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2025 New England Luminary Tour


Dale Strickler and Dr. Elizabeth Heilman are coming to farms across New England. Come to one, some, or all! Each workshop will be unique and focus on topics relevant to the host farm. Luminary Tour series is designed for farmers, service providers, and those interested in regenerative agriculture. Discover innovative approaches to sustainable agriculture and holistic land management. Half the day will be spent in the fields and the other half in a classroom.

  • Attend one or more — each event is ticketed separately

  • Lunch included

  • Space is limited, registration required (no tickets sold at the door) 

  • 30$ for farmers (sliding scale), 60$ for non-farmers

Event Details

July 12 — Wolfe’s Neck Center, Freeport, ME - 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

  • Restoring water cycles & watershed health

  • Innovative fencing & water system design

  • Boosting pasture diversity

  • Integrating warm-season forage grasses

  • Growing nutrient-dense food through soil biology

  • Self-management and peer support

July 14 — Vermont State University, Randolph, VT - 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

  • Rainfall simulator & soil pit demo

  • Understanding soil biology

  • Soil tests: what they show—and don’t

  • Managing pasture without fertilizer

  • Pasture diversity’s impact on animal health and product quality

  • Costs of converting cropland to pasture

  • Flood and drought resilience planning

  • Self-management and peer support

July 15 — Shelburne Farms, Shelburne, VT - 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

  • Soil pit demo

  • Managing plant diversity for nutrition and ecosystem benefits

  • Forbs as palatable stored feed

  • Adding warm-season C4 grasses

  • Tackling compaction and drainage in clay soils

  • Designing on-farm trials for diverse forage systems

  • Self-management and peer support

July 18 — Hawthorne Valley Farm, Ghent, NY - 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

  • Adding warm-season C4 grasses

  • Incorporating forage grains into grazing systems

  • Designing on-farm trials for diverse forage systems

  • Managing drought, drainage, and compaction

  • Fertilizer-free pasture and hayland 

  • Pasture diversity’s effect on animal performance and milk quality

  • Self-management and peer support

Meet the Luminaries

Dale Strickler: Agronomist, consultant, and author of Drought Resilient Farm, Managing Pasture, and The Complete Guide to Restoring Your Soil. Dale brings decades of experience designing effective pasture and cropping systems across the globe.

Dr. Elizabeth Heilman: Ecology professor, keynote speaker, and co-founder of Regenerative Wisdom. Elizabeth integrates environmental and emotional well-being, focusing on soil health, water cycles, and regenerative community systems.

The Luminary Tour is organized by the New England Grazing Network and supported by:

  • Wolfe’s Neck Center for Agriculture & the Environment

  • Vermont Grass Farmers Association

  • UMaine Extension

  • Granite State Graziers

  • Cornell Cooperative Extension – Capital Area Ag & Hort Program

  • Berkshire Agricultural Ventures

  • Northeast Pasture Consortium

Previous
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June 24

Livestock Water System Workshop

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July 31

Pasture Walk – Results of Bale Grazing