Dry Bean Planter Type Trial

Dry beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), a high-protein pulse crop, have been grown in the Northeast since the 1800’s. As the local food movement expands, consumers are requesting more and more locally produced foods, and heirloom dry beans are no exception. Currently, the demand for heirloom dry beans has exceeded the supply. In an effort to support and expand the local bean market throughout the northeast, the University of Vermont Extension Northwest Crops and Soils Program established a trial to evaluate the impact of planter type on dry bean yield. This project was funded as part of a USDA NE-SARE Partnership Grant (PG16-049)

Dry Bean Seeding Rate Trial

Dry beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), a high-protein pulse crop, have been grown in the Northeast since the 1800’s. As the local food movement expands, consumers have requested stores stock more and more locally produced foods, and heirloom dry beans are no exception. Currently, the demand for heirloom dry beans has exceeded the supply. Little agronomic information exists for production of dry beans in New England. In an effort to support and expend the local bean market throughout the northeast, the University of Vermont Extension Northwest Crops and Soils Program, as part of a USDA NE-SARE Partnership Grant (PG16-049), in 2016 established a second year of a dry bean seeding rate trial to determine the optimal seeding rates for three types of dry beans

Heirloom Dry Bean Variety Trial

Dry beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), a high-protein pulse crop, have been grown in the Northeast since the 1800’s. As the local food movement continues to diversify and expand, consumers are asking stores to carry more and more locally-produced foods, and dry beans are no exception. Currently, the demand for heirloom dry beans has far exceeded the supply. In an effort to support and expend the local bean market throughout the northeast, the University of Vermont Extension Northwest Crops and Soils Program, established a third year of trials in 2017 to evaluate heirloom dry bean varieties to see which ones thrive in our northern climate

The Efficacy of Spraying Organic Fungicides to Control Fusarium Head Blight Infection in Spring Wheat

There is a high demand for locally grown wheat for baking purposes throughout the Northeast. One major obstacle for growers is Fusarium head blight (FHB) infection of grain. This disease is currently the most important disease facing organic and conventional grain growers in the Northeast, resulting in loss of yield, shriveled grain, and most importantly, mycotoxin contamination. A vomitoxin called deoxynivalenol (DON) is considered the primary mycotoxin associated with FHB. Eating contaminated grain with DON concentrations greater than 1ppm poses a health risk to both humans and livestock. The FHB spores are usually transported by air currents and can infect plants at flowering through grain fill. Fungicide applications have proven to be relatively effective at controlling FHB in other spring wheat growing regions. Limited work has been done in this region on the optimum timing for a fungicide application to spring wheat specifically to minimize DON. In addition, there are limited studies evaluating organic approved biofungicides, biochemicals, or biostimulants for management of this disease. In April 2017, the UVM Extension Northwest Crops and Soils Program initiated a spring wheat fungicide trial to determine the efficacy and timing of fungicide application to reduce FHB infection on cultivars with varying degrees of disease susceptibility

Dry Bean Planting Date Trial

Dry beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), a high-protein pulse crop, have been grown in the Northeast since the 1800’s. As the local food movement expands, consumers have requested stores offer more locallyproduced foods, and dry beans are no exception. Farmers growing dry beans are trying to improve yields to meet these increased demands. Agronomic information for growing dry beans is geared towards major production regions outside of the northeastern region. Therefore, the University of Vermont Extension Northwest Crops and Soils Program (NWCS) is working with local farmers to develop best agronomic strategies for dry bean production in our problematic Northeastern climate. In 2016 as part of a USDA NE-SARE Partnership Grant (PG16-049), the NWCS program established a second year of dry bean planting date trials at Borderview Research Farm in Alburgh, VT, and at our partnering farm, Morningstar Farm in Glover, VT in order to determine optimal planting dates for dry bean production in the Northeast

The Effects of Seed Steam Treatment on Dry Bean Yield and Quality

Dry beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), a high-protein pulse crop, have been grown in the Northeast since the 1800’s. As the local food movement expands, consumers have requested stores stock more and more locally produced foods, and heirloom dry beans are no exception. Currently, the demand for heirloom dry beans has exceeded the supply. Farmers are interested in starting or scaling up dry bean production but require assistance in overcoming production barriers. Local farmers have struggled to obtain consistent high yields and quality. Growers’ lack of success with dry beans can be attributed to limitations in acquiring quality seed, poor stand establishment, diseases, and difficulty growing the crop to maturity by harvest. In an effort to improve seed quality, the University of Vermont Extension Northwest Crops and Soils Program collaborated with High Mowing Organic Seeds (Wolcott, Vermont), to evaluate the use aerated steam treatment on bean seed to reduce seedborne disease. A study to evaluate the impact of steam treated beans versus a non-treated control trial was initiated in June at Borderview Research farm, Alburgh, VT

The Efficacy of Spraying Fungicides to Control Fusarium Head Blight Infection in Spring Malting Barley

Public interest in sourcing local foods has extended into beverages, and the current demand for local brewing and distilling ingredients is quickly increasing. One new market that has generated interest of both farmers and end-users is malted barley. This only stands to reason since the Northeast alone is home to over 180 microbreweries and 37 craft distillers. Until recently, local malt was not readily available to brewers or distillers. However, a rapid expansion of the fledgling malting industry will hopefully give farmers new markets and end-users hope of readily available malt. To date, the operating maltsters struggle to source enough local grain to match demand for their product. In addition to short supplies, the local barley that is available often does not meet the rigid quality standards for malting. One major obstacle for growers is Fusarium head blight (FHB) infection of grain. This disease is currently the most important disease facing organic and conventional grain growers in the Northeast, resulting in loss of yield, shriveled grain, and most importantly, mycotoxin contamination. A vomitoxin called Deoxynivalenol (DON) is considered the primary mycotoxin associated with FHB. The spores are usually transported by air currents and can infect plants at spike emergence through grain fill. Eating contaminated grain greater than 1ppm poses a health risk to both humans and livestock

The Efficacy of Fungicide Application to Control Fusarium Head Blight Infection in Spring Wheat

There is a high demand for locally grown wheat for baking purposes throughout the Northeast. Currently, there is not enough grown in the region to meet this demand. One major obstacle for growers is Fusarium head blight (FHB) infection of grain. This disease is currently the most important disease facing grain growers in the Northeast, resulting in loss of yield, shriveled grain, and most importantly, harmful mycotoxin contamination. A vomitoxin called Deoxynivalenol (DON) is considered the primary mycotoxin associated with FHB. The spores are usually transported by air currents and can infect plants at flowering through grain fill. Eating contaminated grain greater than 1ppm poses a health risk to both humans and livestock. Fungicide applications have proven to be relatively effective at controlling FHB in other spring wheat growing regions. Limited work has been done in this region on fungicide application to spring wheat specifically to minimize FHB and ultimately reduce DON mycotoxin production. In April of 2016, the UVM Extension Northwest Crops and Soils Program initiated a spring wheat fungicide trial to determine the efficacy of a conventional fungicide application to reduce FHB infection on cultivars with varying degrees of disease susceptibility

Organic Heirloom Winter Wheat Variety Trial

Many consumers are interested in heirloom wheat for flavor, perceived health benefits, or its history, while many farmers are interested in heirloom wheat because it may have superior genetics better adapted to the challenging growing conditions in the Northeast. Production of heirloom wheat may also provide a farmer with a value added market with increased returns. This variety trial was established to determine heirloom winter wheat varieties that are suitable for production in Vermont’s growing conditions. This was the fifth year that this trial was conducted in Vermont. These projects were funded through the UNFI Foundation that has set a priority to protect the biodiversity of our seed supply and the stewardship of genetic resources of organic seed

Vermont Food Grade Soybean Performance Trial Results

In 2009, the University of Vermont Extension continued their evaluation of organic food grade soybean varieties at two locations. The purpose of the program was to provide yield comparisons, growth characteristic observations, and bean quality evaluations of food grade soybeans in Vermont’s climate. Performance trials were established as replicated research trials in northern Vermont