To this end, we partner with the Vermont Grass Farmers Association (VGFA) in order to provide mini-grants to test new ideas and approaches (thanks to an endowed gift from a Center donor who wanted to be sure that research to promote sustainability on Vermont farms would be able to be funded in perpetuity).Ìý
The series includes:
As part of a multi-year research project developed to determine how specific approaches to livestock management, forage production and soil health translate into the production of grass-fed beef, research coordinator Juan Alvez, PhD, has been testing pastoral cover cropping as a strategy with multiple possible benefits.ÌýÌý
Key observations and recommendations are:
Beyond a handful of common perennial vegetables such as asparagus and rhubarb, there is very little familiarity with perennial vegetables among consumers and farmers, or much information available regarding the commercial growing of perennial vegetable species. We've identified three perennial vegetables of high potential interest to our region:
