Free to attend, but Registration is Required.
Where: Miller Farm, 1732 Ft. Bridgman Rd, Vernon, VT
When: Thursday, August 28, 10:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
The Miller family has been farming here in the Connecticut River Valley for five generations, now operating on 700 acres. They milk just under 200 cows with one of the oldest registered Holstein herds in North America. In addition to their own on-farm fluid milk processing, they ship their milk to Stonyfield Organic. The Miller Farm became certified organic in 2009 and has a strong focus on forage quality for high quality milk production.
Joining our farm hosts, Peter and Arthur Miller, will be Dr. Heather Darby (UVM Extension), Sarah Flack (independent grazing consultant), Cheryl Cesario (American Farmland Trust), and Bill Kipp (Nutritionist, Independent Dairy Consultants).
Topics we’ll cover include:
Strategies for producing top quality forages – in the field and in storage
Shifting climate patterns and how that affects dormancy
How cutting height affects forage yield and quality
The tradeoff between forage quality and soil carbon levels based on cutting height and frequency
Managing soil fertility to optimize forage yield and quality.
UVM Extension Northwest Crops & Soils program’s forage variety trial results
Grazing management in a high organic milk production system
Lunch is provided- and remember to dress for the weather!
This workshop is a collaboration between American Farmland Trust, Stonyfield Organic, and the Vermont Grass Farmers Association, with funding support from the NRCS Connecticut River Watershed Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP)