¶¶Òõ̽̽ Extension Grazing and Livestock Programming is a coordinated effort between several Extension Teams. Based throughout the state, our teams are here to provide comprehensive education, outreach, technical assistance, and collaborative research for grazing and livestock farmers across Vermont.
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Center for Sustainable Agriculture
The Center for Sustainable Agriculture advances sustainable food and farming systems in Vermont and beyond. We cultivate partnership, support innovative research and practices, and inform policy to benefit Vermont communities and the ¶¶Òõ̽̽ campus. Center staff and faculty research leading-edge practices and new approaches that help farmers and other food system stakeholders who are seeking profitability, incorporating environmentally regenerative practices, and addressing social and community-based food-related needs.
Technical Assistance (TA) Providers:
Juan Alvez
Juan joined the Center in 2012. He holds a BS in Agronomy from the Federal University of Santa Catarina in Brazil, and an MS in Plant and Soil Sciences and PhD in Natural Resources from ¶¶Òõ̽̽. His work addresses environmental, social and productive aspects of grazing farms, with emphasis on pasture management, ecosystems conservation and sustainable livelihoods, a natural fit as he comes from a two-generation pasture-based family farm in Uruguay. Juan has done interdisciplinary research in grazing management, agroecology, ecosystems goods and services, conservation policy, green markets, and ecological economics.Carly Bass
Carly brings a diverse background and wide-ranging agricultural experience to ¶¶Òõ̽̽ Extension. She has worked on several commercial farms across New England and internationally, as well as conducting nutrient management work for Champlain Valley Agronomics in New York. She has a BS in Animal Science from University of New Hampshire and recently completed a MPS in Animal Science at Cornell University. Carly will provide technical assistance, outreach and education to farmers in Addison County and southward into Southern Vermont.Willie Gibson
Willie grew up on a Vermont dairy farm. He graduated from ¶¶Òõ̽̽ in 1985 with a B.S. in Animal Science. He was a County Agriculture Agent for ¶¶Òõ̽̽ Extension and later, a Regional Agronomy Specialist for Sustainable Agriculture. He has worked for the Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA-VT), as a Certified Crop Advisor, and is the Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship Coordinator for the ¶¶Òõ̽̽ Extension Center for Sustainable Agriculture.
Kelsie (Meehan) Braam
Kelsie joined the Center team as part of the Dairy Business Innovation Center Dairy Herd Management project. She holds a BA in Biology from Williams College and has ten years of experience working with grass-based dairies and farmstead creameries. Her experience includes working on and managing farms in the Adirondacks, New Zealand, and Vermont, and owning a cultured butter business.Jascha Pick
Jascha brings extensive grazing experience to ¶¶Òõ̽̽ Extension, which includes operating and expanding his own sheep grazing operation in Danville, Vt. for 14 years. He has also worked on numerous other diversified farms in Vermont most recently on an organic dairy farm. Jascha has a BA in Sustainable Agriculture from Sterling College, and currently serves on the board of the Vermont Grass Farmers Association. In his role with ¶¶Òõ̽̽ Extension, he will coordinate ¶¶Òõ̽̽ grazing programming across the organization, and provide technical assistance to pasture-based farmers in the Connecticut River Valley of Vermont and beyond.Amber Reed
Amber joined the Center and the ¶¶Òõ̽̽ Extension staff to give technical assistance to farmers for grazing and pasturing livestock. She also works with the VT Agency of Agriculture's PSWF program. She holds a BA in Environmental Studies and Studio Art from Bowdoin College, and was a New Agrarian Apprentice for two years in the Ranch Manager HMI Program through the Quivira Coalition. Since then she has been working on and managing farms for more than a decade. Her experience ranges from Colorado to France to Maine and from ranching to dairy to sheep. Amber lives in the NEK with her family on a small sheep farm along the Connecticut River.
Northwest Crops and Soils Program (NWCS)
¶¶Òõ̽̽ Extension Northwest Crops and Soils Program (NWCS) aims to provide the best and most relevant cropping information, both research-based and experiential, delivered in the most practical and understandable ways to Vermont farmers. The bulk of trials are conducted at Borderview Research Farm in Alburgh, Vermont.
Technical Assistance (TA) Providers:
Amber Machia
Amber joined the Northwest Crops and Soils Team in the winter of 2023. She graduated from ¶¶Òõ̽̽ in 2006 with a bachelor's degree in Animal Science with concentrated course work in dairy herd management, plant and soil science, and community development & applied economics. She has over 20 years of experience working in Vermont's Dairy industry and on dairy farms across Addison, Chittenden, and Franklin counties through her roles with Vermont Dairy Herd Improvement Association, ABS Global, and the Vermont Guernsey Breeder's Association. In recent years, she has worked as a herd manager on a commercial dairy farm in Franklin County and developed a small herd of registered Guernsey cattle. She has experience with the holistic farm business planning process, small scale and specialty milk processing, marketing and local food and product distribution. Her work with the Northwest Crops and Soils Team focuses on dairy related research, forage and feed management, grazing technical assistance and planning, and climate resiliency planning for dairy farms.Sara Ziegler
Sara Ziegler is a graduate of the ¶¶Òõ̽̽ Department of Plant and Soil Science, where she earned the Agronomy, Soils and Sustainable Agriculture Senior Recognition Award, the Lewis Ralph Jones Award, and the Seymour Horticultural Prize. Sara has been focusing on our grassfed dairy project, as well as annual livestock forages trials, the milkweed project, and nutrient management planning. She also assists with testing lab activities as well as contributing her agronomy knowledge through field research data collection.
Champlain Valley Crop, Soil and Pasture Team (CVCROPS)
The Champlain Valley Crop, Soil and Pasture Team (CVCROPS) is a group of ¶¶Òõ̽̽ Extension professionals and partners working to provide technical assistance to Vermont Farmers in the Lake Champlain Watershed. We strive to bring you research-based knowledge that has practical applications on your farm, and address many production-related issues associated with water quality and farm profitability.
Technical Assistance (TA) Providers:
For all grazing-related needs, please use our Contact Us form. We will work as as team to identify the best grazing professional to respond as quickly as possible.
Carly Bass
Carly brings a diverse background and wide-ranging agricultural experience to ¶¶Òõ̽̽ Extension. She has worked on several commercial farms across New England and internationally, as well as conducting nutrient management work for Champlain Valley Agronomics in New York. She has a BS in Animal Science from University of New Hampshire and recently completed a MPS in Animal Science at Cornell University. Carly will provide technical assistance, outreach and education to farmers in Addison County and southward into Southern Vermont.
