstrates key management and financial metrics including: yield statistics, land use, operating costs, investment requirements, total cost of production, marketing strategy …

Farmer Perspectives On Administrative Burdens And Potential Compensation Structures: A Short Summary Report Of Farmer Interviews From Spring 2022. Vermont Payment For Ecosystem Services Technical Research Report # 3c, Ellen Friedrich, Nour El-Naboulsi, Alissa C. White, Heather M. Darby

UVM Extension Faculty Publications

Interviews with 35 Vermont farmers explored their perspectives on compensation associated with a soil health payment for ecosystem services (PES) program in 2022. This report summarizes thematic analysis of those interviews. Farmers’ willingness to participate in a soil health PES is linked to both the burden of enrollment paperwork and the payment level, among other factors.

If deciding whether to participate in a soil health PES program, nearly all farmers said they would weigh the time and energy put into the administrative workload against the perceived benefits and value of the program, i.e., the payment level or technical assistance provided. …

Valuation Of Soil Health Ecosystem Services. Vermont Payment For Ecosystem Services Technical Research Report #5, Benjamin Timothy Dube, Alissa C. White, Taylor H. Ricketts, Heather M. Darby

UVM Extension Faculty Publications

In this report, we present estimates for ecosystem services from soil health using two approaches for four different services. One approach generates estimates based on soil-health practices, and the other approach is based on improvements in soil-health indicators. For soil- health practices, such as adopting best-management practices on annual corn, we utilize a set of off-the shelf empirical models widely used to estimate ecological functions on farm landscapes. For soil-health indicators, we make estimates by linking these tools with soil data and statistical models describing how soil-health parameters influence the interaction of soils with water and their environment. We provide …

Results Of The 2022 Vermont Farmer Conservation & Payment For Ecosystem Services Survey. Vermont Payment For Ecosystem Services Technical Research Report #3a, Alissa C. White

Reports and Policy Briefs

This survey was commissioned by the Vermont Soil Health and Payment for Ecosystem Services Working Group (VT PES Working Group) to gather farmer input on the development of payment for ecosystem services (PES) in Vermont for agriculture. In particular, the survey was intended to help set appropriate levels of compensation for participation in a soil health PES program, although additional information was gathered in the survey to inform the development of a new incentive program. The VT PES Working Group has explored the potential for a performance-based soil health PES program that would compensate farmers on the basis of environmental …

Northeastern United States Maple Syrup Production And Economics: A 2019 Survey Of Producers, Mark Cannella, Christopher Lindgren, Mark Isselhardt

UVM Extension Faculty Publications

A survey of northeastern maple syrup producers was completed to explore factors of business scale, economic viability, organic production and the outlook for the maple crop in the coming years. Results from this survey demonstrate the wide range of hobby and commercial scales present within the maple producer community across the Northeastern United States. As the U.S. domestic maple syrup crop continues to grow the influence of different scales and types of business can shape local communities, national trends and future policy. Survey results offer insight into production yields, technology adoption, economics and business performance.

2020 Northeast Maple Business Benchmark, Mark Cannella, Christopher Lindgren

UVM Extension Faculty Publications

The 2020 production season began just as the Covid-19 pandemic was emerging across the United States. Most states quickly enacted “essential industry” provisions that enabled agricultural and forestry operations to remain active assuming their workers were healthy and willing to report to work. Lingering policy and regulatory issues faced maple producers in the coming months as the pandemic disruptions continued. While many businesses faced short term cash flow challenges the overall maple demand rebounded and exceeded expectations for growth by the end of 2020.

The 2020 Northeast Maple Business Benchmark report documents the eight year of financial record analysis for …

2020 Hemp Flower Plant Spacing X Planting Date Trial, Heather Darby, John Bruce, Ivy Krezinski, Rory Malone, Sara Ziegler

Northwest Crops & Soils Program

Hemp is a non-psychoactive variety of cannabis sativa L. Hemp is a crop of historical importance in the U.S. and re-emerging worldwide as a popular crop as it is sought out as a renewable and sustainable resource for a wide variety of consumer and industrial products. Hemp that is grown for fiber, grain oil, or as an intended health supplement contains less than 0.3% tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). When hemp is grown to produce cannabidiol (CBD) as an intended health supplement, CBD concentrations are relatively high, with concentrations ranging between 8-15%. Hemp for CBD production is grown more intensively, similar to vegetable …

2020 Cool Season Annual Forages Trial, Heather Darby, Sara Ziegler, Ivy Krezinski, Rory Malone

Northwest Crops & Soils Program

In 2020, the University of Vermont Extension’s Northwest Crop and Soils Program evaluated the performance of cool season annual forages planted in monoculture. In the Northeast, cool season perennial grasses dominate pastures and hay meadows that farmers rely on. Often times during the fall months, the perennial pasture will decline in yield and quality. The addition of cool season annual forages into the grazing system during this time may help improve the quality and quantity of forage and potentially extend the grazing season. With the range in species available, it is important to understand the yield potential, quality, and growth …

Seeds Of Resilience: Learning From Covid-19 To Strengthen Seed Systems In Vermont, Ali Brooks, Carina V. Isbell, Daniel Tobin Ph.D., Travis Reynolds Ph.D., Eric Bishop Von Wettberg Ph.D., David Conner Ph.D., Evie Wolfe

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Faculty Publications

Seeds are central to crop-based production systems, yet in the United States seeds have been largely overlooked in both research and local and regional food systems initiatives. This report seeks to address the gap in seed-related research by assessing current strengths and vulnerabilities of Vermont’s seed systems. In particular, the findings presented in this report illuminate how seed systems can maintain function in the face of external shocks such as the COVID-19 pandemic, and how we can apply the lessons learned toward building resilience for an uncertain future due to factors such as climate change. Despite the turmoil caused by …

2020 Perennial Grass Variety Trial, Heather Darby, Sara Ziegler, Catherine Davidson, Ivy Krezinski, Rory Malone

Northwest Crops & Soils Program

In 2019, the University of Vermont Extension Northwest Crops and Soils Program initiated a trial evaluating forage yield and quality of an array of cool season perennial grass species and varieties planted in monocultures. The grass species selected were Kentucky bluegrass, meadow brome, meadow fescue, orchardgrass, perennial ryegrass, and timothy. The 2020 growing season was the first full season after establishment for these stands. These stands will continue to be monitored over multiple years to evaluate yield, quality, survivability, pest resistance, persistence, and other characteristics that will help identify the most suitable forage species and varieties in our region over …

Building Relationships And Resilience: Local Food Systems In Vermont And New England During The Covid-19 Pandemic And Beyond, Claire Whitehouse

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

This thesis brings together two studies of local food systems in Vermont and New England. The first study focuses on the experience of Vermont local food businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic by combining two surveys conducted in the first half of 2021: one of foodservice operations that procure food locally and one of Vermont farms that sell directly to consumers. We analyzed descriptive statistics, open responses, and conducted Kruskal-Wallis rank sum tests to assess which factors were related with business’ financial status before and since the pandemic. Pre-pandemic financial status was related with business type, whether the business went on …

2020 Summer Annual Variety Trial, Heather Darby, Sara Ziegler, Ivy Krezinski, Rory Malone

Northwest Crops & Soils Program

Warm season grasses, such as sudangrass, and millet can provide quality forage in the hot summer months, when cool season perennial grasses enter dormancy and decline in productivity. The addition of summer annuals into a rotation can provide a harvest of high-quality forage for stored feed or grazing during this critical time. Generally, summer annuals germinate quickly, grow rapidly, are drought resistant, and have high productivity and flexibility in utilization. The UVM Extension Northwest Crops and Soils Program conducted this variety trial to evaluate the yield and quality of warm season annual grasses.

2020 Organic Spring Wheat Crosses Variety Trial, Heather Darby, Henry Blair

Northwest Crops & Soils Program

The goal of this project is to develop new spring wheat varieties that are suited for organic management in Northeast soils and climatic conditions. Most commercially available varieties are developed in regions with climates, soils, and management techniques that are very different from northern New England. These modern varieties are also genetically homogenous and inbred for uniformity, sometimes resulting in rapid breakdown of genetic resistance to local diseases. Eight crosses were developed by Dr. Stephen Jones of Washington State University, including crosses of two varieties bred by famed Vermont botanist and wheat breeder Cyrus Pringle. Of these varieties, a number …

2019 Northeast Maple Business Benchmark, Mark Cannella, Christopher Lindgren

UVM Extension Faculty Publications

The 2019 production season rebounded with a 1% increase in US national syrup production from the previous crop in 2018. Bulk market prices continued a slow decline following reports of a strong 2019 crop year and continued strength of the US dollar.

General reports from maple producers and sellers indicate an environment of increasing competition for sales. Successive strong crop years bolstering supply, downward price pressure from Canadian import dynamics and more US producers pursuing direct and wholesale market channels reinforced the increased competition. By 2019 the signals to maple owners were clear, business performance in the modern maple era …

Farm Benchmarking: The Application Of Business, Conservation And Labor Indicators, Mark Cannella, Sara Ziegler,, Qingbin Wang, Mary Peabody, Thomas Leahey, Heather M. Darby

USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Center

Farm benchmarking programs will move Vermont’s food system towards important sustainability outcomes by establishing enhanced monitoring of priority indicators and facilitating the adoption of best practices. Farmers, researchers, policy agencies and development professionals agree there is a lack of regular and consistent data available to guide private and public initiatives. This paper identifies and contextualizes over forty priority indicators capable of measuring business performance, conservation, farm labor and community development.

Benchmarking methods need to be adapted to better represent the diversity of enterprises present in Vermont’s agricultural portfolio. The integration of University Extension objectives with food systems research priorities can …

The Farm-Community Nexus: Metrics For Social, Economic, And Environmental Sustainability Of Agritourism And Direct Farm Sales In Vermont, Lisa Chase, Gillian L. Galford, Jane Kolodinsky, Daniel Tobin, Eric Bishop Von Wettberg, Amy Kelsey, Susanna Baxley, Christopher Brittain, Josiah Taylor

USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Center

Viable working landscapes, vibrant communities, and healthy ecosystems are the building blocks of sustainable food systems. Small and medium farms are connective tissue, creating a system that is greater than the sum of its parts by linking consumers to producers and promoting environmental stewardship. Our approach considers sustainability through connections between farms, their communities, and visitors within an agritourism framework, including on-farm experiences, direct sales of agricultural products, and farmer-consumer interactions at markets. The goal is to contribute to the understanding, operationalization, and integration of metrics built on the ideals that viable, sustainable, and resilient food systems must support social, …

Developing Metrics For Novel Value-Added Products: The Case Of Hemp In Vermont, Jane M. Kolodinsky, Heather M. Darby, Steven Kostell, Tyler Mark, Eric D. Roy, Eric Bishop Von Wettberg, Hannah Lacasse, Giovanna Sassi, Weiwei Wang

USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Center

Vermont Farm to Plate 2020 identifies hemp as one of ten emergent agricultural products critical for Vermont’s future and has made recommendations for investments in hemp research, education, feasibility, and innovation programs. These investments are essential to develop niche food, feed, fiber, and industrial products, professionals, and markets that go “beyond CBD” (VFP, 2020).

This project develops indicators for an important, value added budding crop in Vermont: hemp. For the purposes of this white paper, indicators are “a way to measure, indicate or point to with more or less exactness,” or “something used to show the condition of a system” …

2020 Hemp Flower Variety Trial, Heather Darby, John Bruce, Ivy Krezinski, Lindsey Ruhl

Northwest Crops & Soils Program

Hemp is a non-psychoactive variety of Cannabis sativa L. The crop is one of historical importance in the U.S. and re-emerging worldwide importance as medical providers and manufacturers seek hemp as a renewable and sustainable resource for a wide variety of consumer and industrial products. Hemp grown for all types of end-use (health supplement, fiber, and seed) contains less than 0.3% tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Some hemp varieties intended to produce a health supplement contain relatively high concentrations of a compound called cannabidiol (CBD), potentially 10-15%. The compound CBD has purported benefits such as relief from inflammation, pain, anxiety, seizures, spasms, and …

Examining Consumer Perceptions And Behaviors Toward Hemp-Based Products, Hannah Lacasse

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Although its relevance has ebbed and flowed, hemp production has persisted over several centuries. Over time, its popularity has been interrupted by competing products, public health concerns and regulatory barriers. A renaissance of hemp production has emerged in the U.S., particularly after regulatory barriers fell in 2014 and 2018. This has given rise to a growing market of diverse hemp-based food, medicinal, textile and industrial products. Adding to the political, technological and financial challenges facing this nascent industry is a demonstrated need for consumer behavior research on how products made with hemp-based ingredients are received, if at all, by consumers. …

It’S More Than Profits: Examining Perceived Success In Agritourism, Lindsay Quella

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Over the last 20 years, small- and medium-sized farm owners are increasingly interested in participating in agritourism and direct sales in order to boost income, provide family employment, and educate the public about agriculture, among other reasons. A growing body of research has focused on agritourism from the provider perspective, but more research is needed in order to identify supports and barriers for agritourism operators. In order to address this gap, we first investigated how operators themselves define success, before studying the attributes that are associated with success in agritourism. While prior research acknowledges the strong influence of non-economic factors …

Vermont Seed Saver And Producer Survey: 2020 Summary Report, Susanna Baxley, Carina Viola Isbell, Daniel Tobin

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Faculty Publications

This report summarizes findings from a 2020 survey of seed producers in the state of Vermont. This survey, which was part of a larger research project aimed to characterize Vermont seed systems, aimed to identify areas of opportunity and concern for seed producers across the state. Data collected include types and valued characteristics of planting material produced from food crops in the state, information on motivations, challenges, and preferences that non-commercial and commercial seed producers perceive in their production of planting material, sourcing and distribution of planting material, forms of exchange that exist between seed producers and the community, and …

Conservation And Farm Viability On Vermont Small Farms, Mark Cannella, Anthony Kitsos

UVM Extension Faculty Publications

In spring 2019 the UVM Extension Agricultural Business program conducted a survey of Certified Small Farms (CSFO) in Vermont. The goal of this survey is to gather information on the economic situation across Vermont’s small farms, explore their adaptation to water quality regulations and to understand the next steps for farms moving forward. Vermont implemented new Required Agricultural Practices (RAPs) in 2017. The anonymous survey was distributed to 334 CSFO businesses owners through postal mail. The survey was completed by 173 respondents.

Results show that small farms made many conservation improvements to attain compliance new regulations. Lower cost investments in …

Steam Treated Grains Trial, Heather Darby, Ivy Krezinski, Hillary Emick

Northwest Crops & Soils Program

Locally grown grains, such as wheat and barley, are in high demand in the Northeast for both livestock feed and human consumption. One major challenge that grain growers encounter is infection by fungal diseases, such as loose smut and the infection of Fusarium head blight (FHB). Loose smut appears on grains as “smutted grain heads”, which are filled with spores that appear black or brown. The spore masses replace the grain heads, so that fewer or no viable kernels are left for harvest. Smutted heads are caused by the fungal pathogen genus Ustilago. Ustilago nuda commonly infects barley, while …

Industrial Hemp Fiber Variety Trial, Heather Darby, John Bruce, Ivy Krezinski, Rory Malone

Northwest Crops & Soils Program

Hemp is a non-psychoactive variety of cannabis sativa L. The crop is one of historical importance in the U.S. and reemerging in worldwide importance as manufacturers seek hemp as a renewable and sustainable resource for a wide variety of consumer and industrial products. The fiber has high tensile strength and can be used to create a variety of goods. Hemp fiber consists of two types: bast and hurd. The bast fiber are the long fibers found in the bark of hemp stalks and are best suited for plastic bio-composites for vehicles, textiles, rope, insulation, and paper. The hurd fiber …

Organic Soybean Variety Trial, Heather Darby, Sara Ziegler, Ivy Krezinski, Rory Malone

Northwest Crops & Soils Program

In 2020, the University of Vermont Extension Northwest Crops and Soils Program evaluated yield and quality of short season organic soybean varieties at Borderview Research Farm in Alburgh, VT. Soybeans can be grown for human consumption, animal feed, and biodiesel. As farmers look to reduce feed costs or diversify markets, soybean acreage across Vermont is increasing. Local research is needed to identify varieties that are best adapted to this region. In an effort to support and expand the local soybean market throughout the northeast, the University of Vermont Extension Northwest Crop and Soils (NWCS) Program established a trial in 2020 …

Milkweed Production Trials, Heather Darby, Sara Ziegler, Ivy Krezinski, Rory Malone

Northwest Crops & Soils Program

Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) is a plant native to North America and has recently become the focus of conservation programs, as Milkweed is the sole food source for declining populations of Monarch butterfly larvae. Milkweed (Image 1) has long been a foe of agricultural operations and as a result, populations have been on the decline throughout the United States. To increase the abundance and scale of conservation plantings of milkweed, the Natural Resource and Conservation Service (NRCS) has developed an incentive program to compensate landowners for establishing perennial monarch habitat including planting milkweed. Landowners in northern Vermont have a …

Corn Cropping Systems To Improve Economic And Environmental Health, Heather Darby, Lindsey Ruhl, Rory Malone, Sara Ziegler

Northwest Crops & Soils Program

In 2020, UVM Extension’s Northwest Crops & Soils Program continued a multi-year trial at Borderview Research Farm in Alburgh, VT to assess the impact of corn cropping systems on overall health and productivity of the crop and soil. Management choices involving crop rotation, tillage, nutrient management, and cover crops also make differences in the long term. Yields are important and they affect the bottom line immediately and obviously. Growing corn with practices that enhance soil quality and crop yields improves farm resiliency to both economics and the environment. This project evaluated yield and soil health effects of five different corn …

Forage Oat Seeding Rate Trial, Heather Darby, Sara Ziegler, Ivy Krezinski, Rory Malone

Northwest Crops & Soils Program

In 2020, the University of Vermont Extension’s Northwest Crop and Soils Program evaluated the performance of forage oats planted at various seeding rates. In the Northeast, cool season perennial grasses dominate pastures and hay meadows that farmers rely on. Often times during the fall months, the perennial pasture will decline in yield and quality. The addition of cool season annual forages, such as oats, into the grazing system during this time may help improve the quality and quantity of forage. To maximize fall forage yields, farmers want to know if they should increase seeding rates. To determine if higher seeding …

Soybean Cover Crop Trial, Heather Darby, Ivy Krezinski, Sara Ziegler

Northwest Crops & Soils Program

In 2020, the University of Vermont Extension Northwest Crops and Soils Program investigated the impact of various cover crop mixtures on the subsequent soybean crop’s yield and quality at Borderview Research Farm in Alburgh, VT. Soybeans are grown for human consumption, animal feed, and biodiesel and can be a useful rotational crop in corn silage and grass production systems. As cover cropping expands throughout Vermont, it is important to understand the potential benefits, consequences, and risks associated with growing cover crops in various cropping systems. In an effort to support the local soybean market and to gain a better understanding …

Long Season Corn Silage Performance Trials Summary, Heather Darby

Northwest Crops & Soils Program

Long season corn (96-111 day relative maturity) silage hybrids in Alburgh, VT

Planting Date: 05-14-20

Harvest Date: 09-21-20