Produce Program

You are invited to attend a hands–on Wash-Pack Project Planning Workshop for Produce Growers on Tuesday, Jan 22 at Lake Morey Resort (on the second day of the 2019 VVBGA Annual Meeting). This workshop will be led by UVM Extensions’ Chris Callahan, Andy Chamberlin, and Hans Estrin

Register HERE if you want to attend, or see below for workshop description. 

Wash-pack getting you down?  If you are wanting to build new or improve your farm’s post-harvest efficiency, product quality, profitability, and food safety, this hands-on workshop is for you.  From 9-2pm we will dive into the best flow, infrastructure, equipment and tools of the post-harvest world. Case studies, stories and photos will bring to life best-practices and lean planning principles behind successful farms of all sizes. Come with a problem or an improvement project in mind. Planning templates, prompts, as well as expert and peer support will allow you to leave this workshop with a plan, and with the knowledge and resources needed to follow-through. 

Register HERE if you want to attend. Also, please let Hans Estrin know if you have already registered for the Tarping and Mulching Conference on the same day, but would like to switch to this planning workshop for at least the morning.

VERMONT VEGETABLE AND BERRY GROWERS ASSOCIATION ANNUAL MEETING

Monday, January 21, 2019
Lake Morey Resort, 1 Clubhouse Road, Fairlee, VT 05045

• 8:00 Registration, Refreshments, Visit Trade Show
• 9:30 President’s Remarks. Mary Skovsted, Joe’s Brook Farm, St. Johnsbury
• 9:50 A Tour of Growers on their Farms, 2018. Vern Grubinger, UVM Extension
• 10:10 Blueberry and Raspberry Production at Sunshine Valley Berry Farm. Rob Meadows, Rochester 10:30 Powdery Mildew on Cucurbits and Tomatoes. Meg McGrath, Cornell University, Long Island
• 10:50 Our On-Farm Education and Event Kitchen. Gillian Files, The New Farm, Creemore, Ontario
• 11:10 Pros and Cons of Strawberry Varieties. Charlie Gray, Four Corners Farm, S. Newbury
• 11:30 1-Minute Pitches from Trade Show Exhibitors on their Products and Services
• 12:00 Lunch and Visit Trade Show
• 1:40 Business Meeting: Election of Officers, Vote on Revised By-Laws
• 2:00 Vegetable and Berry Disease Updates. Ann Hazelrigg, UVM Extension
• 2:20 Growing Leafy Greens at The New Farm. Brent Preston, Creemore, Ontario
• 2:50 farmOS for Nutrient Management and RAPS Compliance. Becky Maden, UVM Extension
• 3:10 Three Decades of Greenhouse Tomatoes at Longwind Farm. Dave Chapman, E. Thetford
• 3:30 A Tour of New and Upgraded Farm Pack Sheds. Hans Estrin, Andy Chamberlain, UVM Extension
• 3:50 Fill out evaluations, get a 2019 New England Vegetable Management Guide or Pest ID Booklet
• 4:00 Adjourn

VERMONT VEGETABLE AND BERRY GROWERS ASSOCIATION MULCHING AND TARPING CONFERENCE

Tuesday January 22, 2019     8:30 AM to 3:30 PM
Lake Morey Resort, 1 Clubhouse Road, Fairlee, VT 05045

• Lessons Learned from 30 Years of Hay and Straw Mulching. Paul and Sandy Arnold, Argyle NY
• Mulching and Soil Health. Brandon Smith, USDA-NRCS Soil Health Division
• Crafting the Perfect Mulch on Elmer Farm. Spencer Blackwell, E. Middlebury
• Tarps for Cover Crop Based No-Till. Natalie Lounsbury, University of New Hampshire
• Tarps, Mulches, Reduced Tillage: Lessons from Many Trials. Brian Caldwell, Cornell University
• On-Farm Research: Summer Tarping vs. Tilling. Gillian Files & Brent Preston, Creemore, Ontario
• Landscape Fabric, Weed Mat or Cover Crop Between Rows? Andrew Knafel, Shaftsbury
• Clear Plastic Tarps for Weed Solarization. Sonja Birthisel, University of Maine
• Used Tunnel Plastic to Solarize Small Areas of Cover Crops/Residues. Mari Omland, Northfield
• Getting Started with Tarps on our Farms. Ben Dana, Fairlee and Eric Skovsted, St. Johnsbury

​REGISTRATION INFORMATION

VVBGA 2019 ANNUAL MEETING - JANUARY 21, 2019 and/or TARPING AND MULCHING CONFERENCE - JANUARY 22, 2019

Sponsored by: Johnny’s Selected Seeds, Rimol Greenhouse System, Vermont Agency of Agriculture Food and Markets, Vermont Agricultural Credit Corporation, Vermont Compost Company, University of Vermont Extension, Vitalis Seeds, and the VVBGA.

Pre-registration is $40 per day, per person, for VVBGA Members; $50 per day for Non-Members. Add $10 per day, per person, for walk-in registrations.

Payment for attending the meeting(s) must be mad by January 18, 2019 for pre-registration rates. If you need overnight lodging, please make your own room reservations by contacting the Lake Morey Resort at 800-423-1211. Ask for the VVBGA rate of $109/night for single or double occupancy, plus tax.

VVBGA member dues for 2019 are $45 per farm ($55 if paid after January 31.) Register on-line for the meeting(s), and/or pay membership dues, and/or donate to the VVBGA’s research and education fund.

VVBGA Member Benefits include:

• Access to the VVBGA listserv, to buy/sell plants and equipment and share farming information.
• Email subscription to Vermont Vegetable and Berry News.
• Discount of $10 on the registration fee for events like the VVBGA Annual Meeting.
• Camaraderie, enhanced communication and fellowship among commercial growers.

Questions? Vern Grubinger, UVM Extension, 802-257-7967 ext. 303, or vernon.grubinger@uvm.edu.

Pesticide applicator recertification credits have been requested for these meetings in categories 1A, 2, 3, 6 and 10.

To request a disability-related accommodation to participate in these events, please contact Virginia Jaquish at (802)323-2138 or e-mail vvbga@uvm.edu by December 31, 2018.

UVM Extension helps individuals and communities put research-based knowledge to work. Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture. University of Vermont Extension and the U.S. Department of Agriculture offer education and employment to everyone without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, marital or familial status.