Vermont Vegetable & Berry Growers Association

Growers share strategies for growing healthy, profitable certified organic plant starts, including crop selection, fertility, watering, and work efficiencies. This webinar is supported by the Transition to Organic Partnership Program. Speakers: Jack Manix (Walker Farm, Dummerston), Andrew Knafel (Clearbrook Farm, Shaftsbury), Eli Hersch, (Honeyfield Farm, Norwich). All webinars are free, thanks to...

See a short demonstration of how to set up your farm’s PYO listing, and what it looks like to potential customers. Q&A about using the platform. Hosted by Julie Callahan, UVM Extension.

UVM’s pest and disease specialists will host a session with strategies to help you avoid unwelcome problems this coming season. Margaret Skinner and Cheryl Frank from the UVM Entomology Lab will discuss how to prepare for high tunnel pests. Ann Hazelrigg from the UVM Plant Diagnostic Clinic will discuss early season diseases. Vic Izzo, senior lecturer in UVM’s Department of Plant and Soil Science...

Sam Oschwald Tilton from Glacial Drift Enterprises in Minneapolis, MN will share principles of mechanical cultivation (Sam has been featured on the Thriving Farmer Podcast and has extensive experience with cultivation on all scales). Justin Rich from Burnt Rock Farm in Huntington will also join to share mechanical cultivation strategies and his favorite tools. Bring your own experience, ideas, and...

Wenjing Guan from Purdue University will talk about high tunnel cucumbers. She will discuss fertility, spacing, pruning, and a little about grafting. Andy Jones, Intervale Community Farm, Burlington and Christa Alexander, Jericho Settlers Farm, Jericho, will provide an overview of their high tunnel cucumber production practices. Learn more or become a member of the Vermont Vegetable & Berry Gr...

Are you a VVBGA grower in the process of building your farm’s production systems and markets? Are you trying to make the most of what you have, and apply your planning and development muscle where it counts? If so, don’t miss this grower-focused webinar on building production efficiency and market integrity through the lens of produce safety planning. Successful growers from VT and NH will share p...

What is on your mind as the new season begins? Join Vern Grubinger, Hans Estrin, Ann Hazelrigg, Laura Johnson, Becky Maden, Andy Chamberlin and fellow growers for a chance to ask questions and share ideas as the 2024 season kicks off. Learn more or become a member of the Vermont Vegetable & Berry Growers Association: https://vvbga.org

What does a hamburger have in common with pollinator support? Come find out when you attend this webinar where we will also learn what a pollinator support plan is, take a tour of the pollinator support plan tool on the VVBGA website, and address questions about using the tool and creating a plan. Hosted by Laura Johnson Learn more or become a member of the Vermont Vegetable & Berry Growers As...

Kyle Doda owns 1000 Stone Farm, a 4-season certified organic homestead farm in Brookfield VT. In this webinar, Kyle will share his experience with establishing and caring for pollinator and beneficial insect plantings on the farm. UVM entomologist Dr. Cheryl Frank Sullivan has been involved in beneficial insect-plant interaction research for many years. Dr. Sullivan will share information about be...

Considering a wash/pack upgrade? Hear what two different growers recently learned while making these upgrades for their business. Ryan and Genica of Naked Acre Farm & Homefront Gardens built a garage style building in phases as their budget and bandwidth allowed. James Donegan of Trillium Hill Farm built a wash/pack on the second floor of an old bank barn, with a fully waterproof flooring syst...

Join highly experienced grower Jack Manix of Walker Farm in Dummerston to hear about tips and recommendations for success with bedding plant production. Jack will discuss flat fillers, heated benches, efficient heaters, alarms, and the economics of growing bedding plants. Hosted by Vern Grubinger of UVM Extension. See additional photos from Walker Farm, or listen to more of Jack's store on The...

Planning for a smooth and efficient greenhouse season. Julie Rubaud of Red Wagon Plants in Hinesburg will share practices and lessons learned from her many years as a greenhouse seedling grower around production planning and scheduling for a highly diverse mix of plant species. Chris Callahan of UVM Extension will host, and talk about planning for tunnel start-up and safety.

Why create an employee handbook for your farm? Do you struggle to find and retain good employees on your farm? Would you like to improve the morale and efficiency of your farm crew? Are you interested in improving or creating your own employee handbook to support these improvements? A panel of experienced farmers will describe how and why their employee handbooks have helped, and then we will expl...

Commercial growers and plant sellers discuss ideas around defining plants as “native” and “pollinator friendly.” We will talk about how to ensure transparency for pollinator safe products for our customers and how to know if varieties you source are not only visually attractive to pollinators, but also provide essential pollinator food resources, pollen and nectar. Speakers: Sarah Salatino, Spence...

Casey Steinberg from Old Friends Farm in MA will share some of their favorite tools for efficiency. Jon Cohen from Deep Meadow Farm will share his self-built Colorado potato bug beater. Diane Abruzzini and Christa Alexander from Jericho Settlers Farm will describe a high tunnel gantry system they co-developed. Trevor Hardy from Brookdale Fruit Farm will discuss stone buriers and direct seeders thr...

Farmers share evolving practices for winter production, including varieties, planting dates, and cultural practices. Speakers: Christa Alexander (Jericho Settlers Farm), Andy Jones (Intervale Community Farm), Sayer Palmer (Open Woods Farm, NH), James Donegan (Trillium Hill Farm). January 10th, 2023

Join UVM Extension pollinator support specialist Laura Johnson, Koppert’s Inside Sales Representative Anne-Marie Coleman, and Christa Alexander from Jericho Settlers Farm to discuss bumble bee use in high tunnels for crop pollination, including colony biology, optimizing pollinator use from single/multi boxes. March 22nd, 2023 These webinars are supported by UVM Extension and the Vermont Vegetable...

This week features Brussels sprouts and other brassicas, garlic, potatoes, and delicata squash with farmers: 00:00 Welcome  01:09 Andy Jones (Intervale Community Farm) - Brussel Sprouts  13:49 Patrick Sullivan (Ananda Gardens) - Brassicas  25:25 Seth Storrs (Mink Meadow Farm) - Potatoes  33:59 Jake Kornfeld (The farm at VYCC) - Squash & Popcorn  43:12 Rachel Stievater...

Join UVM Extension Agricultural Engineer Chris Callahan and UVM Extension Vegetable, Nutrient Management Specialist, and high tunnel grower, Becky Maden to discuss high tunnel ventilation, including structural orientation, structural design, passive ventilation, mechanical ventilation, best practices for disease management, and NRCS funding available to support implementation.    These w...

Growers describe techniques used to grow a specific crop in less than 10 minutes. Learn tips and tricks from each other! This week features baby lettuce, arugula, edible flowers, cut flowers, onions, and leeks with farmers:     00:00 Ryan Fitzbeauchamp (Evening Song Farm)  08:26 Ryan Demarest (Naked Acre Farm)  15:21 Genica Breitenbeck (Home Front Gardens) 22:55 Jessie Wit...

Join UVM entomologist Cheryl Sullivan and UNH entomologist Anna Wallingford to learn about high tunnel pests and how to manage for them. We’ll discuss aphids, cutworms, and other foes of your crops. These webinars are supported by UVM Extension, the VVBGA, VAAFM, and Northeast SARE (subaward number LNE22-445.)

Join Spencer Hardy from the Vermont Center for Ecostudies and Co-Owner of The Farm Upstream and UVM Extension pollinator support specialist Laura Johnson. Learn to ID some of the common pollinators responsible for marketable fruit set on your farm and how to support them. We’ll also discuss basics of common flowering field crop pollination, timing of flower and fruit development, crop-specific pol...

This grower round table with hosts Ben Waterman of Waterman Orchards in Johnson, Vermont, and Vern Grubinger, UVM Extension.    Ben will kick off the conversation with a brief overview of his approach to pruning, mulching and fertilization and what he's learned about these practices over the years. Ben and his family grow 5 acres of blueberries, with 20+ varieties. Sales are a mix of PYO...

This Webinar builds on the recent 15-min presentation “Managing Our Farm Crew for Optimal Performance” from  Don Zasada, Caretaker Farm, Williamstown, MA . This Thursday, VVBGA’s president, Lisa MacDougall, from Mighty Food Farm, will describe her own “Mindful Employee Management” approach , including key lessons learn as well as practical strategies and practices to help YOU to cultivate you...

It’s the time of year to enjoy the jump on spring you get by farming in a high tunnel! Join fellow farmers for a lunch time discussion and idea sharing about high tunnel tomato growing. Some topics we discuss:  • Bed prep and amendments  • Irrigation strategies  • Ideas about spacing, pruning, horticultural management  • Varietal differences  • Fertigation—when, how much,...