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PREVIOUS PROGRAMS

Fine Tuning Your Grazing System: Understanding Soil, Water & Mineral Cycles & Community Dynamics

Thurs, April 21, 2005, 10 am to 3:30 pm, with Sarah Flack, Biodynamic Farmer - Grazer - Educator, M.S. Plant & Soil Science, UVM; and Heather Darby, Farmer - Agronomy Ph.D., Agronomic & Soils Specialist, UVM Ext., Cornell Coop. Ext. Saratoga

$45 members - $55 non-members: Includes lunch catered by Spoonful. Reservations required.

Are you capturing all the sunlight that lands on your farm?  Is sunlight being converted into pasture plants efficiently?  Are soils fertile and biologically active so that plant health and solar conversion are maximized?  Is the water cycling through the farm in the best possible way so that it is available to the plants when they need it?  Is the livestock grazing system improving your farms ability to convert sunlight into high quality forages?  Are livestock harvesting forages efficiently and converting it into meat, milk and fiber?

These are some questions to ask to determine if the processes that drive your grazing systems are functioning properly.  In this workshop, you will learn new ways of looking at your farm in order to effectively maximize the conversion of sunlight into high quality plants with healthy soils and good grazing management. 

Sarah Flack will discuss grazing management strategies and livestock, while Heather Darby will discuss soil health and water cycles on the farm.  Bring your questions about soil, plant and animal interactions, and take home tools to help you manage and address your farm's weak links. 

Sarah Flack is nationally known for her presentations, workshops and writing on a range of agricultural topics. She is an agricultural consultant, an organic and biodynamic farmer, raised on the family farm in northern Vermont where she still lives, Sarah works with many types of farms including organic and non-organic dairy, vegetable, sheep and beef farms. She has experience with organic dairy farming as well as pasturing poultry, raising grass-fed beef and lamb, and producing and marketing lacto-fermented vegetables (sauerkraut and kimchi).  She received her Bachelor of Science in Environmental Agriculture and Biology and Masters of Science in Plant and Soil Science from the University of Vermont.  She also has training in Holistic Management, she helped found the Vermont Grass Farmers Association, and she is President of the board of directors of the Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association.

Heather Darby is an Agronomic and Soils Specialist for the University of Vermont Extension.  Being raised on a dairy farm in Northwest Vermont has allowed her to play an active role in all aspects of the operation as well as gain knowledge of the land and create an awareness of the hard work and dedication required to operate a farm.  These practical experiences complement her education and have focused her attention on sustainable agriculture and promotion of environmental stewardship.  Heather has a Ph.D. in Agronomy and operates a diversified farm in Alburg, Vermont.

To register call to reserve your place at 518-271-0744, ext. 3. Then mail your check payable to Regional Farm & Food Project, 295 Eighth Street, Troy, NY 12180.