REPORTS FROM THE FIELD
(Brookfield) Vole pressure is high. Kale and spinach are going strong without heat. Growth is slow but there. Marketing CSA for spring and year-round. Testing compost and high tunnels soon. Ready for spring.
(Charlotte) We are halfway done pruning the blueberries. We have some nice growth for this year's berries! We are thinking what we want to plant for this year, and if we want to rent some of the land or start planting veggies. We are trying to figure out how we can extend our season.
(Burlington) As is usually the case, I was impressed by the excellent 2-day conference of the Vermont Vegetable and Berry Growers Association last week. So much good work to contemplate and adopt! Thank you, Vern, Virginia, and the team of presenters, for a great couple of days!
I was particularly interested in the deeper dive into using silage tarps. I got some great tips such as tarping bare soil areas after late harvest for the winter, to preserve soluble N for an early spring crop, and using a mulch winder with replaceable spools to wind-up inter-row weed mat for easy future use.
I’m still amazed by how many staples growers use to secure their weed mat, which we’ve always found very time consuming. We only use a limited amount of weed mat because I hate the time required for staples. And don't like the bags either for materials handling and obstacles, so have shied away from both methods, but maybe it is worth it after all.
Can’t wait for more research reports to help dial in whether the weeds under tarps are dying from cooked seeds, rotting/biological decomposition of seeds, or germinating and smothering seeds. With that information tarps deployment could be very strategic and consistently effective.
Based on the early results of the high tunnel nutrient management research, we are tightening up our tunnel tomato spacing for more yield, and (we hope) somewhat less pruning. Doing the same with our tunnel cucumbers so that we can quit field cukes entirely. We’ve really liked the Beit Alpha type ‘Katrina’ in the tunnels the past two season.
(Rochester) We are excited to be purchasing an Easy Harvester this year, with assistance from a friend of the farm. http://www.driesvenplant.nl/en/easy-harvester. It should help us bring in more blueberries during peak season, and we are hopeful it will help us catch mummy berry as well.
(Northfield) The change in day length has already begun to show its effects in overwintered high tunnel crops. Crowns of Salanova, spinach, mizunas, etc. are all showing tiny bits of growth and good color. Spinach downy mildew presence has been low key, phew. Seems worth the effort to uncover Remay any chance we get (whenever ambient temps above row cover get above 30F), and assist high tunnels in shedding snow on beautiful sunny or even bright cloudy days to capture what solar gain we can get (bah, who needs Crossfit?) Drip tape headers haven't unfrozen enough in weeks to run water, hopefully plant roots are deep enough to access what they need but seems sufficient to walk around to dry spots with watering can in mean time.
Proud to say that we've been able to harvest nearly every week of the winter so far, really just beginning to have a leaner offering. Spinach is aplenty, while salad greens and braising greens have been harvested down to nubbins. Glad to have blanched frozen vacuum-packed greens to help get us by the dead of winter. Our decision to stockpile in late fall/early winter and hold our customers back on volumes means that they get to have fresh stuff this late when most farms run low.
AG ENGINEERING TECH TIPS
(Andy Chamberlin, UVM Extension)
Check out these new post-harvest information resources.
Last Resort Farm (Dairy barn renovation for ~$60k): Interview with the owner, video showing the details of his instrumented coolers. See: go.uvm.edu/lrf
Mighty Food Farm (New packshed construction and CSA room for ~$100k) Updated videos from the project, with an interview with the owner and video of the pack shed in action washing fresh vegetables. See: go.uvm.edu/mighty
Footprint Farm (New construction, with living space for ~$300k) Case study showcasing post-harvest decisions and how they built their new packshed/home. Video shows washing in action and an interview with the owners. See: go.uvm.edu/footprint
Vegetable Wash Sinks, Tanks, Tubs and Basins: Upgrades for Efficiency and Ergonomics See: go.uvm.edu/sinks
Cooler Construction, Walls and Panels: Guidance on different construction practices and things to know for building or installing a walk-in cooler. See: go.uvm.edu/coolerwalls
WHAT RESOURCES DO YOU NEED TO ADAPT TO CLIMATE CHANGE?
Researchers at the University of Vermont want to interview vegetable/berry producers in VT and ME to about their climate change perceptions and adaptation needs. How are you thinking about climate change on your farm? What do you need to respond to climate change? What resources are most useful for your potential challenges or opportunities from climate change? Interviews are one hour or less, with cash compensation of $50. They will be audio-recorded for research purposes, but interviewees will remain anonymous. If interested, contact project director Meredith Niles, Assistant Professor, University of Vermont at 802-656-4337 or mtniles@uvm.edu. Additional information can be found at
https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/64f510_4a80da34bc064dd2a057779dae671ffd.pdf