Wheat Trials

In 2009, the University of Vermont Extension conducted winter and spring wheat variety trials at the Borderview Research Farm in Alburgh, Vermont. In addition, an heirloom spring wheat variety trial was planted in North Troy. This was the third year of the heirloom wheat project; its primary purpose is to increase the amount of heirloom wheat seed in the region, while at the same time assessing each cultivar’s growth and quality characteristics. Due to the increasing demand for locally grown cereal grains, many of the cereal trials focused on grains grown for a foodgrade market

Barley and Oat Trials

In 2009, the University of Vermont Extension established malting barley and oat variety trials at the Borderview Research Farm in Alburgh. Several local breweries and distilleries approached us about growing malting barley in the region. One of the interested distillers is located in Hardwick; therefore a second trial site for malting barley was established at High Mowing Seeds in Hardwick

Heirloom Winter Wheat Trial

In 2012, UVM Extension conducted a winter heirloom 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. This variety trial was established to determine what heirloom winter wheat varieties are viable in Vermont’s growing conditions

Enhancing Forages with Nutrient Dense Sprays 2012 Trials

The nutrient dense study was initiated at two locations in Vermont to test the efficacy of amending forages with foliar sprays. The nutrient spray program was developed by Advancing Eco-Agriculture and consisted of five foliar sprays for the Vermont farms in this study. The recommended spray program included applications of Rejuvenate in the early spring and late fall, and a combination of PhotoMag, Phosphorus, Potassium and MicroPak applied in the spring and after each cut of hay or graze (Table 1). This study was conducted based on farmer interest in enhancing nutrient density of forages through foliar sprays and was funded by the Lattner Foundation. Any reference to commercial products, trade names or brand names is for information only, and no endorsement or approval is intended

Cover Crop Termination & Reduced Tillage Study

In 2010, the University of Vermont Extension conducted the second year of an experiment to evaluate the impact of cover crop termination and reduced tillage strategies on soil health, soil nitrogen dynamics, and corn silage yield and quality. The goal is to document the positive and negative aspects of each strategy so farmers can decide the best way to terminate cover crops and implement reduced tillage on their farm

Spring Wheat Planting Date Report

The localvore movement has revived otherwise historical crops in Vermont, including small-scale grain production. As the demand for local organic wheat has risen over the last few years, University of Vermont Extension has developing best agronomic practices for wheat production in a Northeastern climate. In an organic system, weed management can be one of the biggest challenges. One strategy to manage weeds is to modify planting dates. Early planting dates can establish a crop prior to weed flushes while a late planted crop can help avoid some weed species. Planting date can also have an overall impact on both grain yield and quality. Certain crop varieties may also have characteristics (i.e. height) that can help to compete against weed populations. However, some varieties may respond better to earlier or later planting dates. Another struggle that Northeastern wheat farmers face is disease, most notably, Fusarium Head Blight (FHB), caused predominantly by Fusarium graminearum. This disease can cause yield loss, low test weight, low seed germination, and will produce mycotoxins. The primary mycotoxin produced by FHB is a vomitoxin called deoxynivalenol (DON). Spores are usually transmitted by air currents and can infect plants at flowering through grain fill. One of the goals of this project was to evaluate if planting date will have an effect on the susceptible time period of flowering through grain fill, and in turn if it will influence mycotoxin presence and other quality factors in the harvested grain

Tineweeding Trials

In 2010, the University of Vermont Extension Crops and Soils Team conducted an evaluation of tineweeding as a weed management strategy in corn and sunflowers in Alburgh, VT. Tineweeding is a type of mechanical cultivation that is implemented early on in the field season (Figure 1). A tineweeder is a low cost and simple piece of equipment designed to disturb the root zones of weed seedlings while they are in the very delicate “white thread root” stage (Figure 2). This disturbance often results in weed seedling desiccation and death. Success of this practice is highly dependent on weather conditions at the time of weeding. Wet soils can prohibit the use of tineweeders when weeds are at the critical white thread stage

Cover Crop Planting Date x Seeding Rate Trial Report

When corn silage is harvested in the fall, the entire plant is removed, leaving the soil exposed through the winter. Many farmers have started to plant cover crops following corn harvest because of the multitude of benefits cover cropping brings to soil health and fertility. The cover crop protects the soil from erosion, adds organic matter, and also scavenges excess soil nitrogen (N), releasing it again after being terminated in the spring. This keeps the nitrogen from potentially being lost through leaching, which, in addition to the soil benefits, provides a financial benefit to farmers – less nitrogen loss means less fertilizer needed in the spring. Farmers have asked about best practices for growing cover crops to maximize benefit to the soil, while protecting corn silage yield and quality. In particular, establishing a “last chance” planting date for cover crops is important in our region where the growing season is short and common adverse fall weather can delay planting. This study was intended to determine what planting dates and which seeding rates give the best cover crop performance into the spring

Winter Canola Planting Date Trial

Because winter canola is a relatively new crop for the Northeastern United States, optimal planting dates for winter canola have not yet been established for this region. Therefore, the goal of this project was to determine the impact of planting date and variety selection on winter canola plant characteristics, as well as seed and oil yields. Winter canola is planted in late summer/early fall and harvested the following summer. Getting canola planted as early as possible is often recommended for Midwest producers, but growers in the Northeast struggle with timing canola seeding after harvesting another crop, as well as wet fall conditions for planting. While the data presented are only representative of one year, this information can be combined with other research to aid in making planting date decisions for canola in the Northeast

Spring Cereal Grain Forage Trials

In 2010, the University of Vermont Extension continued their research evaluating several organic annual forage models. Spring cereal grains such as oats, barley, triticale, wheat, and spelt could have the potential to provide high yield and quality feed for livestock. Spring grains are planted in mid to late April and can be harvested at various stages of development. The objective of this project was to evaluate yield and quality of spring grains harvested in the boot, milk, or soft dough stage. The overall goal of this project is to help organic dairy producers reduce their reliance on expensive concentrates through the production of a variety of high quality annul forages. In addition, we were interested in investigating the value of combining brassica forage with these cool season annuals